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JST Chapter 343: When in Doubt, Blame the Sage
🕑 Added 2025-06-15 15:04:49 +0000 UTC“You… you all have to believe me!” Pakura took a small step back, drew a deep breath, and reached inward—sensing the chakra Kazuki had left
“You… you all have to believe me!” Pakura took a small step back, drew a deep breath, and reached inward—sensing the chakra Kazuki had left
“You… you all have to believe me!” Pakura took a small step back, drew a deep breath, and reached inward—sensing the chakra Kazuki had left
“You… you all have to believe me!” Pakura took a small step back, drew a deep breath, and reached inward—sensing the chakra Kazuki had left
“You… you all have to believe me!” Pakura took a small step back, drew a deep breath, and reached inward—sensing the chakra Kazuki had left
“You… you all have to believe me!”
Pakura took a small step back, drew a deep breath, and reached inward—sensing the chakra Kazuki had left within her.
The solid, comforting warmth anchored her heart. In that moment, courage surged within her.
She pointed at her chest and spoke in a low, steady voice: “See this? I carry Kazuki’s chakra inside me. This is proof of the trust he once placed in me…”
And from that very instant—
Pakura might have still been the same person outwardly, but under the subtle influence of the chakra infused with Kazuki’s consciousness, her thoughts quietly began to align with the logic Kazuki had intended her to express.
“To be precise, I don’t know whether the Sage of Six Paths is good or evil! The situation on this battlefield is completely different from what Kazuki told me! But whatever the case—I must share with everyone the things Kazuki once told me!”
As she spoke, a faint glow surfaced across Pakura’s body—composed entirely of Kazuki’s chakra.
Everyone narrowed their eyes. Regardless of whether they were close to Kazuki or not, by this point, his chakra had already been deeply etched into the genes of every powerful individual present…
“That really is Kazuki’s chakra… That’s odd. If Kazuki was able to make contact with shinobi from other villages, doesn’t that mean he wasn’t sealed inside the Blackwater Nine-Dragon Coffin all this time, but was actually free to move around?”
Senju Tobirama muttered to himself, “Then why didn’t he reach out to me?”
Then he turned his head and looked toward the Sage of Six Paths, a smile on his lips but none in his eyes.
“Sage of Six Paths, it’s not that I distrust you, of course—but Kazuki’s intel is crucial. Surely you want to hear it as well?”
The Sage of Six Paths frowned slightly.
“Fine. But I must stress—Kazuki and all of you have deeply misunderstood me…”
As for Tobirama’s claim that he wasn’t suspicious of him…
The Sage of Six Paths didn’t buy it. Not even a little.
This white-haired descendant of Asura had long been the ringleader of his black PR campaign in the shinobi world—never missing a chance to smear him! Spreading rumors came as naturally to him as breathing; the way he did it was so practiced, it felt like he’d done it countless times before…
If the Sage hadn’t checked with his Rinnegan and confirmed that Tobirama didn’t carry chakra similar to Kaguya’s—
He might’ve suspected Tobirama of being the same kind of existence as Black Zetsu!
He really did give off the vibe of a professional disinformation troll…
What the Sage didn’t know was this:
Guiding public opinion was just one of Tobirama’s basic skills back in the day, especially when sparring with the Uchiha. Of course he was good at it!
Uchiha Madara now spoke in a deep voice: “What we need most right now is to confirm Kazuki’s current state.”
Even though Madara and Kazuki had never spoken one-on-one, Madara had been watching him for a long time—enough to feel a deep, one-sided connection.
And in this war, Kazuki had once saved him with Yang Release chakra. In their parting moment, Kazuki had even brought up both him and Izuna, saying that as members of the Uchiha, they deserved to live on in the alternate dimension he had created.
That was all the confirmation Madara needed—he hadn’t misjudged him.
Kazuki might not be his brother by blood.
But in terms of talent, virtue, natural affinity, and as the only source of companionship and solace in these last lonely years—adding all that up, even if Kazuki wasn’t the reincarnation of Uchiha Izuna’s chakra…
To Madara, he had already become 'not a brother by blood, but better than one'.
He had to help Kazuki!
And now, with both Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Madara—two of the most influential figures present, each bound to Kazuki in a unique way—clearly voicing their support…
Pakura finally felt the tension in her chest begin to ease.
“I met Kazuki when I was sent by my village to Konohagakure for so-called diplomatic exchange—but in truth, it was a mission to assassinate me. At the time, I was already at death’s door, waiting in the forest near Konoha to die… But Kazuki appeared out of nowhere—and saved me.”
Pakura did her best to recreate the scene in her mind, aided by the chakra Kazuki had left within her, which helped her recall the memories with clarity.
“Kazuki told me…”
“He launched the Shinobi World War and devastated the Allied Forces because he discovered that the ancient disaster—the Sage of Six Paths—was on the verge of resurrection. After testing the major hidden villages and finding they had no real interest in peace, Kazuki made the painful decision to weaken them in advance. That way, once he sealed the Sage with his own body, they wouldn’t reignite the flames of war and undo the seal placed on both him and Konohagakure.”
Tobirama’s eyes lit up, and he nodded in agreement.
“Exactly… That was the plan Kazuki and I made together!”
At that moment, the shinobi from villages outside Konoha didn’t look too happy. Their expressions grew stiff and sour.
Is that really how little trust they had in us?
Uchiha Madara, ever perceptive, noticed the dark look on Ōnoki’s face and yanked him forward.
“Dust Release brat from Iwagakure—looks like you’ve got something to say?”
“He’s got nothing to say,” someone else cut in coldly.
“With how disgracefully the Second Tsuchikage shaped their village, if Kazuki hadn’t made sure to weaken Iwagakure first, and they knew he couldn’t strike back… They’d have swarmed him like mad dogs.”
Senju Tobirama dragged Ōnoki’s sensei into it as well: “Even if we told them that Kazuki went to seal the Sage of Six Paths, these bastards would just laugh it off and use Dust Release to break open the Blackwater Nine-Dragon Coffin.”
“They’d just assume Kazuki went into seclusion, or was recovering from a secret technique backlash or something like that!”
Just from that one shift in expression, Ōnoki and Mu—now thrust into the spotlight by Tobirama and Uchiha Madara’s relentless tag-team—opened their mouths as if trying to say something…
But no words came out.
The way these two arch-rivals worked together to make others uncomfortable—it was like they’d coordinated with Mangekyō Sharingan precision in advance…
And everything Tobirama had said was exactly what Iwagakure was most likely to do.
If Kazuki hadn’t started the Shinobi World War, or if he hadn’t caused enough damage before sealing himself away, then even if Konoha explained it as a sealing mission against the Sage of Six Paths—or even claimed that the entire shinobi world would be destroyed tomorrow—Ōnoki would still lead Iwagakure’s forces to break open that coffin.
They were the type who could rationalize anything if it served their interests.
To the side, the Third Raikage and the Third Kazekage had both been about to chuckle—but in just an instant, their expressions hardened.
They did their best not to draw the attention of those two ill-omened freaks, Tobirama and Madara.
Their villages weren’t exactly paragons of nobility either. In fact, given Kumogakure’s bandit-like ways, if they’d been in the same position, they might’ve done something even worse.
“Hmph… why do you think Kazuki spared your lives instead of wiping you all out?”
Tobirama said coldly.
“Do you really think he couldn’t kill you? The truth is, he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to fully control the Sage of Six Paths once sealed. If he killed all of you, there would be no one left to stop him if he ever lost control.”
“Kazuki carries the weight of the shinobi world on his back. Unlike you lot, who only care about your own villages and petty gains!”
Ōnoki and the Second Tsuchikage Mu took a deep breath, falling into silent agreement along with the other village leaders.
Because it was true.
At the time, the Third Raikage, Ōnoki, and Hanzo had already lost the ability to resist. Kazuki didn’t even need to lift a finger—any Konoha chunin could have easily taken their lives.
But instead, Kazuki had granted them the title of 'The Three Who Lived', and said to them: “From now on, live on under that name. Struggle, grow stronger, and as the price for surviving, carry your own honor.”
Those kage and jinchūriki from the other villages now recalled that unforgettable moment in their lives. And at last, they understood why Kazuki hadn’t used his overwhelming victory to eliminate all opposition in one sweep.
A strange emotion welled up inside them.
In theory, Kazuki was their enemy—the Konoha demon they hated most.
But now… all they could feel was that they had committed an unforgivable wrong. They were the ones who had sparked the war in the face of Kazuki’s peace proposal—like foolish children who picked a fight just to get beaten.
And Kazuki, the compassionate father, not only had to teach them a lesson—but also had to go out of his way to leave them with some dignity.
The Sage of Six Paths let out a quiet sigh, no longer even bothered by Tobirama’s repeated talk of sealing him…
A complicated sense of identification with Kazuki began to take root within him.
Kazuki… is just like I once was… Trying to seal his mother Kaguya, who had fallen into madness, while still watching over the newborn shinobi world. Burdened by guilt and moral weight, carrying it all alone… the Sage thought.
Pakura, looking at Uchiha Madara and Senju Tobirama standing beside her, felt a renewed strength within.
“But something went wrong…”
Pakura declared.
“Kazuki told me that the ancient information he relied on was too outdated—and so he sealed away the wrong being.”
“Inside him… was a woman named Kaguya. In ancient times, she was the Rabbit Goddess who protected the shinobi world, and the mother of the Sage of Six Paths—but she was sealed away by her own evil sons!”
Pakura’s voice rang out powerfully: “Sage of Six Paths—have you not been hiding in the Pure Land this whole time? Kazuki discovered this and feared that, among the Edo Tensei shinobi summoned by Tobirama, you might have manipulated something from the shadows! He feared that if he appeared before Konoha’s people, you would devour Kaguya’s chakra and return to your full strength—then destroy the shinobi world!”
“So, by a twist of fate, Kazuki had no choice but to find me… Every other shinobi who could have intervened on the battlefield was either under Isshiki’s control at the time, or had an Edo Tensei ninja standing right beside them!”
Pakura raised her voice, brimming with conviction: “Kazuki wanted me to tell everyone—
The Rabbit Goddess’s power relies heavily on the strength of people’s belief!”
“Although the appearance of other extraterrestrial beings disrupted Kazuki’s original plan to have Isshiki and the Sage of Six Paths turn on each other…”
“Kazuki and Kaguya are still waiting for the belief in your hearts to empower them! Don’t give up!”
With fearless resolve, Pakura fixed her eyes on the Sage of Six Paths and shouted angrily: “Sage of Six Paths—do you have anything else to say?!”
The Sage fell silent. Narrowing his eyes, he sank into thought…
Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Izuna exchanged glances and gave a subtle nod to one another.
Something wasn’t right.
The things Kazuki had instructed Pakura to say contained some serious logical inconsistencies—things that didn’t align with the kind of intellect Kazuki was known for…
But upon closer reflection, it all felt like covert communication under surveillance—like an encoded message passed during a secret rendezvous.
These were code words.
Kazuki was trying to use Pakura to pass along a hidden message.
“Kazuki’s situation… must be really bad right now…”
A moment later, Tobirama let out a long sigh and, in a flash of clarity, connected all the dots: “Listen to me, everyone—I understand everything now!”
And at that very moment—
Kazuki stood atop a mountain valley, gazing out across the endless ocean. In his hand, he toyed with the Ōtsutsuki clan’s sacred tool: Karasuki.
He spoke softly: “Kaguya… after deceiving me like that, don’t you think you owe me some words?”
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