The Third Hokage's and Jiraiya's expressions changed drastically, their faces turning pale.
Madara Uchiha.
The Asura who had once stood alongside the First Hokage in fame and brought endless terror to the entire Shinobi World.
The Third Hokage shuddered, his mind suddenly turning to the devastating Nine-Tails' Attack all those years ago.
That mysterious masked man had not only possessed a Sharingan, but had also been able to control the Nine-Tails perfectly, just like the legendary Madara Uchiha.
Back then, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had fought with all his might, yet he had only managed to seal the Nine-Tails, failing to stop the mysterious man from escaping.
If that mysterious man was Madara Uchiha, or had extremely deep ties to him.
Then all of this made sense!
The hand holding the Third Hokage's pipe trembled violently. He already believed ninety percent of what Xin had said.
But Jiraiya was still putting up one last struggle.
He refused to believe that terrifying man was still alive.
"Impossible!"
Jiraiya argued loudly, trying to find a flaw.
"Madara Uchiha and the First Hokage lived in the same era!"
"He was already old! Even if he didn't die in the Battle of the Valley of the End, there's absolutely no way he could have lived until Nagato was born!"
Jiraiya stared fixedly at Xin.
"Human lifespans have limits! How could he possibly have lived that long?"
Jiraiya still felt there was something else behind all this and refused to readily accept such an absurd conclusion.
Xin watched Jiraiya's resistant expression, remaining silent on the surface.
But inwardly, he knew perfectly well.
His bluff had already largely succeeded.
So he looked at Jiraiya and sighed, feigning hesitation.
"Lord Jiraiya, Lord Hokage."
Xin lowered his voice, putting on a troubled expression as though he were revealing a clan secret.
"Actually, beneath our Uchiha Clan's Naka Shrine, there's a secret basement."
"Hidden in that basement is an ancient stone tablet inscribed by the Sage of Six Paths himself."
The Third Hokage and Jiraiya instantly held their breath, listening with their full attention.
"A special ocular power seal was placed on that tablet. Only those with a Sharingan can see the writing on it."
Xin explained in detail.
"And the later contents can only be unlocked progressively, depending on the Sharingan's level. A Three-Tomoe Sharingan can only reveal part of it, while a Mangekyō can reveal more."
Xin pointed at himself.
"When I first awakened my Three-Tomoe Sharingan, I once sneaked into the basement to read that tablet."
"It's precisely because I've seen the tablet at Naka Shrine that I have complete faith in this huge stone tablet I brought back today."
"Their accounts of the Sharingan's evolution match to an extremely high degree."
Hearing this, Jiraiya hurriedly pressed him.
"Then does the tablet at Naka Shrine describe how to awaken the Rinnegan?"
Xin shook his head, his face full of regret.
"After awakening my Mangekyō Sharingan, I was constantly busy with all sorts of missions. Later, I went to the Land of Snow, so I never had time to return to the basement and check the rest."
A sharp gleam flashed through the Third Hokage's eyes at this.
He immediately turned to Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya, go to the basement at Naka Shrine right away."
The Third Hokage gave his order.
"Bring that tablet back to me without so much as a scratch!"
Xin added a suggestion.
"Lord Hokage, have Kakashi-sensei come along too."
Xin offered a perfect reason.
"Not only does Kakashi-sensei possess a Mangekyō Sharingan, but the information on the tablet might also help him resolve his Sharingan's excessive chakra consumption."
The Third Hokage nodded approvingly.
"You're right. Kakashi does need to know about this. Jiraiya, bring Kakashi here too."
Without another word, Jiraiya leaped straight out the window, disappearing into the night as a blur.
A few minutes later.
The door to the Hokage's office opened.
Jiraiya strode in carrying an ancient stone tablet on his shoulder and set it heavily on the floor.
Kakashi followed close behind, walking in with a puzzled expression.
He had been recovering in the hospital when Jiraiya suddenly dragged him over in a great hurry. He had absolutely no idea what had happened.
"Lord Hokage, Lord Jiraiya, Xin."
Kakashi greeted them, his gaze settling on the two stone tablets.
"What's going on?"
The Third Hokage briefly explained their earlier deductions and the secret of the stone tablet to Kakashi.
After hearing him out, Kakashi's eyes were full of shock.
He walked up to the tablet from Naka Shrine and drew a deep breath.
"Kakashi, take a look with your Sharingan."
The Third Hokage urged him.
Kakashi lifted his forehead protector, revealing his scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
He stared at the tablet and channeled chakra into his eye.
"I can see it."
Kakashi's voice was low.
"With the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, I can see records of the Uchiha Clan's history, along with scattered references to the God Tree and Kaguya."
"Try activating your Mangekyō."
Xin reminded him from the side.
The three tomoe in Kakashi's eye spun rapidly, transforming into a shuriken-like Mangekyō pattern.
Enormous ocular power erupted in an instant.
Kakashi swayed slightly. Clearly, the Mangekyō still placed an immense burden on him.
He stared fixedly at the tablet and read out the newly revealed contents.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan carries the curse of blindness... only by transplanting the eyes of a close blood relative can one obtain eternal light..."
Kakashi turned, staring at the huge stone tablet Xin had brought back with shock written all over his face.
"Lord Hokage, the contents of the Naka Shrine tablet match this tablet Xin brought back perfectly!"
Kakashi's verification became the final straw that broke through Jiraiya's psychological defenses.
Jiraiya was completely shaken.
He slumped into a chair, muttering to himself.
"Could Nagato's Rinnegan... really have been transplanted into him by someone else?"
Xin pressed his advantage, deciding to drop one final bombshell.
He walked up to the tablet from Naka Shrine.
The five-pointed star pattern in his right eye burst with a dazzling red light.
His Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan fully activated.
Xin stared at the tablet, putting on an extremely shocked expression.
"This... how is this possible!"
Xin sucked in a sharp breath, his voice loud enough to carry throughout the office.
"Xin, what did you see!"
The Third Hokage rose urgently to his feet.
Xin turned, his expression extremely grave.
"Using my Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, I saw information hidden deeper within the tablet."
Xin spoke each word distinctly.
"The God Tree is the legendary Ten-Tails!"
"And every Tailed Beast in the Shinobi World today, from the One-Tail to the Nine-Tails, was split off from the Ten-Tails' chakra by the Sage of Six Paths!"
Those words hit like a bombshell, profoundly shocking the Third Hokage, Jiraiya, and Kakashi.
The Tailed Beasts had actually been split off from the Ten-Tails!
Xin did not stop, continuing his revelations.
"The tablet also mentions a being called Black Zetsu, along with an ultimate genjutsu called Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Xin stared fixedly at the Third Hokage.