Chapter 26

"This..." Uchiha Yi paused, his gaze casually sweeping the room. "Lord Third, this needs to be discussed privately—truly privately."

There was meaning behind his words.

Though the Hokage's office seemed to contain only the two of them, he knew perfectly well how many pairs of eyes were watching from the shadows. "Fine, there's no—"

The Third Hokage was about to agree readily when a burst of laughter suddenly erupted from the window. "Hahaha! What's so mysterious that even Jiraiya, the Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, isn't allowed to hear it?"

Uchiha Yi had sensed that presence long ago, so he was not surprised in the slightest. He calmly turned back to the Third.

"Lord Third, this is no small matter. It concerns the entire ninja world. If you think it's fine, then I have no objections."

The entire ninja world?

The Third's expression changed instantly. Jiraiya's laughter caught in his throat, and he could no longer laugh. "For a small place like the Land of Snow, the mission rank won't be low either."

"That's right. The Daimyo of the Land of Snow commissioned it personally, so this mission has been raised to S-rank."

"Considering the risks of an S-rank mission, not only have you passed your evaluation smoothly, I'm also granting you a special promotion to Special Jonin."

Special Jonin?

Uchiha Yi froze for a moment, but did not think much of it. "Thank you, Lord Third."

"Mm."

The Third Hokage nodded, his expression suddenly turning grave. "Then what exactly is this important matter you mentioned? Why must you speak to me alone?"

"This..."

Uchiha Yi hesitated briefly. "Lord Third, I need to report this matter to you privately—privately in the truest sense."

There was meaning behind his words. After all, this was the Hokage's office, and countless eyes were watching from the shadows. "Fine, no problem—"

Before he could finish, laughter suddenly came from the window. "Hahaha, what's so mysterious? Let Jiraiya, the Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, hear it too!"

Uchiha Yi had long discovered Jiraiya's presence, so he was not surprised. He merely turned to the Third. "Lord Third, it would be best to treat this matter as one concerning the safety of the entire ninja world. If you have no objections, neither do I."

The entire ninja world?

The Third's expression changed, and Jiraiya's smile vanished as well.

The Third said nothing, merely giving Jiraiya a look. "Ninja Art: Solitary Yang Formation!"

A faint barrier instantly enveloped the entire Hokage's office.

Clearly, the Third had arranged this beforehand. With Jiraiya present, the ANBU agents made no move either. "Now it's fine. No one outside can see or hear us. This is my personal secret technique."

Uchiha Yi ignored Jiraiya's boasting and looked directly at the Third. "Before I explain this matter, I want to show Lord Third something."

Something?

Both the Third and Jiraiya were curious, but in the next moment, they froze.

Uchiha Yi opened his eyes wide. His three-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly before finally forming a unique pattern.

At the sight, both the Third and Jiraiya understood at once. "Mangekyo Sharingan?"

"You awakened it?"

Neither of them could remain seated.

The Third immediately thought of something and quickly asked, "What are your Mangekyo ocular techniques?"

A faint sense of vigilance rose within him—if Uchiha Yi possessed an ability similar to Kotoamatsukami, then the problem would be enormous. "One is called Amaterasu. The other is a spatial ninjutsu similar to Flying Raijin."

Hm?

Amaterasu?

Spatial ninjutsu?

The two were even more bewildered.

Uchiha Yi did not waste words and demonstrated directly.

Whoosh!

A mass of black flames instantly ignited. "Those flames?"

Jiraiya cried out in alarm. "Jiraiya, you've seen them?" The Third's expression changed as well. "I have."

Jiraiya nodded solemnly. "I saw the same black flames on Uchiha Itachi before. They were incredibly powerful and couldn't be extinguished by any means. They could only be sealed away."

"This is Amaterasu."

After speaking, Uchiha Yi gently shook his head. "But my Amaterasu is different—I can make it ignite whenever I wish, and I can extinguish it as well."

As soon as he finished speaking, the black flames went out. "Next, this is Divine Flash."

Uchiha Yi's figure suddenly flickered, and afterimages of him abruptly filled the entire Hokage's office. He moved so quickly that even Jiraiya and the Third Hokage could not lock onto his position.

Flying Raijin?

The name of that technique sprang into both their minds at once, but they immediately dismissed it.

No. This fellow had not thrown any marked kunai anywhere.

When he stopped, the Third smiled and nodded. "So this is the Divine Flash you mentioned? Kid, you truly have some skill."

He was not unfamiliar with the Mangekyo Sharingan. Seeing Uchiha Yi reveal two ocular techniques in succession, the weight in his heart finally lifted completely.

Not Kotoamatsukami.

That was good.

What pleased the Third even more was that after awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan, this child had not hidden it and had instead revealed it of his own accord. It showed that his character was trustworthy.

What the Third did not know was that Uchiha Yi was secretly delighted right now.

The great art of bluffing succeeded. "Does the matter you mentioned earlier have a direct connection to your awakening of the Mangekyo Sharingan?" The Third brought the conversation back on track.

Uchiha Yi nodded seriously. "Yes."

He paused before continuing. "This time in the Land of Snow, I encountered some things that no one would believe if I told them. At first, I thought I was overthinking it too, but what happened later left me with no choice but to believe."

Once Jiraiya and the Third had both fixed their eyes on him, Uchiha Yi brought out his prepared story. "My lords, have you ever considered where ninjutsu—or rather, chakra—actually came from?"

Jiraiya grinned and answered carelessly, "Isn't that obvious? Spiritual energy and physical energy get mixed together, and that makes it."

Uchiha Yi shook his head. "Yes, but not entirely."

He looked at Jiraiya. "Lord Jiraiya, have you ever wondered whether chakra existed from the very beginning of humanity, or whether it appeared at some point later?"

Jiraiya was stunned by the question.

Without waiting for an answer, Uchiha Yi continued, "How about this? Let me tell you a story."

Without caring about Jiraiya's reaction, he began. "Since the dawn of human history, war had never ceased. The land was soaked in blood, as though it were trying to absorb it all into the soil."

"In those days, there stood a 'Divine Tree' in the heavens. It took no part in any conflict and had been worshiped as a sacred object for generations."

"One day, a fruit grew upon the Divine Tree. No one knew what it meant, but ancestral teachings forbade anyone from touching that fruit."

"Then, a woman descended from the sky. The people worshiped her as a goddess."

"That woman ate the fruit. She became the first person in the world to possess chakra."

"She was the ancestor of chakra, and her name was—Kaguya Otsutsuki."

Jiraiya frowned. "Kid, don't tell me this is the origin of chakra?"

The Third's expression also changed. Not a single word of this was recorded in the history books.

Yet Uchiha Yi ignored their reactions and offered no explanation, continuing his story without pause. "After gaining chakra, the goddess used her power to bring the wars to an end. Later, amid the blessings of mankind, she gave birth to two sons."

"One was called Hagoromo Otsutsuki."

"The other was called Hamura Otsutsuki."

"Could what you're talking about have something to do with your awakening of the Mangekyo Sharingan?"

The Third Hokage narrowed his eyes as he studied him.

Uchiha Yi nodded. "That's right. This time in the Land of Snow, I encountered something strange. At first, I didn't believe it either, but later, I had no choice but to."

He glanced at the Third and Jiraiya and began weaving his story. "Lord Third, let me ask you something—where did ninjutsu, no, chakra, come from?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Jiraiya waved a hand casually. "Spiritual energy and physical energy combine to create it."

"That's correct, but not entirely."

Uchiha Yi shook his head and turned to Jiraiya. "Lord Jiraiya, have you ever considered whether chakra existed from the beginning of humanity, or whether it emerged later?"

"This..."

Jiraiya choked on his words. "Then let me tell you a story."

Without waiting for Jiraiya to respond, Uchiha Yi began. "After humanity was born, war never stopped. The world was in chaos, blood flowed like rivers, and the earth seemed ready to drink every last drop dry.

In those days, there was a 'Divine Tree.' It took no part in any conflict and was worshiped by all as a divine pillar.

Then one day, a fruit grew on the tree. No one knew why, and no one dared violate the ancestral teachings by picking it.

Just then, a woman descended from the sky. Everyone worshiped her as a goddess.

Later, the goddess ate that fruit. She became the first person to possess chakra.

She was the ancestor of chakra—Kaguya Otsutsuki."

"What?" Jiraiya's eyes widened. "Kid, don't tell me that's how chakra came about?"

He did not believe it.

Neither did the Third. There was no such account in the history books.

Uchiha Yi ignored their doubts and offered no explanation, continuing. "After gaining chakra, the goddess used her power to end the wars. The people were grateful to her and blessed her. She gave birth to two sons—Hagoromo Otsutsuki and Hamura Otsutsuki.

But after many years, greed arose in the goddess's heart. Relying on her own power, she wanted to reclaim all chakra.

At that time, her two sons taught people how to cultivate chakra. In order to take back all chakra, the goddess planted another Divine Tree.

Then, using the Divine Tree, she cast an enormous genjutsu to drain away everyone's chakra."

"This..."

The Third frowned, somewhat confused by what he was hearing. "Child, what exactly are you trying to say?"

"Please don't be impatient, Lord Third. Hear me out first."

Uchiha Yi continued, "Fortunately, the goddess's two sons could not stand to see their mother act so ruthlessly. They rose up against her.

After risking their lives and enduring tremendous hardship, they finally sealed their mother away.

Later generations remembered their achievements and praised them everywhere. In particular, the elder son, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, was known as the Sage of Six Paths!"

The Sage of Six Paths?

The Third and Jiraiya exchanged a glance.

Until now, they had treated it as merely a story, but this was different.

The history books recorded that the Sage of Six Paths had truly existed.

Of course, in the Third's view, the Sage of Six Paths was at most an exceptionally powerful ninja.

Perhaps an existence beyond imagination.

Jiraiya believed it even more firmly.

Didn't his student Nagato possess the Sage of Six Paths' Rinnegan?

"Fine, even if everything you said is true, what exactly are you trying to achieve by telling us this?"

Jiraiya was still full of questions.

Heh, this is the perfect assist!