The Sage of Six Paths remained silent, seated in the air.
Within those rapidly flickering fragments of the future, the Sage of Six Paths saw far too many scenes that shook him to his core.
He saw the "Shinichi Society," founded in the name of that young boy. Its influence spread like a prairie fire, crossing national borders and breaking through the barriers between shinobi villages through both open and hidden means, reaching every corner of the shinobi world.
Countless people from all walks of life—shinobi, scholars, craftsmen, farmers, and more—were drawn to its ideals. Like moths to a flame, they gathered together, forming a community of thought that transcended nations, factions, identities, and even old hatreds.
In another fleeting fragment of a battlefield, he saw shinobi from different villages and different countries standing shoulder to shoulder.
Among them were many ordinary civilians as well.
He even caught a glimpse of two figures wearing Kage robes and conical hats. Bound together by the ideals of the Shinichi Society, both directed their gaze toward the same destination.
Some of these people had once fought that boy to the death on the battlefield.
Some had once regarded him as a threat that had to be eliminated.
Some had once mocked his ideals with disdain.
Yet within those flashing fragments of the future, their faces all carried an expression that blended passion, faith, and unwavering resolve.
They regarded that boy as their leader.
As their teacher.
They viewed his ideas as the torch that illuminated the road ahead and pointed the way forward.
But...
It was too fierce.
The fire burned far too intensely.
The Sage of Six Paths frowned deeply as profound concern rose within his heart.
By nature, he favored a gentler, gradual approach. In his ideal vision, change should come like spring rain that nourishes all things without fanfare—through measured reform and moral guidance within the existing framework.
When he had spread chakra throughout the world, his hope had been that people would use that power to communicate and cooperate more effectively, not to create division and conflict.
Yet the force and will sweeping through the prophecy were filled with radical fervor—a desire to overturn, rebuild, and completely reject everything that had come before.
That flame could certainly burn away corruption and decay.
But it could just as easily spiral out of control, bringing even greater chaos, hatred, and sacrifice. It might even give birth to new and even more extreme forms of oppression.
It was far removed from the vision he held deep within his heart—a world where people understood one another and lived together in harmony.
It even stirred an instinctive sense of caution and unease within him.
And yet, within those prophetic fragments, the Sage of Six Paths also witnessed scenes that filled him with immense comfort.
Ninjutsu, a power that had so often been reduced to a tool for killing, finally revealed the side it had always been meant to possess.
He saw chakra-powered machines transforming barren deserts into fertile farmland.
He saw intricate ninjutsu arrays purifying polluted rivers and bringing clean water to thirsty towns.
He saw Earth Release used to build magnificent bridges across seemingly impassable chasms and construct smooth roads that connected distant regions.
He saw Fire Release employed in precise smelting and forging operations, creating stronger and more refined tools for both production and daily life.
He saw medical ninjutsu spread like sunlight and rain, reaching the fields and villages, bringing healing to every ordinary person suffering from illness.
Ninjutsu had become a powerful force driving the world's development, advancing civilization, and making human life better and happier.
This was precisely the scene he had most longed to witness when he first spread chakra throughout the world.
And now, amid the blood and fire of the prophecy, that vision was beginning to emerge in a way far beyond anything he had expected.
The sight mixed an indescribably complex sense of anticipation into his worries.
There was, however, one detail that troubled him from beginning to end.
Among those rapidly flashing fragments of the future, filled with countless people, he saw many familiar figures.
He even vaguely caught sight of the reincarnations of his two sons, Asura and Indra. They seemed to be participating in that great transformation sweeping across the shinobi world, each in their own complicated way.
But there was one person he never saw.
The very individual leading that transformation—
Higashino Shinichi himself.
It was as though he had become the ideal itself.
The banner fluttering in the wind.
The blazing flame itself.
His actual figure and actions seemed shrouded in a layer of mist.
Or perhaps they had become impossible to distinguish beneath the overwhelming brilliance of the collective will and the tide of the age.
After pondering it carefully for quite some time, the Sage of Six Paths finally understood.
Prophecy had its limits.
When the subject being observed reached or surpassed a certain threshold of power—or when their influence upon the world line became so immense that they occupied an exceptionally critical position within destiny itself—
And there was another possibility: beings whose very existence exceeded the limits of the world itself.
Just like the clan members from beyond this world whom his mother, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, had feared, their actions, their futures, and even their appearances lay beyond the reach of his prophecies.
After a long silence, the Sage of Six Paths slowly opened his eyes. The mysterious purple light within his Rinnegan shifted and flowed endlessly.
"Enough..."
In the end, the Sage of Six Paths let out a soft sigh.
He decided to keep watching.
For now, he would not intervene directly or attempt to guide events.
He would allow this boy to walk his own path according to his own will and methods.
The possibilities of the future were far too complex. That newly born flame carried both the hope of burning away old afflictions and the madness of reducing everything to ashes.
Interfering rashly might only create even more unpredictable variables.
However, from this day forward, the boy named Higashino Shinichi would officially be placed on his watch list.
He would become the most patient of observers, silently watching this anomaly grow.
He would observe every word and action, examine every path he chose to walk, and evaluate where the flames he ignited would ultimately lead the shinobi world.
Would they guide Ninshū back to its original purpose and usher in a truly peaceful and prosperous new era?
Or...
Would they ultimately evolve into another, even more brutal catastrophe—one carried out in the name of restoration—and drag the shinobi world into an even deeper abyss?
Time would provide the answer.
And he would continue to watch.
...
'It didn't level up?'
After the banquet ended, Shinichi walked alone through Konohagakure's brightly illuminated streets, smiling as he responded one by one to the enthusiastic greetings of villagers and shinobi alike.
'Did the Sage of Six Paths simply not care?'
Shinichi frowned inwardly.
Had the progenitor of ninjas already seen too many ideals and empty promises throughout the ages, dismissing his words as nothing more than a child's fantasy?
If so, there would have been no emotional reaction whatsoever, and naturally no effective cognition could have formed.
'Or...'
Shinichi suddenly recalled his theory regarding the advancement requirements for purple Entries and those of even higher quality.
They required not only deep, powerful qualitative recognition from figures at the very pinnacle, but also broad quantitative recognition—a clear and unified understanding of that trait among a large population.
The Sage of Six Paths' cognition from today's events might have already fulfilled the requirement on the qualitative side, perhaps even exceeded it by a considerable margin.
But in terms of breadth...
Once he worked through that point, the lingering confusion and faint disappointment in his heart immediately vanished.
'Looks like... in the future, I'll really have to dedicate myself completely to accomplishing something truly great for this world.'
Shinobi world, prepare yourselves to welcome your savior.
Shinichi thought to himself.
He quickly set that idea aside. Instead of returning to his residence, he changed direction and headed elsewhere through the night.
Before long, he passed through several quiet streets and, using his special authorization, silently entered an independent research facility under the Konoha Medical Department with an exceptionally high level of security clearance.
At the end of the corridor stood a brightly lit laboratory filled with equipment.
A cold metal operating table sat quietly in the center of the room.
A white sheet covered it, outlining the shape of a human body beneath.
Blue B.
The former Eight-Tails jinchūriki and one of Kumogakure's strongest warriors.
After Shinichi had led his forces back to headquarters, the body had immediately been submitted as an important war trophy and intelligence source.
It had then been transferred to the village's most professional intelligence interrogation and autopsy department, where it underwent the most thorough examination possible in order to extract every piece of information it might contain.
Not long after Shinichi returned to Konohagakure with the army today, the corpse—its intelligence-gathering mission complete—had been secretly transported to this laboratory specially prepared for him.
Studying Blue B's body in an attempt to reverse-engineer, understand, and perhaps even reproduce the secrets of Kumogakure's renowned core inheritance—the Lightning Release Chakra Mode—had long been one of Shinichi's established plans.
From the very beginning, he had never tried to conceal this intention.
On the contrary, he had openly informed Konoha's leadership about it.
With his current status and reputation in Konoha, what was so remarkable about studying the corpse of a top-tier enemy warrior in an effort to obtain power that could strengthen Konoha and counter Kumogakure?
Besides, in the eyes of many people, he had already become the perfect inheritor of the Second Hokage's will, wisdom, and sense of responsibility.
Using an enemy's corpse for research and conducting a few human experiments?
Why, that was practically the orthodox continuation and glorious promotion of the Second Hokage's spirit.
As long as he did not cross the red line of experimenting on Konoha's own people, every form of research appeared entirely justified.
Shinichi walked to the operating table.
His expression remained calm and unchanged as he slowly pulled back the white sheet.
Blue B's face—still carrying traces of unyielding defiance even in death—was exposed beneath the cold laboratory lights.
Although Shinichi had already developed a Fire Release Chakra Mode unique to himself and was continuously refining it, being able to reverse-engineer, understand, and even absorb the core essence of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode would be of enormous benefit to him.
The core of his Fire Release Chakra Mode lay in harnessing the violent, scorching, and highly explosive nature of Fire Release chakra. It focused on instantaneous increases in power, maximizing offensive destructive force, and enhancing control over and resistance to flames and extreme heat.
Kumogakure's Lightning Release Chakra Mode, on the other hand, was built around the stimulating, activating, and rapidly conductive nature of Lightning Release chakra. Its emphasis lay in dramatically enhancing neural reaction speed, explosively increasing movement and attack speed, and strengthening the paralysis and penetration properties of Lightning Release.
Fire Release chakra was not naturally suited for speed.
The reason his current Flame Burst Step was so fast was because it relied on an instantaneous chakra explosion, much like detonating a chakra thruster beneath his feet to generate tremendous burst propulsion.
At its core, it was an explosive movement technique rather than a comprehensive and sustained increase in physical speed. Nor did it provide any enhancement to neural reaction speed.
"Then..."
As Shinichi gazed at the corpse before him, countless glass-like lights shimmered deep within his eyes.
Flash Step and Clear Insight combined, transforming into a level of perception beyond mortal limits.
Like the most sophisticated scanner imaginable, his gaze repeatedly swept over Blue B's body from head to toe.
"Let me see..."
"Where exactly are the secrets of Lightning Release Body Techniques hidden within this body of yours?"
...
One week later.
Training Ground Four, Konohagakure.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A rapid series of crisp metallic impacts exploded through the air like a raging storm.
Every collision sent sparks flying as two figures crossed paths at high speed, separated, and charged at each other once more, stirring fierce gusts of wind across the training ground.
The silver-haired boy moved with incredible agility and speed.
The short blade in his hand traced one dangerous arc of cold light after another, every strike viciously precise and swift as a shooting star.
The black-haired boy, meanwhile, stood as steady as a mountain.
Faced with the relentless assault, he either dodged or blocked, every movement carrying an effortless sense of composure.
CLANG!!!
A deafening impact far louder than any before suddenly erupted.
The silver-haired boy let out a muffled grunt as his body was sent flying backward uncontrollably.
It was Hatake Kakashi.
While still airborne, Kakashi's eyes sharpened.
He thrust his short blade into the ground with a backhand motion. Using the recoil, he forcibly twisted his body, dispersing most of the impact.
At the same time, his left hand formed a series of hand seals before his chest so quickly they became little more than afterimages.
Blinding lightning gathered frantically at his fingertips.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Countless lightning senbon formed from highly compressed Lightning Release chakra shot toward the black-haired boy in the distance like a torrential downpour.
There were simply too many of them.
Their coverage was so extensive that nearly every possible avenue of evasion had been sealed off.
Chidori Senbon.
This was a mid-range, large-area, high-density Lightning Release attack Kakashi had developed from Chidori.
Its purpose was to restrict movement and overwhelm opponents through sheer volume, making it an extremely troublesome technique to deal with.
Yet faced with this swift and deadly barrage of Lightning Release attacks, Shinichi remained completely calm.
He did not dodge.
Nor did he raise any guard.
He simply stood there quietly.
Crackle!
In the next instant, a dazzling blue-white burst of lightning exploded from the surface of his body.
Countless arcs of electricity danced like silver serpents, weaving and leaping around him.
Within moments, they formed a faint yet unmistakable suit of blue-white lightning armor that radiated powerful energy fluctuations.
The incoming Chidori Senbon struck the lightning armor like raindrops hitting resilient rubber.
Small sizzling explosions echoed continuously.
They created only faint ripples and tiny dents across the blue-white electric lattice, utterly incapable of penetrating the seemingly thin layer of energy protection.
The minor damage was immediately filled and repaired by even greater surges of lightning energy.
When the storm of lightning finally subsided, Shinichi remained standing exactly where he had been.
Completely unharmed.
The blue-white Lightning Armor surrounding him flickered faintly before gradually drawing inward and fading away, as though it had never existed at all.
"Lightning Release Chakra Mode?!"
Breathing heavily, Kakashi stared at the scene before him and spoke in disbelief.
Hearing that, Shinichi merely shook his head calmly.
"No, Kakashi."
"This is only Lightning Armor."
"It's still far from being a true Lightning Release Chakra Mode."