Chapter 218 » What Really Happened Behind the Ten-Tails Divine Tree?
They were stunned to learn that the toad he had mentioned earlier — the one who changed the course of the ninja world — was none other than the current Sage of Mount Myōboku.
"You don't need to look so surprised." He said, "This kind of thing is no secret to me. In fact, I know far more secrets than you can imagine."
A confident smile crossed Yusuke's face. Indeed, his knowledge of ninja secrets far exceeded that of anyone present.
"So what happened next?" Madara asked gravely, "What exactly occurred? What drove Kaguya's two sons to rebellion?"
He too was eager to learn this secret.
"The Great Toad Sage, Gamamaru, discovered Hagoromo and revealed a dark truth to both him and Hamura. Their mother Kaguya had been regularly sending groups of humans into the Divine Tree they had planted. These humans would not only die inside the tree but would be transformed by the Ten-Tails into White Zetsu, beings with only collective consciousness."
"When Gamamaru told the brothers this, they dismissed it as unbelievable. They continued helping their mother send humans to the Ten-Tails."
Hashirama suddenly raised his hand, "If that's the case, why did the rebellion still occur?"
Yusuke glanced at him and continued, "Something else happened later. Though Hagoromo and Hamura didn't believe Gamamaru at first, they remained cautious. They kept the old toad's warning secret from Kaguya. They were strictly forbidden from approaching the Divine Tree — they could only watch from its edge as humans entered the far side. Without proof of what happened to these people, the brothers dared not act."
"Then everything changed. There was a girl (Haori) in the village who deeply loved Hagoromo, and he loved her in return. That year, she was suddenly chosen to join the group making offerings behind the Divine Tree. Unable to defy Kaguya's will, she could only bid Hagoromo farewell before following the others. Her fate was sealed — she would be trapped inside the tree, awaiting her death."
"Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Hagoromo went to Kaguya's residence and confronted his mother about the fate of those who entered behind the Ten-Tails Divine Tree each year. Kaguya sternly warned him not to overstep his bounds and never to question such matters again before driving him away."
"But his concern only grew stronger — he desperately needed to know what was happening to the girl he loved. With a growing sense of dread about what might lie behind the tree, he ventured out one dark night toward its far side."
"When Hagoromo reached the back of the Ten-Tails Divine Tree, defying his mother's strict orders, he discovered a reality completely different from what Kaguya had claimed."
"Hamura, who had accompanied him, also saw that this was no paradise as their mother had proclaimed. Kaguya had promised all humans that behind the Divine Tree lay their ultimate destination. But those who believed her words and ventured there were devoured by the tree, slowly transforming into White Zetsu over thousands of years."
Yusuke paused here to catch his breath.
Then he turned his gaze toward Madara and Hashirama before him.
"There, Hagoromo found the girl who had professed her love to him before entering the Divine Tree. She lay lifeless, having ceased breathing entirely. At this sight, an overwhelming rage filled the his eyes."
At this moment, Madara felt this scene was extremely familiar.
"Could it be at this moment, The Sage of Six Paths awakened the Rinnegan?"
After hearing his question, Yusuke smiled.
"Actually, the Sage of Six Paths wasn't as powerful as you might think. He was simply born with the Otsutsuki constitution. Even Hamura was born with only the Byakugan — there wasn't much else extraordinary about him."
"When Hagoromo discovered his beloved's corpse, his anger awakened a three-tomoe Sharingan. With this awakening came the sensation of immense potential energy within him — power that he realized could be used to stop his mother's evil plans."
"He now understood that his mother's true intention wasn't to benefit humanity but to sacrifice humans to the Divine Tree. Yet the Sage had no understanding of her motives, nor did he attempt to question her further, knowing she would never reveal the truth."
"Following this discovery, he resolved to end his mother's tyranny. It was then that Gamamaru sought him out again, declaring him the one destined to change the human realm. The great toad then began teaching him Senjutsu at Mount Myōboku."
"After intensive training, Hagoromo mastered Senjutsu completely, knowing that only with this powerful chakra could he hope to stand against Kaguya. What followed was straightforward."
At this point, Yusuke looked at everyone present again.
"What followed was the war between the brothers and their mother Kaguya. Before they left, Gamamaru gave Hagoromo a sage talisman that could resurrect the dead in case of emergency."
"The brothers then went to their mother's domain to challenge her. The battle was brief — while Hagoromo's Senjutsu chakra protected him from Kaguya's control, she easily dominated Hamura with her nine-tomoe Rinnegan. A single genjutsu was all it took to bring him under her complete control."
"With Hamura under her power, Kaguya forced him to fight against his brother."
At this point, Yusuke shook his head.
"This was the pivotal mistake that led to all that followed. Once Kaguya controlled Hamura, he immediately turned against his brother. Hagoromo knew there was only one way forward — if he couldn't break the control over his brother, he would have to kill him."
"So he made the terrible choice to end Hamura's life!"
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