Naruto: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 280: The Divine Tree's Ruins

Before the imposing figure of the Gedo Statue, which had now opened seven and a half eyes and exuded a terrifying aura despite being sealed by chains, Hagoromo Gengetsu faced the silent Sasuke. Without further ado, he handed a sealing scroll to him and said:

"Inside is Naruto's body. You handle it."

Sasuke's hand trembled as he slowly took the scroll. Hagoromo Gengetsu said nothing more, and Sasuke, after a respectful bow, turned and left. As he watched Sasuke's departing figure, Hagoromo Gengetsu's expression remained calm.

He refrained from mentioning that it was the Great Toad Sage who had killed Naruto. Sasuke, except when it came to Itachi, was generally quite rational. For Naruto to have died, it must have been by someone else's hand since Naruto wouldn't have committed suicide, and Hagoromo Gengetsu was too skilled to accidentally kill him. Whoever it was no longer mattered; their fate was already sealed if Hagoromo Gengetsu was present.

Quickly, Hagoromo Gengetsu's focus shifted back. Although Sasuke was his subordinate, and many regarded Sasuke as his disciple, Hagoromo Gengetsu, who had no ill will towards Naruto, had brought back Naruto's body not for any malicious purpose but to give Sasuke closure.

Hagoromo Gengetsu had no interest in what might transpire between Sasuke and Naruto's remains. He turned his attention to the Gedo Statue. Compared to when he first encountered it, the statue, now containing the chakra of seven and a half Tailed Beasts, was much stronger. Yet, in Hagoromo Gengetsu's presence, it stirred no fear.

"Now, all that's left is the Two-Tails."

Hagoromo Gengetsu glanced at the only unopened eye on the statue's head, a cold glint in his eyes. Uchiha Obito and the Great Toad Sage—one had captured the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, and the other had killed the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—had disrupted his perfect plan.

Had everything gone smoothly, the Gedo Statue would have absorbed the complete chakras of all nine Tailed Beasts by now. There would have been no need to start a Fourth Great Ninja War; he could have directly ascended to become the perfect Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, activating the Rinne Sharingan and casting the world into the Infinite Tsukuyomi before the ninja world could react.

But now, even if he retrieved the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, the absence of half of the Nine-Tails meant he would have to rely on the Divine Tree's power. Whether it was allowing the Divine Tree to bloom or absorbing its power into himself to awaken the Rinne Sharingan like Madara, it would take time.

Moreover, he had to go to a specific place to truly harness the Divine Tree's power—where the Otsutsuki clan planted the Divine Tree millennia ago.

Hagoromo Gengetsu had always been puzzled when he watched the original story. Why did Obito, after collecting the chakras of Tailed Beasts from One to Seven, and part of Eight and Nine, not find a secluded spot to become the incomplete Ten-Tails Jinchuriki and then immediately summon the Divine Tree to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi? It would take only fifteen minutes from the start of the ritual to the Divine Tree's blooming—a time frame far too short for the ninja coalition to intervene.

Hagoromo Gengetsu now understood Obito's reasoning: to harness the true power of the Divine Tree, it had to be connected to the roots spread across the entire planet, which were linked to its original site. This connection greatly sped up the blooming process, compensating for the lack of full Tailed Beast chakra. Without it, it would take days, if not longer, for the Divine Tree to bloom—a time frame no ninja would allow.

Therefore, Hagoromo Gengetsu also needed to go to the Divine Tree's original site. But first, he needed to reclaim the Two-Tails Jinchuriki.

"Uchiha Obito..."

Hagoromo Gengetsu took out a container holding Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan and said coldly, "Since you wish to come, then come."

The sound of rain continued to fall from the sky. Uchiha Obito, still wearing his spiral mask and hiding his appearance, looked up at the sky, letting the rain soak him, lost in thought.

"Obito."

Black Zetsu emerged from the ground nearby, speaking to the man beside him. "Good news, Hagoromo Gengetsu agreed to meet you in front of the Gedo Statue."

Obito's head dropped slightly, his eyes shining with a fierce light. "Finally, the day has come."

Black Zetsu also felt a heartfelt emotion. "Yes! I heard Hagoromo Gengetsu has already captured the One-Tails, Eight-Tails, and Nine-Tails. His efficiency is much higher than ours was!"

After countless efforts over a thousand years to awaken the Rinnegan and create the current situation, the time for his mother's return had never been closer. But at this critical juncture, caution was paramount. Having lived for a millennium, orchestrating countless plots and facing numerous failures, Black Zetsu knew this well. Therefore, he had no qualms about staying with Obito a little longer and using his plan to probe Hagoromo Gengetsu further.

Black Zetsu was still uncertain whether to let Hagoromo Gengetsu, who was now present, carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan, or to stick with the more predictable Obito or even Madara.

Everything would depend on the unfolding events.

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