Hamura paused for a mont, then smiled faintly. "My elder brother was right—you really are very direct."
"Yes," Naruto replied calmly. "Because I value my ti."
As he looked at the youthful Hamura, Naruto couldn't help but think of Obito at the very end of the original story.
After receiving the power of the Six Paths, Obito had t Rin in the Pure Land in the form of his genin self. Later, he beca a sort of "budget Sage of Six Paths," giving Kakashi a temporary divine boost, their appearances shifting back and forth between adulthood and their genin days.
If even a soul could freely change its form like that, then the Pure Land really was an interesting place.
Hamura studied Naruto's lukewarm response and spoke again. "I'm not here to stop you, nor do I bear you any hostility. I only wish to understand one thing. Why is it that, unlike the others connected to you, you didn't sever the chakra anchor I left behind in the Hyūga clan?"
"That's all you want to know?" Naruto laughed softly. "I can answer that—but before I do, I need to ask you sothing."
Hamura inclined his head slightly. "Go ahead."
Naruto's expression remained flat. "From now on, will the shinobi world be unable to summon the souls of the dead?"
Hamura's lips moved. "Yes."
Naruto's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Not even with Rinne Tensei?"
Hamura nodded firmly. "No. Unless the one using Rinne Tensei possesses power that surpasses both my brother and ."
Naruto sighed in mock regret. "And you don't feel even a little bad about making your own brother grieve? He spent thousands of years scheming just to resurrect your mother."
"With that level of devotion… don't you two older brothers feel anything at all?"
Hamura's expression didn't change, his tone still gentle. "Young man, I've already answered two of your questions. It's your turn to resolve my doubt."
"Fair enough."
Naruto appeared thoughtful for a mont before answering. "It's simple. I didn't think it was necessary. In the end, I'll completely sever the connection between the shinobi world and the Pure Land anyway. It's only a matter of ti—there's no personal reason behind it."
"And besides," he added calmly, "you and the Sage of Six Paths have already lost any chance of returning to the shinobi world. I want you to watch how it slips entirely out of your control."
"Heh… so that's how it is."
Hamura laughed aloud as his body gradually began to turn transparent.
"Ancestor!" Toneri cried out, hope flashing in his eyes.
But from the mont Hamura appeared, he had spared Toneri only a single glance. In less than two breaths, Hamura dissolved completely into the air and vanished.
Data analysis complete.
Chakra Conversion Module upgrading…
Consciousness Extension Module upgrading…
Analyzed Target: Void-Type Entity — Ōtsutsuki Hamura.
Status: Ascended to Top-Tier Lifeform. Possesses fully energy-based consciousness.
Authority Update: Uzumaki Naruto — Level 9 World Authority.
Current data completion: 25%. Please continue data acquisition.
Sustainable top-tier foreign energy detected. Imdiate absorption recomnded.
Sustainable top-tier foreign energy detected. Imdiate absorption recomnded.
Naruto muted the alerts and shifted his consciousness into the Mirror World.
Opening Hamura's status panel, he found it split cleanly down the middle. On the left was the image of a white-furred rabbit perched in the crown of a massive tree. On the right was Hamura's youthful Ōtsutsuki form.
Scrolling further, Naruto finally understood why Hamura was labeled a Void-Type Entity.
He hadn't been human to begin with—just a being that happened to possess a human form.
"Then why not just label him as an alien?" Naruto muttered. "And if he isn't human, how did he leave a bloodline behind on Earth?"
As he continued browsing, he discovered even deeper secrets concerning the Ōtsutsuki clan. After so thought, Naruto split off a thread of consciousness and exited the Mirror World.
Back in reality, Naruto ca to himself and lightly patted the Giant Tenseigan.
Though it contained sustainable energy, it couldn't be absorbed yet. Toneri's bloodline needed to resonate with the Tenseigan's chakra before the awakening could be completed.
In the original story, the reason Toneri's Tenseigan eventually degraded back into a Byakugan was likely because the Giant Tenseigan had been destroyed before the process fully finished.
Naruto shifted his gaze and noticed Toneri still standing there, staring blankly at the spot where Hamura had vanished—his eyes filled with resentnt and despair.
"That look…" Naruto clicked his tongue. "Sasuke would definitely relate."
Turning away, Naruto leapt onto a corridor. Toneri followed, his eyes still burning with unwillingness, and the two soon left the area.
Night fell.
The artificial sun overhead had transford into a moon. Naruto reclined on a cloud atop a verdant mountain peak. Below, on the grass, a massive crimson fox lay sprawled out, nine tails coiled together, narrow eyes half-lidded in lazy contentnt.
Inside the Mirror World, Naruto had just finished a battle against a data construct of Ōtsutsuki Hamura.
After instructing Toneri to begin evolving the Tenseigan, Naruto had explored Hamura's mories. Strangely, they contained only scenes of Hamura and the Sage of Six Paths growing up together and eventually leaving the shinobi world.
Through those mories, Naruto confird one of his suspicions regarding the connection between the Sage of Six Paths and the tailed beasts. Unfortunately, there were no images of the Pure Land at all.
After that, he had repeatedly fought Hamura's data avatar. The rewards were mostly high-level yin–yang-based sealing techniques developed by the Six Paths brothers.
Opening the interface again, Naruto prepared to start another battle—
when suddenly, Kurama and Shukaku appeared behind him.
"What are you doing here?"
The two tailed beasts froze for a split second, then spoke in unison.
"Why can't I be here?" Naruto laughed. "Actually, there's sothing I wanted to show you. During the day you were all busy finding places you liked—now you should have ti."
As he spoke, Naruto contacted the others. In monts, the remaining five tailed beasts appeared as well.
"Take a look."
Naruto opened a panel and fast-forwarded to the scene where the Sage of Six Paths and Hamura discussed how to deal with the Ten-Tails' chakra. He expanded the image and projected it into the air.
The tailed beasts focused intently. Before long, expressions of shock and uncertainty appeared on their faces.
Aside from Indra and Asura, the Sage of Six Paths had distributed the other half of his power among the nine tailed beasts themselves.
Two days later.
"Where is he?"
Inside the laboratory, Sasuke asked coldly, looking at Orochimaru, who was busy working.
"Do you need sothing, Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru replied without turning around.
Sasuke frowned slightly. "I need the technology to clone the Mangekyō Sharingan. Since he's not here, asking you amounts to the sa thing."
Because his eyes permanently ignored anything they failed to copy, Sasuke had decided to pursue more advanced cloning techniques. If he could clone his own Mangekyō Sharingan, the clone would be a brand-new pair of eyes—giving him a second chance at copying abilities.
"Hehe… I'm afraid you'll be disappointed," Orochimaru said. "Naruto-kun hasn't authorized to share that technology with you."
With that, Orochimaru stood up, handed a docunt to another researcher, gave a few quiet instructions, and made it clear he had no intention of continuing the conversation.
Sasuke's expression darkened. He snorted softly and left the lab.
Monts later, he exited the base and used Light-Weight Rock Technique, flying toward Mount Myōboku.
Upon landing, Sasuke realized the barrier that usually enveloped the mountain was gone. Puzzled, he made his way to the plaza where the tailed beasts had once been—
only to find them gone as well.
In their place stood rows of towering steel buildings. A bustling city filled the plaza, with countless ninja in chakra-powered armor using ninjutsu to transport materials in an orderly fashion. Many of them were using Magnet Release.
One red-haired youth directing the work looked strangely familiar.
"What's going on here?"
Sasuke was completely lost. Just as he was about to grab soone to ask—
he vanished.
"Huh? Where'd he go?"
Karin reached out and grabbed nothing. She imdiately spun around, eyes lighting up. "Sasuke-kun!"
"Where's Naruto?" Sasuke asked, a hint of helplessness in his tone.
Ever since he'd run into this girl nad Karin in the lab, she had been relentlessly sticking to him. Several tis she had even gone to the Uchiha district under the pretense of "discussing ninjutsu." What was worse—his parents actually liked her.
"Ah I don't know," Karin said. "But Aunt Kushina and Uncle Minato should! I'll use the Mind Transmission Technique to ask right now"
She imdiately closed her eyes and ford hand seals.
Sasuke felt a twinge of unease and was about to stop her—
when several familiar faces approached.
"Good afternoon, Clan Head Uchiha."
"Are you looking for Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun?"
Hyūga Hiashi's wife greeted him, accompanied by Hinata and Hanabi. Hanabi didn't speak, just stared at Sasuke with wide eyes, a faint blush creeping onto her face.
"Good afternoon, Madam," Sasuke replied politely, though the different ways the mother and daughters greeted him made him slightly uncomfortable.
He then turned to Hinata. "Hinata, do you know where Naruto is?"
"Y-yes!"
Hinata's face flushed bright red. Staring at the ground, she spoke at lightning speed. "Naruto-kun ca to our house the morning before last to see Father, and during lunch he asked whether we wanted to—"
"I found out! Sasuke-kun!" Karin suddenly shouted. "Naruto went to the moon!"
Sasuke froze.
He already knew the Sage of Six Paths' history—and that his younger brother had once gone to the moon.
"Did Naruto really go to the moon…?"
Seeing Hinata nod as well, Sasuke unconsciously looked up at the sky.
After snapping back to himself, he asked Karin, "Where is Senior Minato right now?"
Karin's eyes sparkled. "You want to see Uncle Minato, Sasuke-kun? I'll take you there!"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "That won't be necessary. Just tell —"
Before he could finish, Karin had already flown into the air, waving enthusiastically. She was using Light-Weight Rock Technique too.
Sasuke sighed. After thanking Madam Hyūga and Hinata, he leapt up and followed.
"Mom, Sis—Sasuke-kun is so cool!" Hanabi exclaid, watching his figure fade into the sky.
"Yes," Hiashi's wife said gently. "Sasuke is a good boy."
She then took Hinata's hand and smiled. "Hinata, how did you know Sasuke was here to look for Naruto?"
"Uh—"
The blush that had just faded instantly returned.
"Heehee! Of course Big Sister knows," Hanabi snickered.
"Such a little troublemaker," their mother said fondly, ruffling Hanabi's hair. "Your sister helps you train every day, and today she even took you to get Lady Koyuki's autograph. And you still tease her."
"Hahaha~ I wasn't lying!"
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