Gamamaru's expression remained normal.
Looking at Hagoromo, who had completely lost his composure before him, his tone remained very calm as he spoke.
"I'm sorry, Hagoromo!"
"I have to leave a path of survival for the toads. The information is a meeting gift for Konoha, the foundation for the toads to survive and multiply in the future."
"I am truly sorry. Forgive me, Hagoromo."
"This is the last time!"
His voice was faint, his face full of sincerity.
But hearing these words, Hagoromo's old face instantly turned green with rage.
Dammit!
He really hadn't expected that even a toad could be this shameless!
"The last time" indeed?
You believe in your heart that I'm bound to lose, and you've even prepared yourself for death. Aren't these words of yours just a blatant attempt to fool a ghost?
Thinking of this, Hagoromo wanted to just burst out cursing.
However...
Looking at Gamamaru, whose skin was as thick as a city wall, Hagoromo also knew that the other party was already resolved to die. Even if he said more now, it would be meaningless.
So, sigh!
After a helpless sigh, he didn't bother to say anything more.
Because he knew—it was useless!
The guy was already completely giving up and waiting to die, what else could he demand from him?
In the end,
Hagoromo glanced at this massive underground space. Although it seemed densely packed and endless, in reality, they were all damn showpieces. There were barely any who could truly be considered powerhouses.
At this moment, he grew even more worried!
In the past, whatever he set out to do, he succeeded. Had anyone ever stopped him?
Yes!
Unless they wanted to lose their lives!
But now?
Ever since he prepared to make a move against that Uchiha Jin, he found that everything he did fell apart. He had originally thought of using his overwhelming momentum to directly pressure Konoha, but in the end, all he had was a toad waiting to die, plus a bunch of cannon fodder summoned through Edo Tensei.
Dammit!
Thinking of this, Hagoromo nearly ground his teeth to dust.
But there was nothing he could do!
Even if this lineup was disappointing, it could still barely boost his prestige—couldn't it?
In any case, he hadn't expected to win the war with these goods. In the end, he, the Six Paths Sage, would still have to take action personally.
So, there wasn't much of a difference!
After putting away this batch of Edo Tensei Strongmen before him, he flickered away with Gamamaru. In the next second, he and Gamamaru arrived at Konoha.
But just as he was about to start shouting, he swept his sensory Ninjutsu across the entirety of Konoha.
There was no one!
Not only did he fail to find that guy Uchiha Jin, but he couldn't even sense the Chakra of a single ordinary powerhouse.
He directly used the Human Path's ability, casually extracting the soul of a Chunin to read his memories, only to find out that Uchiha Jin had already ordered all the powerhouses to head deep into the Unraikyo of the former Land of Lightning.
"Deliberately placing the battlefield in the Unraikyo... Is he trying to prevent this battle from affecting ordinary people?"
"Very well, I shall grant your wish!"
"The Ninja World is also my, Hagoromo's, nursery. It's best not to shatter it if possible."
"As long as I can eliminate you this time and restore the Ninja World to its original state, all order in the Ninja World will still follow my plan in the future."
"..."
Hagoromo muttered to himself, and then left Konoha just like that, taking Gamamaru with him.
Obviously.
This was also the fundamental reason why Uchiha Jin dared to place the battlefield deep within the Unraikyo, putting on an act of not caring about Konoha's survival at all.
He had keenly grasped this point: although Hagoromo and he were enemies, Hagoromo cared about the survival of the Ninja World just as much!
The Ninja World was his nursery; he couldn't bear to shatter it.
On the contrary,
his only true enemy was Uchiha Jin!
As long as he could kill Uchiha Jin, he would naturally gain instant control over the Ninja World, so there was no need for him to destroy Konoha.
As it turned out, he succeeded!
Even though Hagoromo did take a stroll through Konoha, in the end, he did nothing. He didn't even harm the Chunin whose soul he had extracted; on the contrary, he very carefully stuffed the soul back in.
After all, they were all his chives; it was better not to kill them if he could avoid it!
...
Deep within the Unraikyo.
Thick fog filled the area, and the sound of thunder could often be heard.
It had to be said...
...that training in Lightning Release Ninjutsu here would actually be quite a good choice!
However, it was a bit of a pity that this place was actually not suitable for human habitation.
Because the Unraikyo was completely barren. Not only were there no plants, trees, or wild beasts, but there wasn't even water, the most basic necessity for survival.
At the top of a canyon, near the edge of a cliff.
As Senju Hashirama clapped his hands together, row after row of townhouses rose up. All the Kage-level and above powerhouses in the entire Ninja World were currently staying here, waiting quietly...
...waiting for the world-shaking battle that was to come!
At the very edge of the cliff, a wooden tea table was set up, complete with a full tea set.
Even though they were deep within the Unraikyo, there was no need for him to speak; someone had already prepared all of this for him in advance.
This was the beauty of power!
Jin was currently sitting on a chair Senju Hashirama had made using Wood Release, holding a cup of freshly brewed green tea. His gaze drifted toward the vast mountains beyond the cliff as he listened to the occasional rumble of thunder in the sky.
It had to be said, it was quite enjoyable.
However...
...the others did not share such a relaxed mindset. Uchiha Madara, sitting beside him, couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you bring those Edo Tensei Strongmen over?"
"They have infinite Chakra and aren't afraid of being killed. Logically speaking, they should be the best soldiers, right?"
"This was what puzzled him the most!"
Of course.
In reality, he didn't care about these things. After all, as long as he got to fight, it was fine. But this was clearly an exception.
Because of—Uchiha Izuna!
As an absolute brother-con, even though Izuna had not been resurrected yet, he did not want to be separated from his younger brother for too long.
Because they hadn't seen each other for so long, he now wanted to stay by his brother's side all the time, catching up on the changes over the years.
But unfortunately,
for this decisive battle against the Six Paths Sage, Uchiha Jin did not allow the Edo Tensei Strongmen to come, which naturally made him in a very bad mood.
On the other side,
Uchiha Jin, who was sipping his tea, cast a faint glance at Uchiha Madara and said in a low voice, "Hagoromo has controlled the Pure Land for thousands of years. Do you know how far his research into the souls of the deceased has gone?"
"What if he has some way to break the Edo Tensei technique and re-reanimate these souls?"
"Or what if that Six Paths Sage has developed some method specifically targeting the dead?"
"Could the souls of the deceased themselves have been placed under some kind of curse mark by Hagoromo, just like the curse mark you placed on Obito back then?"
Faced with this series of rhetorical questions, Uchiha Madara fell silent.
He hadn't thought too much about it before, but hearing Uchiha Jin put it this way, he couldn't help but fall silent instantly.
Indeed!
Who could guarantee it?
If, during the clash between both sides, allies suddenly turned into enemies, they would be completely finished.