Sage of Six Paths.
Why did Akihara Kagura mention the ancient ones at this time?
Uchiha Sasuke's consciousness was already in a fading stage. His brain was gradually losing the ability to think, but he still felt a surge of anger in his heart for being killed from behind by Uchiha Itachi!
Wasn't it said...
that Uchiha Itachi had already broken free from the control of Edo Tensei with the help of Uchiha Shisui's Kotoamatsukami Mangekyo Sharingan?
Wasn't it said...
that Uchiha Itachi massacred the clan to save his younger brother?
What exactly is going on?
Amidst confusion and bewilderment, Uchiha Sasuke felt his consciousness continuously falling until it completely sank into the abyss, accompanied by an eerie dripping sound in his ears.
Is he... dying?
Drip... drip...
The clear sound of dripping water was somewhat pleasant.
In a space resembling a water prison.
When Uchiha Sasuke's consciousness appeared here, he found himself lying in a pool of water. He stretched out his hand, trying to feel the temperature of the water.
"Is this... the world after death?"
"It seems the ethical views on death in your era are different from those in mine. We do not believe that this is what death is..."
An old voice interrupted Uchiha Sasuke's words, speaking seriously, "Do not casually declare yourself dead... newcomer..."
"Hmm?"
Uchiha Sasuke heard other people in this space. Instinctively, he turned and leapt up, staring intently at an old man who appeared in front of him!
The old man sat cross-legged in mid-air, surrounded by a circle of pitch-black orbs that seemed to support his body, dressed in a long robe.
"Who are you!"
Uchiha Sasuke's eyes were filled with vigilance!
Why is this old man here? And wasn't he already dead?
The pain of being stabbed through the body by Uchiha Itachi from behind was still fresh in his memory. At that moment, Uchiha Sasuke could clearly feel his life slipping away!
"You are..."
Uchiha Sasuke thought of a possibility, recalling Akihara Kagura's murmurs before his death, and suddenly, a trace of fear appeared in his eyes.
"The Sage of Six Paths... Hagoromo Otsutsuki?"
To be honest, this was all thanks to Akihara Kagura's dissemination of history.
It was because Akihara Kagura used the histories of the three great ninja clans that the world gradually learned the real name of the Sage of Six Paths and the stories of this sage's past.
Of course, these stories contained some conflicts.
Some believed that the Sage of Six Paths was a demon who once destroyed the world. Others believed he was a god who created the world. Some thought he was a schemer who would stop at nothing to rule the world, while others saw him as the creator of the era of peace in ninjutsu a thousand years ago.
Regardless of how the world viewed the Sage of Six Paths, this god from a thousand years ago finally became known again in the ninja world, letting people know the legends from a thousand years ago.
"You even know my real name..."
The old man's body slowly turned around, revealing his true form and slowly opening his eyes, which were known to all as the eyes of the sage.
The Rinnegan.
This old man was indeed the Sage of Six Paths.
The Sage of Six Paths did not look quite human, resembling an alien being, with a pair of small sharp horns growing from his head, a crimson mark on his forehead, Rinnegan eyes, a long beard extending from his chin, and a long robe adorned with six black magatama pendants, giving him a dignified appearance.
This form...
is certainly not that of a mortal.
"It really is the Sage of Six Paths!"
Uchiha Sasuke was shocked. At that moment, he understood why his brother Uchiha Itachi had stabbed him from behind!
It was because...
Akihara Kagura had predicted he would meet the Sage of Six Paths!
This was all part of Akihara Kagura's conspiracy. He knew that after death, Sasuke would meet the Sage of Six Paths, which was why he had arranged for Sasuke to relay a message to the sage before dying!
"Everything happened just as that guy expected..."
Uchiha Sasuke's hand trembled as he clenched it into a fist. He looked at the old man before him and had to believe the truth: "After my death, I really did meet the Sage of Six Paths..."
"Newcomer, you are not dead yet..."
The Sage of Six Paths looked at Uchiha Sasuke, slightly frowning as if a bit puzzled, "How did you know you would definitely meet me?"
"I didn't know."
Uchiha Sasuke took a deep breath and said solemnly, "But... Akihara Kagura knew, which is why he plotted to assassinate me, so I would meet you at this moment... Why do I see you here after dying? Are you here to guide me to the underworld?"
"No."
"This is a very long story."
The Sage of Six Paths slowly shook his head and began to speak of the past: "Because within you, there is Indra's chakra. Perhaps you do not know this name..."
"No, I know!"
Uchiha Sasuke interrupted the Sage of Six Paths, showing a hint of shock on his face, but soon calmed down as he recalled various pieces of information circulating in the ninja world recently.
Actually...
Uchiha Sasuke had long anticipated this matter.
According to the records of the Hyuga clan, only those who possess the mysterious and powerful chakra passed down through generations within the Uchiha clan can awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan...
Uchiha Madara was one of them...
The brother of Akihara Kagura's ancestor was one of them...
And Sasuke himself was also one of them who could awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Is this...
Is this also why Akihara Kagura believed he could meet the Sage of Six Paths?
Uchiha Sasuke narrowed his eyes and asked in a deep voice, "Indra, he was your eldest son and the ancestor of the Uchiha clan, correct?"
"That's right."
The Sage of Six Paths nodded slightly and continued, "It seems the ninja world still retains records of history from a thousand years ago. You still remember Indra's name..."
"Asura was your second son..."
Uchiha Sasuke continued with the information he knew, "Asura's chakra should have been passed down through the Senju clan, right?"
"You know about this too..."
The Sage of Six Paths slowly nodded and said softly, "That's correct, but Asura's chakra not only resides within the Senju clan; in this generation, his chakra also appeared in another descendant, a member of the Uzumaki clan..."
"Uzumaki... Naruto!"
Uchiha Sasuke mentioned the name the Sage of Six Paths intended to say, and his expression suddenly turned dangerous, "Why isn't Uzumaki Naruto here?"
"He is in another conscious space."
The Sage of Six Paths raised his hand and offered, "If you want to see him, I can merge the two spaces together..."
Another conscious space.
Compared to the serious conversation between Uchiha Sasuke and the Sage of Six Paths...
The interaction between Uzumaki Naruto and the Sage of Six Paths was much more lively and cheerful.
Uzumaki Naruto tilted his head and looked at the Sage of Six Paths in front of him, "Hey, Sage of Six Paths, is Kaguya Otsutsuki your daughter or your mother?"
"Hmm?"
The Sage of Six Paths was momentarily confused.
Wait...
Why would Kaguya be his daughter?
How did the history of the ninja world become so distorted?
"Kaguya... is my mother."
The Sage of Six Paths clarified his relationship with Kaguya.
Uzumaki Naruto extended his hand and gestured, "Then, that Black Zetsu, that pitch-black thing, is it your dark will? The one that wanted to revive the Ten Tails? It claimed to be Kaguya's will..."
"It?"
The Sage of Six Paths frowned immediately and said in a deep voice, "Black Zetsu... should be my mother's will left behind... Why would anyone think it's my will?"
"There was a record mentioning it..."
Uzumaki Naruto recalled reading something on the tree bark in Konoha after Uchiha Madara and Akihara Kagura's first battle, "It said that Black Zetsu is your dark will, that darkness grew in your heart, wanting to rule the world or something..."
As Uzumaki Naruto said this, he even sized up the Sage of Six Paths, "You don't look like that kind of person at all!"
"Because I am not..."
The Sage of Six Paths' forehead twitched as he refuted in a deep voice, "It seems the historical records of your era are somewhat exaggerated..."
"And there's another..."
Uzumaki Naruto immediately brought up another record from the Hyuga clan, which he heard entirely during Hyuga Hinata's historical narration, "You have another brother, who is the ancestor of the Hyuga clan..."
"Hamura?"
The Sage of Six Paths remembered his brother and smiled faintly, nodding, "Indeed, I have a brother who inherited our mother's Byakugan…"
Uzumaki Naruto's face showed a thoughtful expression, seemingly somewhat uncertain: "He doesn't look like a terrible murderer who would kill everyone in the ninja world..."
"Hmm?"
The Sage of Six Paths' forehead twitched again.
What's with the history records of the ninja world?
Why are they either incorrectly recording his family's relationships or his actions? He clearly wanted to lead this world toward a better future!
Why does this reincarnation of Asura's chakra always bring up these unreliable histories? The reincarnation of Indra's chakra on the other side isn't any more reliable either...
Because...
Uchiha Sasuke is also mentioning these histories.
"The historical records of the Hyuga clan state..."
Uchiha Sasuke began speaking about the Hyuga clan's historical records: "You and your brother, Hamura Otsutsuki, in order to overthrow Kaguya's rule and seize control of this world, colluded with the sages of Mount Myoboku to seal Kaguya together..."
"Then, to rule the world alone, you defeated your brother Hamura Otsutsuki and killed all those who knew about the conflict between you and your mother, and the fratricidal battle..."
"I... never did such things."
A black line appeared on the Sage of Six Paths' forehead, though he maintained his composure, feeling that the history of the ninja world was already messed up...
"However..."
As he listened to Uchiha Sasuke recount these histories, the Sage of Six Paths' expression grew increasingly serious: "The outcome is the same, only the process and intentions are different..."
"Indeed, many people died in that war, but that was because the battle between my mother and me was so astonishing that it brought destruction to the entire world..."
"The reason I teamed up with Hamura to seal my mother was because she used the God Tree to absorb the natural energy of the ninja world, and because she made humans sacrifice their lives to the God Tree..."
"..."
Uchiha Sasuke remained skeptical of the Sage of Six Paths.
For good reason.
He had been deceived too many times.
Uchiha Sasuke didn't trust the Sage of Six Paths' words.
Who knows if the Sage of Six Paths might also be a schemer like Kaguya? In these ancient historical records, the Sage of Six Paths was never depicted as a good person!
"Your gaze is very disrespectful... young man..."
The Sage of Six Paths, slightly displeased, looked at Uchiha Sasuke and said, "The historical records of your era are too absurd..."
"It seems..."
"I need to tell you the true history..."
The Sage of Six Paths sighed, feeling compelled to recount the history of the ninja world from a thousand years ago to Uchiha Sasuke: "About a thousand years ago, a tall God Tree appeared on this planet and became..."
"I've heard enough of these stories..."
Uchiha Sasuke, uninterested in these stories, interrupted and summarized: "The outcome is always that Kaguya was sealed away, and you became the actual ruler of this world..."
"..."
The Sage of Six Paths was at a loss for words.
This ancient deity fell silent, then suddenly laughed heartily: "It seems Indra's chakra is still the same!"
By comparison...
Asura's chakra reincarnation was more obedient.
Because Uzumaki Naruto listened quietly as the Sage of Six Paths recounted the past: Kaguya's arrival, her actions, the Sage and his brother sealing Kaguya, and the thousand-year struggle between his two sons...
Uzumaki Naruto nodded obediently, showing a look of sudden realization whenever he was confused, as the Sage of Six Paths' narrative, being the true history, was more convincing than the records of the Senju clan's bark and the Hyuga clan's wooden tags...
After all...
Chakra cannot lie.
The remaining chakra of the Sage of Six Paths did not seem like that of a bad person.
"In any case, this is the story from a thousand years ago."
The Sage of Six Paths concluded his story: "The historical records of your era are too outrageous. Although the outcomes are the same, recording the stories from a thousand years ago in such a bizarre manner makes the people involved feel uncomfortable when they hear them..."
"This time, the revival of the Ten-Tails gives me a bad feeling..."
"My mother has never truly died; she might reappear. She won't miss the chance to seize the Ten-Tails' revival, and the ninja world will once again face a crisis because of her revival..."
"..."
Uzumaki Naruto nodded solemnly.
In another consciousness space, Uchiha Sasuke also listened to the Sage of Six Paths' forced recounting of the story, and he seemed to confirm one thing.
"It's not a possibility; Kaguya will definitely be resurrected."
Uchiha Sasuke recalled what Akihara Kagura had mentioned and said in a deep voice, "Because Kaguya's resurrection should have been within Akihara Kagura's expectations..."
"Oh?"
The Sage of Six Paths looked at Uchiha Sasuke in surprise.
"Because..."
"He asked me to ask you a question..."
Uchiha Sasuke looked at the Sage of Six Paths and said in a deep voice, "Sage of Six Paths, have you always been this arrogant?"
"What do you mean by this?"
The Sage of Six Paths was a bit puzzled. After pondering for a moment, he seemed to understand something: "That little fellow thinks I'm arrogant because I've been watching indifferently?"
"How unfortunate."
"I simply have no choice."
The Sage of Six Paths looked at his own body and spoke softly, "Now, I only have a remnant of chakra left, residing in the gap between the Pure Land and the living world. Even if I wanted to solve the crisis brought by my mother's resurrection, the best way is to entrust my power to you. This is very dangerous for you because my mother's power is extremely strong, far surpassing any human in this world..."
"Is that so?"
Uchiha Sasuke glanced at the Sage of Six Paths and continued to ask in a deep voice, "Perhaps Akihara Kagura can help. Akihara Kagura asked if you need him to assist us in dealing with the problem of Kaguya. He wants to know what you can offer him in return..."
"Hahaha..."
The Sage of Six Paths chuckled lightly. He slowly shook his head, seemingly skeptical of Akihara Kagura but also somewhat indifferent, "If that powerful little fellow is willing to help, that would be great. But I have nothing to offer him. Maybe when I get the chance to meet him, I can ask what he wants..."
"Wait, hold on a moment."
After speaking, the Sage of Six Paths seemed to realize something was amiss.
His remnant chakra seemed a bit confused. Hesitantly, he said, "Based on my observations and monitoring, that kid named Akihara Kagura is the mastermind behind the Ten-Tails' resurrection. He wants to use the Ten-Tails to destroy the world... but he also says he wants to help deal with the possible resurrection of my mother? Then why did he resurrect the Ten-Tails?"
This ninja is quite absurd!
To save the world, Uchiha Madara became the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki, leading to a potential greater crisis, forcing me, a remnant chakra, to appear and grant the reincarnation of Indra and Asura the sealing power!
At this moment...
The Sage of Six Paths was somewhat perplexed.
Uchiha Sasuke, who knew Akihara Kagura well, had a flash of realization in his eyes. Perhaps at this moment, he understood something!
"Because his goal..."
Uchiha Sasuke revealed a truth he had pieced together, "has always been Kaguya."
"This doesn't conflict at all."
"Akihara Kagura wants to resurrect Kaguya..."
"To use her power to destroy and recreate the world..."
"Because Kaguya's power is the greatest, right?"
Uchiha Sasuke recalled the information he had obtained in the past, understood everything, and stated the truth: "But... Akihara Kagura will achieve his goal... he has already planned everything..."
"Because he predicted we would meet you..."
"He must have also predicted that Naruto and I are the reincarnations of Indra and Asura's chakra..."
"You just mentioned... you would give us the power to seal Kaguya..."
"Before we return to the living world..."
Uchiha Sasuke's heart trembled, feeling he had once again fallen into Akihara Kagura's trap: "Akihara Kagura will definitely resurrect Kaguya directly, having her complete everything for him..."
"And at that time..."
"We would have already returned to the living world..."
Uchiha Sasuke slightly raised his eyes and revealed Akihara Kagura's scheme: "Just in time to use the power you gave us to seal Kaguya."
"Such a deep and calculating conspiracy?"
The Sage of Six Paths shook his head, sighing helplessly, "The ninjas of your era are truly terrifying in their scheming!"
"I am very aware of how deep his mind is."
Uchiha Sasuke thought of everything, yet found no way to break it: "Even though I have guessed his conspiracy, in the end, I still have to do as he anticipated..."
"It has always been this way..."
"Even knowing I will fall into his trap, it is ultimately too late."
~~~
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— Ending + Extra Chapters (Completed)
Read upto Chapter 348: End! + Extra Chapters of Sasuke's Rebirth where the world Akihara Kagura is not around. Thank you!