"What kind of extreme, reckless things would he do to achieve his goals? This world has only just begun to recover. I'm afraid it cannot withstand his 'rule.'"
Hagoromo fell silent.
Even the wind beneath the cliff seemed to carry a chill.
He was not foolish. It was simply his nature not to judge someone who shared his origin through the lens of the worst possible malice.
But Gamamaru's warning was like a thunderclap, shattering the somewhat straightforward way of thinking born from Hagoromo's overwhelming sense of duty.
After a moment, he slowly raised his eyes. His expression had become incomparably solemn, and his clear Rinnegan were filled with determination.
"Don't worry, Gamamaru."
His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable strength.
"I will stop him. I absolutely cannot allow him to lead this world down the wrong path."
This determination was born from his desire to protect others, yet he still seemed not to fully understand the nature of the conflict that awaited him.
"No. You won't be able to stop him."
Gamamaru shook his head heavily, his expression grave as iron, pouring cold water over Hagoromo's resolve without hesitation.
His words were cruel and direct, tearing away the veil of warmth and idealism to reveal the cold reality of their relative strengths beneath.
"The two of you possess the same power and the same abilities. That is an unchangeable fact, born from your shared origin."
Gamamaru's gaze seemed capable of seeing straight into Hagoromo's heart.
"But you, Hagoromo, have no desire for conflict. You abhor killing by nature. Your methods are gentle, and you believe in guidance and enlightenment. The evil incarnation, however, was born from violence and thrives on conflict. He will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. In ruthlessness and decisiveness, he far surpasses you."
He stared directly into Hagoromo's eyes, speaking one word at a time, each one hammering home a cruel reality.
"If you truly fight—if it comes down to a battle to the death—the one who loses... will certainly be you. This is not a contest between good and evil. It is the crushing advantage of survival instinct and the will to fight."
Hagoromo listened quietly. There was no anger on his face, nor any resentment at being underestimated.
He had never cared much about personal victory or defeat, much less struggles for power. Gamamaru's assessment was cruel, but it struck precisely at the core of his nature.
Instead, Hagoromo nodded with complete sincerity, calmly accepting that bleak assessment of their respective strengths and temperaments.
For him, admitting that he was not suited to conflict was no disgrace.
Seeing his reaction, a complicated expression flashed through Gamamaru's eyes. There was something resembling pity there, but also something deeper—something that seemed almost like calculation.
He sighed softly, a sigh that appeared to carry the wisdom and helplessness of a thousand years.
Then he asked his final—and most devastating—question. Each word fell like a heavy hammer upon the part of Hagoromo's heart that was both the softest and the least willing to yield.
"So think carefully, Hagoromo."
"If, in the end... the evil incarnation gains control of this world, what do you think will become of it?"
"With his violent nature, his contempt for all living things, and his belief in nothing but strength and conquest..." Gamamaru's voice carried the coldness of a prophecy.
"How could he possibly treat these people kindly? They have only just survived a catastrophe and are more vulnerable than ever."
"His so-called 'guidance' would likely mean nothing more than more efficient and merciless exploitation, enslavement, and elimination."
"Are you willing to watch the world you have sworn to protect and guide fall into such a future?"
This was no longer about Hagoromo's personal victory, defeat, or pride.
Gamamaru had placed Hagoromo's dream of making the world a better place on one side of the scales—and the dark future the evil incarnation might bring on the other.
The moment Gamamaru finished speaking, Hagoromo's expression changed dramatically.
The solemnity, acceptance, and even the faint helplessness he had felt over his own aversion to conflict were all replaced by something deeper and more urgent—a determination edged with alarm and anger.
His gaze sharpened. Even the gentle senjutsu radiance surrounding him seemed to still for an instant, and a rare, awe-inspiring presence belonging to a protector emerged from him.
He had never cared about winning or losing for his own sake.
But he absolutely could not—no matter what—stand by and allow this war-ravaged world, along with the survivors who still held hope in their eyes, to fall into the hands of the evil incarnation and become pawns or sacrifices for his ambitions.
An unprecedented pressure and sense of responsibility surged within him, mingling with his deep wariness of the evil born from the same source and his determination to oppose it.
Like raging undercurrents, those feelings gathered beneath the surface of his tranquil heart.
The path before him was now clear.
Conflict was unavoidable.
For the sake of the world he wished to protect, even one who embodied "goodness" and abhorred conflict would have to take up the weapons of struggle.
"I understand, Gamamaru."
Hagoromo took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the alarm and anger in his heart, along with his worries about the evil incarnation's actions, allowing them to settle into an even deeper and firmer resolve.
He looked at Gamamaru. There was no longer the slightest hesitation or uncertainty in his voice. Every word seemed forged from steel.
"You have to help me!"
This was no longer a request or a matter for discussion.
It was an alliance from which neither of them could retreat—one that would determine the future of the world.
At those words, a genuine smile finally appeared on Gamamaru's face, which had remained tense and solemn until now.
There was satisfaction in that smile at seeing Hagoromo finally understand the situation and make up his mind. Yet beneath it lay something deeper, as though a carefully laid plan had finally begun to move in the right direction.
Gamamaru nodded firmly, his voice steady and powerful.
"Don't worry, Hagoromo. I, too, have always hoped that this world would truly find peace and prosperity—that it would continue to become a better place. Now, our goals are the same."
With their alliance formed, Gamamaru wasted no more time and turned directly to the most urgent—and most crucial—matter at hand.
"Right now, the most important thing is the power of the Ten-Tails—"
His ancient eyes fixed intently on Hagoromo, his words carrying the weight of an unavoidable command.
"You must obtain it first."
"The Ten-Tails?!"
Hagoromo's expression changed drastically. He objected almost instinctively, his voice filled with urgency.
"The Ten-Tails was born from the God Tree Mother brought to this world. It was the source of that catastrophe!"
"The original body had already completely separated it from himself and placed it under multiple seals precisely to prevent its power from bringing disaster upon the world again."
"His intention was to wait until heaven and earth had stabilized, then gradually divide that overwhelming power and return it to nature and the world, repairing the fundamental damage and depletion caused by the great war."
"If I were to borrow that power now, wouldn't I be... wouldn't I be directly going against his wishes and intentions? How would that be fundamentally different from what the evil incarnation is doing?"
His concerns stemmed both from his loyalty to the original body's will and from his instinctive caution and rejection of such forbidden power.
Gamamaru was not surprised by his reaction. His tone remained as calm as eternal ice, but every word was like a sharp chisel breaking through idealism and exposing the brutal reality of survival beneath.
"If you don't use it, the evil incarnation certainly will."
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