"It's time to go take a look at the human world. I wonder whether Hagoromo has established the Ninja Sect by now, and how my Arisu Temple is doing...", Arisu spoke calmly.
Actually, he did not really care about his Arisu Temple.
At the beginning, he never expected that by coincidence it would become the largest religion in the world.
But it did not matter. He did not care.
———
Arisu stepped through the thin mist and walked out of Mount Myoboku's barrier. The ground beneath his feet gradually turned into the hard dirt road of the mortal world.
The air was filled with the mixed smell of cooking smoke and soil.
At this moment, Arisu stood on a cliff in the mountains, the Six Paths Sword leaning at his side.
"A hundred years..."
Arisu looked at the mountains and rivers and sighed.
A hundred years is enough for several generations to pass in the eyes of mortals.
But in his eyes, it was only the snap of a finger.
Arisu arrived at a small village.
"Kid, where is the nearest Arisu Temple?", Arisu's voice was like a spring breeze.
The child who was called looked about seven or eight years old, with mud on his face. Hearing the question, he turned around.
The moment he saw Arisu's face clearly, his eyes widened, and the lump of mud in his hand fell to the ground with a plop.
"Wow! You look just like the Sage of Six Paths! Really alike! Exactly the same as the statue in our village's Six Paths Temple!", The child shouted in surprise.
'Six Paths Temple? Sage of Six Paths?!'
Arisu frowned slightly, his fingers pausing on the sword hilt.
'That kid Hagoromo used the title "Sage of Six Paths" so quickly?'
'But that's not right...'
He remembered Hagoromo's appearance. He had horns on his forehead, and his features carried the coldness of the Otsutsuki clan.
Very different from his own face. This child's eyesight must be terrible to mistake him like that.
"Hey! Hyuki! Don't talk nonsense!"
A rush of hurried footsteps came over. An old man carrying a hoe ran over quickly.
"The Sage of Six Paths is the founding savior. How can you joke like this? Disrespecting the gods will bring punishment!", The old man scolded the child angrily.
"It's fine, old sir. A child speaks without ill intent.", Arisu said lightly.
"Grandpa, grandpa, see, I really think he looks like him!", the child argued stubbornly.
"Don't talk back! Behave yourself!"
"Hehe, young man, please don't be angry. The child doesn't understand. You... ah!?!!", As the old man spoke, he turned to apologize to Arisu. But the moment his eyes met Arisu's face, all his words got stuck in his throat.
"You!? Yo-you!!!"
The old man's pupils shrank suddenly. The anger on his face was instantly replaced by extreme shock. The hoe in his hand fell to the ground with a loud clang.
"Six... Sage of Six Paths?!", The old man cried out, his voice trembling.
His body swayed, and he knelt straight down in front of Arisu, his forehead almost touching the ground, his tone full of awe.
"This commoner... this commoner greets the Sage of Six Paths! Not knowing Immortal had descended, I failed to welcome you properly. Please forgive my offense!"
After speaking, he pulled his grandson down to kneel as well.
Now it was Arisu's turn to be completely stunned.
He lowered his eyes and looked at the old man kneeling on the ground, then at the child beside him who was equally shocked and kneeling too. The confusion in his heart grew heavier.
Hagoromo looked completely different from him. Why did this old man also mistake him for the Sage of Six Paths?
'Could it be that in these hundred years, Hagoromo's appearance had changed?'
'Or... has something gone wrong?'
People nearby gathered after hearing the commotion.
Anyone who saw Arisu's face changed expression instantly and followed the old man in kneeling and bowing.
All of them shouted "Sage of Six Paths".
"My god! A deity!"
"Sage of Six Paths!!"
"Welcome, Immortal!"
The voices grew louder and louder, and soon the place was completely surrounded.
Arisu did not want to be watched like this. His finger moved slightly, and faint white mist instantly rose around him, covering his figure.
"Sage Art: Sage Mist Body Flicker!"
When the mist dispersed, there was no one left in place. Only the townspeople were still kneeling in the street, bowing devoutly.
The next second, Arisu appeared in the forest outside the town.
"What is going on..."
Arisu closed his eyes and sensed his surroundings.
His perception already covered thousands of miles. But sweeping across the entire area, there was not a single trace of a "Arisu Temple." Instead, there were dozens of "Six Paths Temples" giving off the scent of incense.
"Something's wrong..."
"When I gave out the tailed beasts back then, although it was not everywhere, many places built temples for me. How could they disappear within a hundred years and all be replaced by Six Paths Temples?" Arisu muttered to himself.
Logically, as people became more enlightened, things like temples would gradually fade away.
But not so quickly that they would be thrown into the trash of history...
Full of doubts, Arisu did not hesitate any longer. He turned into a streak of green shadow and rushed toward the nearest Six Paths Temple.
The temple was located halfway up a mountain, with red walls and dark tiles. Incense smoke drifted in front of the entrance.
Arisu slowly walked into the temple. Inside, monks were wiping the offering table, and worshippers were kneeling devoutly.
Sensing someone entering, they subconsciously looked up. But the moment they saw Arisu's face clearly, all their movements froze.
"Ah!?!!"
The sound stopped abruptly.
Everyone stared at Arisu in shock.
The next second, whether monks or worshippers, all of them turned pale and knelt down, not even daring to breathe loudly, respectfully chanting, "We greet the Sage of Six Paths!"
"We greet the Sage of Six Paths!"
The waves of kneeling voices made the temple beams tremble slightly.
Arisu did not speak. With a blank expression, he walked through the crowd.
"Sage Art: Invisibility!"
His figure instantly disappeared.
Arisu walked straight toward the center of the main hall. When the portrait enshrined on the altar came into view...
Arisu's whole body trembled.
All the doubts instantly vanished.
"So that's how it is..."
In the portrait, a young man wore black and red robes, standing with a sword on his back, calm eyes, flawless face, with the clouds of Mount Myoboku behind him. It was clearly himself from a hundred years ago.
On the plaque below the portrait, the four golden words, "Sage of Six Paths" shone brightly. The incense burner in front of the altar was filled with burning sticks, and the offering table was covered with fresh fruit and sacrifices.
Arisu looked at the portrait and laughed helplessly, though he still did not fully understand in his heart.
Wasn't he Immortal Arisu?
Why had he become the Sage of Six Paths?
"I need to ask Hagoromo. Only he could have done this..."
Arisu immediately expanded his perception to search for the Ninja Sect headquarters.
Arisu had read the original story and knew that the Ninja Sect headquarters was built at Kaguya's ruins.
Ninja Sect headquarters.
———
Inside the Ninja Sect headquarters, Hagoromo was sitting on tatami, slowly organizing scrolls.
At that moment, a voice sounded, "These years, you've been doing quite well, Hagoromo..."
A voice both familiar and unfamiliar came from behind.
Hagoromo was first startled, then turned around and saw the person he had always wanted to meet.
It was Arisu.