Chapter 3: The Samsara Eye of Rebirth
"The Samsara Eye of Rebirth!" Naruto breathed, the name echoing with significance.
The Sage of Six Paths nodded. "Correct. Through a forbidden jutsu of the Otsutsuki clan, and with the Harrow as a catalyst, this eye can send a person's soul through time and space to be reborn in their physical body in the past."
"However," the Sage continued, "the conditions and cost for this jutsu are extremely high."
"First, the caster must possess an immense amount of chakra."
"Second, the caster must offer their own life as a sacrifice."
"And third, the Samsara Eye of Rebirth can only be activated once. After its use, it will immediately lose its light forever."
Naruto pondered this. The forbidden jutsu sounded similar to the Rinnegan's Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique, but this one could also traverse time and place the soul directly back into its original body.
Wait, that's not right!
"If the eye can only be used once," Naruto asked, "then why didn't Boruto just send me back to the past directly? What was the point of sending me here to see you? He only had one Jogan; once he used it, it was gone."
The Sage seemed to anticipate the question. "The Jogan that Boruto awakened was, in fact, the power left behind by my brother, Hamura. Once Boruto had fully mastered its power, the remnant of Hamura's chakra activated, just as my chakra did within you and Sasuke. My brother then appeared within Boruto's spirit, much like you and I are speaking now."
"Hamura told your son everything. Therefore, Boruto intentionally allowed himself to be defeated and turned into a vessel. This was the only way for him to obtain the massive amount of chakra required to activate the jutsu he had already inscribed in his eye. Combined with the Harrow he had acquired beforehand, he succeeded in sending you to me."
"As for why he didn't send you directly to the past… when a soul travels through time, it can become damaged. Your memories could be lost, and you could lose sight of your purpose. This meeting was arranged as a final insurance policy—so that I could tell you everything, to ensure you understood your mission."
A bitter look crossed the Sage's face. "After all, I have already lost my gamble once. I don't dare to bet a second time."
It all made sense now.
So that's how it was. Boruto was the key to his rebirth. That was why the Great Toad Sage called him the Child of the Prophecy, the one who would change the ninja world. This meeting was a safeguard, a final checkpoint created by the Sages because they feared he would forget his mission after being reborn.
Naruto looked at the Sage. "But the Samsara Eye of Rebirth is gone now, isn't it? The one Boruto had was used to send me to you. And besides, even if you perform the jutsu, how can you guarantee my memories won't be lost?"
A slight smile touched the corner of the Sage's mouth. "How many eyes do you think my brother Hamura had?"
As he spoke, an eye materialized out of thin air in his left hand.
Naruto stared at it, his own eyes widening in astonishment. "Is that… the Jogan! No, wait—the Samsara Eye of Rebirth!"
The Sage nodded. "My brother awakened the power in both of his eyes. He left one behind as a legacy, which Boruto inherited upon his awakening. The other, he left with me, as a backup plan."
Naruto was speechless. Leave it to a Sage to have a plan A and a plan B. He had gambled everything on his own ideals, yet he had still prepared for every other contingency.
"So, what do I do now?" Naruto asked, his body tense with readiness. He was prepared to be reborn.
"That depends on your choice," the Sage replied.
"When the Samsara of Rebirth Technique is activated, the point in the past you are sent to is not fixed. The fact that you arrived in this specific timeframe to see me is also, in itself, a coincidence."
"Therefore, you now have two choices."
"First, I can use the jutsu to rebirth you directly into the present time of this space—that is, back into your body on the battlefield outside."
"Second, you can choose to travel further back. I cannot determine to which specific point in time you will go, only that it will be a time before the present."
"Regardless of which you choose, I can use my Yin-Yang Power to protect your soul and memories, ensuring they merge completely with your younger body without any loss."
Naruto asked, "Boruto didn't have Yin-Yang Power, so how did my soul arrive here completely intact?"
"That is because the eye in my hand and the eye Boruto possessed were a pair, both belonging to my brother. They are linked," the Sage explained. "Your soul could pass safely from his eye into mine. Otherwise, why would Hamura go to the trouble of leaving one behind?"
Naruto nodded in understanding. He then asked the most important question. "What time is it outside? In the real world?"
"It is the height of the Fourth Great Ninja War," the Sage answered. "You and Sasuke are out there right now, leading the Allied Shinobi Forces against Madara and Obito Uchiha."
That time…
Naruto's memories churned. A sudden, terrible thought struck him, and he asked urgently, "What about Neji? Is Neji… dead yet?"
The Sage's reply was simple and heavy. "He is."
A sharp pain lanced through Naruto's heart. Even though it had happened so long ago, the image of his friend dying was as vivid as if it were yesterday.
"…because you called me a genius."
Those words had echoed in his mind countless times in his past life, stealing many nights of sleep.
But wait!
He could travel through time again. He could go to a point before now. The exact time couldn't be targeted, but it didn't matter. As long as it was before this moment, he could save Neji.
Naruto looked at the Sage of Six Paths, his gaze firm and resolute. "I choose the second option."
"Are you certain?" the Sage asked.
Naruto nodded, his expression unwavering.
The Sage regarded him in silence for a few seconds. Then, he raised his left hand. Without even removing the Rinnegan in his socket, he simply placed the Jogan over it.
Seeing Naruto's surprised look, the Sage explained, "I am in a spiritual state, as is this Rinnegan. There is no need to remove it. I can simply place the Jogan on top."
With that, the Sage of Six Paths began to weave a complex series of hand signs. He finished, and his voice boomed through the void as he activated the jutsu.
"Samsara of Rebirth Technique!"
A brilliant white light shot from the Jogan in the Sage's eye, enveloping Naruto completely. He felt a warm, comforting power wrapping around him, growing stronger and brighter with each passing second.
As the light on Naruto intensified, the Sage's own figure began to grow faint and translucent. The light emanating from the Jogan in his eye socket also began to dim.
Naruto suddenly remembered one of the conditions for the jutsu: the sacrifice of one's life. The Sage had no life left to give, so what was he sacrificing now?
A guess formed in Naruto's mind. He looked at the Sage, a question in his eyes.
The Sage of Six Paths gave him a final, gentle smile. "Goodbye, Naruto. This time, it's truly goodbye. The future of the ninja world… is in your hands."
With those words, his spiritual form completely dissipated into nothingness.
"I will," Naruto promised through his tears.
The white light around him reached its zenith, a blinding cocoon that tore through the fabric of spacetime and vanished.
In the empty void, the Harrow of Time, its purpose finally fulfilled, shattered into a thousand pieces and faded into dust.