On the edge of life and death, in the space between the living world and the Pure Land.
Uchiha Sasuke looked around, surprised and uncertain of where he was. He found himself lying in what seemed to be a pool of water and instinctively stood up.
"How strange... to see two newcomers at a time like this..."
An old voice came from behind him. Sasuke's body stiffened, and he spun around, instantly on guard.
In front of him stood an old man.
His face was covered in deep wrinkles, with two strange horns growing from his forehead and a red whirlpool mark on his brow. A long beard was combed neatly down his chest. He wore a long robe embroidered with pitch-black tomoe and held an Amenonuhoko staff.
The attire felt vaguely familiar to Sasuke.
It was a bit... like Uchiha Obito's appearance as the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki.
Of course, what allowed Sasuke to be most certain of the man's identity were the Truth-Seeking Orbs floating behind his hovering body.
"The Sage of Six Paths..." Sasuke's expression turned solemn.
"There were indeed people who called me that back then," the old man said, nodding slightly and confirming his identity.
"..."
Hearing this, Sasuke froze. He hadn't expected that the suggestion Tobirama Senju had made was real. He couldn't believe he was actually meeting the Sage of Six Paths.
Their plan... had actually succeeded.
However, Sasuke quickly focused on the most important detail. "You said you met two newcomers today," he asked urgently. "Who is the other person?"
"Uzumaki... Naruto."
"!!!"
Sasuke's heart jumped. He got straight to the point. "Then, Sage of Six Paths, can you help bring Naruto back to life?"
"Hehehehe..." The Sage let out a soft laugh, a hint of surprise in his eyes. "I didn't expect the reincarnations of Asura's and Indra's chakra to have such a good relationship in this generation. You care a lot about that boy..."
"Hmph." Sasuke snorted, refusing to admit it. He quickly changed the subject. "Never mind that. What did you mean just now by the reincarnation of Asura's and Indra's chakra?"
"That is a rather long story," the Sage sighed softly. He raised his staff and tapped it on the pool of water at their feet. Scene after scene of past memories began to float up in the water.
"I hope... you won't find an old man like me too long-winded."
With a calm expression, the Sage began to tell the story of the past. "In an era a thousand years ago, humans did not possess chakra, until a God Tree descended upon this world. With it came a woman who served the God Tree..."
"Kaguya Ōtsutsuki."
"She is also my mother."
When the Sage said her name, his voice lowered. He slowly told the story of Kaguya, the Rabbit Goddess of a long-gone era. She swallowed the fruit of the God Tree, used the Infinite Tsukuyomi to end the wars of mankind, gave birth to two sons, and then turned on those sons in an attempt to transform all humans into White Zetsu.
"My brother Hamura and I sealed our mother away," he continued. "However, I failed to notice that before she was sealed, my mother hid away a piece of her will—a darkness."
"This darkness eventually influenced my two children, Indra and Asura. It has been secretly instigating war between them and their reincarnations for a thousand years."
Hearing this, Sasuke slowly began to understand. His brows furrowed as the truth of his own identity dawned on him.
His chakra... came from the Sage of Six Paths' son, Indra. Even Madara Uchiha's chakra was a reincarnation of Indra's. As for Naruto... his chakra came from the Sage's second son, Asura, just like the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
They... were all just vessels for the reincarnated chakra of two powerful figures from a thousand years ago.
"I hope you can stop what is happening in the living world," the Sage said after explaining their origins. He tapped the water again, and the image changed to show Madara Uchiha absorbing the Ten-Tails and becoming its Jinchuriki. "If the situation continues like this, once Madara casts the Infinite Tsukuyomi, my mother will surely descend again. When that happens, all humans in the ninja world might be turned into creatures like White Zetsu."
Sasuke fell silent.
"Are you not willing to agree?" the Sage asked, a hint of regret in his face. In his judgment, Sasuke was the most mild-tempered of all of Indra's reincarnates; he seemed unlikely to refuse.
"No," Sasuke said, shaking his head. He then raised his own question. "What should we do to solve the crisis in the living world?"
"I will pass the powers of Yin and Yang to you and Asura's reincarnation. If you cooperate, you will be able to seal Madara Uchiha, or my mother." The Sage raised his hands. A crescent moon-shaped mark appeared on one palm—the mark of Yin Power.
Yin Power. With this power, Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan could rapidly evolve to its final stage, granting him immense visual prowess and even upgrading his eyes to the Rinnegan.
In this world, only this power could allow them to contend with Madara, who had now become the Jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails.
"I understand." After nodding, Sasuke raised another problem, one that seemed to trouble even the Sage of Six Paths. "Then, what about Emiya Shirou? Who on earth is that man? How can we deal with him?"
The Sage of Six Paths fell silent, seemingly at a loss for words. The old man sighed faintly. "That man... Emiya Shirou... is an existence that truly leaves me helpless."
He waved his hand, dispelling the image of the living world. "Whether in the ancient era or in this lifeless world between worlds..."
"But you're the Sage of Six Paths..." Sasuke's brow furrowed even tighter.
"Sigh..." The Sage sighed again.
His staff once more touched the water's surface, and his eyes grew dim, as if he too felt powerless when it came to Emiya Shirou. "If you and Emiya Shirou must stand on opposite sides, you should at least understand his past first."
"In the ancient era, Emiya Shirou and I were once opposing forces. However, at that time, our goals were, in a sense, the same. We both hoped that chakra would be a power that could bring happiness to the world."
"But... Emiya Shirou saw farther than I did. His predictions were even more accurate than the Great Toad Sage's prophecies. He foresaw that chakra would, sooner or later, bring a crueler war to the ninja world."
"For this reason... Emiya Shirou was used by the darkness my mother left behind. He obtained the power I possessed and destroyed the Ninshu I had created."
Sasuke's eye twitched.
"But," the Sage continued, "under Asura's persuasion, Emiya Shirou ultimately chose to believe that the existence of chakra would bring the world more happiness than suffering."
Sasuke suddenly felt that he understood Emiya Shirou's actions. It must have been difficult to be on what you believe is the correct path, only for someone else to persuade you to turn onto a different road.
"Then we are truly lucky," Sasuke murmured, "that Emiya Shirou didn't choose to destroy the world."
The Sage of Six Paths couldn't help but sigh, clearly hoping Sasuke would not side with Shirou. "But, most of the wars in this world were instigated by that darkness my mother hid away. It has been using Emiya Shirou since the ancient era, using the reincarnations of Asura and Indra for a thousand years of continuous battle. This created a thousand years of war and left indelible suffering upon this world..."
"And... countless souls tormented by pain."
As the Sage said this, he looked down at the water's surface. At that moment, the entire pool gradually filled with stars, becoming an endless, brilliant sea, as dazzling as the Milky Way. It was so beautiful one could get lost just by looking at it.