"The Great Toad Sage's prophecy… was never wrong."
The Sage of Six Paths' calm words were like a faint spark, rekindling the last trace of hope in Naruto's desolate heart.
Wiping his tears, Naruto stood up again and looked steadily at the Sage. "What do you mean by that?"
The Sage smiled faintly. "Tell me, Naruto—aren't you curious as to why you can see me again here?"
Naruto frowned.
That was true. The Sage of Six Paths had vanished completely after the Fourth Shinobi World War—how could they meet again now?
Could it be…?
Hope flickered once more in Naruto's blue eyes as he turned to the Sage, waiting for the answer he so desperately needed.
The Sage of Six Paths met his gaze and said evenly, "Though Boruto did not defeat the Ōtsutsuki Clan, the Great Toad Sage's prophecy was still correct—because Boruto did something that changed everything. He sent you here, to see me."
Naruto blinked in surprise. "You mean… I'm here because Boruto brought me here?"
The Sage nodded. "Indeed. You truly died in that battle—but your spirit was preserved by Boruto through his Pure Eye."
"Before the final fight, Boruto had inscribed within his eye an Ōtsutsuki forbidden technique. When he was defeated and turned into a vessel, he gained an enormous amount of chakra. The forbidden jutsu within his eye activated automatically—and using a divine relic, he sent your soul here to me. The cost… was his own life."
Hearing that, Naruto could no longer hold back his tears.
"Boruto… my good son… sob… my precious boy…"
The Sage watched silently, then extended his right hand, revealing a cracked relic. "This is that divine tool."
Naruto wiped his eyes and looked down at it. His expression shifted to shock. "That's… an Ōtsutsuki artifact—the Rinne Plow?"
The Sage nodded. "Yes. With this relic, Boruto offered up his life, invoking the forbidden art to send your soul to me. And now, Naruto, you stand before a choice—one that can change the ninja world once again."
Naruto was stunned, momentarily dazed by the revelation.
So that was the meaning behind the Great Toad Sage's prophecy—Boruto would change the world, even if it meant through his sacrifice!
But still—how had Boruto known what to do?
How could he have known that sending his father's soul to the Sage of Six Paths would alter fate?
And how had he learned of an Ōtsutsuki forbidden technique?
The Sage of Six Paths seemed to read the confusion in Naruto's mind.
He sighed softly, gazing down at the cracked relic in his palm. "Before I answer your questions, Naruto, let me ask you one first. After all you've seen… do you still believe my past decisions were right?"
Naruto was silent for a long while. Then, with a heavy tone, he replied, "To be honest… no. I don't. The Ōtsutsuki are far too powerful. To survive them, we must be willing to do whatever it takes—to gain power strong enough to fight back."
The Sage fell silent.
During their last meeting—the war—he had asked Naruto something similar: If Sasuke wanted to unite the ninja world at any cost, what would you do?
And back then, Naruto had answered firmly: I'd stop him. I believe in love and understanding. I believe people can change.
But now…
The Sage exhaled softly, his voice tinged with sorrow. "Ah… so it's come to this. The thing my mother feared most has finally come true. In the end, it seems I was too short-sighted… I was wrong."
Naruto said nothing.
He had once admired the Sage's ideals too. But after witnessing the tragedies of war, the horrors of the Ōtsutsuki, and the pain of losing friends and family, he could no longer cling to those old beliefs.
The Naruto who preached love and understanding—the one who believed everyone could connect—was gone.
Seeing the heaviness in the air, the Sage smiled faintly again. "Still, all is not lost. There's one chance left to make things right. It seems my brother Hamura's decision to leave a contingency was the right one."
Naruto frowned. "Hamura's… contingency?"
The Sage nodded. "You're wondering how Boruto could have known all this, how he could be so certain of sending you here, yes?"
Naruto nodded wordlessly.
The Sage continued, "Back then, when I sealed our mother Kaguya upon the moon, my younger brother Hamura chose to remain there with her. For centuries, he watched over her and studied her fears—the reason she always gazed toward the stars.
"In his long solitude, Hamura awakened the Pure Eye."
Naruto's eyes widened in shock.
The Sage smiled slightly. "Yes. The same kind that Boruto awakened."
He went on, his voice distant with memory.
"Through the Pure Eye, Hamura learned that it sometimes glimpsed fragments of time—past and future alike—though never at will.
"Then, one day, Hamura saw visions that explained everything: why our mother feared the tens, why she was so afraid. The truth was real—the Ōtsutsuki beyond the stars existed, and they were terrifyingly powerful.
"Hamura came to me immediately and told me everything."
Naruto's expression froze. So the Sage had known all along!
Then why—?
The Sage caught his thought and said quietly, "You're wondering why I didn't act, even though I knew."
Naruto nodded.
"Because," the Sage said, "even Hamura couldn't be certain that what he saw was true. The Pure Eye's visions were unreliable—he could not confirm that the future he saw would definitely come to pass."
Naruto gave a small, bitter smile. "So you decided to gamble."
The Sage nodded gravely. "Yes. I gambled that peace might last. But now it seems I lost that bet. I was wrong. Fortunately, Hamura left behind a contingency. Without it, I would have nothing left to regret but failure."
Naruto leaned forward, anxious for more. "Hamura's… contingency?"
The Sage's eyes deepened as he spoke. "Through his research into the Pure Eye, Hamura extracted fragments of chakra memory from our mother Kaguya herself. It was then that he discovered something—the Pure Eye has another name among the Ōtsutsuki."
He paused.
"It is known… as the Eye of Reincarnation and Transmigration."