Before them, the energy currents gradually subsided, and the dust slowly settled over the ruins.
The Good Corpse barely managed to regulate his breathing and recover enough strength to move.
With somewhat heavy steps, he walked over to where the Evil Corpse lay. The latter's aura was faint, and he sat slumped amid the shattered rocks as though his spine had been pulled from his body.
Looking down at him, the Good Corpse's gaze was calm. Gone was the sharpness from their battle, and there was none of a victor's arrogance—only the quiet certainty that came after the dust had settled, tinged with a faint sorrow.
"You lost."
Supporting himself against the cold ground, the Evil Corpse raised his head with extreme slowness.
His face was covered in dirt and blood, yet he forcibly pulled his lips into a twisted, unwilling sneer.
"Lost? Heh... So I lost."
He panted, but his gaze remained as defiant as ever as he stared fixedly at the Good Corpse.
"But I didn't lose to you—a 'good' fellow who spouts nothing but righteousness and is too soft-hearted to act!"
His gaze seemed to pierce through the Good Corpse, toward the distant void where the original body had been taken away—or perhaps back toward his decisive clash with Hamura.
The madness and hostility in his eyes gradually settled, turning into a deeper, colder... realization.
"Only just now... did I finally see clearly."
The Evil Corpse's voice dropped, carrying an unprecedented hoarseness that was almost introspective.
"Even after merging with the Ten-Tails and gaining enough power to overturn the world... my way of fighting, my understanding of power, that 'core' capable of controlling everything... was ultimately never that of the original body."
He gave a miserable laugh. His smile was filled with mockery for himself, but also a clarity that touched upon the essence of things.
"In the end, I still can't compare to the original body in the slightest. We... are both incomplete shadows."
Hearing this, the Good Corpse stood in silence.
He neither refuted him nor offered comfort. He simply listened quietly.
Their connection as beings born from the same source allowed him to sense the loss buried beneath the Evil Corpse's unwillingness—the loss of confronting the very foundation of his own existence.
An exceedingly complicated flicker passed through his eyes. There was a slight ripple at the Evil Corpse's awakening, but also a deeper confusion and contemplation regarding the original body and the nature of his own existence.
Then, amid that complicated silence, the Evil Corpse suddenly let out an even more shrill, yet hollow laugh!
The laughter echoed through the valley ruins, filled with self-mockery, yet carrying the resolve of someone who had attained a sudden realization!
"We're both inferior to the original body..."
He murmured the words again. Then, the last glimmer of obsession belonging to "evil" in his eyes suddenly became strange and bright as he locked his gaze onto the Good Corpse.
"But... what if..."
He abruptly paused before slowly speaking, word by word, as though squeezing out a forbidden and seductive whisper from the depths of his soul:
"What if... good and evil became one?"
"What?!"
It was as if a heavy hammer had struck the Good Corpse's heart. His entire body trembled!
His pupils constricted as he could scarcely believe what he had heard!
The idea was simply too shocking, too heretical—completely beyond the realm of understanding of one who embodied "good"!
Yet before he could recover from that earth-shattering thought, a sudden change occurred!
"AAARGH—!!!"
The Evil Corpse suddenly let out a scream more shrill and resolute than any he had uttered before!
It was not a howl of pain. Rather, it sounded like the cry of a sacrifice—a voluntary offering that tore apart his very existence!
With that scream, the Evil Corpse's entire body rapidly began to dissolve into mist and collapse!
It was no longer merely chakra dispersing. The very source of his existence condensed into a wisp of pure black light, so dense it seemed impossible to dissolve!
There was no chaos of the Ten-Tails within that light. There was only the most primal will and power representing the essence of "evil"!
The moment that black light took shape, it was drawn by the irresistible pull of shared origins and destiny. Ignoring the distance between them, it shot toward the Good Corpse's forehead like an arrow released from a bow.
"?!"
The Good Corpse's expression changed dramatically, his reaction entirely instinctive!
His clear chakra instantly erupted from his body, forming a solid barrier of light before him as he rapidly retreated!
But it was useless!
That wisp of black light seemed to share the same origin as his chakra—even the underlying essence of his soul. To it, the barrier might as well not have existed!
Without the slightest obstruction, the black light silently passed through the barrier without slowing down in the slightest!
The next instant—
Whoosh!
A touch so faint it was almost imperceptible, occurring on the level of the soul itself.
The black light, representing the entirety of the Evil Corpse's existence, plunged directly into the Good Corpse's forehead and vanished.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, no roar of colliding energies.
Everything happened in utter silence—and yet it was utterly shocking.
The Good Corpse's entire body suddenly stiffened, as though pierced by an invisible spike of ice, frozen where he stood.
All color drained from his face, leaving behind only utter astonishment and disbelief.
The Evil Corpse's source power, will, memories, and even that pure, unadulterated "evil"...
All of it had, without the slightest resistance and of its own accord, merged into his existence. It came into the deepest, most direct contact—and... fusion—with the source power that represented his own "goodness" and desire to guide.
The process was unbelievably fast, and so calm that it was terrifying.
The Good Corpse immediately focused inward. The perceptive power of his Rinnegan was pushed to its absolute limit as he repeatedly examined his meridians, chakra pathways, the core of his soul... every last minute corner of his being.
There was no rejection.
No conflict.
None of the violent discomfort or rampaging power he had anticipated.
Everything was... "normal" in a way that was terrifying.
That newly absorbed power seemed as though it had always belonged there, blending seamlessly with the source of his own goodness until the two could no longer be distinguished.
He could even vaguely sense that some boundaries in his understanding that had once been clear and unwavering had become... somewhat blurred.
Certain ideas he had once absolutely rejected could now actually be "understood" in terms of the logic behind their existence.
Yet the change was subtle and internal. Had he not examined himself with his full attention, it would have been almost impossible to detect any outward abnormality.
"Are you all right?!"
Gamamaru, who had been anxiously watching from nearby and had been left dumbfounded by the sudden transformation, finally snapped back to his senses. He hurried forward and asked anxiously.
His wise frog eyes were filled with vigilance, concern, and profound confusion.
The Evil Corpse's actions had completely exceeded anything he could have anticipated or understood.
The Good Corpse slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and emerged from his inward examination.
He shook his head, frowning slightly. Even his own voice carried a trace of confusion that he could not fully understand.
"I don't feel anything... My body, my chakra, everything... is normal."
Normal.
At this moment, that word sounded especially strange—and especially ominous.
The suspicion in Gamamaru's eyes remained as dark and dense as ink. He scrutinized the Good Corpse from head to toe, trying to find even the slightest sign of contamination or corruption, but found nothing.
Before him, the Good Corpse seemed to have gained nothing more than an indescribable depth and a hint of confusion in his expression. His aura, if anything, appeared more harmonious and... more "complete" than it had after the battle.
That discovery set alarm bells ringing wildly in Gamamaru's heart, yet there was nothing he could do.
For the moment, he could only bury this earth-shattering development in his heart and remain secretly vigilant.
After a moment of silence, Gamamaru forcibly changed the subject. It was time to deal with reality.
Looking at the Good Corpse, his voice returned to its usual calmness, though there was a trace of probing hidden within it.
"Then... shouldn't we go reassure your people, Sage of Six Paths?"
"Sage of Six Paths..."
At the sound of that title once more, the Good Corpse's body paused almost imperceptibly.
Once, it had been a title of honor for the original body, a banner he had resolved to inherit. But it had also carried immense responsibility—and his awareness that he was merely a "clone."
Now, however, after the original body had been taken away, after brothers of the same origin had fought one another, after good and evil had merged in this series of incomprehensible upheavals, hearing that title again felt completely different.
The next moment—
The gravity, exhaustion, and confusion that had shrouded the Good Corpse's face were swept away as if by a gentle breeze.
For the first time, a bright and hearty smile appeared on his face—a smile filled with sudden enlightenment, unwavering confidence, and even a hint of a grand vision!
It was a bright, powerful smile, as though it had scattered every shadow and illuminated the ruins around them.
"That's right!"
He answered in a booming voice, full of strength, completely unlike the weakness he had displayed moments earlier.
Straightening his back, he naturally exuded that harmonious yet vast aura. Faintly, he seemed to possess something of the bearing the original Sage of Six Paths had once carried as he walked the world.
And—
He turned his head and looked intently at Gamamaru. Wisdom and resolve gleamed in his eyes, and his tone carried the excitement and gravity of someone sharing a momentous plan.
"Gamamaru, I have another idea I'd like to discuss with you properly!"
This sudden burst of enthusiasm—and this "idea"—made the string of vigilance in Gamamaru's heart tighten even further. Yet he revealed nothing on his face, merely following the conversation with an attentive expression.
"Oh? What idea?"
The new Sage of Six Paths gazed toward the rising sun in the distance. Its light dispelled the chill of the long night and seemed to illuminate the brand-new blueprint for this world that had just taken shape in his heart.
His voice carried clearly on the morning breeze through the valley, filled with the ambition of a pioneer and an unquestionable resolve.
"It's about chakra—about how to truly lead this world... toward the peace and prosperity I envision."
"This is a completely new path—something even the original body had only just discovered, but had never had the chance to truly consider."
With those words, he began walking away, turning his back to them.
Gamamaru followed close behind, his gaze deep as he watched the other's back, countless thoughts churning in his heart.
"This... this plot really is... one twist after another. My heart nearly stopped watching it!" A middle-aged ninja patted his chest, lingering fear still evident on his face.
"The Good and Evil Corpses fought each other to the death, Hamura-sama suddenly descended from the heavens and defeated the Evil Corpse after he'd merged with the Ten-Tails... I thought good and evil had been clearly separated and everything was finally settled, but who could have imagined that at the very end, the Evil Corpse actually... actually merged with the Good Corpse?!"
"Exactly! It came completely out of nowhere!" someone beside him chimed in, his voice full of disbelief.
"That black light went whoosh and straight into him! So does that mean... the Sage of Six Paths who later founded the Ninshu and spread chakra, the one our generations have revered, wasn't simply the original body or the Good Corpse at all, but rather... a completely new 'him' created after merging with the Evil Corpse?"
That conclusion made many people gasp.
"That must be it. It all fits!" someone nodded vigorously, trying to sort through the logic.
"The original body was hooked away by that strange fishline, his fate unknown. The Good Corpse inherited his name and his will to protect, then merged with the Evil Corpse's source..."
"So the Sage of Six Paths in the Pure Land—the one who has always watched over the shinobi world and collected souls—is actually this fusion! No wonder... no wonder he sometimes seems compassionate, yet at other times turns a blind eye to the wars of the shinobi world, even leaving behind prophecies that sparked conflict..."
The focus of the discussion soon shifted to another key figure.
"But putting all that aside, Hamura-sama was seriously awesome!" A young ninja's eyes shone with admiration. "He teleported directly from the moon to the human world! That blue moonlight—and with just a few moves, he broke through the Evil Corpse's Ten-Tails defenses! That strength, that sense of responsibility!"
"Even more admirable was his conviction," an elder stroked his beard and sighed, respect in his eyes. "Even though he had become disappointed in and regretful of his brother's path, when it came time to eliminate a threat and protect the future of the shinobi world, he didn't hesitate for a moment. And... he said he would continue watching over the human world."
That statement sparked even more speculation and awe.
"Has he really been watching from the moon all this time? Even now?" Someone gazed up at the night sky, trying to see through the bright moon as if they could sense a cold, eternal gaze upon them.
"And he said that generation after generation, his descendants would inherit that responsibility..." another person murmured, before suddenly realizing something and raising his voice. "Descendants? Hamura-sama's descendants?! Could there still be descendants of his on the moon? Then... could the Hyuga Clan of our shinobi world have actually migrated here from the moon?!"
That bold conjecture was like a stone thrown into a thousand ripples!
"That's right! Could the Hyuga Clan really be lunar immigrants, responsible for monitoring the shinobi world on Hamura-sama's behalf?"
"So the Sage of Six Paths represents the elder brother's legacy on Earth, while the Hyuga are the younger brother's legacy on the moon—and eventually, some of the younger brother's descendants returned to Earth?"
The crowd instantly erupted into an uproar. All manner of speculation, associations, and even wildly fanciful theories flew through the air.
Countless gazes—curious, inquisitive, reverent, skeptical—turned in unison toward the Hyuga Clan compound.
Yet in stark contrast to the uproar all around them, the Hyuga Clan, at the very center of the storm, remained exceptionally silent.
Most ordinary members of the Hyuga branch families wore expressions of bewilderment and shock.
From childhood, they had been taught that the Hyuga were one of the oldest and most noble clans of Konoha—and indeed, of the entire shinobi world. The Byakugan was a supreme dōjutsu, while the main and branch family system existed to protect the Byakugan bloodline and preserve the clan's heritage.
Descendants of the moon? Hamura's offspring? Watching over the shinobi world...
Such information sounded like pure fantasy, shattering everything they thought they knew. At a loss, they could only instinctively turn toward the elders of their clan.
As for the members of the Hyuga main family—especially the clan head and the few oldest elders with heads of white hair and beards—their faces were dark and solemn, as though they had put on the most perfect masks of utter expressionlessness.
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