Pure Land.
The Sage of Six Paths frowned.
He had been silently observing the ninja world this entire ti.
Lately, he had been keeping constant watch—especially on Konoha.
His mother was there.
She was his greatest enemy.
Originally, he had hoped Kaguya and Funan would destroy each other, and then he would instruct Naruto and Sasuke to ambush the survivor and end it all.
If that didn’t work out—
Then he would have no choice but to act personally.
He didn’t believe that after facing both Kaguya and Naruto and Sasuke, Funan would still have the strength to oppose him.
Who would’ve thought—those two actually made peace and joined forces.
Unacceptable!
The Sage of Six Paths’ expression turned grim.
If those two tead up, even he couldn’t say for sure that he’d win.
Too many unknowns.
That’s why the Sage had been scheming all along.
Trying to pit them against each other.
Just now, Funan had cast a barrier—an extrely weak one, and yet it conveniently blocked his view.
What had Funan and his mother done inside that barrier?
"Sigh..."
The Sage let out a helpless breath.
What was going on lately?
Nothing seed to be going his way.
Should he try to get Naruto and Sasuke moving?
But... those two kids—how far could they really go?
The Sage hesitated.
After a mont’s thought, the Sage waved his hand—and a hazy image materialized before him.
"Big Brother?" A voice answered—calm but unfamiliar. "Heh, now this is rare. What made you think of all of a sudden?"
"Hamura. Mother has been resurrected."
The Sage wasted no ti.
The figure on the other side fell silent at the words.
For a long while.
"...So what?"
"So what?" The Sage sighed. "Mother still hasn’t changed. She wants to remake the entire shinobi world in her image."
"The entire ninja world would beco nothing more than a breeding ground for her White Zetsu army."
Hamura fell silent again.
"And so," he finally asked, "what do you plan to do? Seal her again?"
"Yes."
The Sage’s answer was firm. "I can’t just watch the ninja world be destroyed. So many living beings... they can’t beco pawns in Mother’s ga."
"Then go do it."
Hamura’s response was indifferent.
So indifferent that Hagoromo was montarily stunned.
"Hamura... what’s wrong?"
"Nothing," Hamura sighed. "It’s just—she’s still our mother. And you want to seal her up again. That doesn’t sit right with ."
The Sage of Six Paths fell silent.
"Hamura, you’re not planning to help ?" he asked, abandoning subtlety. "I need your power."
Hamura said nothing.
Over the years, he had done a lot of thinking.
Mother had been sealed.
And he—on the moon—was that really so different from being sealed himself?
It had been his choice, yes. But that didn’t an he was content.
He regretted it.
He wanted to return to the ninja world.
The vibrant ninja world was a universe apart from the lifeless moon.
But...
He was afraid.
His brother’s sudden appearance felt like an opportunity.
A chance to negotiate.
But what if his brother made promises—then sealed their mother and ca for him next?
Though he had remained on the moon, he’d kept a close watch on the world below.
He’d seen everything.
And it chilled him.
It scared him.
So much so that he didn’t even want to face his own brother.
He longed for the shinobi world—but all he could do was hide silently on the moon.
"Brother," Hamura said at last, having made up his mind. "Do whatever you want with Mother. You don’t need to consult . I have no desire to seal her a second ti."
"Hamura..."
The Sage of Six Paths spoke with greater weight in his voice.
"Can you really bear to watch the shinobi world be destroyed by Mother? Do you not understand how many people live here?"
"Let it be destroyed, then," Hamura replied indifferently. "They’re just a bunch of strangers to . Why should I oppose my own mother for the sake of people I don’t even know?"
The Sage paused, then let out a sigh. "Hamura, you’ve beco selfish."
"Maybe so."
Hamura remained calm. "After all these years, it’s only natural that so things would change."
The Sage’s tone began to heat up.
"We’re only trying to stop Mother—we’re not trying to harm her. Can you truly turn a blind eye while so many people die?"
Hamura’s voice held a strange edge.
"Then why didn’t you stop the wars? The shinobi world has been at war for countless years—why didn’t you step in?"
"I was waiting," the Sage said calmly.
"Waiting?"
"Yes. Waiting for the ergence of the savior."
His voice was steady.
"The one who would put an end to all wars, and create a better world. A world where people truly understand one another."
"Is that so?"
Hamura remained unmoved.
"Then keep waiting. If that person ever shows up, maybe they can solve the problem with Mother too. You’ve believed in this ’savior’ for so many years—don’t tell you’re giving up now?"
"You—"
Before the Sage could say more, Hamura cut the connection.
There was nothing left to say.
Those kinds of words might work on others—but on him?
What, did Hagoromo take him for a fool too?
A savior?
Save your own damn mother!
"Hmph."
The Sage snorted heavily and fell once more into deep thought.
With Hamura unwilling to lend a hand, what now?
Not only was he short one powerful Six Paths-level ally—he had gained a new unpredictable threat.
This wasn’t good.
Not good at all.
If he’d known things would turn out like this... he should’ve sealed Hamura too.
In the end, he’d shown too much rcy.
...
Shinobi World
Post-war recovery was progressing in an orderly fashion.
It was during this ti that Funan began to consider stepping down.
Maybe it was ti to retire from the position of Hokage.
The major crisis had already been resolved.
Although a few threats remained, they were beyond what ordinary shinobi could handle.
And when he faced those, it wouldn’t be as the Hokage—but as the wielder of the Rinnegan.
So then, why continue holding the Hokage title?
The shinobi world was already unified.
The Uchiha clan was no longer under threat of extinction—they would only grow stronger from here on out.
What remained... was preservation.
And for that, Uchiha Itachi was more than capable.
He was a carefully cultivated successor.
So what was Funan still doing here?
The sooner he retired, the sooner he could take his wives and travel the world.
There were still so many places in the shinobi world worth seeing.
Besides, holding the position of Hokage for too long... eventually bred resentnt.
Just like Hiruzen.
And yet—
When Funan shared his thoughts with everyone, the backlash was imdiate and near-universal.
Even Uchiha Itachi opposed the idea.
"Spineless brat!" Funan shot Itachi a harsh glare. "I’m passing the title on to you—do you not understand what that ans? You’ll be the second Hokage from the Uchiha clan, and the very first Hokage following the end of the chaos!"
"Tobirama oppressed the Uchiha clan for so many years. At the very least, we deserve three Hokage terms in return. Got it?"
Outside the room, Tobirama’s expression darkened.
This bastard—can he not watch his mouth?
Back in those days, if he hadn’t cracked down on the Uchiha, they would’ve stirred up even more chaos.
People with too much energy need sothing to keep them occupied.
"I get it. I’m not doing it."
Itachi’s response was just as direct.
"Why not?"
"No reason," Itachi said, still blunt. "I’m just worried that if you have too much free ti, you’ll cause trouble. If you stay in the Hokage seat, at least we can keep an eye on you. But if you step down, you’ll go wild—who could deal with that?"
Funan: "..."
"Is that any way to talk about the Hokage?"
Itachi shot back, "Which part of what I said was wrong?"
His words earned a round of nods from everyone nearby.
Guy...
Even soone as outrageous as Guy was nodding!
Where’s your conscience?
"Sigh. You all just don’t get it," Funan said in a heavy tone. "You think it’s over now? You’re wrong. This is only the beginning."
"We still have many enemies to face. I’m stepping down to better deal with them."
Itachi, still expressionless, replied, "That’s not incompatible with staying Hokage."
"Why are you all so stubborn?" Funan snapped. "What can I even do while sitting in this seat? I’ve hit my ceiling. Instead of staying put and doing nothing, I might as well pass the torch to soone more suited."
Yeah, right. Like we’d believe that crap. You just want to go gallivanting.
Tobirama and the others had stopped bothering to listen.
Most people just turned and walked away.
No chance you’re escaping this ti.
It wasn’t that they thought the world couldn’t go on without Funan.
But right now—
There was just too much to deal with. Everyone was working themselves to the bone, practically needing to split into two to get everything done.
The reanimated ones, especially, weren’t getting a mont’s rest.
At this rate, Itachi and the others were wishing they could be reanimated too.
And now this guy wanted to take off?
Not the ti!
Plus, too many major incidents had happened lately—events of legendary scale.
If Uchiha Funan wasn’t sitting in the Hokage seat, they genuinely couldn’t rest easy.
Because as much of a clown as Uchiha Funan could be—when trouble hit, he always stepped up.
You never had to worry.
Because you could trust he’d handle everything.
In other words, everyone trusted Funan completely.
Even if he was a pain in the ass.
Even if he always found a way to do sothing that gave everyone a headache.
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