Somewhere in the Forest of Death.
Since Seiryū intended to visit the Pure Land, quite a few people were naturally curious.
Was it even possible for a living person to enter the Pure Land?
Therefore, Tsunade, Sasuke, Jiraiya, Minato, Nagato, and several others were all present.
Some were worried about Seiryū, while others were curious about how he planned to accomplish it.
After hearing the specific principles, even the knowledgeable Sasuke could not help but marvel.
"I never expected these techniques could be used this way. I've learned something new."
His timeline had experienced the Fourth Shinobi World War.
They knew the dangers of Edo Tensei.
Therefore, after Kakashi became Hokage, he prohibited everyone from practicing the technique.
At present, only Orochimaru in their timeline still knew how to perform Edo Tensei, but he was also forbidden from using it.
Sasuke had never expected Seiryū's imagination to be so unconventional.
By combining Edo Tensei, the Reaper Death Seal, and the Spirit Transformation Technique, he could open a passage to the Pure Land.
Seiryū truly deserved to be called a genius. At the very least, Sasuke would never have imagined using the techniques this way.
Jiraiya asked worriedly, "Won't there be any risks?"
"There shouldn't be. I'm only going to take a look."
Seiryū smiled without showing much concern.
"The Pure Land is the final resting place of the dead. I want to see whether I can find the souls of Great-grandfather and Second Great-grandfather and sever Edo Tensei at its source."
"While I'm there, I'll also see whether the Sage of Six Paths is present."
To be honest, aside from the Pure Land, Seiryū could not imagine where that old man might be.
It was known that only the soul of the Sage of Six Paths remained.
If a soul did not stay in the Pure Land, where else could it remain?
Because Seiryū had practiced the Spirit Transformation Technique, he knew there was a time limit for a soul after it left the body.
If it remained outside for too long, the soul would gradually consume itself and eventually disappear.
This was caused by the erosion of natural energy.
It was also the reason the souls of the dead needed to return to the Pure Land.
Even if the Sage of Six Paths had reached the Kekkei Mōra level, he should still be unable to avoid having his soul eroded by natural energy.
He either had to seal himself away or remain hidden within the Pure Land.
That was also why Seiryū was certain the Sage of Six Paths was in the Pure Land.
There was another reason.
In the original story, the Sage of Six Paths had summoned the souls of the former Kage from the other shinobi villages, which clearly showed that he was familiar with the Pure Land.
It was even possible that the Pure Land existed because of him.
"You want to meet the Sage of Six Paths?"
Minato froze for a moment and subconsciously glanced at Sasuke.
Then he asked Seiryū, "Did you get this idea after learning about the Sage of Six Paths from Sasuke?"
"Not entirely."
Seiryū shook his head.
"I'm mainly curious. I once caught a glimpse of the passage to the Pure Land, and it stayed on my mind. You know how obsessive I can be."
Everyone fell silent.
Obsessive.
What a convincing reason.
Those familiar with Seiryū knew he did have this habit, but they all privately believed he was simply strange.
What kind of obsession changed from one thing to another every few days?
If that was not strange, what was?
Nagato asked curiously, "You caught a glimpse of it? Is it really possible to see the passage to the Pure Land?"
"Have you attempted something like this before?"
"No. It happened when I opened the Eight Inner Gates Formation to deal with Madara."
Seiryū explained, "It was my first time using it, so I wasn't very skilled. I was a little slow when removing my heart and entered a near-death state. That was when I saw the place where the dead go, which made me curious."
Everyone fell silent again.
He truly was unbelievable.
Was this boy even human anymore?
Tsunade reminded him, "All right. We can't stop you once you've decided to do something, so hurry up and try it."
"But be careful. Your life comes first."
"Understood. Guard my body. I'm taking a trip to the afterlife."
Seiryū did not waste any more time.
He began forming hand seals and activated the three techniques one after another.
'Hum.'
As Seiryū performed the techniques, a strange aura suddenly appeared in the area.
It was cold and desolate, making everyone shiver.
Sasuke and Nagato had already activated their Rinnegan.
They observed the surroundings while sensing the strange aura.
In their perception, it was very similar to the aura of the Naraka Path.
The Naraka Path might also have some connection to the Pure Land.
Come to think of it, the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique could revive the dead, and it was performed through the power of the Naraka Path.
It must have some connection to souls and the Pure Land.
Perhaps it was another bridge leading to the Pure Land.
"It really worked!"
Seiryū's soul had already separated from his physical body and appeared in a translucent spiritual form.
Then a small, pitch-black passage opened before him.
With a whoosh, Seiryū's soul slipped into the dark passage and disappeared.
"This really is the passage to the Pure Land."
Seiryū's vision blurred, and the surrounding environment changed.
He now stood within a dim passage.
It was exactly the same chaotic passage he had seen before.
"It's different from last time. There's no strange pulling force."
He looked at his translucent hands.
The special sensation from his previous experience did not appear.
"Is it because I'm still alive?"
Without wasting time, Seiryū walked forward.
Before long, he entered a relatively open area.
He looked around.
The distance was pitch black, seemingly without end.
Nearby, clusters of faint light resembling soul flames floated in the darkness.
Even though Seiryū did not possess a Dōjutsu bloodline, he could still see clearly within a limited area.
"I never expected you to come here in this manner. Your understanding of Ninjutsu is remarkable. At the very least, I would never have imagined using those techniques this way."
A calm voice sounded as someone suddenly appeared nearby.
Even Seiryū had not sensed the slightest disturbance.
It did not seem as though the person had appeared out of nowhere. Instead, it felt as though he had always been there.
The man wore white robes decorated with magatama patterns and sat cross-legged in midair.
Nine Truth-Seeking Balls floated beneath him, while a black staff hovered behind his back.
His aura was concealed, and he looked like an ordinary old man.
However, the purple ringed eyes in his sockets were especially striking, while the red eye-like marking on his forehead carried an unusual presence.
This person was naturally the Sage of Six Paths, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo.
Seeing the Sage of Six Paths, Seiryū subconsciously looked at his eyes before realizing that he had no eyebrows.
He could not help but exclaim in surprise.
"Eh? You really don't have eyebrows? Did you transform into Super Saiyan 3?"
The Sage of Six Paths fell silent.
This boy truly did not behave as expected.
The Sage possessed great self-control and clearly already knew about Seiryū.
He did not treat him as a descendant and instead spoke to him as an equal.
"You should know my name, correct, Uzumaki Seiryū?"
Seiryū replied cheerfully, "You haven't introduced yourself yet. How would I know?"
The Sage of Six Paths fell silent again.
It appeared the others' evaluation of this boy had been correct.
There truly was something wrong with his head.
Wasn't the purpose of coming here to meet him?
Maintaining his composure, the Sage calmly introduced himself.
"I am the Sage of Six Paths who founded Ninshū and passed down Ninjutsu. My name is Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo."
"Hiss! I never expected you to be the Sage of Six Paths from myth and legend. You're different from what I imagined!"
Seiryū pretended to be shocked and drew a deep breath.
"I thought you would look like some terrifying deity. Instead, you actually look like a normal person."
He paused.
"Except for the lack of eyebrows."
The Sage of Six Paths' mouth twitched.
Could he at least pretend more convincingly?
Also, could they stop discussing his eyebrows?
Was not having eyebrows truly that strange?
Refusing to respond to Seiryū's teasing, the Sage maintained a calm tone.
"I have a question."
Seiryū nodded.
"Oh."
"You. Never mind."
The Sage of Six Paths suddenly felt tired.
Should Seiryū not have asked what the question was?
His response made the conversation very awkward.
The Sage decided to speak directly.
"What is your origin? Although the power you use shares certain similarities with Ninjutsu, it is also fundamentally different. I cannot see through you."
Although Hagoromo did not interfere with the changes in the shinobi world, he often observed it.
Naturally, it was impossible for him not to have noticed Seiryū's existence.
There was something unusual about this boy.
He could not see through him.
"So you noticed me long ago?"
"When Indra, no, when Madara came into contact with the Box of Ultimate Bliss, I had already noticed you."
"That long ago? Are you some kind of pervert? Why were you watching me for no reason?"
Seiryū curled his lips before continuing.
"As for my origin, don't you already know? Forget it. At your age, you might be suffering from memory loss, so I'll introduce myself again."
"My name is Seiryū. I'm a member of the Uzumaki Clan, a disciple of Jiraiya of the Sannin, and the future partner of Tsunade, the Fourth Hokage."
"Stop."
The Sage of Six Paths interrupted him directly.
For some reason, speaking with this boy felt exhausting.
He looked at Seiryū and slowly said, "You should know that isn't what I meant."
Seiryū shrugged.
"Then what did you mean? I honestly can't tell. Have you ever heard that being too clever can cause you to overthink things?"
The Sage ignored Seiryū's nonsense and continued asking, "Did you come from beyond the stars? Or perhaps from another timeline?"
"You've even considered that possibility?"
Seiryū smiled but did not explain.
"I'm simply talented enough to accomplish things others can't. That's perfectly normal, isn't it?"
It was natural for the old man to be suspicious.
Although Seiryū's Kidō appeared in the form of Ninjutsu, it was still fundamentally different.
It was a type of power only Seiryū could use.
Even without an existence at the level of the Sage of Six Paths, Tsunade and the others had probably formed their own suspicions.
They simply had not voiced them.
It could be considered a tacit understanding between them.
"Is that so? Then I won't ask any further."
The Sage of Six Paths did not truly intend to investigate the matter.
There was undoubtedly something unusual about Seiryū.
Hagoromo suspected that he might have come from beyond the stars like Kaguya, or perhaps from another timeline.
After all, Indra from another timeline had already appeared.
Anything was possible.
Beyond that, Hagoromo could not imagine another explanation.
However, since Seiryū did not wish to explain, he would not continue asking.
The boy was not a great threat to the shinobi world.
He had formed bonds within it and had contributed to its stability.
Hagoromo's interest in his origin was merely curiosity.
Furthermore, the current shinobi world needed Seiryū.
Hagoromo lacked the strength to fight him and had no desire to become his enemy.
That would not be a wise decision.
The Ōtsutsuki from another timeline and the reincarnation of Indra in this timeline both required Seiryū's intervention.
Even the crises that might threaten the shinobi world in the future could require him to act.
Although Hagoromo still retained some power, it was only a small amount.
It could influence events at critical moments, but it was not enough for direct combat.
After all, he had been dead for many years.
The only reason he could still exist in this world was because of the Pure Land.
Seiryū changed the subject and asked something he was curious about.
"Speaking of which, are you really the son of the Rabbit Goddess, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya? Then who was your father?"
If Seiryū remembered correctly, there had been two different versions of how Kaguya gave birth to her sons.
What was the truth in this world?
Did the Sage of Six Paths have a father?
Although Hagoromo did not understand why Seiryū was asking, it was probably simple curiosity.
This boy was not normal, so the Sage did not mind answering.
"I do not have a biological father."
"My mother was considered a goddess and had no interest in romantic relationships. She gave birth to my brother and me through special means."
"Then do you want a father? Cough, cough."
Seiryū almost said what he was thinking, but fortunately reacted quickly and changed his words.
"I mean, you were certainly very devoted to your mother."
"In order to prevent her from finding you a father, you chose to seal and imprison her?"
The Sage of Six Paths was speechless.
This boy truly had something wrong with him.
Was that why Hagoromo had sealed his mother?
"She once fell into madness and was no longer the Rabbit Goddess she had once been."
The Sage sighed.
"To prevent the destruction of the shinobi world and protect the living, I had no choice but to take such desperate measures. It was not what I wanted."
Seiryū gave him a thumbs-up.
"As expected of you!"
The Sage of Six Paths' expression darkened.
"You mentioned events from another timeline earlier. It seems you already know about Sasuke's situation."
Seiryū felt that he should respect the elderly and care for the young.
He was respecting the elderly now, and perhaps he would care for the young later.
Therefore, he decided to stop teasing Hagoromo.
Seiryū brought up another matter.
"Returning to the subject, your mother still escaped in another timeline. Fortunately, she didn't find you a father."
"But this time, she was sealed by two of her grandsons. What do you think about that?"
"I have been dead for many years and am powerless to prevent such events."
The Sage suppressed the urge to strike Seiryū.
Although the boy's words were technically correct, the way he phrased them sounded extremely irritating.
Hagoromo replied calmly, "You ask what I think, but I do not know. I do not possess the power of prophecy."
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)