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"Asura."
The Sage of Six Paths' Rinnegan fixed its gaze on Asura, who had been bouncing around excitedly.
"Understood, Father."
Asura obediently retreated behind Hagoromo.
"Ahem... At this point, you have already won, Lord Seimei, Kaito."
The Sage of Six Paths sighed deeply, his voice gradually echoing across the desolate plain.
"I am the Sage of Six Paths."
The ninjas immediately grew excited, nearly jumping in their eagerness to catch a glimpse of the legendary figure.
The Hyūga clansmen, in particular, activated their Byakugan en masse, only for their attention to be drawn to Hamura.
"Mother..." The Sage of Six Paths glanced at Kaguya once more. "After conquering the world, Kaguya grew increasingly restless and greedy, forever fearing the arrival of the Ōtsutsuki clan to steal the Chakra Fruit. She harnessed the Divine Tree to shatter the Yellow Spring Hell, absorbing the power of the underworld. In the end, she sought to reclaim all dispersed chakra through the [Infinite Tsukuyomi]."
"Those trapped in the [Infinite Tsukuyomi] would gradually be assimilated by the Divine Tree, transforming into monsters known as White Zetsu—mindless soldiers who obeyed without question."
"The Infinite Tsukuyomi was that horrifying?!"
"We almost turned into monsters!"
"Damn it!"
Many shuddered in fear upon hearing this.
"To resist our mother's tyranny, my brother Hamura and I rose in rebellion." The Sage's voice continued to resonate. "In the end, we succeeded in sealing her within the moon. Hamura led a portion of our clan to the moon to guard the seal, while I remained on Earth to establish the Ninshū, redistributing chakra to humanity in hopes of uniting them against the eventual return of the Ōtsutsuki."
"So that's how ninjas came to be?"
Many quick-witted ninjas began pondering.
"Then why has the history of shinobi been plagued by endless war?"
"Yet, things did not go as intended." The Sage's aged voice spoke once more. "From the moment my two sons, Indra and Asura, clashed over the succession of Ninshū, the shinobi world has known no peace."
"So those two were the Sage's sons?" Hashirama stroked his chin. "If I recall correctly, they just referred to themselves as Uchiha and Senju..."
"Madara!!" His eyes sparkled as he turned to Madara. "So our clans are actually related!"
"Get lost!"
Izuna shoved his way between the two, stomping hard on Hashirama's foot before glaring daggers at him. He then stood on tiptoe to block Hashirama's line of sight.
"..."
Hashirama slowly crouched down, sinking into a state of dejection.
Madara twitched his lips, helplessly patting Izuna on the head.
"On my deathbed, I divided the power of the Divine Tree—the Ten-Tails—into the Nine Tailed Beasts, teaching them to trust humanity, hoping they would become guardians of this world. Yet, in the end, shinobi sought only to exploit their power for war."
"This old man... still loves lecturing! So annoying!!"
Kurama's indignant voice echoed simultaneously in Naruto and Minato's minds.
"With the Yellow Spring Hell shattered, the cycle of reincarnation was severed. Thus, after my death, I established the Pure Land as a new afterlife."
The Sage paused before sighing again. "Perhaps I was wrong. Shinobi, their souls too deeply tainted by the foreign power of chakra, became estranged from the world, unable to reincarnate properly."
Hearing this, the ninjas felt an overwhelming sorrow rise in their hearts.
"How could this be?!"
"Is this the fate of shinobi...?"
"Do we truly have no future?"
"In life, I once discovered the Box of Ultimate Bliss, where Mother had sealed the power of Enma, the King of Hell. Yet I could not wield it." The Sage glanced up at the colossal figure of Enma floating in the sky. "After death, I sought to find Enma's vessel to restore the full power of the King of Hell and mend the cycle of the Pure Land... but it remained beyond my reach."
His voice grew even more aged.
"In the end, everything I did in this life was a failure."
Hamura silently patted his shoulder.
The Sage raised a hand to stop him and continued. "At first, I sought to unite humanity against the Ōtsutsuki, teaching my children and the Tailed Beasts to believe in the power of love. Yet in death, watching the unending wars, I myself lost faith in humanity. I sought to transcend through the Pure Land, using the Ōtsutsuki's own methods against them."
"...Old man."
Asura's eyes shimmered with tears as he watched the Sage's hunched figure.
Indra's expression was unreadable.
All the ninjas stood frozen, unable to process what they were hearing.
This was the Sage of Six Paths—the progenitor of shinobi!
He seemed to be renouncing his own life's work. Did that not amount to renouncing the very existence of shinobi?
This was nothing short of the collapse of faith.
"Yet it seems that, many years later, a young man has achieved what I once hoped for."
The Sage turned a benevolent gaze toward Kaito.
Kaito shuddered involuntarily, goosebumps rising all over his body.
"Born into the Uchiha clan, descendants of my eldest son, he was uniquely born without chakra, yet possessed an innate spiritual constitution unmatched in ten thousand. He also inherited the legacy of the Onmyōji, preserved by the yōkai."
The Sage's tone carried unmistakable pride.
Why is this old man praising me so much?!
Kaito squirmed uncomfortably, glancing at Seimei for answers.
But Seimei only smiled enigmatically, fan in hand.
The Sage's praise continued. "Undaunted by hardship, he reclaimed the demons that escaped the Box of Ultimate Bliss—the Zero-Tails of the Land of Sky, the Wraith of the Land of Demons, the Shinigami of the Land of Whirlpools, and Jashin of the Land of Hot Water—ultimately purifying the power of Enma. Not long ago, he even took Enma's vessel right from under my nose."
Ugh!!!
Kaito couldn't take it anymore, rubbing his arms to dispel the creeping discomfort.
"Now, he has led you all to defeat even my incomparably powerful mother. He seeks to reopen the Yellow Spring Hell, restore the cycle of reincarnation, and guide you against the coming of the Ōtsutsuki." The Sage's voice grew more fervent. "Children of this world, lend him your strength! This young man's name is Uchiha Kaito!!!"
He smiled proudly.
"And he is my descendant."
"Uchiha Kaito!"
"Uchiha Kaito!!"
"Uchiha Kaito!!!"
The deafening roar of the crowd shook the heavens as nearly everyone chanted Kaito's name.
What are you trying to do?!
Kaito's scalp tingled, his handsome face twisting in discomfort.
The Sage gave him one last meaningful smile before retreating outside the barrier with Hamura and Asura.