Title:
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Normal POV
The Liminal Realm. A space in-between the physical world and the spiritual world is often referred to as an "interstitial realm" or "intermediary realm." It's a transitional space that exists between the tangible, material realm and the intangible, spiritual realm.
Shun found himself standing in one such place yet found that in its source, it had existed for a long time, it has been in existence or has been present for a considerable duration relative to its context.
It was quite antiquated. The exact duration of the realm might actually be relative to what Shun perceived it to be. The exact origin of such mystical things such as this vary depending on the specific thing being discussed and the perspective of the observer. Generally, it implies that the thing has endured through a significant period, possibly undergoing changes or developments over time.
And currently, all Shun could feel was the Presence of Hagoromo. Whether he was the Origin, or he stumbled upon this Realm and made it his was something only Hagoromo would know, and currently, Shun could feel a certain divide in the realm.
It was akin to a clone...or more like a Fission but on a dimensional scale.
"Must be having the discussion with the kids." Shun muttered to himself in understanding before he too split in two and slowly crept towards the center of the dimension.
Upon approaching he found the kids still in their curious states, and from their small talks, he concluded that they probably hadn't begun talks on incarnations yet.
"Yo." He greeted as he made his presence known.
"Hmm? Ah. Shun...you're here." Hagoromo said. Shun didn't know if he was asking or making a statement as his tone was monotonous as usual.
"Shun-nii?" Sasuke/Naruto replied at the same time.
Naruto's Plane.
"You're dead too?" Naruto asked again, seeing Shun's smile. "But you didn't participate in the war...they told me you had a special mission. How come you're dead?"
Shun chuckled and walked up to Naruto before hitting him on the head. "How dare you wish me dead, brat? And who told you you're dead?"
"Ouch! Shun-nii! That hurt. Wait! That hurts. How is that possible?" Naruto being the momentary airhead that he was, processed everything too fast for his own brain.
"Of course it is. You're not dead so you'll still feel pain." Shun said and turned to Hagoromo. "It's nice seeing you old man."
"Likewise. It's been some time since I had my sight on you."
"Hehe, I particularly dislike the feeling of being spied upon. It's irritating...no offense."
"Non taken. But knowing you, you already knew of my existence...and seeing you here now, I can confirm that you really did know of my existence."
"Of course I did. I just didn't have the time to visit." Shun said without missing a beat. Internally though, he was rolling his eyes at the old man.
'You expect me to just pop in here to accompany you in peeping on people? Please, I have better things to be doing than that old man.'
"Oh? Then what made you clear up your schedule?" Hagoromo asked. Like hell he would believe this young enigma that was his son was too busy to visit if he wanted to.
"Nothing much, just felt a certain surge in Indra and Ashura's Will and tracked it over. Turns out you were having a small family reunion. Imagine my hurt when I discovered I wasn't invited." Shun said, feigning sadness.
"You're here aren't you? You've always been one to be in places...even places you're not meant to be."
"Hehe, it's the thrill old man. To know and understand what they don't want me to know."
"Oh? Is that why you made sure to lock a portion of your brothers' Will into that seal of yours? To know and understand?"
"In a way." Shun answered succinctly, not bothering to hide this fact from Hagoromo. Although Shun could hide a lot of things from the old man, this one involved his own chakra.
Whether Hagoromo liked it or not, Indra and Ashura's Chakra were actually a part of them. If left unchecked, they'd just go on to produce a Six Paths Indra and Ashura in every generation.
Imagine the horror of having people like Madara and Hashirama...now upgrade that imagination to having people like Six Paths Naruto and Sasuke every generation.
Humans wouldn't possibly develop that way, that was the reason behind Hagoromo holding onto it every time they reincarnated. So while they belonged to Indra and Ashura, they were inherited from him, and while he can't use it, he can surely hold onto it
"Hmm, that's so like you." Hagoromo said mysteriously, leaving Shun confused on which part.
"Anyways, as I was saying to my young friend. My name is Hagoromo Otsutsuki..."
Sasuke's Plane
"Shun-nii? You're here too?" Sasuke asked seeing Shun appear behind him. "What are you doing here? Are you also dead?"
"Heh. Nothing in this world can afford to hold onto my soul Sasuke, have you forgotten? Im-"
"The strongest. I know, but that doesn't explain anything." Sasuke rolled his eyes at Shun's narcissistic behavior.
"Hmm, I felt you die for an instant and got worried. Turns out your soul was pulled to this place." Shun replied and turned to Hagoromo.
"It's been a while, old man."
"It sure has." Hagoromo replied with a languid tone. But don't let that show of weakness fool you. Shun knew full well that other than him, no one, not even his children could handle the man as he was now.
"Wait, Shun-nii, you know this man?" Sasuke asked and Shun nodded.
"For quite some time now."
"That's disturbing. He just claimed to know a lot about me and has been watching me. Not I don't mean to judge, but that is an obvious sign of a stalker."
Shun had to do a facepalm at the kid for saying something like this with such a serious face, but he didn't really refute him, or rather, he couldn't.
"That's an odd way to describe it." Hagoromo said and tapped his staff on the water causing a scene to appear atop the water surface, and with that, he tapped again and again.
"As you can see, I watch a lot of things." Hagoromo said with a benevolent smile. Shun on the other hand couldn't help but be amazed at the spectacle.
Although he could observe the world from his World Palace that was Eien, he could only do that due to Eien having enough Chakra to constantly envelop the Earth.
Hagoromo on the other hand could do so due to his passive connection to chakra. A perk of being the Jinchuriki of the Ten Tails probably. Being the second progenitor of chakra was surely a lucrative thing on this planet.
"That...Who are you again?" Sasuke asked and Hagoromo immediately postured.
"My name is Hagoromo Otsutsuki and-"
And so Hagoromo began an introduction to the world's history. A time before Indra and Ashura were even a thought. A time when Humans were nothing but savages still warring against each other for stupid little things...In this World's perspective.
From his speech though, Shun observed that he wasn't saying this from a First Point of View experience, but from a third point of view. Obviously he wasn't there to witness all this first hand but was spoon-fed all this by a certain toad.
By the time Hagoromo was about to begin passing on his 'understanding' of his mother, Shun was about to say something before something hit him.
Wouldn't it be better for the kids to have a short spar with a hundred percent OG Kaguya before they're thrown into the wild? Sparring against Kaguya could give them a hint of what they're gonna face when they clash against the Otsustsukis currently loitering their solar system in search of this planet.
'Thankfully Hamura's seal is still working alright. It's also good those kids up there didn't go through with their civil war. Who knows how weakened Hamura's Tenseigan would get then.' Shun thought before shaking his head.
'Too bad though. Casting the Mugen Tsukuyomi would still shatter the seal anyways. So Kaguya would have to actually and seriously spar with these two.' Shun thought and turned to look at Naruto/Sasuke.
'They'll be good. I tried my best...and that's saying a lot. Now that I think about it...I shouldn't have even come here... could've waited for Hagoromo to think he'd won and sealed away Kaguya for good then BOOM! I'm there to shatter his plans.' Shun couldn't help but chuckle internally as he thought that. 'Too bad indeed.'
By the time Shun was done with his internal monologue, Hagoromo was already asking them what they'll do with the power of the Six Paths after they've sealed Kaguya away.
Naruto's reply was already expected. "I'm gonna become the Hokage and then protect everyone. A true Hokage who actually protects everyone."
"A Hokage who actually protects...you make it sound as if others didn't. And by saying Hokage does that mean Shinobi from other villages aren't included in your protection?" Hagoromo asked.
"Huh? Uh... no that's not what I mean...it's like... y'know. Actually protecting. Being there when I'm needed. That kinda thing." Naruto replied scratching his head a bit.
Sasuke's reply was actually also expected. "I'm going to change the Shinobi world, and then, I'll start a revolution."
"A revolution huh..? Shun here also wanted to change the Shinobi World. Unfortunately, things don't always happen when you work alone." Hagoromo said, hinting at Sasuke's rogue status and lack of actual background.
"I have friends. They'll help me." Sasuke understood the undertone of his words and looked at Shun, and Shun hearing this, knew he didn't mean it the bad way.
The Sasuke from the original timeline said something similar, but ended up with one solution: Kill the present Kages and then Rule the world as it should be.
This one however, actually wants a change. The good change. 'Not like it matters. The change is already coming. Sasuke should get in line.'
"Hmm. Well, Shun, do you have anything to say tho him?" The two Hagoromos asked at the same time and the two Shun immediately synced with each other.
"Uh...You see, Power is always dangerous. It attracts the worst and corrupts the best. Power is only given to those who are willing to lower themselves to pick it up. You on the other hand... literally had it handed to you." Shun said as he scratched his cheeks.
(A/N: He's speaking to them as though they're separate, so don't think it's a typo.)
"You see, after this war, you two will be seen as heroes. However, a hero is destined to experience growth three times in life. The first time is when you realize that the future of this world is not as you wish. The second time is when you realize that no matter how hard you work, there will still be nothing you can do. The third time is when even if you know that there are some things that you can't do, you will still fight for them with all your might. Best of luck, little hero."
After saying that, Shun disappeared leaving a single line. "I'll be waiting for you..."
***
The next chapters might be wayyyy longer than the normal, so it may or may not take a while to write them. Stay tuned and don't miss it.