The Sage of Six Paths?
Another Sage of Six Paths?
The Otsutsuki clan?
To be honest, when they heard Rei Kaguya solemnly bring up matters that the people of the shinobi world had long since regarded as myth and legend, and then grant them content completely different from before, Onoki, Rasa, A, Miroku, and even Minato Namikaze, who had already learned some of the inside story, all felt the exact same thing.
Shock.
Astonishment.
And… disbelief.
If the person saying these words had been anyone other than Rei Kaguya, and if the place where they were spoken had not been such a solemn and tense operational meeting, there was a high chance they would have scoffed at it.
Because in their understanding, matters so distant from the current shinobi world and lacking any concrete proof did not have much value.
Perhaps after hearing it, they would have their villages' intelligence divisions attempt to collect some information to verify the truth of those words.
But to expect them to place great importance on them?
That was impossible.
Yet now, Rei Kaguya had solemnly presented this view in such a serious setting.
Thus, they had no choice but to connect these words, whose truth only the heavens knew, with this sudden moon descent incident that had appeared without any warning. And with great reluctance, they had to arrive at an answer that was extremely, extremely, extremely absurd, yet somehow inexplicably self-consistent.
The moon descent incident was not a naturally occurring disaster.
It was a man-made calamity produced through artificial intervention.
But such an answer was clearly not something any side could easily accept.
"How… how could that be…"
The Priestess of the Land of Demons, Miroku, covered her mouth, somewhat dazed as she murmured,
"The moon's descent… was actually caused by human power? How… how could such a thing be something humans can do…"
"Hey, Mizukage brat…"
Onoki's expression had also become terrifyingly dark and grave.
"This is not something you can casually joke about… You are saying the moon's descent is connected to descendants left behind by the Sage of Six Paths? Do you intend to use this kind of wild statement… to completely break our will to resist?"
"Even if we wished to resist, with our strength, I doubt we could find a way to stop the moon's descent."
Minato Namikaze looked at Rei Kaguya and Nagato beside him with a complicated expression. Rarely showing some discouragement, he said,
"Even if we cooperated sincerely, advanced and retreated together, and had the Jinchuriki of each village join forces to unleash Tailed Beast Balls of maximum power together, the destruction they could cause would likely be insignificant before a celestial body as enormous as the moon. Moreover, right now, the Seven-Tails, Nine-Tails, and Four-Tails are all still in the process of revival, and Sunagakure does not have a mature Jinchuriki capable of controlling the One-Tails either…"
Rasa, who had been named, revealed a helpless expression. He shook his head, then looked sharply at Nagato and asked,
"Is it precisely because you know that even if our great shinobi villages joined forces, we still would not be able to resolve the moon descent crisis, that the two of you, who possess intelligence and special power, chose to step forward at this time?"
"As expected of Lord Rasa, who protected Sunagakure even while it was leaderless. Your insight is as sharp as ever."
Nagato first nodded. Then he pointed somewhat helplessly at Rei Kaguya beside him and sighed.
"However, the person capable of resolving this incident does not include me…"
"Even though you possess the same Rinnegan as the Sage of Six Paths, you still cannot do it!?"
The Fourth Raikage, A, watched Nagato voluntarily take a step back, handing the main role and stage entirely to Rei Kaguya, and could not help questioning him.
"Regrettably, that is a fact I cannot change, Lord Raikage."
Nagato calmly shook his head, showing no intention of forcing himself to take the lead on this matter.
"The power of the Rinnegan is indeed very strong, but it has not yet reached the point where it can resolve the crisis of the moon's descent. This is a matter concerning the survival of the billions of living beings in the entire shinobi world. I do not believe there is any need for me to display confidence beyond the scope of my own ability in such a matter."
"Then what meaning is there in you, the leader of this self-proclaimed neutral Akatsuki, convening this meeting!?"
The Fourth Raikage, A, rose in shock and anger and shouted furiously,
"In the mouths of you and the Mizukage, we Kage of the shinobi villages are utterly useless when it comes to solving the moon's descent! If that is the case, what need was there for us to attend this meeting!? Just so the Mizukage, who supported you and the Akatsuki to where you stand now, can stand above all of us before the entire shinobi world!?"
"Inviting all of you to attend this meeting truly was not done with the expectation that you would play any role in resolving the moon descent incident."
Rei Kaguya smiled freely, frankly admitting the point the Raikage questioned.
"However, the fact that all of you—who not long ago chose to oppose me and Kirigakure and entered a cold war against us due to the bewitchment of Root and Obito Uchiha—came to attend this meeting has enough symbolic significance in itself."
"And that symbolic significance is already enough for me."
"You wish to use this incident to create a rift between us and Root, even to make us part ways completely?"
Onoki frowned.
Before attending the meeting, he had deliberately communicated with the Fourth Raikage, A, and hinted that the other party should remain vigilant toward Root and its mysterious Uchiha leader. Yet at this moment, he acted like a staunch supporter of Root.
"Then your goal is destined to fail, Mizukage brat… The relationship between us and Root is not something such a simple sowing of discord can affect."
"It will affect it. Inevitably."
Rei Kaguya chuckled and spoke unhurriedly.
"My understanding of Obito Uchiha is much deeper than yours, even though you cooperate with him. In fact, compared to the Hokage who personally taught him as he grew up, I am also the one who understands Obito Uchiha better."
"He is the most standard type of Uchiha. Extreme, radical, obsessive. Once he decides upon something, he will accomplish it by any means necessary. Even if many people who had once shown him kindness are sacrificed in the process of achieving that goal, he will not hesitate in the slightest…"
"If you believe that Obito Uchiha, who possesses space-time ninjutsu capable of transferring himself into a separate dimension and who bears bone-deep hatred toward me, would choose to actively help preserve the shinobi world when facing a disaster like the moon's descent—a disaster no one can escape—instead of watching coldly from the sidelines, or even using the opportunity to send both me and the shinobi world I want to change away together, then you would be letting down all the years you have lived…"
"Compared to that unscrupulous fellow, I, who merely wish for you enemies who were still opposing me not long ago to personally witness the fact that I saved the shinobi world from the crisis of the moon's descent and promise not to block the spread of this news, should not be considered to have gone too far, should I?"
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