Uchiha Katsu's voice gradually lowered in the stone chamber, until it almost became a mutter to himself.
Arisu did not answer immediately.
He simply looked quietly at the person before him, who had caused countless troubles during the first cycle, his expression complicated.
After a while, Arisu slowly spoke. "You want to know why there has to be reincarnation?"
Uchiha Katsu suddenly raised his head.
Arisu's voice was calm. "Because this world itself was designed this way. It has a beginning and an end. Once the end arrives, it has to reset. Otherwise... the entire system will collapse."
Arisu paused, his gaze falling on Uchiha Katsu.
"As for meaning... to me, there is no such thing as 'meaning.'
"I am simply the only person allowed to remember everything. I watch you all be born, grow up, fall in love, kill each other, and die again and again, then forget everything and start over."
Uchiha Katsu's fingers tightened slightly.
Arisu suddenly stood up, walked over to him, and looked down at him. "The problem now is you."
"You escaped the cycle carrying the memories of the first cycle. That itself is a bug. You already know things you shouldn't know, and you have even mastered Izanagi and begun to come into contact with senjutsu."
Arisu's tone suddenly turned colder.
"I can't let someone who remembers everything like you move freely in this world."
Uchiha Katsu's body stiffened slightly, but he did not retreat. Instead, he raised his head and looked directly at him. "Then how does my lord intend to deal with me?"
Arisu was silent for a moment.
To be honest, he did not want to use force against this old friend.
The main reason was that Uchiha Katsu had retained his memories.
If he had not retained his memories, Arisu would not have hesitated so much.
Arisu then asked the system about a few things.
After a brief discussion with the system, Arisu finally nodded silently.
Then Arisu extended his hand and condensed two different balls of light out of thin air.
One was pale gold.
The other was deep black.
"Two choices."
Arisu spoke calmly, his voice not loud, "First choice, I seal your memories right now and throw you back onto this world's normal track. You will forget everything from the first cycle, forget me, forget the reincarnation, and live like an ordinary person until this cycle ends."
"Simple, clean, and there won't be any more trouble."
Then Arisu raised his other hand, and the black ball of light trembled slightly.
"Second choice, you retain your memories. But from this moment on, you must accept my restrictions. You cannot threaten any force at will anymore, you cannot treat Izanagi like a game, and you cannot try to overthrow or control this world.
"You can continue becoming stronger, you can learn senjutsu, and you can even help me deal with some trouble in secret... but your actions must remain within the scope of my permission."
Arisu paused, his voice growing heavier, "Additionally, there is one mandatory requirement. You must complete the plot you are supposed to have."
Uchiha Katsu was slightly stunned.
Arisu looked at him calmly.
"You and Mio are reincarnations of Indra and Asura. The fated battle between the two of you is one of the predetermined nodes of this world line."
"No matter how much of the truth you know now, no matter how disdainful you are inside, you must complete this battle. You cannot avoid it, end it ahead of time, or forcibly rewrite the outcome with your current abilities."
Arisu leaned forward slightly.
"You can remain conscious and struggle in secret, but the path the plot is supposed to take must be completed. Otherwise, I will personally erase your memories, along with the you of this life."
The surroundings fell silent for several seconds.
Uchiha Katsu lowered his head and looked at the two balls of light, his eyes fluctuating violently.
Forget everything and become an ordinary person again?
He remembered those long, empty years he had spent in the Pure Land in his previous life. He remembered the ambition and exhilaration that had briefly erupted in this world because Arisu was no longer suppressing him.
Make him forget again?
He could not do it.
But if he chose the second path... it meant handing his freedom over to Arisu completely. Even his fated battle with Mio would no longer be something he could truly control.
Uchiha Katsu took a deep breath and raised his head. A nearly obsessive light reignited in his blood-red Sharingan. "I choose the second one."
His voice was somewhat hoarse, but unusually firm.
"I can accept the restrictions, and I can complete that battle with Mio. But I don't want to forget."
"Even if this world resets again and again, even if everything returns to zero... I still want to remember."
"I want to watch this cycle. I want to know where it will eventually go. And I also want... to see how far I can go."
Arisu stared at him for a long time.
In the end, Arisu chose to nod lightly.
The black ball of light instantly entered Uchiha Katsu's brow.
A cold but non-lethal force quickly traveled throughout his body, leaving several invisible marks deep within his soul and chakra.
"From today onward, I will monitor the number of times you use Izanagi. You must also regularly report your senjutsu training progress to me. The fated battle with Mio must proceed according to the predetermined node. If you cross the line..."
Arisu bent down slightly.
"I will personally erase your memories, along with the you of this life."
Uchiha Katsu closed his eyes, feeling the sensation of being locked down. After a moment, he opened them again, the corners of his mouth curling into an extremely faint, almost self-mocking smile. "Understood, Great Immortal."
Arisu straightened up and waved his hand, retracting all traces. His tone returned to normal. "Since you've chosen, stay put and behave yourself. Finish learning senjutsu first. After you've finished, just rehearse according to the existing plot."
Arisu paused and added, "Also, don't think about destroying Mount Myoboku anymore. That guy Gamamaru... although he's a little stupid now, he's still an old acquaintance."
Uchiha Katsu immediately nodded in reply. "Yes."
"Sigh, take care of yourself."
After saying that, Arisu had just raised his hand and was preparing to tear open space and leave.
But Gamamaru stumbled in.
After using the Toad Immortal Talisman, Gamamaru had already recovered by this point.
Arisu's footsteps stopped, his gaze falling on him.
He could tell at a glance that Gamamaru had something to say.
"Gamamaru?"
"What do you want?"
Arisu tilted his head slightly, his tone calm.
He had already roughly guessed what it was. He probably wanted to say a few more words to him about the Toad Immortal Talisman.
After all, the one he had casually tossed to him earlier had already gotten the old toad extremely excited.
But Gamamaru did not mention the talisman.
He took two heavy breaths, his cloudy eyes carrying a seriousness he had never shown before. His voice was low but exceptionally respectful.
"My lord... could you come with this junior to the library? There is an item I would like to ask you to take a look at."
Arisu raised his eyebrows slightly.
Gamamaru's tone was several times more respectful than before.
It was not merely gratitude, but a solemnity that was almost reverence.
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