Inside the Hokage Building, in the spacious conference hall.
Shinsei sat on the platform, facing the densely packed ninjas below.
"This concludes the full report on the moon's fall incident. I take full responsibility for this."
Shinsei stood up, took off his Hokage hat from his head, placed it aside, and then bowed deeply to the Jonin sitting below.
The Jonin below immediately erupted in an uproar.
It's extremely rare for the Hokage to take responsibility and apologize.
Hyuga Hiashi stood up and bowed to Shinsei in return.
"What the Lord Hokage said is far too serious. You took the initiative to eliminate potential threats for the sake of the Shinobi World; how can this be considered your responsibility?"
Moreover, the moon's fall did not cause much damage, which overshadows your hard work.
Hyuga Hiashi didn't realize that even his own way of speaking sounded slightly obsequious.
Strictly speaking, this matter also involves the Hyuga Clan. He should be grateful that no one is causing trouble for the Hyuga Clan.
I don't want anyone to expand this responsibility and involve the Hyuga Clan.
Moreover, given Shinsei's current military strength, even if he voluntarily admits responsibility, who could hold him accountable?
The Jonin below were thinking much the same thing as Hyuga Hiashi. No one dared to bring up the issue of assigning responsibility.
Could he possibly dethrone Shinsei from the Hokage Position?
The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, was once hailed as the strongest Hokage of all time. But the older generation of ninjas all had their own standards.
Although no one called Shinsei that title, the main reason was that he was too young. Adding such a title would make the ninjas of Konoha seem rather shameless.
But in terms of sheer strength, Shinsei's claim to be the strongest Hokage of all time is absolutely true.
The meeting ended in silence.
Shinsei put the Hokage hat back on and didn't look at anyone again.
Hyuga Hiashi wanted to go forward and say a few more words, but Shikaku stopped him with a look.
Shikaku knew perfectly well that Shinsei didn't need comforting him now, much less excuses. Since he'd already spoken of taking responsibility, no amount of backroom deals would change that. The Hyuga Clan elders tactfully withdrew, their footsteps lighter than anyone else's.
The arrest warrant for Otsutsuki Toneri was issued that very day.
Rating S, life or death is not an option. The portrait was drawn by the Hinata on Konoha's dictation. It shows a young, somewhat immature face, with a special note below: This person is extremely dangerous and possesses the power to destroy a country. Report any discovery of his whereabouts immediately. Solo arrest is prohibited.
But in reality, Shinsei didn't have any expectations for this arrest warrant.
The chances of Toneri escaping the moon alive are slim, and even if he does, given his current severely injured state, he won't be able to cause much trouble.
What truly made him uneasy was the hole left by the moon.
It's not a hole in the sky, it's a hole in the sea.
On the seventh day after the moon disappeared, news came from the Land of Water.
The sea was too calm. It was as flat as a washed bluestone slab, without even a ripple. After the patrol boats sent out by Kirigakure returned, the fishermen gathered on the pier in the harbor, facing the sea, without saying a word.
Fishing boats set out to sea followed the old route, casting their nets. When the nets came up, they were light and airy, and the fish had vanished. Algae began to grow wildly in the nearshore waters, and a layer of dark green Utakata floated on the surface of the sea.
Without the erosion of the tides, the reefs near the coastline grew increasingly foul-smelling each day. The fish, which normally migrated with the tides year-round, lost their way and disappeared into the deeper waters.
Mei Terumi's letter of distress was placed on Shinsei's desk. The wording was very restrained, but Shinsei could sense the immense resentment in the text.
For thousands of years, the Shinobi World has been accustomed to the existence of the moon. It maintains the tides on the ground and also maintains some deeper balance.
He's shattered the balance with one punch. He has to find a way to restore it.
"Where is Nagato?" Shinsei asked.
Shikaku opened an old intelligence report.
"After the war in the Land of Rain, Nagato and Konan left Amegakure. Later, someone saw them on an island in the eastern part of the Land of Tea. The place has no name and is not marked on any map. We'll need to spend some time finding its exact location."
"I'll go," Shinsei said.
" Lord Hokage, the village is busy right now, are you perhaps—" Shikaku, unable to finish his sentence.
"Let's deal with the moon issue first."
He left behind Shadow Clone to handle government affairs, entrusted Tsunade, and quietly left Konoha alone.
The sea to the east of the Land of Tea. Shinsei flies low, the sea spreading out beneath his feet like a sheet of gray-blue cardboard.
The wind carried a fishy smell, but there were no waves. Occasionally, a few fish would surface, their scales flashing in the sunlight before sinking back down.
Little Nine perched on his shoulder, sniffed the sea breeze, and said, "This sea smells off; it's too stuffy."
Shinsei settled on an unnamed island. The island was small; it would take less than half an hour to walk around it.
To the east is a rocky beach, and to the west grow several crooked trees. Strings of dried seaweed hang from the trees, swaying gently in the wind.
There was no path, but there were footprints in the grass.
A man stood on the highest rock on the island. He had red hair, and half of his body was wrapped in a gray cloak. He had his back to Shinsei and was facing the sea. Konan stood behind him, shielding him from the light with a paper umbrella. Konan saw Shinsei first and then closed the umbrella.
" The Hokage of Konoha has arrived."
Nagato turned around. He was thinner than Shinsei remembered, with sunken eyes, red hair cascading over his shoulders, and skin that was ashen white. The eye sockets that once held the Rinnegan were now replaced by ordinary eyes.
"You're here. What's up?" Nagato's frankness made Shinsei a little embarrassed.
"I accomplished something else." Shinsei stopped five steps away from him. "After you lose the Rinnegan, can you still Chibaku Tensei?"
Nagato remained silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.
" Chibaku Tensei is an eye technique." Nagato raised his hand, palm up, as if cradling something nonexistent. "Having lost the Rinnegan, I lost the channel to communicate with that seed. I can remember the steps, but without the medium, I can't even gather a single stone."
His tone was calm, without regret or resentment, as if he had already let go of everything. Shinsei looked into his eyes to confirm that he was telling the truth.
"However," Nagato suddenly said, "Your eyes are different from mine."
Shinsei raised an eyebrow.
Nagato turned his head to the side, and his ordinary eyes, though unfocused, were precisely aimed in Shinsei's direction.
"Your Mangekyō Sharingan is different from my Rinnegan. My eyes were transplanted from Madara; I was never their true owner. The Rinnegan doesn't need Chakra; it needs something deeper. You ask me how to condense the Rinnegan; I can't give you the answer. But you can find it yourself."
Shinsei was silent for a moment. "How do we find it?"
"There's only one pair of eyes like yours in the Shinobi World. I can sense that it's entirely your bloodline. The birth of the Rinnegan has never followed a fixed path."
Madara followed the path of Hashirama Cells and the Ten-Tails 'Chakra. You have the Senju bloodline and have refined the Sharingan; perhaps there's another path for you."
Shinsei looked down at his hands. He tried to activate the power of the Mangekyō, and blue patterns slowly appeared in his pupils.
But apart from that, nothing else happened. He couldn't feel anything "deeper," nor did he know where to direct his efforts.
"No need to rush." Nagato seemed to see through his thoughts. " The Shinobi World will feel sad for a while if the moon is gone. But a long time ago, there was no moon on this planet. It naturally has its own balance."
It moves slower than people think, but it's more stable. The sea will find new patterns, and the fish will find new paths.
"If you break it, it will be repaired naturally. You don't need to blame yourself too much."
Shinsei didn't respond. He stood on the reef, the sea breeze making his clothes flutter. Little Nine perched on his shoulder, listening intently to their conversation.
Nagato suddenly coughed, Konan stepped forward, but Nagato. He paused for a moment, then continued speaking.
"I'm more worried about Madara Uchiha than the moon."
Shinsei looked at him.
"He's someone who never stops. Madara's plans have never changed. The Eye of the Moon Plan was just one of the means to achieve his goals. Now that the moon is shattered, he won't be sad, he'll only adjust. He'll recalculate and find a more direct path. He and Obito... Obito, that guy, his obsession runs deeper than anyone else's. When they get together, they must be preparing something."
"What did you hear?" Shinsei asked.
"No. I've long since severed ties with those matters." Nagato. "But knowing Madara as I do, he's definitely waiting. Waiting for a moment when you have no choice but to be distracted. When the moon is shattered, you'll be concerned about the sea, the tides, and the village. The more this happens, the more likely Madara is to make his move."
The sea breeze suddenly picked up. Konan's long hair was blown into disarray, and the paper umbrella trembled slightly in her hand. Nagato slowly turned around, facing the sea.
He didn't say anything more, as if he had said everything he needed to say.
Shinsei stood there for a while before finally speaking, "If one day I need your help, will you come?"
Nagato smiled. It was a faint smile, even somewhat weary.
"Good! My peace is hopeless. Your peace is showing the future."
If that day ever comes, I am willing to contribute my strength to your peace.
"Haha, thank you very much then."
Nagato didn't speak again; he simply gazed at the calm sea, as if listening to the distant sound of the tide.
Shinsei didn't ask any more questions, and turned to leave with Little Nine. When he reached the edge of the reef, he paused for a moment, but didn't look back.
"Take care," he said.
"You too," Nagato said.