Throughout the shinobi world, Aoba had always been regarded as a genius. But in his conversation with the Great Toad Sage, he realized that the old creature was far more cunning than it appeared.
It seemed to be on Aoba's side, yet it was clearly withholding crucial information.
Aoba couldn't be certain of its true intentions. After all, it had provided him with some valuable insights.
His guess was that the old toad was hedging its bets, trying to remain neutral between both sides. This kind of strategy was typical of ancient powers like Mount Myōboku, who had survived for centuries by keeping their options open.
Most likely, the other two great summoning lands, Ryūchi Cave and Shikkotsu Forest, operated under a similar philosophy.
However, after considering his approach, Aoba decided not to directly ask about Senjutsu. If the old toad had deliberately avoided the topic, questioning it might not yield any useful answers. Worse, he could be deliberately misled.
Aoba's Sage Mode was fundamentally different from the Sage Modes of the three great lands. Since their paths were different, there was little point in asking.
Besides, the old toad had clearly prepared itself to refuse an answer.
Instead, Aoba asked something else entirely.
"Tell me about the gods that once existed in this world. The evil gods who thrived on death and suffering. The death god that devoured souls. Their powers… they don't seem to come from chakra."
The Great Toad Sage fell silent.
This time, the pause was much longer than before.
Finally, the old toad spoke. "It is a long and complex story. But I can give you a simple answer, they once existed. And then they died."
Aoba's breath hitched.
A simple sentence, but the implications sent a cold chill down his spine.
"How… did they die?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
But this time, the old toad didn't answer directly. Instead, it asked a seemingly unrelated question.
"Your Sharingan… can it manifest that blue giant?"
Aoba frowned. "Yes. I can summon Susanoo."
"Susanoo…" The old toad repeated the name, then let out a long, cryptic sigh.
"Do you know what this power was originally called?"
Aoba's frown deepened.
What was it originally called? He thought back, and suddenly, he understood the old toad's implication.
"I recall that, in ancient times, Susanoo was referred to as 'the power of the gods.' Even now, some still use that term."
"Yes. The power of the gods. And why do you think it was called that?"
Aoba thought for a moment before responding, "Because once Susanoo is summoned, it can defend against nearly all ninjutsu in the shinobi world. Every movement it makes is comparable to an S-rank technique. It gives off an overwhelming sense of invincibility. That is why… it is called the power of the gods."
But as he spoke the last sentence, his own tone changed.
His expression froze.
He turned his gaze back to the old toad, disbelief flashing in his eyes.
"…I was wrong, wasn't I?"
The Great Toad Sage nodded. "Yes."
"Then what is the truth?"
"You already know."
"—!!!!"
After returning to Konoha, Aoba immediately went into seclusion, refusing to see anyone.
But he wasn't training.
He needed time, time to process the staggering truth he had just learned at Mount Myōboku.
Up until now, everything about the Sage of Six Paths and the Tailed Beasts had largely fallen within his previous assumptions.
But the revelation about Susanoo…
That had shaken him to the core.
It was so earth-shattering that he needed to isolate himself, piecing everything together, trying to fully grasp what it all meant.
The Great Toad Sage hadn't explained it explicitly.
But Aoba had understood the unspoken message.
Once, the world had been home to various primordial gods.
And then, they were all killed.
But by whom?
The Great Toad Sage hadn't known for sure. It could have been the Sage of Six Paths, Indra, or Asura.
Aoba leaned towards Indra.
Of the three, the Sage and Asura had always been aligned.
Indra had always been the outlier.
Perhaps this was the reason why.
But the most terrifying part of it all was the truth about Susanoo.
For both his past and present lives, Aoba had always believed that the Sharingan was a manifestation of the user's inner mind, a reflection of their emotions.
And the Mangekyō Sharingan, with its unique abilities, fit this theory perfectly.
But now…
Now, he was faced with an idea so terrifying that he could barely accept it.
Even after spending hours analyzing the information, he still couldn't determine whether it was true or not.
But he was beginning to believe it.
The biggest reason was that the shinobi world had indeed once housed gods.
Yet aside from one evil god and one death god, all the others had vanished without a trace.
Another reason was that the Mangekyō Sharingan's powers bore too much resemblance to divine authorities, concepts that were fundamental to gods.
Aoba was even beginning to suspect that the reason the Sage of Six Paths could not control or influence Indra's reincarnations was because of this.
The one thing Aoba still couldn't understand was this.
Based on everything he knew, and the immense power displayed by the Mangekyō and Susanoo…
Those primordial gods should have been unimaginably strong.
Even the Sage of Six Paths should not have been able to wipe them all out so easily.
Indra, certainly not.
And if there had been such a cataclysmic battle, surely the devastation would have been recorded somewhere.
Even Kaguya had left behind traces in history, albeit vague ones.
But an event as colossal as the fall of the gods should have been impossible to erase completely.
And yet, there was nothing.
This left Aoba uncertain once again.
Had the Great Toad Sage's information been true? Or had something else happened, something even more unfathomable?
Unfortunately, Aoba didn't have time to dwell on it further.
Because his chakra was rapidly spiraling out of control.
He needed to take action, immediately.
At the lab, Tobirama and the sealing team had already finished preparations.
"Your request is too ambitious. We can't achieve it in a short time. But we can use sealing techniques to temporarily suppress your chakra, slowing down the fusion process."
This was the lab's temporary solution.
Aoba had asked for the creation of a technique that could drain all of his chakra without killing him.
But such a technique wasn't something that could be developed overnight.
So for now, he had to settle for this emergency measure, a sealing jutsu to delay the inevitable.
Even this wasn't easy.
Aoba's chakra reserves had become astronomical.
Sheer overwhelming power made normal sealing techniques useless.
So the lab had gathered every available member of the sealing team.
Each of them was clad in chakra-infused armor, prepared to perform the most powerful sealing jutsu they had ever attempted.
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Currently on Chapter 352 - Mass-Producing Rinnegan