"You would rather believe a complete outsider... No—not even a person."
Hamura's voice trembled with profound heartbreak.
"You would rather believe the one-sided words and prophecy of a... beast..."
"...than trust the judgment and advice of your own younger brother—the one who shares your blood, who grew up beside you."
"And you refuse to trust the mother who gave birth to you, raised you, and gave you life."
Hamura fixed his gaze firmly on Hagoromo before finally delivering the words that severed the last remnants of warmth between them.
"You truly... are a profound disappointment."
"A beast."
"An outsider."
"Refusing to trust your own family."
Those words struck like the cruelest of curses, tearing apart the final fragile thread of kinship and trust that still bound the two brothers together.
Hagoromo staggered as though he had been struck head-on.
His face turned deathly pale.
His lips parted as if to refute his brother, as if to shout back—but it felt as though an invisible hand had wrapped itself around his throat, leaving him unable to utter a single word.
The utter disappointment and estrangement in Hamura's eyes hurt far more than any furious argument ever could.
For the first time, the flame that had driven Hagoromo's resolve to save the world was chilled by the bitter realization of complete isolation.
The brothers stood facing one another.
No warmth remained between them.
Only cold disappointment.
Irreconcilable ideals.
And a chasm between them that seemed impossible to bridge.
His attempt at persuasion had failed.
Their alliance had shattered.
Hagoromo finally understood that if he intended to oppose Mother, he might truly have to walk that path alone.
At least until he found undeniable proof—proof that even Hamura could not refute—he had lost the companion who should have stood beside him more than anyone else.
Beneath the Heavenly Curtain, the people of the shinobi world watched the once-inseparable brothers completely break apart over their opposing convictions.
The conversation displayed within the Heavenly Curtain—especially Hagoromo's unwavering belief that he possessed the truth, coupled with his refusal to communicate and his unquestioning trust in only one source—sent ripples through the hearts of countless viewers.
"Isn't the Sage of Six Paths... a little too stubborn?"
"He's completely trapped in his own thinking. Hamura explained everything so logically—he emphasized evidence and communication—but Hagoromo simply refused to listen. He just accepted the 'truth' the Great Toad Sage told him."
"Exactly. Earlier, when everything was shown from Hagoromo's perspective, he looked like a tragic hero—enduring hardship, seeking greater power, determined to save the world."
"But now that Hamura pointed it out and we can step back to look at it objectively..."
"Whew... his stubbornness, refusal to accept criticism, and sheer self-righteousness couldn't be more obvious."
"Think about it from another perspective."
"If I spent years raising my son, placing all my hopes in him, only for him to hear a few words from some random toad outside and immediately conclude that I was an evil person intent on destroying the world..."
"And then he came back without even asking me why—without even trying to have a proper conversation—and instead decided he had to stop me... maybe even defeat me..."
"My heart would freeze."
"...You know... now that you put it that way..."
"I suddenly feel a little sorry for Kaguya."
"Sure, her methods of ruling were rather harsh... but to be treated like that by the son she treasured most..."
"That said, the Heavenly Curtain still hasn't shown any concrete evidence that Kaguya or the God Tree would actually destroy the world."
"Aside from the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, there's still no definitive proof."
"So Hagoromo's actions..."
"They're honestly difficult to understand."
"As Hamura said—he wouldn't trust his own younger brother, who shared his blood and had lived beside him all his life."
"He wouldn't trust the mother who gave him life."
"But he completely trusted an outsider whose identity he barely knew..."
"...and that outsider was a toad."
"No matter whether you're looking at it emotionally or logically, that's simply unbelievable."
"Unbelievable?"
"It's downright absurd."
"He skipped the most basic step of trying to talk to his mother."
"He simply declared her guilty based entirely on one side of the story."
"Making absolute judgments from incomplete information..."
"Refusing even to consider other possibilities..."
"That's incredibly difficult to accept."
"Is this really the temperament the legendary savior was supposed to have?"
Yet if there was anyone in the shinobi world who could truly empathize with Hagoromo's state of mind—and simultaneously feel unbearable pain because of it—
It was Uchiha Itachi.
Far away, standing alone beneath the Heavenly Curtain.
Especially when Hamura's words echoed clearly in his ears—
"You would rather believe a beast..."
"...than trust your own younger brother who shares your blood..."
"...or the mother who gave birth to you and raised you..."
"You truly... are a profound disappointment."
Every word pierced Itachi's already shattered heart like a poisoned kunai.
His chest tightened violently, as though an invisible hammer had struck him squarely in the heart.
Even breathing became difficult.
The memories he had buried deep within himself surged uncontrollably to the surface.
His father, Fugaku Uchiha, wearing an expression of exhaustion and inner conflict during the clan meetings.
The anger in the eyes of the Uchiha Clan over the injustice they had endured.
Their uncertainty about the future.
Young Sasuke's innocent dependence upon his family and longing for warmth.
Back then...
Wasn't he exactly like Hagoromo?
He had long since convinced himself that the Uchiha Clan posed a hidden threat to Konohagakure.
That they were a disaster waiting to happen.
That their pride and growing discontent would inevitably plunge the village into civil war.
Because of that conviction...
No matter how the clan members confided their grievances.
No matter how desperately they searched for a way out.
No matter how earnestly they tried to communicate with the village leadership...
To him, all of it became proof of their radicalism.
Evidence of their arrogance.
A threat to Konohagakure's stability.
He had already branded the entire clan as guilty.
Once he had put on those tinted lenses...
He could no longer see—
Nor did he wish to see—
The other side of the story.
In Itachi's heart...
The leaders of Konohagakure had become the equivalent of the Great Toad Sage in Hagoromo's story.
Their words.
Their judgment of the Uchiha Clan.
Their conclusions.
Even without transparent evidence.
Even without a complete understanding of the Uchiha Clan's circumstances.
Even without an impartial investigation.
He had chosen to believe them unconditionally.
He accepted their conclusions as absolute truth.
As the righteous cause he was duty-bound to carry out.
And his own clansmen—
Those who shared his blood and heritage—
Had become, in his eyes...
What Kaguya had become in Hagoromo's.
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