"Sage of the Six Paths?"
Orochimaru's brow furrowed deeply.
In the ninja world, even someone like Nagato with the Rinnegan wasn't taken seriously by him—at best, just a more useful pawn. Orochimaru understood Nagato's power and desires. With the right conditions, Nagato could be manipulated.
But the Sage of the Six Paths… that was an entirely different matter.
A being who had lived for millennia, the Sage wasn't like the slugs, snakes, or even Kaguya's cult followers. From the few traces he left behind, it was impossible to grasp his full intentions.
Take the Pure Land, for instance—Orochimaru suspected it was less a sacred afterlife and more a convenient Otsutsuki soldier factory. And yet, if he had something like the Pure Land, he'd be pouring every resource into expanding it—not idly visiting the mortal world, playing pretend.
The Sage, however, felt different. It was as if things like the Pure Land were created not through intention, but as casual byproducts of his existence—like a god creating miracles out of boredom.
This wasn't idle speculation. Orochimaru had long suspected that beings of such power operated on whims incomprehensible to mortals. A phenomenon like "ten suns in the sky" might seem apocalyptic to humans, but perhaps to the divine, it was simply a bored bird on duty.
Kaguya awakened the Rinne Sharingan and created a dimension. The Sage of the Six Paths, with his third eye, likely created the Pure Land in the same offhand way.
Because there was so little information about the Sage, Orochimaru remained cautious. He looked at the Lamp God.
"Didn't you say he had probably reincarnated? How could he appear in Naruto's body?"
"He's Asura's reincarnation, and now he's the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki," the Lamp God said with a shrug. "It'd be more surprising if the Sage wasn't keeping an eye on him."
"Don't look so concerned. My earlier guess wasn't wrong—the Sage probably couldn't care less about you."
He added with a smirk,
"That old man probably just wants to make ramen now."
"...Ramen?"
Orochimaru blinked. One name popped into his mind.
"Ichiraku Ramen?"
"Bingo," said the Lamp God, now openly grinning.
There were always conspiracy theories in the original timeline—how Teuchi Ichiraku, the unassuming ramen vendor who survived the Nine-Tails attack unscathed and outlived nearly everyone, might actually be the final boss. It sounded absurd… until now.
Thinking back, even Iruka took time to warm up to Naruto. But Ichiraku Teuchi? He accepted Naruto from the start.
"The Sage of the Six Paths… and his hobby is ramen. Really?" Orochimaru murmured, baffled. He remembered eating there with Jiraiya when they were young.
"Well, immortals get bored too. Not everyone is obsessed with power like Black Zetsu," the Lamp God said, hands spread wide. "Some just want to feel normal for a while."
Even the White Snake Sage dreamed of becoming a dragon—longing for transcendence. But the Sage of the Six Paths? He had already stood at the pinnacle. He had laid it all down.
"We'll test him later to be sure," Orochimaru said at last. Then, he leapt down from the Hokage Monument.
---
Meanwhile, deep within a cavern—
Above the eerie, monstrous Gedo Statue, the ritual had just ended.
The last remnants of Shukaku's chakra had been sealed. Ten figures silently retracted their chakra, exhausted but relieved.
"Thanks, everyone," said Pain, nodding slightly before ending the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path: Illusionary Dragon Nine Consuming Seals technique. One by one, the figures vanished.
Kabuto, however, lingered a moment longer, eyes narrowed at the statue's grotesque, half-opened eye. Something about it sent a chill down his spine.
"This thing is truly evil... I wonder if Lord Orochimaru has any countermeasures," he muttered, then took his leave.
Only Obito and Pain remained.
"Now that One-Tail is sealed, has your burden eased?" Obito asked.
"You were right," Pain replied. "But you left something out."
He turned toward the Gedo Statue.
"You didn't mention that it would become harder to control."
Only one of the statue's nine eyes had opened, and not fully—but Nagato could feel it. The statue was no mere tool. Its will was awakening.
"I didn't hide anything," Obito said calmly. "All I know is from old records. I never saw it in action myself."
Nagato didn't push further, but he made a silent note: if the golem became unstable, the operation would stop immediately.
"Sealing in order is ideal," Obito continued, "Next is the Two-Tails, currently in the Frost Country. I've already found her."
"You won't make a move without my approval."
Pain's tone was cold and final.
"Fine," Obito said, disappearing without argument.
---
Back in the village—
Nagato, lying on his bed in the underground base, took a deep breath.
"The pressure... it's lighter," he said. "The Gedo Statue isn't draining me like before. Looks like Obito was telling the truth."
Konan, standing nearby, showed a rare smile.
"That's a relief."
Still, both knew the statue was dangerous. Even Obito couldn't fully control it—only Madara had truly mastered it.
"Next is the Two-Tails?" she asked.
"Not yet," Nagato shook his head. "Let's test things by sealing the Seven-Tails next instead. If Obito objects, we might force more information out of him."
Konan nodded.
"What about the enhancement project?"
"Progress slowed without Kabuto," she said, clearly annoyed. "I think some of them are slacking."
"Let Kabuto handle it again," said Nagato. "You can inform him tomorrow."
---
Elsewhere, in a small but clean wooden house—
Orochimaru had just finished an operation. He looked at the man practicing his moves in the room, his youthful energy blazing.
"How do you feel?"
"Amazing," said Guy, fists clenched. "I feel like I've gained new potential!"
"Your body is now more attuned to nature. Keep training in breathing techniques—you might be able to tap into natural energy itself someday."
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru!" Guy replied with vigor.
Satisfied, Orochimaru looked out the window.
"It's getting late. Let's grab a bite."
They headed to Ichiraku Ramen.
---
Even this late, Ichiraku was open. Orochimaru and Guy sat casually at the counter.
"Ten bowls of tonkotsu ramen," Orochimaru ordered.
Knowing now that the ramen chef was the Sage of Six Paths in disguise, Orochimaru kept his composure. Teuchi, true to form, responded cheerfully, "Coming right up!"
"After everything," the Lamp God whispered beside Orochimaru, "if nothing else, the man deserves the title of Ramen Sage."
Orochimaru had to agree. It wasn't every day you saw divine power expressed through soup stock and hand-pulled noodles.
"I'm starving!" Guy called out. "Uncle Teuchi, hurry up!"
"Got it, got it," Teuchi laughed. "Training again?"
"Nope, surgery," Guy answered before realizing he'd spoken too freely. He glanced at Orochimaru.
"It's fine," Orochimaru said simply.
Teuchi's eyes opened slightly—just a sliver—as he looked over Guy and smiled,
"Surgery, huh? Then eat more, build your strength."
"No worries!" Guy grinned, flashing perfect teeth.
They ate heartily. Afterward, Orochimaru and Guy went their separate ways.
"So?" Orochimaru asked the Lamp God. "Did he make any moves?"
"None," the Lamp God said. "He just prepped tomorrow's ingredients… oh, and made a new sauce."
"So, he really is committed to this ramen shop role..."
"Looks that way. I'll keep watching," said the Lamp God.
Orochimaru nodded. He had absolute trust in the Lamp God. Even if the Sage of the Six Paths was a legend in this world, to the Lamp God, he was little more than a local.
A being of myth—but still a being.
_____________________
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