However,
although False Form, True Shape was impressive, the River of Three Paths wasn't any worse.
If the potential of this genjutsu was fully developed to its limits, it would be equivalent to Izanagi at the Kekkei Mora level.
At that point, when Heiyan used the River of Three Paths to rewind time, both the duration and number of uses could significantly increase. It might even affect himself or an entire real-world area.
It would be like having save-scumming powers in a video game—trial and error until victory is assured.
Which one should he choose?
These two drastically different abilities were both exceptional in their own ways, making decision-making difficult.
If he recorded both into his right eye, Heiyan worried he'd end up locking in three abilities too early, potentially regretting his choices if better options appeared later on.
After deep consideration, Heiyan decided to temporarily set these two abilities aside. After all, there was no immediate need for them, so there was no rush.
With his current strength, across the entire world of shinobi, aside from the yet-to-arrive Otsutsuki Clan, only a few individuals such as Gamamaru and Madara Uchiha could pose even a minimal threat to him.
But truly—the undisputed strongest ninja of all time.
Heiyan was undoubtedly the strongest ninja in existence, leaving everyone else far behind.
Alright then.
Now was the time to spend some effort tidying up this chaotic world.
Henceforth, Heiyan would live as an immortal sage—free-spirited yet within bounds.
The first stop after breaking through and exiting seclusion would be Kirigakure.
Whoosh!
Heiyan returned to Kamui's space and swiftly made his way toward the Land of Water.
Half an hour later,
he descended near Kirigakure and, just as previously done, put on the disguise of Master Mutaito.
Kirigakure had long been under Madara's harsh authoritarian rule, gradually devolving into the Bloody Mist Policy era—a regime where only the strong survived through bloodshed. During the past few years, every day saw ninja or villagers unable to endure such cruel and bloody living conditions, choosing to flee.
A few days ago, the Six Paths of Pain invaded Kiri, engaging Madara in battle—a confrontation that finally became the last straw, causing Kirigakure to collapse completely, existing now in name only.
Today, through sheer force and financial resources, Madara had gathered numerous criminals and bounty hunters to rebuild Kirigakure, transforming it more into a den of bandits and robbers.
Under Madara's orders, these people spread out everywhere hunting down ninjas who had fled from Kirigakure, turning the Land of Water into a blood-soaked battlefield.
Heiyan closed his eyes, extending his sensing ability across hundreds of miles. In an instant, he discovered over a dozen battlefields erupting simultaneously—a widespread massacre in progress.
Among them,
the fiercest and most intense battle involved someone Heiyan recognized.
Whoosh.
He floated into midair and flew directly toward that location. Several minutes later, he arrived at a valley drenched in blood.
Inside the valley, Ao and other Kiri Jonin formed a protective circle around an elderly man in his seventies, frantically holding off the attackers.
The elderly man, holding a serpent-shaped wooden staff, was respectfully called the Sage Master. As one of the most respected elders in the Mist village, many important village matters required his consultation and guidance. His status and influence in Mist were second only to Madara Uchiha.
But now, with the Sage Master at the helm, the last remaining forces of the Mist stood on the brink of survival, facing imminent annihilation.
Their enemies? The Second Raikage of Cloud, along with King and Silver.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Second Raikage activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, his entire body shrouded in crackling lightning. Like an enraged bull, he charged wildly through the Mist ninjas. Several shinobi flew into the air before crashing down, immediately incapacitated.
Among them was Ao.
After eliminating every obstacle before him, the Second Raikage locked onto his final target—the Sage Master—and charged straight toward him.
"Protect the Sage Master!"
Ao shouted hoarsely. Just as he tried to rise, he collapsed again, helplessly watching the scene unfold with despair in his eyes.
At the eleventh hour.
Snap.
Heiyan snapped his fingers crisply.
In an instant.
Whoosh.
A thick, towering wall of solid ice erupted from underground, blocking the Second Raikage's path. Unprepared for this sudden obstruction, he slammed headfirst into it. Though he shattered the ice wall, massive chunks buried him in the collapse.
Boom!
Several seconds later, the Second Raikage burst out of the pile of ice, his eyes bulging with fury, steam snorting furiously from his nostrils, his fierce gaze scanning wildly for whoever had ambushed him.
"Heheh, well if it isn't that old Immortal Sage who drives Madara Uchiha up the wall?"
"Yup, and apparently he promised to free us from Impure World Reincarnation in exchange for taking that guy down. Didn't expect we'd find him this soon—he came right to our doorstep."
Two relaxed voices echoed from not far away — King and Silver.
By now, the Second Raikage had also spotted the Immortal Sage. Fixing Heiyan with a sharp stare, he said gravely:
"Immortal Sage, I know you're fighting for the Mist shinobi and villagers—you're a hero of this village. However, I must return to Raikage and free myself from Impure World Reincarnation, because my own village is currently trapped in crisis and civil strife. So... forgive me!"
As soon as those words left his mouth,
Zzzt-zzzt-zzzt!
Electric arcs exploded from the Second Raikage's body as his Lightning Release Chakra Mode surged to its peak.
[Lightning Release: One Sword Piercing!]
Letting out a fierce roar, the Second Raikage didn't hesitate for even a moment. He launched his ultimate killing technique right away, giving the Immortal Sage no chance to resist.
He knew the opponent wielded the Ice Release bloodline limit, but no matter how thick the ice wall might be, it could never withstand the Ultimate Spear.
The Second Raikage wasn't wrong—but Heiyan had no intention of using Ice Release either.
Right as his opponent rushed toward him like a flash of lightning,
Click.
Heiyan snapped his fingers calmly. Six black Truth-Seeking Balls appeared instantly before him.
Then, while spinning rapidly, they merged together, forming a single dark shield.
Thin as cicada wings — yet tougher than paper.
But in reality, that thin shield was far stronger than it appeared.
Boom!
The Second Raikage charged forward fearlessly, thrusting his One Sword Piercing into the Truth-Seeking Ball shield. Brilliant lightning erupted—terrifying in its intensity.
However, all noise with no real effect.
Hm?
The Second Raikage immediately sensed something was wrong and looked on in shock. No matter how hard he pushed—even exerting himself to the utmost—his One Sword Piercing couldn't penetrate that unremarkable black shield.
Not only did it remain completely unmoved, but it also radiated a strange and powerful force. The moment the Second Raikage's arm made contact, it turned to ash.
Bad.
Alarmed, the Second Raikage hastily retreated dozens of meters away, waiting for his destroyed arm to regenerate.
He'd misjudged again.
The Truth-Seeking Balls, crafted with Yin and Yang Release, could deal permanent damage. That rendered Impure World Reincarnation bodies incapable of regeneration—they were essentially the ultimate counter to the Impure World Reincarnation technique.
In fact, Truth-Seeking Balls, as Six Paths-level power, were naturally the ultimate counters to nearly every ninja technique in existence.
At this moment,
"Go!"
Heiyan called out calmly. Within a second, the Truth-Seeking Ball shield transformed into a black sword, shooting forward like a beam of darkness. With a "puff," it pierced straight through the Second Raikage's chest.
Bang.
The Second Raikage fell backward, his entire body turning to dust and scattering into the air.
A sharp hiss filled the air—
King and Silver witnessed this unfold and both sucked in cold breaths. Sharing a silent understanding, they exchanged glances, refusing to just wait around for destruction. Instead, they took out [Six Paths Ninja Tools] and launched attacks at Heiyan.
Swish.
One waved the Bashosen fan while releasing a large-scale ninjutsu containing five chakra natures—water, fire, wind, lightning, and earth. The other threw out the shining Kokinjo rope, attacking Heiyan from an awkward angle, attempting to bind him.
However, no matter what methods the enemy employed, Heiyan simply cut everything down with one slash of his sword.
[Six Paths Ninja Tools] are nothing more than toys.
Heiyan said coolly before swinging his sword. Instantly, a vast black blade aura surged from the sword itself, flying forward.
Hissing through the air—
With a single strike, the five great techniques released by the Bashosen vanished into nothingness. Even the fan itself was severed by the blade aura, almost taking off half of Kinkaku's head.
The Kokinjo met the same fate, sliced into eighteen pieces that scattered across the ground.
"This..."
King and Silver could no longer keep their usual nonchalance. They finally realized the Immortal Sage standing before them was not in the same league as themselves as ninja.
"All-out attack!"
Both men roared simultaneously, erupting massive amounts of chakra from their bodies. A blood-red [Nine-Tails Cloak] formed outside their bodies, with several tails manifesting behind them.
[Semi-Tailed Beast Transformation].
These two brothers had once been swallowed by the Nine-Tails. Rather than being digested, however, they actually ate some of the Nine-Tails' flesh and obtained its chakra. Eventually, the Nine-Tails couldn't stand it anymore and spat them back out.
Therefore, they held a fragment of the Nine-Tails' power.
Still, something unexpected happened.
Despite shouting "all-out attack!" and charging wildly, the two instead immediately turned and fled without looking back.
They weren't bluffing—they were running for their lives at full speed.
This kind of deceptive escape tactic was ineffective against absolute power.
Whoosh!
The Immortal Sage lifted into the air with his hands behind his back, effortlessly catching up to King and Silver who were fleeing.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The Truth-Seeking Balls around him shot forward one after another, swiftly knocking down King and Silver until they lay motionless on the ground. Then Heiyan spread his arms and unleashed suction energy from his palms, pulling the two toward him.
Though he didn't possess the Rinnegan, ever since devouring the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, he'd gained an ability similar to Chakra Devouring—an ability allowing him to directly absorb enemy chakra for his own use.
The Nine-Tails chakra within King and Silver was now absorbed by Heiyan. Though this amount wasn't substantial, it helped further complete the tailed-beast chakra already inside him.
After finishing all this, Heiyan flew back and descended before Ao and Sage Master.
"Immortal Sage!"
A group of Mist ninja cried out in unison, their eyes burning with reverence as they dropped to their knees in worship. Even Sage Master trembled as he slowly lowered himself into a deep bow.
To them, the Immortal Sage was a deity—a god. Even Kage-level experts such as the Second Raikage and King and Silver were helpless before him, no different than chickens awaiting slaughter.
Heiyan stepped forward, supporting Sage Master before he could fully kneel, and signaled for the others to rise as well.
"Ao, please help spread word. Say that in three days, I will march into Mist and drive out every enemy. I, the Immortal Sage, will return Mist's people to their homeland and restore this village's former glory."
Heiyan issued orders to Ao and his companions.
"Yes!"
Ao and the others nodded excitedly, their hearts racing with anticipation.
Under the crowd's respectful gaze, Heiyan ascended into the sky once more and vanished peacefully.
Later, Ao and others took a short rest before carrying out Heiyan's orders, rushing off in different directions to spread the message. Within less than a day, Heiyan's proclamation had reached every corner of the Land of Water.
At the heart of Hidden Mist,
Inside a building created using Wood Release techniques, Madara Uchiha stood by a window, gazing into the distance with an unusually grave look on his face.
Previously, when the Cloud Trio had been eliminated by the Immortal Sage, Madara—being the caster of Impure World Reincarnation—naturally sensed everything that happened.
That black sphere surrounding the Immortal Sage was a Ninjutsu technique he'd never seen before. Its power was terrifying—capable of immense destruction and easily dismantling Impure World Reincarnation Puppets.
In the face of such overwhelming power, even someone as strong as Madara felt a twinge of fear.
Yet at the same time, his combative nature ignited, unleashing uncontrollable fighting spirit surging within him.
Madara glanced at Hashirama Senju beside him.
This was his last remaining Impure World Reincarnation Puppet—and also his most powerful one—but its full potential had yet to be unleashed.
Now with only Hashirama left, Madara could focus entirely on control, combining him with this Elephant Path clone to unleash his ultimate power combination.
"Hashirama," Madara said, "with our powers combined, this world holds no enemy beyond our reach."
Madara gazed at Hashirama, suddenly breaking into a smile.
"That remains to be seen," Hashirama replied.
Hashirama responded with an equally cheerful grin. "After all, the era that belonged to us has long passed."
"Let's see about that."
Upon hearing this, Madara gave a slight snort, neither agreeing nor denying.
Elsewhere...
When news of the Immortal Sage's attack on Kiri spread like wildfire across the Land of Water, Nagato, Konan, and Nagare—three members of Akatsuki—received intelligence and immediately set out.
They arrived once again near Mist village, choosing a concealed spot for shelter.
This time, Nagato had grown more cautious after previous lessons. He planned to infiltrate Mist while both sides were occupied, either searching for young Nagato or launching a surprise strike to clean up the aftermath.
Three days slipped away like fleeting shadows.
On this particular day, instead of its usual mist, the village basked in rare sunlight.
On a hill outside the village, Sage Master Yuan, Ao, and other rogue ninja who had fled from Kiri nervously observed the battle unfolding inside Mist village from afar, awaiting the arrival of the Immortal Sage.
Inside Mist village, Madara's group—his band of outlaws, fugitives, and bounty hunters—stood ready, forming multiple defensive lines stretching from the village gate toward the center.
Madara never expected these pitiful fools to truly halt the Immortal Sage's advance. He simply used ruthless threats and alluring rewards to manipulate them into becoming expendable pawns, hoping they'd drain some of the enemy's chakra.
Suddenly…
Without warning, a solitary figure floated down from the heavens, silhouetted by golden rays, finally touching down at Kiri's village gate.
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