This person was none other than the Sage of Six Paths.
At this moment, he was gazing at Gento, with a hint of scrutiny, a hint of sighing, and an indescribable complexity.
Gento's face also instantly took on a grave expression.
The Sage of Six Paths, the founder of Ninshu, the ancestor of chakra, the sealer of the Ten-Tails, and the eldest son of Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Hamura was his biological brother, and Toneri was Hamura's descendant.
Clearly, seeing that he was about to make a move on the sole remaining bloodline of Hamura's lineage, this ancestor who had been hidden in the Pure Land for many years could no longer sit still.
This was going to be real trouble.
Gento withdrew his stance, bowed to the Sage of Six Paths, and said in a respectful tone, "Sage of Six Paths, I have long heard of you."
Toward this founder of Ninshu and the source of the Uchiha clan's bloodline, he maintained the proper courtesy.
The phantom of the Sage of Six Paths nodded.
"Toneri is the descendant of my younger brother Hamura. He carries the seal of the moon and the future of Hamura's clan on his shoulders. I implore you to spare him."
As soon as these words were spoken, the descendants of Hamura who had just been knocked down by Gento climbed up one after another, stumbling to hide behind the Sage of Six Paths.
Several elders panted heavily, their faces carrying the relief of surviving a disaster.
The middle-aged man who had shielded Toneri had tears in his eyes, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing to the phantom of the Sage of Six Paths.
"Hagoromo! Please, for the sake of our ancestor Hamura, punish this demon!"
One of Hamura's clansmen hid behind the Sage of Six Paths, casting a provocative look at Gento.
His eyes seemed to say: "Go on, keep being arrogant! Hagoromo is here, let's see if you still dare to make a move!"
Gento was amused to the point of laughter by this sight.
He was respectful to the Sage of Six Paths because the other party was the ancestor of the shinobi world and the source of the Uchiha bloodline; the necessary courtesy could not be lacking.
Albeit that did not mean he feared the Sage of Six Paths.
The Sage of Six Paths in his prime, possessing the power of the Rinnegan, Sage Mode, and being the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, was one of the strongest figures in the history of the shinobi world, and Gento would surely be wary of him.
But the current Sage of Six Paths was merely a soul hiding in the Pure Land.
After being worn away by so many years, his strength was not even one percent of what it used to be, with only a sliver of residual consciousness lingering on.
He at most could only offer some advice, completely unable to interfere much with the living world.
The phantom of the Sage of Six Paths also let out a sigh.
He paid no attention to the pleas of the people behind him, only looking at Gento.
There was no hostility in his voice, only curiosity.
"I wish to know, why must you lay a hand on Toneri?"
"He is but a child who has never set foot in the shinobi world, let alone held a grudge against you."
"Just what are you capturing him for?"
Gento remained silent for a moment, then raised his head, their two pairs of Rinnegan meeting.
He took a deep breath, and then spoke:
"Sage of Six Paths, do you know that in the depths of the universe, there exists a mysterious clan who call themselves Otsutsuki?"
The Sage of Six Paths' pupils contracted a slight bit, but he did not interrupt.
Gento continued:
"The Otsutsuki believe in using the Divine Tree to achieve infinite evolution."
"To this end, they send out teams of two to travel through the endless universe, searching for planets with life."
"Once a suitable planet is found, they plant a Divine Tree seed, allowing the Divine Tree to absorb all the life energy of that planet."
"Then, they sacrifice the life of one Otsutsuki to make the Divine Tree bear a Chakra Fruit, which the other Otsutsuki consumes to complete their evolution."
"Afterward, they continue to the next planet and repeat this process, cycling indefinitely to undergo endless evolution."
This was information Gento had obtained in his past life through the original work.
Even for the Sage of Six Paths, these were secrets he had never heard of before.
Consequently, the face of the Sage of Six Paths gradually changed.
From calmness at the beginning, to gravity, and finally to shock.
The descendants of Hamura also widened their eyes, looking at each other in astonishment.
The Sage of Six Paths recovered from his shock and questioned:
"Then... my mother..."
Gento nodded, speaking directly what was on the other's mind,
"Indeed. Your mother was one of the two Otsutsuki who descended upon our world back then."
"Furthermore, according to Otsutsuki rules, she was originally supposed to be the one sacrificed."
The Sage of Six Paths' body shook.
"She was meant to become nutrients for the Divine Tree, so the other Otsutsuki could consume the fruit."
"But she was unwilling. She ambushed her partner, the Otsutsuki named Isshiki, severely wounding him, and consumed the Divine Tree Fruit alone. She gained power surpassing her limits and subsequently ruled this world."
The Sage of Six Paths' heart could not settle for a long time.
He recalled the years after his mother's descent.
The White Zetsu army, the Infinite Tsukuyomi, the humans turned into slaves...
Those actions, which he had failed to comprehend despite a hundred thoughts, suddenly had a logical explanation in Gento's narration.
She was not born evil; she was merely a woman struggling to survive in a desperate situation.
Gento continued:
"Not only that, but the Otsutsuki clan is incredibly powerful, and they have special means of communication with each other."
"The failure of Kaguya and Isshiki's mission back then will sooner or later attract an investigation from the main Otsutsuki family."
"In the near future, other Otsutsuki will descend upon the shinobi world."
"When that time comes, if the shinobi world does not possess enough power to resist them, the entire world will face utter annihilation."
Upon hearing this, all the provocation and smugness on the faces of Hamura's descendants vanished, replaced by shock and fear.
The Sage of Six Paths also showed a solemn, contemplative expression.
Having lived for a thousand years, he believed he had seen through everything, yet now he found himself almost entirely ignorant of his mother's origins and the truth of the Otsutsuki clan.
"However, there is now a turning point in all of this."
Gento shifted the topic.
"I have planted a Divine Tree myself, and there is hope for it to bear fruit to enhance my own strength and counter the Otsutsuki who are about to descend on the shinobi world."
"That said, if the Divine Tree is to successfully bear fruit, it still requires the sacrifice of an Otsutsuki."
"And in the current shinobi world, only this child's bloodline is pure enough to barely meet the requirements for the sacrifice."
He raised his hand, pointing at Toneri, who was hiding at the very back of the crowd.
Hearing this, Toneri's body trembled with fear.
"The burden of the entire shinobi world is resting upon my shoulders!"
Gento spread his hands and stared directly at the Sage of Six Paths.
"Preserve this child, or preserve the entire shinobi world. The choice is yours."
The Sage of Six Paths fell silent.
He turned his head, looking at Toneri's tender face, and at those descendants of Hamura who were kneeling and shivering on the ground.
His eyes were full of reluctance to see this happen, yet he could not bring himself to speak for a long time.
Toneri tightly gripped his father's hem, his voice trembling,
"Father... I don't want to die..."
An elder knelt on the ground, knocking his forehead against the rock.
"Sage of Six Paths, we can find another way! There must be another way!"
"This child carries Hamura's bloodline; he is the hope of our clan!"
The Sage of Six Paths pondered for a long time before finally speaking,
"Is the strength of the Otsutsuki clan you speak of truly that terrifying?"
Before Gento could speak, Mirai beside him jumped up in anxiety.
The three-year-old child stood on his tiptoes, waving his tiny fists, speaking in a babyish voice:
"Of course it's terrifying! I saw it with my own eyes!"
"They can catch Tailed Beast Bombs with their bare hands and easily rip apart a Perfect Susanoo!"
"Their eyes are even more bizarre than the Rinnegan. They can absorb ninjutsu, freeze time, and traverse through space!"
"Naruto, Sasuke, and my big brother Hanyu… so many powerhouses ganged up on them and still couldn't defeat them!"
"Even my father..."
He paused, his voice trailing off.
"In short, the Otsutsuki clan is extremely terrifying!"
"And every time you defeat a batch of them, the next batch will continue to descend upon the shinobi world until it is destroyed!"
The Sage of Six Paths' gaze fell upon this three-year-old child, an unusual look flashing in his eyes.
Gento then took over the conversation:
"Your mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki, was merely the lowest-ranking Otsutsuki."
"She was sent to be a sacrifice. Even so, you know better than anyone how powerful she was back then."
"And within the Otsutsuki clan, there are those who have consumed even more Divine Tree Fruits, existing at a much higher level of life."
"After undergoing several evolutions, their strength will only bring you greater despair."
The Sage of Six Paths fell into silence once more.
He remembered the terror when his mother, Kaguya, descended.
She alone suppressed the resistance of the entire world; even with him and Hamura joining forces, they could only barely seal her.
If Kaguya was only the lowest-ranking, then those higher-level Otsutsuki...
In his heart, he already believed it.
His mother back then, after unifying the shinobi world, still seemed to harbor worries.
She would often stare blankly at the sky during the night.
Moreover, she used the Divine Tree to transform the populace into a White Zetsu army, as if preparing for something.
For many years, he had been highly perplexed by this behavior of his mother's.
Now, indeed, he understood everything through Gento's words.
Suddenly, he hesitated.
Behind him, the descendants of Hamura, who had initially felt secure, clearly noticed the subtle shift in the atmosphere.
They immediately grew anxious, chiming in to persuade the Sage of Six Paths.
"Sage, do not sacrifice Toneri! He is the last bloodline of our clan!"
"We can find other ways to increase our power. It doesn't have to rely on the Divine Tree Fruit!"
"Sage, are you not omnipotent?"
"There must be another way!"
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