Madara wanted to know who had deceived him—who had deceived the entire Uchiha Clan.
That was not an easy thing to uncover.
Whether one knew the original story or not, tracing it back would be difficult.
Without knowledge of the truth, anyone following the trail through history would assume the culprit had died long ago. After all, the stone tablet had existed for countless years. No one knew when it had been altered, or by whom.
Calling it an unsolvable mystery would not be an exaggeration.
The Uchiha Clan's history stretched back over a thousand years.
Even with knowledge of the original story, Hikaru did not think Madara would easily suspect Black Zetsu.
That thing was far too good at hiding.
Worse, it knew how to use human nature as cover.
Madara was proud. He was confident to the point that he believed even death could not stop him from controlling everything.
Because of that, he would never easily suspect the "embodiment of his own will" that he had personally created.
Black Zetsu could hide behind that identity safely. As long as it did not act too obviously, it would almost never be exposed.
To put it bluntly, unless Madara noticed something wrong with Black Zetsu on his own, no one knew where this matter would eventually lead.
"At worst, it'll be like the original story—Black Zetsu giving him a heartfelt chat by putting a hand through his chest."
Hikaru stood before the giant golden Tenseigan.
His eyes had already turned a deep, brilliant blue.
Perhaps because his eyes had continued to evolve, he could now sense the vastness of the Tenseigan before him more clearly than ever.
At the same time, through that Tenseigan, he seemed to perceive the presence of a figure.
That figure was faint and distant, yet chilling.
Because the power contained within it was truly terrifying.
Hikaru could roughly guess who that figure belonged to.
If nothing went wrong, it was Ōtsutsuki Hamura.
In the original story, after Naruto and Hinata entered the moon, Hinata had indeed met her ancestor—the soul-like existence of Ōtsutsuki Hamura.
This was also something Hikaru had always avoided thinking about, yet had never truly forgotten.
Because it meant that the Sage of Six Paths and his younger brother might not be dead at all.
In fact, judging from the original story, they likely were not truly dead.
If they were really dead, how could they still possess such immense power as souls and hand out blessings to Naruto and Sasuke?
That was simply not realistic.
A dead person still controlling the source power of Yin-Yang Release?
Hikaru would be the first to refuse to believe that.
The only explanation was that they were not dead. They had merely changed their method of existence and continued observing the shinobi world.
Death was not strange for ordinary life.
But for beings like the Ōtsutsuki—especially after learning of Karma—Hikaru's understanding of Ōtsutsuki death had changed dramatically.
He had exhausted himself and nearly drained his chakra to defeat an arrogant, careless Ōtsutsuki Urashiki.
Even after victory, he still had to guard against whether Urashiki might leave Karma on him.
So what about the brothers who had existed a thousand years ago and sealed their own mother?
Hikaru did not know how strong they were.
But killing them was probably extremely difficult.
"So they've actually been alive this whole time, silently watching the shinobi world. But what exactly is their goal?"
Hikaru could not figure out what these two brothers wanted.
Was it simply to wait for Indra and Asura's reincarnations to mature, reconcile, and seal their mother again?
Hikaru did not believe their goal was that simple.
If they could hand out power, could they not reinforce the seal themselves?
Especially since the Sage of Six Paths later took the power back. If someone said he could not act, Hikaru would not believe it.
There had to be another goal.
Unfortunately, without enough information, Hikaru could not understand more.
He was good at analyzing intelligence, but without sufficient intelligence, even that talent had limits.
And Hikaru was very restrained.
No matter how curious he was, he would not think too deeply without enough information.
Strictly speaking, Hikaru himself was an illegal immigrant in this world.
He had to remain cautious with certain matters.
Especially when it came to people like the Sage of Six Paths.
He had to be even more careful.
Shaking his head lightly, Hikaru placed his hand on the Tenseigan.
At the same time, the blue chakra of his Jōgan covered his entire body.
In an instant, the chakra of the Jōgan resonated with the chakra of the Tenseigan.
Through that resonance, Hikaru could more clearly sense the power of this eye.
And he could also see that white-robed figure more clearly.
The figure was so faint, yet so real.
Within that illusion-like mixture of truth and falsehood, Hikaru took a deep breath, discarded his stray thoughts, and focused on the matter before him.
Under his control, the Tenseigan's chakra began flowing rapidly into his body, then gathered toward his eyes.
His eyes had already completed one evolution before.
Or perhaps calling it a "fetal movement" was more accurate.
Now his eyes had once again reached their limit.
He needed the Tenseigan's power to help him break through that limit and enter a new stage.
The Tenseigan's power continued to gather.
Hikaru's eyes began their transformation.
The giant Tenseigan shone like a sun, constantly releasing its power.
His Jōgan devoured that power madly.
Buzz.
At some point, Hikaru felt an incredible change begin within his eyes.
Along with that change, the power in his eyes strengthened rapidly.
His eyes were undergoing an indescribable transformation.
Thump.
Suddenly, Hikaru seemed to hear his own eyes beating.
Thump.
With that strange pulse, his eyes seemed to break through an invisible membrane.
Each beat made his eyes stronger.
Thump.
Finally, the beating slowed.
The power gathering in his eyes grew denser and denser.
Buzz!
When that power reached saturation, Hikaru clearly felt his eyes rise to a new height.
Terrifying power flowed through his eyes.
He could feel his strength increase again.
A blue stream of light shot into the sky.
The terrifying, destructive chakra of the Jōgan spread wildly through the interior of the moon.
That destructive power intoxicated Hikaru.
He knew very well that his strength had taken a massive leap forward.
Although this outpouring of power might cause unpredictable consequences, Hikaru had no energy to care at the moment.
After sensing that enormous improvement, his expression slowly changed from intoxication to solemnity.
Because in his eyes, that white figure had become clearer and clearer.
It had even arrived before him.
…
"That power just now… was Senju Hikaru?"
Outside Hamura's temple, Uchiha Madara frowned as he stared at the sealed gate deep within the temple.
Just now, he had clearly sensed an unbelievable surge of power erupt.
Even he found that power astonishing.
Madara felt that even at his peak, resisting it would not be easy.
"Is this Senju Hikaru's power? Or rather, the power he gained after this evolution?"
Madara silently thought.
He already had an answer, but the power was simply too shocking.
Although he knew that it had not yet reached the level of the dead Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, it was still beyond imagination.
Urashiki had been from the same clan as the Sage of Six Paths.
Even if that man had been killed because of his own flaws, no one could deny his strength.
And now Hikaru's improvement was frightening.
After all, Hikaru had already killed Urashiki with his previous strength.
Urashiki might have had serious flaws, but if Hikaru lacked sophisticated combat skills and rich battle experience, how could he have defeated such a celestial being?
So Hikaru's improvement could not be measured only by raw power.
One had to consider the increase to his overall combat ability.
Skilled tactics, extensive combat experience, and now this level of strength.
That combination was what made him truly terrifying.
"It should be Hikaru. That chakra and that power… his Jōgan must have completed its evolution."
Hashirama sensed it briefly and confirmed the matter. He looked very happy.
"If Hikaru has improved again, then the future will be brighter for us.
"Madara, you have to work hard too."
"Hmph."
Madara snorted coldly and did not bother answering Hashirama.
Work hard?
How was he supposed to work hard in this state?
That Senju Hikaru had not truly revived him.
What was he supposed to use to work hard?
Even if full resurrection was impossible, giving him a better body so he could display more of his strength would have been acceptable.
But he did not even have that.
Madara was honestly depressed.
He knew these issues required time to resolve, but seeing his former friend and the man he had once hated most both alive made him deeply unhappy.
Shaking his head slightly, Madara forced himself to stop thinking about those unpleasant matters.
Now that Hikaru had obtained the power he wanted, he would likely return to the shinobi world after adapting to it for a while.
And once they returned, Madara's new life would likely begin as well.
Although this new life had deviated greatly from his plan, he had at least achieved part of his goal.
However, Madara still hesitated.
There were things he had not explained clearly.
He did not mind explaining certain matters.
What he did mind was admitting how thoroughly he had been fooled.
Telling Hashirama and the others about the arrangements he had left in the world would, to some extent, be admitting just how foolish he had been.
Madara had already indirectly admitted some of his mistakes.
But Hashirama and the others did not know the full extent.
At least they did not know he had left a proxy in the shinobi world.
Nor did they know that he had given his Rinnegan to a boy from the Uzumaki Clan.
But if he said nothing, it might create unnecessary distrust later.
After thinking it over, Madara decided to reveal some of it to the Fifth Hokage.
He was more willing to trust Hashirama, his old friend.
But judging from the current situation, the one who could most effectively avoid unnecessary embarrassment was indeed the Fifth Hokage.
"I'll tell that brat part of it. That should count as an explanation. It will also make it easier when I take back my eyes later."
Madara thought silently.
To him, making a mistake was not unacceptable.
Admitting a mistake was not difficult either.
But that did not stop him from seeking a calmer method, one that would keep him from falling into a passive position.
With that thought, Madara made his decision.
He could see clearly that among these "three Hokage," Hikaru was the one truly making the decisions.
"But why hasn't that brat come out yet?"
Feeling the still-surging chakra, Madara frowned slightly.
He realized Senju Hikaru had not moved even after completing his evolution.
That terrifying chakra still surged through the sky.
That suffocating pressure constantly pressed down on him.
It was not a pleasant feeling.
Even as an Edo Tensei body, Madara found the pressure difficult to endure.
Shaking his head, Madara stopped thinking about it.
Hashirama and Tobirama did not seem concerned.
What they did not know was that Hikaru currently looked like he had seen a ghost.
…
Looking at the white figure that had arrived before him like a phantom, Hikaru's body stiffened.
His Jōgan had indeed seen this shadow before, but he had always assumed it was merely a projection of the Tenseigan's past.
Or perhaps a mark left inside the eye by its true master.
He had not paid too much attention to it.
But now, he realized he had been wrong.
This was no projection.
No mark.
No memory.
This was clearly a conscious soul.
Hikaru could clearly see thought in those white eyes.
He could also sense the power radiating from this figure.
If this thing could still be called a shadow, then shadows in this world were far too powerful.
Hikaru was confused.
He did not know why this man had appeared now.
He was not from the Hyūga Clan.
Nor was this his first time here.
Normally, if this man wanted to appear, he should have done so long ago.
Was it because Hikaru's evolved Jōgan could now see him, forcing him to reveal himself?
"You seem to have many doubts, child."
Just as Hikaru was still tangled in thought, a clear voice suddenly sounded in his mind.
"You wonder why I appeared. You also wonder about my current state, yes?"
Hikaru opened his mouth slightly, then closed it again.
Indeed.
He had many doubts.
He doubted this man's current state.
He doubted his own situation as well.
At this moment, Hikaru seemed to be standing inside a golden space.
He had no memory of this place.
He guessed that he might be inside some kind of consciousness space.
Or perhaps inside the energy space of that damn Tenseigan.
But there was no certainty.
Of course, that was not the key point.
The key point was that Hikaru had no idea how he had entered this place.
This silent relocation of his position—even his consciousness—was what terrified him most.
Especially now, when he seemed unable to sense the power of his own body.
This was the first time Hikaru had encountered such a situation.
"You do not need to be so doubtful, nor so worried. I merely wish to speak with you, child."
The white-robed figure smiled.
His form shifted slightly.
The next instant, he became clear.
At that moment, Hikaru finally saw the surroundings properly.
He was inside a pale golden space.
There seemed to be nothing here.
And yet, strangely, Hikaru felt as though this place contained everything.
That contradiction surprised him.
But the surprise did not last long.
When he saw the white-robed man casually wave his hand and make a table appear before them, Hikaru confirmed many things.
"This pale golden space is filled with special energy. He is directly transforming energy into whatever he needs."
Hikaru thought silently.
This method sounded absurd, but he knew it was not impossible.
The essence of all things was, in truth, energy.
It only manifested in different forms.
This man—Ōtsutsuki Hamura—had directly converted energy into something people could normally understand.
Hikaru could see what was happening.
But he could not understand how it was being done.
This was an ultimate control of power.
An ultimate comprehension of power.
Hikaru could not imagine how difficult it was to reach this level.
At least, he could not imagine himself doing it now.
"Sit."
Ōtsutsuki Hamura sat first.
He tapped the table lightly.
Soon, a tea set appeared as well.
He poured two cups of tea, then looked at Hikaru with a gentle smile.
"You do not need to wonder too much.
"The place you are in now is a power space formed by the Tenseigan.
"This place is isolated from the outside world. Only consciousness can enter. Or perhaps calling it the soul would be more accurate."
Hamura paused briefly.
Seeing that Hikaru still had not moved, he chuckled softly.
"As for who I am, I believe you already have the answer, do you not?"
"Yes."
Hikaru nodded slightly, then walked to the table and sat down.
He still did not know how this man had pulled him into this place, but Hikaru could vaguely sense that Hamura held no malice.
It was a strange feeling.
But it did surface in Hikaru's heart.
However, that feeling immediately made Hikaru alert.
The more sudden and inexplicable this sense of kindness was, the more cautious he had to be.
Such feelings were either real…
or someone had tampered with him.
Facing someone like Ōtsutsuki Hamura, Hikaru felt there was no such thing as being too cautious.
"If I am not mistaken, Your Excellency should be the younger brother of the Sage of Six Paths, the true master of this temple—Ōtsutsuki Hamura, correct?"
"It has been a long time since I heard that name. It truly feels nostalgic."
Hamura nodded slightly.
Then he lifted his tea cup and took a sip.
After a long moment, he slowly said, "I can sense that you are highly guarded against me.
"To be honest, that surprises me.
"Strictly speaking, the one who should be guarded is me.
"After all, the bloodline inside your body has already changed.
"You transformed from Asura's bloodline into the bloodline of the Ōtsutsuki.
"I have never fully understood how you did that.
"Not only that, you somehow obtained the power of the Byakugan and transformed it into a unique eye somewhat similar to the Tenseigan.
"I must say, all of this is fascinating.
"Even your very existence is fascinating."
Hamura continued smiling.
He quietly looked at Hikaru and took another sip of tea.
Hikaru, on the other hand, felt cold sweat gather.
He had not expected to be seen through so completely.
It was a terrible feeling.
Still, Hikaru remained calm on the surface.
He looked evenly at Hamura and asked as if he did not care,
"Oh? How exactly am I fascinating?
"I am merely a descendant of the Senju Clan."
"Merely a descendant of the Senju Clan?"
Hamura placed down his tea cup.
The next words he spoke made Hikaru's body stiffen.
"Mm. That statement is not entirely wrong.
"After all, the body does indeed belong to the Senju Clan.
"But what about your soul?"
…
Long ago, Hikaru had wondered whether a transmigrator like himself could be discovered.
He had thought about it for a very long time.
In the end, his answer was this:
If he encountered beings who constantly watched the development of the shinobi world and possessed power beyond imagination, then his identity as an outsider could very well be exposed.
From the beginning, the people he expected to notice were the Sage of Six Paths and his younger brother.
Although Hikaru had always avoided certain questions, he had never forgotten the possibility that those two might still be alive.
Now, Hamura's words clearly told Hikaru that he was right.
They knew he was an outsider.
To be honest, having one of his greatest secrets seen through so easily—and possibly having been watched all along—made Hikaru extremely uncomfortable.
It also made him feel fear from the bottom of his heart.
This world was the world of the Sage of Six Paths and his brother.
Their influence over the shinobi world was unimaginable.
Hikaru, an outsider, had entered this world.
The risk behind that was equally unimaginable.
Still, Hikaru forced himself to stay calm.
Panic would be useless.
He did not know how much Hamura knew.
Nor did he know how much the Sage of Six Paths knew.
For example, did they know where he came from?
Did they know about the mysterious system inside him?
Could they see that as well?
Of course, the most important point was this:
He had been in this world for so many years. He had changed so much. He had created countless unpredictable futures.
Yet these two had simply watched.
They had not truly done anything.
They had not erased him as a threat.
Did that mean they were only strong on the outside but hollow within?
That thought appeared in Hikaru's mind for only a moment before he erased it himself.
If they were weak, then there were no true strong people in the shinobi world.
So Hikaru leaned toward another possibility.
They had deliberately allowed him to act.
They had wanted to see how much change he could bring to the shinobi world.
Suddenly, Hikaru thought of an unreliable possibility.
Yet the more he thought about it, the more plausible it felt.
From the original story, Hikaru knew that the rules of time in the shinobi world were very simple.
In other words:
If someone traveled to the past, what they did in the past could affect the future.
It was not the kind of theory where "the past you traveled to was always your future, and everything you did merely created a new branch timeline."
Naruto's team had once traveled back to the past and met Minato.
That was proof of this.
Even though Minato sealed all their memories afterward, that action itself should still have affected the future.
Yet the future was not changed.
Everything remained as it had been.
Unless there was a massive change—such as Orochimaru stopping his ninjutsu research and switching to mechanical technology, then creating a steel Nine-Tails Naruto—only something of that level might create a new timeline and push everything in an abnormal direction.
The current shinobi world had not produced such a situation.
So without Hikaru, the world would probably have continued along its original path.
And the power of time was not as impossible to grasp as ordinary people imagined.
At least for people like Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo and Ōtsutsuki Hamura, that might be the case.
Therefore, it was possible that they had used the power of time to look into the future, seeing countless possible outcomes.
The moment this thought appeared, Hikaru's mind became active.
If that was true, then his appearance had created an unpredictable future for the shinobi world.
But perhaps to them, that future was not entirely unpredictable.
And perhaps that future was actually beneficial to them.
Only this explanation could clarify why they had never acted against him, even allowing him to run wild in the shinobi world.
"Indeed. I am an outsider.
"Although by my own will, I did not want to come here, an accident brought me here."
After sorting out his thoughts, Hikaru sighed softly and began probing.
"But since Your Excellency knows I am an outsider, why did you not do anything?
"For example, send me back?"
"You want to ask why we did not remove you as an uncertain factor, correct?"
Hamura looked at Hikaru with a faint smile.
Then he gently shook his head.
"Why would I do that?
"Or rather, why would we do that?
"You are deeply wary of us. That is something I did not expect.
"After all, strictly speaking, this is our first meeting.
"But that does not matter.
"I can tell you this.
"Everything you have done over the years, we have seen."
Hamura's words made Hikaru's heart sink slightly.
"We do not know where you came from.
"Of course, that is not important.
"What matters is what your arrival can bring."
At this point, Hamura paused.
He lifted his tea cup and took another sip.
In an instant, the fragrance of tea spread through the entire space.
Hikaru knew that this fragrance was likely just an illusion naturally produced in his mind.
But he had to admit that it felt unbelievably real.
And Hamura's method was equally frightening.
More importantly, Hamura's words made Hikaru's heart beat slightly faster.
He felt that his guess might have been correct.
But he did not speak.
He simply watched Hamura quietly, waiting for him to continue.
"Actually, you can try guessing.
"Guess what we are thinking."
Hamura did not immediately answer.
He smiled at Hikaru and slowly put down his tea cup.
"As shinobi, you have long evolved your own system of analysis.
"You are an excellent shinobi.
"I believe your ability in that regard is not lacking."
Hamura paused again.
Then he spoke meaningfully.
"In truth, you should have guessed it too, have you not?"
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