A vast, white world.
This was the realm between life and death, a dimensional rift where only those who had reached the Six Paths level could exist.
A crack of darkness split open, and Kaede's figure stepped into the void. He wasn't in a chakra form, nor a spiritual one, he had entered with his living, physical body.
This was the power of the Rinne Rebirth Eyes.
They could ignore the boundary between life and death, allowing the living to enter the realm of the dead, and to step freely into the space between both.
Step. Step. Step.
Kaede walked forward, each footfall sending out ripples of black energy beneath him. After a few steps, two figures gradually appeared before him.
Both were dressed in robes of the Six Paths. One had pure white Byakugan eyes, identical to those of the Hyuga clan. The other had concentric ripple-patterned Rinnegan eyes.
The Sage of Six Paths—Otsutsuki Hagoromo.
And his younger brother—Otsutsuki Hamura.
"You've entered this place as a living being… That must be the power of your eye technique, then?" the Sage said slowly, gazing calmly at Kaede.
Kaede glanced at Hamura.
Hamura's expression was heavy, and in the depths of his eyes there was a faint tension. The pressure Kaede exuded now was far greater than anything he'd felt from him in the past, it was on an entirely different level.
And not just Hamura, even the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo, was visibly tense in Kaede's presence. At his peak, when he wielded the power of the Ten Tails and the full strength of the Six Paths, Hagoromo had stood at the third stage of Six Paths-level power, comparable to Kaede now.
But currently,
Having split the Ten Tails' power, Hagoromo had only retained strength comparable to Six Paths Madara. He was now a full tier below Kaede.
"Nice to meet you," Kaede said with a faint smile. "Or rather, it's nice to meet you properly for the first time."
"I'm the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, here to pay my respects... and also to ask, do either of you know anything about the whereabouts of Otsutsuki Urashiki?"
Kaede didn't want to spend unnecessary time scouring the entire shinobi world for Urashiki. After all, Urashiki could use Yomotsu Hirasaka, a space-time ability that lets him hide in another dimension, making him extremely difficult to track.
So asking the Sage of Six Paths was the most efficient solution.
"Nice to meet you too," Hagoromo replied. "I am Otsutsuki Hagoromo, though I believe you already know that."
"I've also been searching for that being from beyond the stars, but so far, I haven't found any trace of him."
Though this rift dimension let Hagoromo observe the shinobi world, it wasn't a godlike omniscience. He could only view it region by region, not with a bird's-eye view of the entire world.
Originally, Hagoromo had been keeping an eye on Kaede.
But ever since Kaede awakened the Rinne Rebirth Eyes, his ocular power had surpassed Hagoromo's, cutting off the Sage's ability to spy on him.
Kaede simply didn't like being watched in secret.
So once Kaede blocked his vision, Hagoromo had shifted his focus to other parts of the world.
He had sensed Urashiki's arrival. After overpowering Orochimaru and destroying his base, Urashiki disappeared using Yomotsu Hirasaka. Hagoromo had lost track of him ever since.
"No trace at all?" Kaede murmured.
He paused in thought, then said, "I don't think I need to explain how dangerous Urashiki is. I'll need your help to locate him."
"I'll do my best," Hagoromo nodded. "If I discover anything, I'll inform you right away."
In truth, Kaede didn't even need to ask. Hagoromo had every intention of helping. After all, Kaede and Urashiki were both extraterrestrial beings, if they weren't allies, they were destined to clash.
And judging by everything that had happened in the shinobi world so far, it was clear Kaede wasn't a threat to its existence. Quite the opposite, he was its protector. Naturally, he would oppose Urashiki.
After Hagoromo spoke, Kaede exchanged a glance with him, then turned toward Hamura. He tilted his head slightly.
"I owe your younger brother a thank-you," Kaede said coolly. "Without his actions, I wouldn't have gained power so quickly."
Hagoromo's expression tightened.
Hamura tensed up as well. He looked at Kaede and said, "You're an outsider. I didn't trust you, and I admit I crossed the line with what I did…"
Kaede's tone was calm but sharp. "When I was at my weakest, you lent your chakra to your descendants to hunt me down. That's not something you can brush off with an apology."
Hagoromo sighed. "Hamura and I had different views. He acted with the intention of protecting the world. I tried to stop him, but I failed. If someone must take responsibility, then let it be me."
Kaede's gaze grew heavier as he looked between the two brothers. A faint chill seemed to spread through the space, pressing down on the atmosphere around them.
After several seconds, Kaede retracted his aura. He looked at Hamura and said evenly, "I won't pursue the matter of the chakra you spread. But you need to sever its connection. That chakra is in one of your descendants, I won't touch it."
"Understood," Hagoromo answered immediately on Hamura's behalf.
Given their current state, a conflict with Kaede would end very badly. And Hagoromo had no desire to fight him. In his eyes, Kaede might not be able to build a perfect world, but he could bring lasting peace, perhaps for decades, or even centuries.
"One more thing, " Kaede turned his head toward Hagoromo, ", give me a portion of your chakra."
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Moments later,
Kaede returned to the shinobi world.
In the palm of his hand hovered two glowing orbs of chakra, one white, one black. The white was Six Paths Yang Power, the black was Six Paths Yin Power.
These were the same two powers Hagoromo had granted to Naruto and Sasuke in the original timeline. Though split into yin and yang, both were at the Six Paths level.
For Kaede, who had already surpassed that level, they held little value, they wouldn't improve his strength.
But for others, it was a different story.
If Kakashi received one of them…
He could immediately step into the Six Paths tier.
"One goes to Kakashi. But who should get the other…"
Kaede pondered.
There weren't many people who could withstand this power. Yuhi Kurenai and Rin Nohara didn't have the qualifications, unless they mastered a perfect Sage body.
But neither had much interest in training. Rather than spend years cultivating their bodies, they'd probably prefer spending that time figuring out how to… squeeze something out of him.
As for others,
If Uchiha Itachi continued training his Sage body, then with his talent, perhaps in ten years, he could achieve a level strong enough to combine it with his Mangekyo Sharingan and bear one of the Six Paths powers.
Naruto and Sasuke, having fused with Asura and Indra's chakras, were also eligible candidates.
And lastly, Hyuga Hinata, who had inherited Hamura's chakra.
"…Let's go with Hinata."
Kaede made up his mind after a moment's thought.
Naruto and Sasuke weren't related to him, so they were ruled out immediately. That left Itachi and Hinata, both his students.
Hinata's talent might not be as monstrous as Itachi's, but she had inherited Hamura's chakra, which made her more compatible with the power.
Yeah.
…Not that any of those reasons really matter.
The real reason?
Hinata is cuter.
That's all the reason I need.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria