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Black Zetsu went on to introduce the later generations of Indra and Asura's reincarnations, then explained how things worked in the Pure Land.
At last, Senju Uzuki rose with a dark expression. "Are we finished? Good. I'm leaving. I refuse to spend another second near that man. I'd rather explore the Pure Land by myself."
She turned and walked away without waiting for an answer.
"UZUKI! WAIT FOR ME!" Uchiha Kitsune's face showed a rare moment of panic, and he quickly followed after her.
The others watched them go, glancing at each other with hesitation.
Indra rubbed his forehead.
"Brother, why don't you come with me to see Father?" Asura suggested. "I'm sure he has been waiting to see both of us."
Indra's expression stiffened. "The son he wants to see is you, not me."
"Besides, he and I severed our relationship long ago. I'm returning to my own clan." He turned toward the gathered Indra reincarnations. "Those of you from the Uchiha, come with me. We're going home."
The Uchiha members nodded in agreement.
"I'd like to see my parents again," Uchiha Senichi said.
"Same here," Uchiha Gen agreed.
Uchiha Jin sighed and walked after the others.
Indra started to walk away, but after a couple of steps, he stopped and looked back at Gen. "Wait. Not you."
"..." Gen stared in surprise.
Indra pointed at him. "My teacher sentenced you to labor on the borders of the Pure Land. Go back to work."
Uchiha Gen's face tensed. "Fine, fine. Can someone at least give me a ride? It takes ages to get to the frontier from here. Even by Pure Land airship, it would take me several days."
"We're near the Central city," Black Zetsu said with a grin. "Hagoromo built a transportation gate there. The line is long, but the trip is quick. It costs a few thousand underworld coins. Do you need a loan?"
Gen frowned. "Sage, I've saved up over the years. I don't need your charity."
On the other side, the Asura reincarnations had gathered around their ancestor.
Asura cleared his throat and smiled kindly. "Well... you all did great. Come on, I'll take everyone home."
..............
Central City, Pure Land.
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo had just finished another public sermon and returned home, enjoying a rare stretch of peace with his three wives.
He had one arm around Haori.
The mother of Indra and Asura leaned on his other side—and the common-born woman whose family would later produce the Gold and Silver Brothers sat close to him as well.
The Pure Land that Manji created had given Hagoromo everything life had denied him.
All three women had died painfully and left him too soon. For centuries, he carried those regrets alone. Now, the people he loved were with him again, and death couldn't separate them anymore.
Even his lifelong dream had come true. Hagoromo spent his life spreading Ninshū and searching for peace.
Here in the Pure Land, that dream was finally real.
There were no bloodline feuds, no continuous cycles of revenge, and no final goodbyes left unresolved.
It was the paradise Hagoromo had imagined a thousand times but never managed to build himself.
His gratitude welled up again. Looking toward the distant reaches of the Pure Land, he sighed from the heart.
"Teacher Manji... the more I learn about you, the greater you seem."
The more Hagoromo learned about him, the more extraordinary Manji became.
Every regret Hagoromo had failed to mend, every dream he had chased without reaching, and every task that had remained beyond his strength—his teacher had accomplished them all.
What more could he say?
Hagoromo would support Manji to the end.
"LORD HAGOROMO, LORD ASURA HAS ARRIVED!"
The hurried announcement came from outside.
"..." Sarutobi came in first, bringing Asura into the house.
"Asura??" Joy burst across Hagoromo's face. He rose at once and strode toward his son. "The Sage finally agreed to release you?"
"Uh... Father?" Asura stopped in the doorway, staring past Hagoromo at the three women with open confusion.
He had never known his mother. Hagoromo once said she died soon after giving birth, which meant Asura had grown up without ever seeing her face.
Now he could only stand there and wonder what had happened to his father.
In all his childhood memories, Hagoromo had devoted himself to Ninshū. He lived like an ascetic, uninterested in romance and untouched by worldly desire. Asura had never once seen a woman sharing his father's home—yet here he was now, surrounded by three.
Hagoromo saw the confusion and embarrassment on his son's face and gave a soft laugh.
"No need to feel awkward. Let me introduce you." He beckoned toward the women beside him. "They are all your mothers."
"..." Asura's face almost crumpled in disbelief.
What kind of joke was this?
He had spent his entire life without a mother. Now, moments after entering the Pure Land, he had somehow acquired three of them.
No one could be expected to accept that kind of surprise right away.
Hagoromo just chuckled at his son's discomfort and didn't explain any further.
The truth was that he had once planned to preserve his ascetic lifestyle, even here in the afterlife. He had expected to spend eternity teaching Ninshū, resolving disputes, and living with the same restraint that had defined his mortal years.
But then he saw Haori again.
She looked just as she had in her youth—the woman Hagoromo loved and lost, the regret he carried for most of his life.
The calm heart that had endured a thousand years broke at once.
It wasn't as though centuries of celibacy had finally driven him mad, nor had Hamura somehow seized control of his body.
All the grief and longing Hagoromo had buried came rushing back.
No matter how long he had lived, seeing the woman he had lost so young brought tears to his eyes. The only thing he wanted was to make amends for everything they had missed.
So he married her.
Later, he reunited with the mother of Indra and Asura.
Their marriage in life lasted less than a year. She died soon after their sons were born, leaving Hagoromo with another wound he never healed. Now that they were together again—how could he turn her away just to keep up an empty show of restraint?
Then there was the common-born wife he once married among the people.
At that point, Hagoromo let go of any remaining doubts.
He married all three!
The Pure Land had broken the barrier between life and death and given him a chance to fix every unfinished part of his past. There was no reason to settle for anything less than a full reunion.
As he thought about this, Hagoromo remembered the one other person he was waiting for.
"Where is Indra?" He frowned. "Why didn't he come with you?"
Asura shrugged helplessly. "Brother refused. I tried to persuade him, but once he made up his mind, there was nothing I could do."
"I see..." Hagoromo's voice grew quiet.
Disappointment showed on his face before he could hide it.
After so many centuries of death, separation, and regret—he had hoped to see his eldest son again.
More than anything, Hagoromo wanted all of them to finally stand together and become the family they never managed to be in life.
But even in the Pure Land, some distances couldn't be crossed in just one day...
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