Chapter 293: The Sage of Six Paths Makes His Move
The moon was bright, the stars sparse. Inside the wooden house Kakashi had created, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were fast asleep, while Kakashi kept watch.
At that very moment, within their dreams, both Naruto and Sasuke encountered the same person. Or rather, it wasn't truly a dream.
"Hey, old man, who are you?" Naruto looked around curiously. He recognized this place—a mental space, linked through chakra. He had used similar spaces while training with his uncle. So, this wasn't a dream? Naruto was puzzled. He also noticed the Truth-Seeking Orbs floating behind the old man. He had only ever seen those orbs with his uncle and Uchiha Madara. They were a key indicator of the Six Paths level.
"I am the founder of Ninshū, the Sage of Six Paths, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo," the figure opposite Naruto introduced himself.
"The Sage of Six Paths!" Naruto's eyes widened. "But... aren't you dead?"
The Sage smiled gently. "Indeed, I am. However, you possess the chakra of both Indra and Asura, which has drawn out my own residual chakra."
"Indra and Asura's chakra?" Naruto was confused. "Old man, what does that mean?"
"Indra and Asura were my two sons," the Sage explained. "You originally possessed Asura's chakra. You can think of it as Asura being your ancestor."
Naruto was stunned. "Me...? Then doesn't that mean..."
The Sage chuckled. "Although you did not awaken your Rinnegan yourself, awakening it requires the chakra of both Indra and Asura."
Naruto suddenly understood. "Right! Old man, you have the Rinnegan too! I remember Uncle Genichi mentioning it." He scratched his head. "So, old man, why did you suddenly show up?"
"I have come because of my mother, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya," the Sage replied.
Naruto paused, then said, "The one sealed on the moon? She... she's your mother, old man?!" He was shocked; he hadn't known this.
The Sage nodded gravely. "Indeed. This story begins long, long ago…" With a complex expression, the Sage began to recount the tale to Naruto—the great battle from a millennium past, and the founding of Ninshū.
Naruto listened intently, asking questions now and then, piecing together the fragmented information he already possessed.
When the Sage finished his story, Naruto asked again, "Old man, Kaguya is still sealed on the moon, right? There's that giant Tenseigan there, it's super strong. You don't need to worry. Besides, with Uncle Genichi around, there's nothing to worry about!" Naruto had absolute faith in Genichi.
"No," the Sage said grimly. "I have sensed it. The seal on the moon has been broken."
"What?!" Naruto exclaimed. "Who broke it? Did the Ōtsutsuki clan from outer space arrive?"
"No," the Sage replied. "It was Kinoshita Genichi who broke the seal and revived my mother. I can sense her chakra."
Naruto's eyes widened. "That... that's impossible, right?" After a moment's thought, he added, "Besides, even if Uncle Genichi broke the seal, it should be fine. Uncle Genichi is incredibly strong! He must have broken the seal to eliminate the threat for good. I remember him mentioning something like that before."
"Naruto, you know about the God Tree and the Ten-Tails," the Sage said. "If he plants the God Tree on Earth, this entire world will be destroyed."
Naruto shook his head firmly. "Uncle Genichi wouldn't do that."
The Sage didn't argue. Instead, he asked, "Naruto, if Kinoshita Genichi were to plant the God Tree on Earth, would you stop him?"
Naruto hesitated, then said with conviction, "Uncle Genichi definitely wouldn't do that! Without him, Uchiha Madara would have cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi long ago. Without him, we couldn't have defeated that Ōtsutsuki Isshiki guy. Besides, I heard more Ōtsutsuki might come to Earth." He couldn't believe that the person he respected most could be evil.
"It would be best if he did not," the Sage said. "But if he does, and no one stops him, the entire shinobi world will face annihilation. Naruto! You must be prepared. Possessing the Rinnegan, you are destined to bear the duty of protecting this world."
Naruto shook his head again. "I believe Uncle Genichi wouldn't do that."
"I am merely stating a possibility," the Sage said. "No matter who it is, I hope you will stand up."
Naruto nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, old man. I will." Then he smiled. "But it definitely won't be Uncle Genichi."
The Sage didn't press the issue. He also didn't want Genichi to plant the tree; that would force a confrontation, which wouldn't be good.
"Naruto, hold out your hand. I have a gift for you," the Sage said with a smile.
"A gift?" Naruto asked, feeling a bit awkward but extending his hand nonetheless. The Sage reached out, his palm touching Naruto's right palm.
At the exact same moment, in Sasuke's mental space, the Sage performed the identical action.
In the darkness of the wooden house, Naruto and Sasuke opened their eyes almost simultaneously. They both raised their right hands, staring at their palms.
"It's real!" Both felt a jolt.
They sat up, looking at each other in the dim light.
"Sasuke, you..." Naruto began.
From the doorway, Kakashi turned. "What's wrong with you two?"
"Kakashi-sensei, this..." Naruto scratched his head, unsure how to explain.
"The Sage of Six Paths just appeared in my mental space," Sasuke stated calmly.
The Sage of Six Paths? Kakashi paused, then his expression turned serious. "What happened?"
Nearby, Sakura also woke up. Kakashi lit a small flame, illuminating the room.
The four gathered around. Naruto held out his right palm. "While I was sleeping, an old man suddenly appeared—the Sage of Six Paths, like Sasuke said. He said Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, the one sealed on the moon, has been unsealed and revived."
"How is that possible?" Sakura gasped. "Who did it? Madara and Isshiki are dead... Was it that guy who attacked Madara before?"
"The old man said Uncle Genichi broke the seal," Naruto explained. "He also said Uncle Genichi might plant a God Tree in the shinobi world, just like the Ōtsutsuki."
Kakashi's expression darkened. He knew some of Genichi's intentions but didn't interrupt Naruto or offer any explanation for Genichi.
"That's impossible, right?" Sakura argued. "Lord Genichi might have unsealed Kaguya to eliminate the threat, or maybe use her as experimental material. Plant a God Tree? If he wanted to do that, why wait until now?" Unlike Naruto and Sasuke, she had participated in some research with Tsunade and knew more. She balled her fist. "Naruto, you idiot, you didn't actually believe that, did you?"
Inside her mind, Sakura Prime roared, "That moron! Teach him a lesson!"
Naruto quickly shook his head and waved his hands. "No, of course not! Uncle Genichi definitely wouldn't do that. Besides, the old man was just speculating."
"This," Naruto continued, showing the sun mark on his palm, "is a jutsu formula the old man gave me. It's for sealing Kaguya, but there's another half." He looked at Sasuke. "Sasuke, you have the other half, right?"
Sasuke nodded and held out his left palm, revealing a crescent moon mark. Kakashi and Sakura looked closer.
"The old man said," Naruto explained, "we can use this to seal anyone who tries to plant the God Tree."
Sasuke nodded, then added, "The Sage must have given you more than just that, Naruto." He switched to his Rinnegan.
"Sasuke, your left eye..." Sakura gasped.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "Just like the eye on Genichi's forehead... Has his Rinnegan merged with his Sharingan?"
Naruto stared in surprise. "Sasuke, your Rinnegan looks just like Uncle Genichi's! Mine doesn't seem to have changed, though." He activated his own Rinnegan, but it still looked like a normal one.
However, the next moment, a golden chakra cloak enveloped his body. It resembled the Divine Robe, complete with tomoe markings.
"Such powerful chakra!" Sakura exclaimed. But before she could finish, Truth-Seeking Orbs materialized behind Naruto.
"Truth-Seeking Orbs!" Kakashi's pupil constricted. Six Paths Level!
Then Sasuke… Kakashi looked at him. His left eye's power had clearly been greatly enhanced, meaning his strength would increase dramatically as well.
"He gave power to both of them, creating two Six Paths level beings?" Kakashi was inwardly stunned. "The Sage of Six Paths, someone long dead, still possesses such power? Incredible!"
Naruto, seeing Kakashi and Sakura's shocked faces, grinned proudly. "This is chakra the old man gave me. It lets me activate this mode. The boost is huge, way bigger than just Sage Mode."
Sakura stared at Naruto's orbs. "He even gave you Truth-Seeking Orbs? Did... did you just learn how to make them?"
Naruto looked embarrassed. "Well..."
"It's likely passive," Sasuke interjected, "like Madara's. Madara couldn't create more orbs once he used them up, unlike Lord Genichi. Naruto now is probably similar to Madara when he became the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, just with the Sage's power instead."
Naruto nodded, smiling. "Even if I can't make more, these should last a while. Besides, maybe I can learn how to make them later, right? I've already mastered all seven nature transformations, plus Yin-Yang Release!"
Sakura was dumbfounded. "That's... that's insane! Besides, isn't the Sage of Six Paths dead?"
Naruto paused. "Uh... I think I forgot to ask."
"He's likely in a spiritual state," Sasuke said.
"Like the Spirit Transformation Technique?" Sakura mused. She had mastered that technique; otherwise, she couldn't have learned Genichi's Spiritual Projection jutsu and used her second personality to control puppets.
It seems the Sage has found a way to maintain his power even as a spirit, Kakashi thought.
"Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke asked, "do you really think Lord Genichi revived Ōtsutsuki Kaguya?"
Kakashi looked at the three of them. "If the Sage of Six Paths says so, then it's likely true."
"Why not the guy who attacked Madara?" Sakura questioned.
"If it were him, he likely would have needed to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi," Kakashi reasoned. "Genichi, however, might have found another way. We now share a common enemy—the Ōtsutsuki from beyond the stars. Kaguya betrayed her clan, so the enemy of our enemy could be an ally. Besides, that lingering threat had to be dealt with, whether through cooperation or elimination." He then asked, "Why did the Sage say Genichi would plant the God Tree?"
Naruto scratched his head. "Well... it seemed like the old man was just guessing. He said if anyone tries to plant the God Tree, we should use this sealing jutsu."
Sasuke scoffed. "Idiot. Perhaps the Sage thinks Lord Genichi will be like Kaguya, unable to resist the lure of power, planting the tree to become stronger and fight the Ōtsutsuki."
"I don't believe Uncle Genichi would do that!" Naruto insisted.
"It's not necessarily a bad method," Sasuke countered. "If the Ōtsutsuki are all like Isshiki, or even stronger, Lord Genichi might struggle to face them alone. If defeat is likely, why not plant our own tree, gain power, and then destroy the Ōtsutsuki ourselves?"
Naruto stared at him, wide-eyed. "Sasuke, you..." If Jiraiya were here, he'd definitely yell "Rebellious Disciple!"
Sakura was also stunned. Inside her mind, however, Sakura Prime laughed. "That's the spirit! Just like Sasuke!"
Kakashi remained impassive, thinking, "Sasuke is still influenced by the Sharingan's extremes."
"Naruto," Sasuke asked coldly, "if Lord Genichi does plant the tree, you wouldn't actually listen to the Sage of Six Paths, would you?"
Naruto immediately shook his head. "Impossible! Uncle Genichi wouldn't do that!"
Kakashi looked between the two, then spoke decisively. "Since this unexpected situation has arisen, this mission is hereby concluded. Pack up. We're returning to Konoha immediately."
With such major developments, Kakashi had no intention of continuing the original mission. Besides, he was worried about Naruto and Sasuke. The Sage of Six Paths, Kaguya, the God Tree… Kakashi watched his three students pack, his mind reeling.