"How did things go on your end?"
"Yeah, it's over. Almost everyone perished, but this guy might still pull through.
His physical injuries aren't the problem. The real issue is he might've gone through psychological shocks no normal person should face."
After what went down in Yunagi Village, Haseo returned home—carrying just one "injured" survivor.
"Let me check..." Tsunade briefly examined the man. "He can still be saved. Is he also part of the Shoe God Religion?"
"In a way, though I suppose both of us were victims of deception. Anyway, the matter with the Shoe Religion has been resolved. Of course, along with that, so was Yunagi Village itself."
Haseo clearly misclassified himself here—who exactly was he to call himself a deceived person?
"What do you mean by 'resolved'?"
Tsunade felt something off about Haseo. By now, wherever he went seemed to end in total destruction. They'd only agreed to him going there for surveillance, so how come the entire Shoe Religion disappeared afterward? And even dragged a small ninja village into the mess?
Although minor ninja villages weren't worth much, they shouldn't collapse that easily under normal circumstances.
Her thoughts weren't unreasonable. If there was something unbelievable… it was that she realized too late—Haseo was essentially a bringer of calamity.
"That has absolutely nothing to do with me. The Shoe Religion launched an attack on Yunagi Village but apparently overestimated their strength, ultimately bringing ruin upon themselves as well.
Still, it does make some sense. After all, those disciples of the Shoe Religion violated the greatest taboo for shinobi—human transmutation. Obviously, they wouldn't meet a good end."
"…"
Tsunade nodded as if she understood.
"In any case, I'll leave this guy to you. I want to research what I obtained from those shoe worshippers."
As he spoke, Haseo patted the bundle behind him, where a stack of paper emitted rustling sounds.
Now, finally, Haseo made a firm decision, because everything had been supplemented.
...
Three days later, inside the treehouse in Shikkotsu Forest.
"So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"
Suddenly returning together to this secluded place in Shikkotsu Forest left Tsunade somewhat puzzled, yet judging from Haseo's manner, this should be something serious.
"First, we must clarify one thing, Tsunade. It's very straightforward…
Even though I've managed to make my self-inflicted corrosion 'ineffective,' that isn't actually a 'cure.' Rather, it's a form of 'resistance.' What I'm doing is using Sage Chakra and enhanced physical abilities from my sage state to counteract this self-inflicted corrosion.
It's always been there—it never disappeared. Since the day I became a ninja, I've remained in a state that is neither normal nor healthy."
As he spoke, Haseo tugged slightly at his collar, revealing a bit of the Dark Circle—the original seal created for sealing oneself. Although this seal was no longer necessary these days, its marks still remained.
Tsunade opened her mouth, but no words came out... Haseo's condition of corruption was something that left her feeling utterly helpless.
Haseo wasn't like an ordinary person, which caused some problems—or at least had the potential to.
Originally, the issue of corruption hadn't seemed important, but now… it had indeed become a matter that had to be thoroughly resolved.
It also didn't seem like a problem solvable through medical techniques, as various medical approaches had already been tried without success.
"So, Haseo, have you found a way to solve this?"
"I've got both the ideas and methods."
Surprisingly, Haseo actually nodded in response.
"Returning to the essence and origin of the issue—it's because my condition stems from contamination by fragments of the Six Paths ninja tools. Although I've long suspected this had something to do with the Six Paths' chakra, even the Nine-Tails once mistook my chakra for genuine Six Paths chakra...
But regarding the issue of the Six Paths' chakra, there has never been any clear evidence."
Haseo couldn't confirm with certainty that his condition was 100% caused by the Six Paths' chakra.
"But now… it seems we can only accept this explanation."
When dealing with unimaginable forces and unconventional issues, if neither the source nor a solution can be found, blaming the Six Paths has always worked.
[*Sage Art*]—[*Sage Mode*]—[*Sage's Body*]—[*Six Paths Sage's Body*]. If it truly is a matter of Six Paths power, then undoubtedly, the Six Paths Sage's Body would withstand it. So solving my problem really is simple—become the Six Paths Sage.
Whether or not the Six Paths were the actual cause, what was certain was that the Six Paths definitely could resolve it.
This way, Haseo could return to normal and say a permanent goodbye to the corruption… It almost sounded too simple.
"…"
"Haseo, do you think this is actually possible?
I don't think so. Let's set aside the fact that the Sage of Six Paths is a legendary figure. Even if we take everything as truth, the Six Paths Sage is the one who created heaven and earth himself. How could anyone ever hope to gain that power?"
"It was originally impossible.
To obtain the Six Paths' power, several conditions must be met, and the most fundamental one is… at the very least, the ninja must be a bloodline descendant of the Six Paths.
But I'm just an ordinary person, so waiting for my blood to sprout roots is out of the question. Only 'grafting' remains as an option."
Haseo somewhat regretted destroying those eyes directly back then.
But only slightly—if given another chance, he'd still do the same thing. The Rinnegan alone couldn't make a ninja instantly become the Six Paths Sage.
"So… it was originally impossible?"
"Yes. That was until before I left Konoha, I discovered an extremely secret document hidden inside the Uzumaki clan's Secret Vaults… it recorded contents related to the Six Paths."
"The Uzumaki Clan? Related to the Six Paths?" Tsunade's tone carried traces of curiosity now.
Haseo nodded slightly, thinking to himself that the relationship wasn't as simple as "related." The Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki clans could practically be considered the first, second, and third sons of the Sage of Six Paths.
As for the Hyuga, they'd probably be counted as the nephew's branch.
But in terms of outward characteristics, the Hyuga seemed more orthodox—they had inherited their grandmother's eyes, after all.
"Don't rush me. Let me explain piece by piece.
So far, I've already found three key pieces to achieving my goal…
Let me start with the most fundamental one.
Tsunade, you should remember that before leaving Konoha, I learned a certain ninjutsu from someone, right? When we first moved to the Land of Hot Springs, I even intensively practiced it for a while and eventually mastered the technique."
"Oh, right! You're talking about that Spirit Transformation Technique... Wasn't that just so you could suddenly 'leave your body' and scare me out of my wits? Did you have another purpose for it?"
"You're making me sound so childish. Do I look like that bored? Didn't you get startled at all back then?"
In other words, Haseo really did do exactly that—and still deeply regretted not getting to see her expression of delicate fright… So was he pulling pranks again, or just plain bored?
"The Spirit Transformation Technique is a method where chakra is externally released and solidified using spiritual energy to maintain human form. Think of the physical body as the server—the Spirit Transformation is like cloud-based remote access. So to some extent, it could indeed be called 'soul projection.'
It's advanced technology, but… due to the high risks involved, its practical combat value is limited. Personally, I wouldn't use such a jutsu in battle. Isn't controlling the body easier than leaving it behind?"
Chakra infused with spiritual energy equates to fragments of the soul—so calling it 'soul projection' isn't completely inaccurate. In a sense, the Spirit Transformation Technique materializes a ninja's spiritual essence.
Haseo has already mastered this technique. Tsunade just hadn't yet figured out why he started explaining things from this angle.
Spirit Transformation Technique? Soul projection?
Undoubtedly, even if the Sage of Six Paths actually existed, he'd have been long gone by now. So was Haseo planning to separate his spirit to catch the Sage's soul?
That'd be chasing after ancient spirits, basically.
Still… one had to admit that Haseo was truly incomparable. As expected of Haseo—his thinking path was always unpredictable.
The reason for growing stronger wasn't for fate, nor for battle or saving the world… It turned out to be for having kids?
No hidden threats, so decided to have children.
That kind of unique thinking—well, you could definitely call him "Unrivaled Under Heaven."
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