In Sunagakure, Exposing the Otsutsuki

While Hyuga Chiba was conversing with Orochimaru, Rasa, Kimimaro, the Sound Four, as well as Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama, had already finished clearing out the Sand Ninja in Sunagakure who were unwilling to submit.

After all, in the face of an absolute disparity in strength, those willing to die rather than yield were ultimately a minority, and their resistance held no real significance.

"Orochimaru, release the control over the First Hokage and the Second Hokage."

Once Rasa and the others returned, Chiba gave the order to Orochimaru.

At the same time, he raised his hand to recall the Green Chakra Orb from within Rasa's body, which had been exerting mental control.

"This—very well!"

Upon hearing Chiba's command, Orochimaru subconsciously felt a flicker of worry that once Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama were freed from control, they might do something dangerous.

But the moment he recalled the overwhelming strength Chiba had displayed, Orochimaru's concerns vanished; he quickly removed the Cursed Seal Kunai used to control them from the back of the heads of Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama, respectively.

"Hyuga Chiba, you have won. From this moment on, Sunagakure shall become your—spoils of war."

Having been released from mental control, Rasa spoke to Chiba with a complex expression.

As the Kazekage, he had done everything he possibly could, yet in the end, he still could not overcome the terror of the Tenseigan.

If the Hyuga Chiba before him so desired, he would not even be able to control his own thoughts or his own body.

Since he could not defeat him regardless, he had no choice but to bring Sunagakure into the fold.

"Hyuga?"

Senju Hashirama, having regained his own consciousness, asked with confusion after hearing how Rasa addressed Hyuga Chiba: "Are you a descendant of the Hyuga Clan that joined after the founding of Konoha?"

"Then why are you doing these things in Sunagakure?"

"Even if you used such methods to purge those Sand Ninja who were unwilling to submit, the remaining ones will not truly accept you."

"To gain everyone's recognition, one must use friendship and bonds, the Will of Fire—in short, forcing them through heavy-handed means is wrong."

"Also—I remember your eyes were white, why are your eyes blue now?"

"And how did you produce this chakra cloak on your body? Can I learn it?"

"Brother!" Seeing that Senju Hashirama was trending toward drifting off-topic, Senju Tobirama immediately spoke up to remind him, then addressed Hyuga Chiba: "You were clearly capable of continuing to control us, so why did you release us?"

"Could it be that you are hoping we will approve of you?"

In truth, Senju Tobirama did not think Hyuga Chiba's choice to use bloody methods to purge the unwilling Sand Ninja was wrong.

If he were standing in the latter's position, he likely would have done the same.

But precisely because their current positions were different, it was difficult for Senju Tobirama to view Hyuga Chiba as an ally.

However, the strength Hyuga Chiba had displayed was far too great; Senju Tobirama had to know as much as possible about what the former was thinking.

And why a member of the Hyuga would appear in Sunagakure and commit these acts?

"Is it that hard to understand?" Hyuga Chiba looked directly at Senju Tobirama and spoke slowly: "As the one who developed the Impure World Reincarnation, you should understand that this technique currently has flaws."

"Perhaps before long, your souls will break free from these Impure World vessels and return to the Pure Land."

"So, even if I let Orochimaru continue to control you, it would not hold much significance."

"Furthermore, the Impure World vessel inherently limits your strength; once controlled, your combat effectiveness drops even further."

"But the future Ninja World will face a group of truly terrifying existences, and the Ninja World may need your power when that time comes."

"What?" Senju Tobirama noticed that Chiba's expression was significantly more solemn when he said the last sentence, and he immediately felt a bad premonition, frowning as he asked: "Do you mean to say that this group of terrifying existences poses a significant threat even to someone like you?"

"How is that possible?" Before Chiba could respond, Rasa, standing to the side, looked shocked and could not help but interject: "The power of the Tenseigan has already completely surpassed the Kage Level strength of any village."

"After Hyuga Chiba obtained the chakra of Shukaku, he no longer has the weakness of being unable to maintain the Tenseigan Chakra Mode for long."

"I truly cannot imagine what kind of existence in the Ninja World could make him feel threatened?"

"Indeed!" Senju Hashirama nodded in agreement: "This—the power of the Tenseigan is too strong; even in my prime, I would not have had much certainty of victory."

"If Madara and I had joined forces, perhaps we might have had a chance to win."

"But Madara died by my blade, and after experiencing those events, even if he were alive, or if he were brought back like us through Impure World Reincarnation, I fear he would not be willing to join forces with me—"

Speaking to this point, Senju Hashirama revealed a look of sorrow.

"To be honest, I also find it hard to imagine what kind of existence could make you feel danger?" Senju Tobirama spoke up again: "Could it be that the opponent is even stronger than the legendary Sage of Six Paths?"

"Chiba-kun, you aren't talking about those people you mentioned earlier who can perfectly resurrect, are you?" At this moment, Orochimaru seemed to have thought of something, and he asked Chiba with a grim expression.

"Drop the 'aren't'!" Chiba did not intend to hide it; instead, he wanted Orochimaru and the others to focus their attention on the true threats of the future rather than limiting their gaze to the current Ninja World, so he spoke immediately: "The Sage of Six Paths' mother, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, came from an alien race called the Otsutsuki Clan."

"People of this race travel in pairs, bringing the Ten-Tails to one life-bearing planet after another, utilizing the Ten-Tails and the lower-ranking Otsutsuki to plant a God Tree on these planets to obtain the Chakra Fruit, which allows their power to undergo a qualitative change."

"Thousands of years ago, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, who arrived on this planet, was unwilling to be fed to the God Tree, so she ambushed Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, who held a higher rank than her, threw half of his body to the God Tree, and monopolized the Chakra Fruit it produced."

"However, the remaining half of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's body compressed his own information, formed a Karma, and implanted it into a passing monk named Jigen, eventually completing his resurrection."

"It is just that Jigen's body is not compatible with Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, preventing him from using his power as an Otsutsuki for long periods."

"Therefore, he has been hiding in the shadows, searching for or attempting to create a new vessel truly suitable for him."

"As for the Otsutsuki side, after never receiving word from Ōtsutsuki Isshiki and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya regarding the planting of the God Tree fruit, they will inevitably send people to investigate."

"When that time comes, whether it is the Ōtsutsuki Isshiki hiding in the shadows or the other Otsutsuki who are about to arrive, both are enough to deal a dimension-crushing blow to the entire Ninja World."

"By the way, the so-called God's Eye, the Rinnegan, which you attribute to the Sage of Six Paths, is actually nothing more than standard equipment for the Otsutsuki Clan."