The Pure Land~
The Sage of Six Paths sat in the sky, holding his staff, as if he were a statue in deep slumber.
This was a gap in time, a resting place for all things. The entire world resembled a dead sea, as if everything had reached its final note.
Here, time and space were merely concepts. In this small realm, everything was at the mercy of the Sage's will.
At this moment, this mightiest god of the shinobi world was awakened by a certain presence, stirring him from his slumber.
The Sage of Six Paths slowly opened his eyes. The tranquil Pure Land rippled slightly, as if welcoming his awakening.
"Is there another greedy human trying to touch the "Box of Ultimate Bliss"? I wonder which unlucky soul it is this time..."
The Sage sighed. Every time he awakened, it meant something in the shinobi world required his attention, and it drained a portion of his remaining strength.
"Human nature is truly unpredictable. Where does the path to peace truly lie?"
"Even the Six Paths tools I created have been tainted by humanity's negative emotions, transforming into terrifying artifacts that birth demons."
Although the "Box of Ultimate Bliss" was now filled with an evil and dark aura, regarded by the world as the Sage's ultimate weapon, it was once a "box of hope", cherished by the Sage a thousand years ago. It had been an attempt to resolve the conflict between Asura and Indra.
A thousand years ago, the Sage's elder son, Indra, and his younger son, Asura, clashed fiercely over their differing ideals of peace.
They fought for the inheritance of the Ninshu, and to establish their philosophies in the shinobi world.
Indra believed that only strength could end chaos, seeking to unite the world through absolute power, while Asura believed that true peace could only be achieved through love and understanding.
Unfortunately, Asura, the son favored by the Sage, could not overpower the exceptionally gifted Indra and was clearly losing in their confrontation.
The Sage, who favored his younger son, intervened personally, bestowing Asura with power that was not his own, allowing him to defeat Indra and inherit the Ninshu.
However, this led to deep resentment in Indra's heart, and his chakra continued to reincarnate, seeking to prove himself. Asura, too, reincarnated to stop Indra, and their battle has continued for nearly a thousand years without resolution.
The Sage of Six Paths had refrained from further intervening in the conflict between his sons.
Partly because he was concealed in the Pure Land, conserving his dwindling strength for the worst-case scenario, and partly because even though Asura had inherited the Ninshu, the shinobi world had not found peace under his ideals.
Conflict and bloodshed had intensified, and factions within the Ninshu itself began to fight one another.
The Sage had originally hoped that the "Box of Ultimate Bliss" could absorb all the negative emotions of the shinobi world, eliminating the violent and murderous desires within living beings, and thus indirectly bringing peace.
But things did not go as the Sage had hoped. After creating the Pure Land, he could no longer control the "Box of Ultimate Bliss", and the powerful artifact lost control.
Unsealed, the box endlessly absorbed the negative emotions of the shinobi world until it birthed a sentient entity known as "Satori", a demon born of human malice. Lacking any belief in peace, this creature grew stronger by devouring negative emotions and nearly wiped out all life in the shinobi world.
"The seal on Mother is weakening, and Indra's chakra has yet to return. The shinobi world cannot afford any chaos right now."
The Sage gently waved his staff, and in a few moments, a whirlwind of change swept through the Pure Land.
The Pure Land resembled a dead sea, both a metaphor and an accurate description of this realm.
The sea covering the entire Pure Land parted, revealing countless ninja who had once dominated the shinobi world, now slumbering like statues beneath its waters.
Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, Uchiha Izuna, Uchiha Kagami, Hozuki Gengetsu....In addition to these well-known names, many powerful figures from the Warring States period lay there, silently sleeping beneath the sea of the Pure Land.
The Sage of Six Paths gazed at these descendants of his, nodding slightly. They were his prepared contingencies.
"The last time the "Box of Ultimate Bliss" caused havoc, it was Asura who dealt with it. But now, Asura's reincarnation has yet to be born."
"However, with the box sealed by Asura and no longer able to absorb too much resentment, it shouldn't give rise to a monster as powerful as the one from centuries ago."
The Sage pondered, and the ripple of his Rinnegan broke through the spatial barrier. In an instant, he witnessed a shocking scene.
"Indra... has awakened the Rinnegan? After all these centuries, your pursuit of power still deepens?"
The Sage saw Uchiha Madara battling Fuma at that very moment.
Madara was using a combination of Limbo and Chibaku Tensei, trying to drag Fuma into the "Box of Ultimate Bliss".
"As expected of Indra. Any jutsu becomes incredibly refined in his hands, far surpassing even mine."
The Sage marveled at Madara's battle, his voice tinged with pride. After all, this was the reincarnation of his eldest son.
"Wait, why does this Uchiha also possess Indra's chakra? What is going on?"
The Sage's brow furrowed as he turned his attention to Fuma, sensing Indra's presence within him as well.
"Could it be that Indra's chakra, through continuous reincarnations, has split in two, choosing two vessels?"
The Sage glanced at the floating form of Asura in the dead sea and shook his head, dismissing the thought.
"Asura remains whole. With Indra's personality, he wouldn't do such a thing. Perhaps some interesting changes have occurred while I slept."
The Sage continued watching the battle between Fuma and Uchiha Madara, a trace of interest flickering in his eyes.
Both Madara and Fuma, each possessing Indra's chakra, presented a situation unseen for centuries.
Having slept for millennia, the Sage could not constantly monitor the changing shinobi world. He only observed at critical junctures, ensuring nothing disrupted his plans.
Kaguya had once warned him of other Otsutsuki clansmen wandering the universe, who would one day return to hunt the shinobi world.
At this very moment, the shinobi world likely harbored a pure-blooded Otsutsuki, someone who stood against the Sage's lineage with an unending feud.
This was why the Sage had extracted the Ten-Tails from his body, splitting it into nine tailed beasts and retreating into the Pure Land.
From a personal perspective, if an unstoppable Otsutsuki were to invade, the Sage could hide in the Pure Land, preserving the last spark of the shinobi world, rather than becoming a target.
From a philosophical view, the Sage also wanted the shinobi world to develop freely, to find its true path to peace.
As Fuma was dragged into the "Box of Ultimate Bliss" and Madara wished upon the box to restore his youth, the Sage's serene expression finally shifted to one of seriousness.
A reincarnated Indra, now awakened to the Rinnegan, while Asura's reincarnation remained absent—who could possibly stop him?
The Sage understood his eldest son well. Indra would never let go of the power of the tailed beasts, and with the potential of summoning the Ten-Tails, there was a chance that his mother, Kaguya, could be freed prematurely.
"Indra, obsessed with power... Asura, yet to be born..."
For the first time in centuries, the Sage of Six Paths grew solemn. In his mind, this was the most dangerous situation he had faced in a millennium.
Without an aligned reincarnation of Indra and Asura in the shinobi world, no one could serve as a vessel for his power. If Kaguya were to escape now, centuries of planning would be ruined.
Yet as Fuma dragged Uchiha Madara back into the box, the Sage's serious expression relaxed, and he sighed with relief.
"After all these centuries, the shinobi world has indeed grown. It has produced a ninja capable of fighting against the Rinnegan."
The Sage's gaze shifted slightly to Senju Hashirama, the reincarnation of Asura. Even he had left an impression on the Sage, having surpassed his original power.
This affirmed the Sage's belief in the development of the shinobi world. Under the world's free growth, powerful ninja were continuously born, with new jutsu emerging—assets in the fight against the Otsutsuki clan.
"Mother... if you saw these exceptional shinobi, would you regret your decision to turn all life into mere extensions of the Divine Tree?"
"What a foolish choice that was."
The Sage sighed softly, a flash of nostalgia in his eyes as he thought of his mother.
But soon, he closed his eyes again. The dead sea of the Pure Land sealed once more, and the realm returned to its silence.
The Sage of Six Paths was keenly perceptive. He had already seen that as long as Indra's reincarnation could not obtain the power of the "Box of Ultimate Bliss", his time would soon come to an end, and the shinobi world would continue to function within the Sage's design.
As for the small trace of Indra's chakra in Fuma, it piqued the Sage's curiosity but did not concern him.
"Let the shinobi world resolve this on its own."
With a final look at the outside world, the Sage fell back into slumber, awaiting the next moment when the shinobi world would need his intervention.
__________________
Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/ShadySmuggler