Chapter 157 The Sage of Six Paths"So… you're the real Sage of Six Paths?"
"…Yes."
Hagoromo nodded calmly.
The two stared at each other for several long seconds.
Only then did chinatsu awkwardly withdraw the hand that had been stroking his beard before letting out an embarrassed cough.
"If you're the real one, you should've said so sooner! Why were you sitting there with your eyes closed like some fake old man?" chinatsu complained, turning her head away with both hands behind her back and puffing out her cheeks.
Hagoromo smiled helplessly.
"Because I'm merely a remnant of my original chakra and consciousness."
"My consciousness needed time to awaken."
"It's no different from a computer needing time to boot up before it can be used."
Computer?
Boot up?
Holy crap!
Sage of Six Paths…
Have you been possessed by a transmigrator?
chinatsu's eyes widened.
For a brief moment, she genuinely suspected that the Hagoromo before her had been replaced by another transmigrator.
After all, Naruto fanfictions contained every bizarre setting imaginable.
Someone transmigrating into the Sage of Six Paths wasn't even particularly outrageous anymore.
Seeing the strange expression on chinatsu's face, Hagoromo waved his hand with a helpless smile.
Although he couldn't read her thoughts, he could roughly guess what she was wondering.
She was probably curious about two things.
Why had she appeared here…
And why did he know modern words like computer?
What Hagoromo was about to explain would finally answer the mystery that had followed chinatsu ever since her transmigration.
The pure-blooded Ōtsutsuki Clan possessed extraordinarily long lifespans and could even transcend ordinary death through abilities such as Karma.
However, Hagoromo himself was only half-Ōtsutsuki.
Although his lifespan far exceeded that of ordinary humans, he still eventually reached the end of his life.
After his death, his immense chakra and powerful soul remained within the Pure Land, allowing a fragment of his consciousness to continue existing even after thousands of years.
Until one day…
A completely unfamiliar soul drifted into the Naruto world from beyond the boundaries of space and time.
Curious, Hagoromo approached to examine it.
The instant the two came into contact…
Something unexpected happened.
A portion of Hagoromo's chakra and spiritual power was naturally drawn into that wandering soul, merging together without either of them intending it.
Even Hagoromo himself had never witnessed such a phenomenon before.
Then…
On the night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre, the young Uchiha chinatsu lost her life after receiving a fatal wound during the chaos.
Guided by the lingering resentment within the body and the resonance of the Uchiha bloodline…
That wandering soul entered the empty body.
From that moment onward…
The chinatsu who awakened was no longer the original owner.
"…Perhaps I remained in the Pure Land for too many centuries."
"Perhaps your soul simply doesn't belong to this world."
"Or perhaps it was fate."
"I still don't know the exact reason."
"But the result wasn't a bad one."
Hagoromo looked at chinatsu with a gentle smile.
"At the very least…"
"You chose to protect this world instead of destroying it."
chinatsu rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"So that's how it happened…"
"So my cheat wasn't given to me by some mysterious system…"
"It was actually because part of your chakra fused with my soul?"
Hagoromo nodded.
"That's the simplest explanation."
chinatsu remained silent for several seconds.
Then her expression suddenly changed.
"…Wait."
"My cheat wasn't issued by the Transmigrator Association?"
"That's unacceptable!"
"The value of my starter package just dropped!"
"How am I supposed to fight those ridiculous Ōtsutsuki aliens now?!"
She immediately grabbed both sides of her head in despair.
Watching her exaggerated reaction, Hagoromo couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Although he was only a remnant of his former self, he understood the current state of the shinobi world far better than anyone else.
He also knew…
That the catastrophe awaiting chinatsu had only just begun.
I'm happy to help edit your original work.
He raised one finger and spoke earnestly.
"I have a plan. It may not succeed, but you should hear it. If the worst-case scenario truly comes to pass, this method might resolve the current crisis… although the chances of failure are still very high."
"Don't start talking about failure rates before telling me the plan! Hurry up and get to the important part, Brother Six Paths Zhuge!"
chinatsu hurriedly urged the Sage of Six Paths onward. In stories like this, the most important information was always interrupted at the last possible moment.
Just say it already stop building suspense!
The Sage of Six Paths didn't waste any more time. He was only a remnant of chakra and soul. Maintaining this conversation within chinatsu's spiritual world already consumed a tremendous amount of energy. Every second was precious.
"I possess a technique…" Hagoromo said solemnly. "If that situation truly occurs, use this technique. I cannot guarantee success, but it can serve as your final trump card."
"So it really is a last resort…"
The conversation continued without interruption. Time flowed differently inside the spiritual world, allowing the two to discuss every detail carefully. Even after explaining everything, the surrounding spiritual space remained surprisingly stable.
chinatsu narrowed her eyes.
"Are you really just a remnant soul?"
Hagoromo smiled faintly.
"I am… only a little more resilient than ordinary remnants. After all, I was once the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki and inherited the power of the Rinne Sharingan. Remaining in this world for a little longer isn't impossible."
After completely understanding Hagoromo's final contingency plan, chinatsu finally let out a long sigh.
It was an extremely dangerous method.
Unless absolutely necessary, she never wanted to use it.
…
The next morning.
5:00 a.m.
Inside the Uchiha residence, chinatsu suddenly opened her eyes.
She sat upright on the bed, one hand pressed against her forehead as she silently replayed everything that had happened during the night.
Was that merely a dream…
Or had she truly spoken with Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki inside her spiritual world?
After confirming that every memory remained perfectly clear, chinatsu slowly exhaled.
"It was real…"
The pressure weighing on her shoulders instantly became much heavier.
"I'll stick to my original plan. Honestly, learning the Eight Gates is far safer than relying on that method. If Might Guy could nearly kill Ten-Tails Jinchūriki Madara with the Eighth Gate, then using it against Momoshiki and Kinshiki isn't impossible."
She stretched her body, took a deep breath, and quickly left the Uchiha compound.
Her destination was obvious.
Might Guy.
Finding Guy was never difficult.
Every single morning, he would complete his "Youthful Morning Training" by circling Konoha dozens of times. Sometimes he ran normally, sometimes on his hands, and occasionally balanced on a single hand while sprinting around the village.
Following the familiar route, chinatsu soon spotted Guy racing around Konoha with incredible speed.
The moment he noticed her, Guy immediately stopped, performed a flawless forward flip, landed steadily, and flashed his signature dazzling smile.
"Isn't this chinatsu? What brings you here so early? Is there something I can help you with?"
He pointed a thumbs-up toward himself, his teeth sparkling brilliantly in the morning sunlight.
"I want to learn the Eight Gates Technique."
"Can you teach me?"
"The Eight Gates?" Guy's eyes widened for only a brief moment before he burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahaha! Of course! No problem at all!"
"So… when do we begin?"
"Right now?"
Guy agreed almost immediately.
If anyone else had made such a request, he would first question whether they truly possessed the determination to endure the brutal training required for the Eight Gates.
But this was chinatsu.
There was no need to question her resolve.
Guy still vividly remembered the day chinatsu unleashed the Sage Art: World Nuclear Peace Technique outside the Forest of Death. Standing far away, he had personally witnessed the blinding flash that illuminated the heavens and the enormous mushroom cloud that followed.
When he later learned that such a terrifying forbidden ninjutsu had been created entirely by chinatsu herself, Guy had been deeply moved.
To him, that wasn't merely talent.
It was the embodiment of youth, effort, perseverance, and countless days and nights of relentless training.
A seventeen-year-old girl had developed a technique capable of shaking the entire ninja world.
How much sweat…
How many injuries…
How many sleepless nights had she endured to reach that level?
Under the blazing light of that nuclear explosion, Guy believed he had seen the very spirit of youth burning brighter than the sun itself.
Looking at chinatsu now, his entire body seemed to radiate that same youthful aura.
Noticing Guy's strangely emotional expression, chinatsu coughed awkwardly before lowering her head for a moment.
When she looked back up, her eyes had become completely serious.
"Time is running out."
"I need to begin training in the Eight Gates immediately."
"Please teach me."
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