Although the Sage of Six Paths' physical body had long since perished, he had scattered his Chakra throughout the Ninja World, observing everything through a unique existence.
Because of this, there was almost nothing in the world hidden from him, including every scheme Black Zetsu had carried out in secret.
The reason he had continued doing so for a thousand years was simple.
Kaguya was immortal.
He had to prevent her from escaping her seal and remain vigilant for any signs that such a day might come.
Only now did Hayashi truly understand why the Sage of Six Paths and his brother, Hamura, had been willing to seal their own mother.
It was not cruelty.
It was for the sake of humanity and the Earth itself.
That much was undeniable.
Even before her sealing, Kaguya had already treated humanity like livestock, creating armies of White Zetsu in vast numbers.
Those White Zetsu continuously absorbed the planet's energy, feeding it back to the God Tree day and night.
As a native creature of Earth, the Great Toad Sage, Gamamaru, naturally could not tolerate such a thing.
If the Earth perished, so would he.
This was not mere speculation.
Unlike ordinary creatures, Gamamaru's lifespan stretched across millennia.
Most living beings died after a century at most. Naturally, they had little reason to care about environmental problems that might arise hundreds or thousands of years later.
Gamamaru was different.
He could live for thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of years.
With Kaguya's relentless nature, if she continued draining the world's energy without restraint, Earth itself might not last as long as he would.
As a result, he guided Kaguya's son, Hagoromo, toward opposing his mother.
And Hagoromo accepted.
If there was a reason, it was likely because he genuinely loved this world.
There were no hidden conspiracies.
No deeper schemes.
When forced to choose between his mother and humanity, Hagoromo chose humanity.
Calling it sacrificing family for righteousness would not be an exaggeration.
Did he truly want to seal his own mother?
Of course not.
That was also why he neither wished nor dared to face Kaguya again.
Sometimes, the living suffer more than the dead.
Hamura chose a different path.
Unwilling to carry that burden forever, he allowed his Chakra to dissipate after his natural lifespan ended.
Once he was gone, he no longer had to worry about Kaguya.
The responsibility fell entirely upon his older brother.
The Sage of Six Paths smiled faintly.
"According to Gamamaru's prophecy, the conflict between Indra and Ashura would eventually end with a green-eyed boy, one who would laugh while calling out the names of the nine beasts."
"I should have waited for that child."
His gaze settled on Hayashi.
"But because of your existence, even Gamamaru can no longer clearly see the future."
"However, since you are willing to shoulder this burden, I will entrust it to you."
He paused briefly.
"As for the future you described, perhaps it is not a bad one."
A trace of regret appeared in his eyes.
"It is only unfortunate that I was unable to meet that green-eyed boy myself."
Hayashi raised an eyebrow.
"Aren't you worried I might end up destroying the entire Ninja World?"
The Sage shook his head calmly.
"Ninshū may flourish or decline, but humanity must endure."
He lifted his gaze toward the gray sky overhead.
"I witnessed the conflict between Ashura and Indra with my own eyes."
"Back then, I never imagined that my decision would lead to such deep resentment between brothers."
"Even after death, their souls continued to reincarnate and battle one another."
"But I never interfered."
"A few generations after Ashura's death, Ninshū declined completely, and humanity once again descended into endless warfare. Even then, I did not interfere."
"For a thousand years, conflicts have come and gone. Peace has risen and fallen. Still, I did not interfere."
"The same happened on the moon. Different ideologies led the main family and branch family into war."
"I did not interfere there, either."
The Sage looked at Hayashi.
"Do you know why?"
Hayashi nodded.
"I'd like to hear it."
The Sage replied calmly,
"The dead have no right to interfere with the affairs of the living."
"The choices people make belong to them."
"As long as those choices do not result in the destruction of Earth or the extinction of humanity, they are free to choose their own paths."
He repeated the same words once more.
"Ninshū may rise and fall."
"But humanity must never perish."
"And it certainly must not become fertilizer for the Ten-Tails."
Hayashi let out a sigh.
"Then how am I supposed to stop it?"
The meaning behind his words was obvious.
If the Sage wanted him to work, there should be some compensation involved.
After all, Naruto and Sasuke had both received gifts from him.
Surely he could spare a little something for Hayashi.
However, the Sage merely laughed.
"Your strength is already extraordinary."
"You have obtained a tremendous amount of Chakra from the Tailed Beasts. Even if the Ten-Tails were revived now, it would be far weaker than it was at its peak."
"As for this old man, I do not have much power left."
The Sage smiled knowingly.
"I doubt you would be interested in the little I still possess."
"I need to save some of it for others."
"..."
Hayashi's mouth twitched.
"I don't mind, Sage. I'm still far from reaching my limit. Why not give me some anyway?"
The Sage burst into hearty laughter.
Then he reached out and patted Hayashi's shoulder.
"Very well."
"The Rinnegan is born upon the foundation of Ashura's power and illuminated by the flame of Indra's power."
"I hope you will obtain it."
He then glanced toward the Tailed Beasts.
"And treat them better from now on."
"Do not control them with Genjutsu anymore."
"I will ensure they cooperate with you willingly."
His voice softened.
"You should take care of yourself as well."
Hayashi nodded.
The Sage of Six Paths gave the nine Tailed Beasts one final look.
Then his figure gradually faded away, disappearing into nothingness.
Hayashi instinctively closed his eyes.
Yet he felt no change.
No new power.
No sudden surge of strength.
Nothing.
That old man really was stingy.
All he knew how to do was make promises.
However, in the very next moment, Hayashi suddenly felt himself being pulled out of his consciousness space.
Yet he still did not wake up.
He could clearly sense Himeji wiping his body.
The problem was that he could not open his eyes.
No matter how hard he tried, they remained shut.
The sensation reminded him of the sleep paralysis he had experienced during naps in his previous life.
His mind was awake.
His body was not.
Still, remembering the Sage's final pat on the shoulder, Hayashi felt reassured.
There had to be a reason for it.
Soon, countless scenes began appearing before him.
He saw the body of Ōtsutsuki Sōgi still lying upon the battlefield.
He saw a white-haired girl leaning against a corridor pillar, silently gazing at the eternal twilight beyond.
He saw the distracted Ōtsutsuki Genjin packing his belongings and preparing to flee.
His vision expanded further.
Then he saw Kaguya, sealed deep within the moon.
As though sensing an unseen gaze, Kaguya suddenly looked upward.
Tears shimmered faintly within her eyes.
The scene shifted again.
Hayashi saw Minato and Nawaki buried beneath mountains of paperwork while Utatane Koharu scolded them relentlessly.
He saw Orochimaru in his laboratory, leisurely reading Jiraiya's latest Icha Icha Paradise novel.
He saw Kushina supplying Chakra to her Wood Release clone.
Inside her seal, Kurama continued grumbling and complaining without pause.
The image changed once more.
Within the Uchiha Clan compound, Mikoto was sleeping soundly in Hayashi's large bed.
In her arms was an old photograph of the two of them together.
At that moment, Hayashi felt as though his perception had expanded infinitely.
Anything he wished to see appeared before him.
Anywhere.
Anyone.
Nothing seemed beyond his reach.
Finally, his vision settled on a cave within the Land of Rice Fields.
Outside the cave, Black Zetsu sat squatting on a rock, staring at the sky while giggling to himself.
Deep beneath the cave, more than a hundred meters underground, Hayashi sensed a brilliant mass of Chakra.
It remained attached to a withered corpse, refusing to depart.
Or perhaps it simply had not yet found a suitable vessel.
That Chakra belonged to only one person.
Indra.
It was Indra's Chakra.
===
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