"So... does that mean..."
Someone's voice trembled with equal parts excitement and fear.
"...we're about to witness the final battle between Kaguya Ōtsutsuki... and the Sage of Six Paths, who has just awakened the Rinnegan?!"
That single sentence was like the last drop of water poured into boiling oil.
The entire Shinobi World erupted once more.
Voices rose in every direction.
Awe.
Fear.
Anticipation.
And trembling anticipation for the unknown battle to come.
Standing beneath the Heavenly Curtain, everyone had become witnesses to this forgotten chapter of history.
They had watched Hamura fall.
They had watched Hagoromo collapse beneath the agony of killing his own brother before transforming through that unbearable sorrow.
They had witnessed the birth of the legendary Rinnegan.
It had not awakened through peaceful enlightenment...
But through the unbearable agony of fratricide.
Through the despair of turning against his own mother.
Born amid blood...
Tears...
And boundless rage.
They had also witnessed how the man later revered as the founder of Ninshū, the Sage of Six Paths, had truly come into existence.
Not through glory.
But through the destruction of his family...
The clash of ideals...
And the merciless forging fire of overwhelming emotion.
The newborn violet Rinnegan gazed toward Kaguya.
Its divine radiance seemed to pierce through the Heavenly Curtain itself, transcending both time and space as it silently confronted Kaguya's vast and frigid chakra.
Even the sky reflected within the Heavenly Curtain seemed to tremble beneath the invisible clash between them.
The birth of the Sage of Six Paths was no longer an obscure passage buried within an ancient text.
Nor was it an embellished legend passed down through generations.
It was a living tragedy.
A blood-soaked choice.
A miracle born upon the edge of absolute despair.
Everyone understood one thing.
From the moment those Rinnegan eyes opened and met Kaguya's icy gaze—
The death knell had sounded for the era of divine rule over the Shinobi World.
A new age—
Forged by one who had slain his own kin...
Who had defied a god...
Who had awakened through conviction—
An age of blood and fire...
Tears and hope...
Chaos and rebirth—
Was about to begin.
the sky ...
Were about to change.
And everyone in the Shinobi World would bear witness to the decisive battle that would determine the fate of the world—
The final confrontation...
Between a goddess...
And the one who would overthrow her.
Within the Heavenly Curtain, Hagoromo tightly embraced his younger brother's body.
Though Hamura's body still retained its warmth...
Life had already left him.
Hagoromo's shoulders shook uncontrollably as grief threatened to consume him.
The world itself seemed to have lost all color.
Then—
At the very edge of despair—
A flash of inspiration crossed his mind.
The talisman!
The one Gamamaru had given him before they parted!
Acting almost entirely on instinct, Hagoromo's trembling hand reached into his robes.
He withdrew the talisman.
Its surface felt warm to the touch, and mysterious seals were inscribed across it.
Without the slightest hesitation, he pressed it firmly against the fatal wound in Hamura's chest.
A miracle unfolded.
The instant the talisman came into contact with Hamura's blood and fading life force, it released a gentle emerald light filled with overwhelming vitality.
The light seemed almost alive.
It divided into countless jade-colored streams that flowed directly into Hamura's body through the wound.
Then—
Everyone witnessed an unbelievable sight.
The fatal wound—so deep that bone had been visible and all signs of life had nearly vanished—
Began healing before their very eyes.
The torn flesh knitted itself together.
Severed blood vessels reconnected.
The pallor gradually disappeared from Hamura's face, replaced by healthy color.
Within only a few breaths...
The wound vanished completely.
Not even a scar remained.
It was as though the fatal injury had never existed.
"Cough..."
Hamura's eyelashes fluttered.
Moments later, his pale Byakugan slowly opened.
At first, his gaze was unfocused.
Then clarity gradually returned.
The first thing he saw was his brother's tear-streaked face overflowing with disbelief and joy.
"H-Hamura?!"
"You're alive?!"
"You're really alive?!"
Hagoromo could hardly believe his own eyes.
He tightly grasped Hamura's hand.
Feeling the steady pulse and warm body temperature once more, the dam of despair inside him collapsed beneath an overwhelming wave of relief.
Fresh tears streamed down his face.
This time...
They were tears of joy.
Hamura blinked blankly.
Instinctively, he touched his completely healed chest before looking at his emotional brother.
His voice was weak from having only just awakened.
"Brother...?"
"I..."
"Why am I..."
"...alive?"
"I remember..."
"It was the talisman!"
"The talisman Gamamaru gave me!"
Hagoromo quickly explained, his face filled with gratitude and relief.
"I never imagined it truly possessed the power to bring someone back from the brink of death."
"Thank goodness..."
"Thank goodness..."
Yet the joy on his face quickly gave way to crushing guilt.
Releasing Hamura's hand, he stepped back half a pace.
Then he bowed deeply.
Utterly sincerely.
"Hamura..."
"I'm sorry."
"I truly am."
"I never wanted to hurt you..."
"Much less kill you."
"But Mother had already taken control of you."
"I..."
"I had no other choice."
"It was the only way I could free you..."
"The only way to stop Mother from continuing down this path."
"Please..."
"...forgive me."
His voice trembled under the unbearable weight of guilt.
No amount of justification could erase the pain of having struck down his own brother.
Hamura listened quietly.
He did not answer immediately.
Supporting himself with one hand, he slowly sat upright.
His gaze fell upon his perfectly healed chest.
Then it shifted to Hagoromo's eyes.
To the sorrow and remorse reflected there...
And finally...
To the unfamiliar purple Rinnegan radiating solemn authority.
After a long silence, Hamura slowly shook his head.
This time...
There was no confusion.
No hesitation.
No blind trust in their mother.
Only the clarity born from standing at death's doorstep...
And finally seeing the truth.
"Brother..."
"I don't blame you."
His voice was gentle.
Yet every word rang with certainty.
"I was the one caught in Mother's technique."
"I lost myself."
"I was the one who attacked you."
"None of that was your fault."
"The one who truly bears responsibility..."
"...is Mother."
Taking hold of Hagoromo's arm, Hamura slowly rose to his feet.
The two brothers stood side by side once more.
His gaze passed over Hagoromo's shoulder toward the lone white figure calmly watching everything from afar.
Disappointment filled his eyes.
Instead of hatred...
Or anger...
He simply looked disappointed.
"Brother..."
"Thank you."
"Thank you for not giving up on me."
"And..."
"Thank you..."
"...for saving me."
His voice was filled with complete trust—
And the determination to fight alongside his brother from this moment forward.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70+ chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789