บท 261: Chapter 261: Naruto and Sasuke
The content on the stone monument began conventionally enough.
It spoke of a long-ago time when a woman named Kaguya Ōtsutsuki ate the chakra fruit borne by the divine tree, gaining immense power and thereafter quelling the chaos of war.
She was the progenitor of chakra in the ninja world.
Then, Kaguya bore two sons, named Hagoromo and Hamura, who are the Sage of the Six Paths and his brother, respectively.
However, a rift later formed between the Sage of the Six Paths and his mother, leading to the two sons joining forces to defeat Kaguya.
After that, the Sage of the Six Paths used the Chibaku Tensei to create the moon, sealing his mother's body within, known as the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
As for Kaguya's chakra, being too vast, the Sage of the Six Paths divided it into nine, giving rise to the tailed beasts of today.
So that's how it was.
After reading this, Naruto's surprise gave way to enlightenment.
He finally understood why Uchiha Madara manipulated Nagato and the Akatsuki to collect the tailed beasts with such determination.
That's because—
Using the Rinne Sharingan to perform the Summoning Jutsu, one could steal the body of the Ten-Tails—the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path—from the moon.
Then, by gathering the nine tailed beasts and merging them with the statue, one could resurrect the Ten-Tails!
Madara's plan before his death must have been to wait for Nagato to collect all the tailed beasts, then have Obito strike, controlling Nagato to use the Rinne Tensei no Jutsu to resurrect himself.
Then, he would not only achieve a perfect resurrection but also become the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki, attaining power to rival the Sage of the Six Paths.
At that time.
The entire ninja world would be in the palm of Madara's hand.
Naruto finally found the answer he was seeking.
"Too bad, too bad, Uchiha Madara, you would never have imagined, would you? Your puppets, Nagato and your heir Obito, were both killed by someone named Uchiha Dan."
"Your pair of Rinnegan ended up benefiting me."
"And I, Uzumaki Naruto, would never use these eyes to resurrect you."
Naruto murmured to himself.
The person who thwarted Madara's plan was his clansman, Uchiha Dan, and the biggest beneficiary was the outsider, Uzumaki Naruto.
If the Madara in the pure land knew of this, he'd probably be infuriated to madness.
Thinking this, Naruto couldn't help but reveal a happy smile.
Withdrawing his thoughts, he continued reading, as there was still much content on the monument.
It said.
The Sage of the Six Paths, like his mother, also had two sons, inheriting his Rinnegan and his physical energy, later becoming the ancestors of today's Uchiha and Senju clans.
However, the two sons of the Sage of the Six Paths were not united like he and Hamura, but ended up as enemies.
From then on, the struggle between the Uchiha and Senju clans continued for thousands of years, until the establishment of Konoha.
The Sage of the Six Paths, with his foresight, apparently anticipated this situation, hence on the stone monument, he earnestly persuaded his descendants:
One must let go of hatred and stop the internal strife!
Because only by combining the Uchiha's Yin release with the Senju's Yang release would one produce the Six Paths Senjutsu, thereby obtaining the true power of the Sage of the Six Paths.
"So, that's how Madara got his Rinnegan."
As Naruto read and pondered the content of the monument, he nodded to himself.
Now it seemed.
The battle at the Valley of the End was likely initiated by Madara after reading this section on the monument, deliberately starting it.
In that epochal battle, Madara feigned defeat against Hashirama, carefully orchestrated his own apparent death, and successfully obtained the latter's flesh and blood, completing the transplant.
Through this method, Madara obtained the Senju's Yang release and finally, on the brink of death, activated his Rinnegan.
Then it was to transplant the Rinnegan to Nagato and cultivate Uchiha Obito to monitor Nagato so that he could be resurrected smoothly in the future.
What a grand and dark conspiracy.
"Worthy trip indeed." Naruto sighed once more.
The content on this monument cleared the fog before his eyes, as if climbing a peak, standing at a higher vantage point to overlook the ninja world.
Naruto's mindset was different now.
His predecessor, Nagato, although possessing great power, was trapped in illusion and deception, only able to be a pawn in others' games his entire life.
But the current Naruto was officially at the table, becoming a player.
He was now qualified to play this great game of the ninja world.
"Who's my opponent? The living Uchiha Dan, or the deceased Uchiha Madara? But no matter who the opponent becomes, as long as I become the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki first, I can win this game, right?"
Naruto mused, his eyes blazing with determination.
The shell of the Ten-Tails—the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path—was in his hands.
As for the chakra of the Ten-Tails, although the Uchiha clan possessed six of the tailed beasts, the remaining three were on Naruto's side.
It seemed to be an evenly matched game of strategy.
The content of the monument had only the final part left.
The further back the content, the more valuable it was, so Naruto eagerly continued reading.
But soon, his brows gradually furrowed, the wrinkles forming the character for "river".
The Sage of the Six Paths indeed provided a method to end the wars and achieve peace in the ninja world.
The answer was only four characters long:
God of Muscle.
What did this mean?
Naruto stared at the four large characters on the stone monument, lost in thought.
The mention of muscle brought to mind Uchiha Dan, the super muscle man, his body a mass of muscle through and through.
Could it mean—
That the Sage of the Six Paths intended for Dan to become the savior, to rescue the world with his muscular strength?
"What a joke!" Naruto blurted out loud, his voice echoing through the chamber.
He stood in disbelief before the stone tablet for a long time, struggling to accept this revelation.
This tablet, left by the Sage of the Six Paths, had revealed many secrets, enlightening Naruto while dispelling any doubts about its authenticity.
The Uchiha clan was right; this was indeed a relic of the Sage of the Six Paths, marking their lineage as descendants of the sage.
However.
The Sage's final revelation on the tablet — the God of Muscle — unmistakably pointed towards Uchiha Dan.
This was beyond Naruto's expectations.
Once upon a time.
Back in Konoha, Naruto had a favorable impression of Dan because, unlike others in the village, he didn't despise him and even treated him to grilled meat q.
To Naruto, the man was like a friendly big brother.
But later on, he learned.
Dan's kindness was because Naruto was the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails. Like the Third Hokage, he approached him with ulterior motives — to use him later.
And over these past eight years.
Konan repeatedly indoctrinated Naruto, painting Dan as a villain of the worst kind, describing him as the greatest obstacle in Akatsuki's path.
In her eyes.
Uchiha Dan was more dangerous than Madara had ever been; not only did he wield his power recklessly, killing tens of thousands without a second thought, but he also lacked normal human emotions, a being of immense power and a deranged mind.
Yes.
Dan was the most severe psychopath in the shinobi world, a super-madman.
Gradually, Naruto was brainwashed by Konan, convinced that eliminating Uchiha Dan was the true path to saving the shinobi world.
Until now.
As he gazed upon the prophecy left by the Sage of the Six Paths, his resolve wavered.
Was Konan's hatred for Dan truly for the greater good, or was it because he killed Nagato?
Who was right — she or the Sage of the Six Paths?
Damn it.
Naruto clenched his fists, veins popping on his forehead, his heart torn with fierce struggle.
He couldn't tell.
What Naruto didn't know was that the stone tablet before him was a fake.
The real Six Paths Monument had been pulverized by Dan himself right before Fugaku's eyes, his fist reducing it to rubble.
After all, the contents of that monument had been altered by Black Zetsu, who had crafted the "Eye of the Moon" plan to deceive Uchiha Madara.
A year ago, Dan had crafted a new monument.
He removed Black Zetsu's "Eye of the Moon" plan and replaced it with his own "God of Muscle" plan. As for the purpose, it was naturally to deceive future Uchiha clansmen.
Playing people was his guilty pleasure.
Unexpectedly, the first to be played was Naruto himself.
Naruto stood in the chamber for a while before slowly coming back to his senses.
Forget it.
Regardless, today he had gleaned much crucial intel. It was time to leave Konoha and digest this information thoroughly.
With that in mind, he exited the chamber and returned to the surface.
Quietly appearing on the outskirts of the shrine, Naruto was about to leave when he noticed a crowd nearby, excitedly cheering a name as if some celebrity had arrived.
Were they Uchiha?
Curiosity piqued, Naruto crept closer without a sound and caught the name: Sasuke.
A few tourists were discussing animatedly.
"Look, it's really him, Uchiha Sasuke! The youngest son of the Uchiha clan head, the nephew of the Sixth Hokage, the chosen one of Konoha Village."
"They say Sasuke dominated the recent Chunin Exams, overshadowing geniuses from Konoha and beyond, winning the championship as expected. He's only fifteen, isn't he? His future achievements are boundless."
"Sasuke came to the Nangokushin Shrine, probably to give thanks after topping the Chunin Exams. This shrine really is miraculous; I should pray here for my child, too."
Sasuke...
Hearing this name, both foreign and faintly familiar, Naruto's thoughts drifted back many years, to when he was still in ninja school.
Oh, it was that Uchiha kid with the black hair and the voice of a drake.
In Naruto's view, there was nothing special about Sasuke because, just like the other students in the academy, he despised Naruto, calling him a demon fox, a disaster for the village.
Jōnin?
Heh.
A chuckle rose in Naruto's mind.
A 15-year-old Jōnin, in any village, was undeniably a prodigy, a figure to be looked up to by the masses.
But for Naruto now, such a figure was nothing more than an ant.
Forget being a Jōnin. Even if a Kage-level powerhouse were to appear, Naruto wouldn't bat an eye.
His one and only true adversary was Uchiha Dan.
Despite not even catching a glimpse of Sasuke's face, Naruto had already lost interest in him. Shaking his head, he was ready to depart.
But just then.
The murmurs of the bystanders once again reached his ears, causing Naruto to halt in his tracks.
"Sasuke hails from a prestigious family. Not only is he Konoha's top genius, but he's also the handsomest. There must be countless girls smitten with him. It's enviable."
"That's for sure. Who wouldn't want to marry into such a prominent family? Especially to someone like Sasuke, a future Hokage in the making. It's like a sparrow transforming into a phoenix."
"No wonder he's surrounded by so many girls. But I've heard that Sasuke has been quite close to Lady Tsunade's disciple, a medical ninja named Karin, recently. Could it be that they are dating?"
Karin.
This name made Naruto's pupils contract, and he turned back.
The others didn't notice his reaction and continued their discussion.
"Lady Tsunade is the last of the Senju clan, and it's said she's grooming Karin like her own daughter. That means Karin will not only inherit all of Tsunade's jutsu but might even carry on the Senju surname."
"If that's the case, Karin and Sasuke are quite the match, a union of the Senju and Uchiha, what a beautiful story."
Hearing them talk as if it were the truth, Naruto suddenly felt unsettled.
Why.
This matter involving Karin had never been mentioned in the reports before. Could it be that she was intentionally hiding it?
Naruto couldn't help feeling annoyed. The one thing he was most worried about was happening.
Karin was in Konoha as a spy, and now she was caught up in a romance, with Uchiha Sasuke no less. This made Naruto uneasy.
He saw the potential for Karin to betray the Akatsuki organization.
As the leader of Akatsuki, Naruto was unwilling to face the day when he might have to punish Karin, the traitor, with his own hands.
He had to stop all of this, especially before Teacher Konan found out.
With that thought.
Whoosh.
Naruto's piercing gaze cut through the crowd, landing on a young man who was the center of attention.
The youth, with black hair and eyes and refined features, had fair skin and wore an expression of Uchiha arrogance.
Strikingly handsome, he wore the distinctive high-collared blue robe of the Uchiha clan, with an exquisitely crafted ninja sword strapped to his waist. He was indeed a sight that could capture the gaze of any girl.
That was Uchiha Sasuke.
Flanking Sasuke were two towering figures over two meters tall, bulky like mountains, shielding him from the enthusiastic crowd.
They were Sasuke's personal bodyguards—the brothers of the Wind and Thunder Gods.
At this moment.
Sasuke, surrounded by overly enthusiastic tourists and villagers, was growing impatient inside, but he refrained from making a scene, not wanting to tarnish his family's image.
Suddenly.
Hmm?
Sasuke felt a chill run through him as a hostile gaze, sharp as a knife, fell upon him.
Who?
Sasuke immediately turned around, spotting a blond youth in the crowd. Their eyes met.
The stranger was about his age but with an unfamiliar face. A student from the ninja academy?
Under Sasuke's watchful eye, Naruto offered a significant smile.
Then, turning on his heel, he disappeared into the crowd.
Where did he go?
Sasuke's brow furrowed. In a blur, the suspicious blonde was gone.
Something was off.
The ability to vanish under his sensory lock was no ordinary feat.
Sasuke was startled and instantly made a hand sign with one hand, vanishing in pursuit using the Body Flicker Technique.
"He's gone!"
The crowd exclaimed in surprise, looking around.
"Young Master Sasuke!"
The Wind and Thunder God brothers were frantic, scratching their heads, clueless about where Sasuke had gone, searching aimlessly like headless flies.
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