With his eyes closed, Naruto's Chakra connected to Sasuke through space. Luckily, Mount Myōboku and Ryuuchi Cave weren't too far apart, or the two might not have been able to connect at all.
Deep inside, in that place like the tailed beasts' inner world, Naruto looked strangely at Sasuke: "Are you sure about this? I don't feel very confident about it."
"There are plenty of unreliable things, one more won't hurt." Sasuke took out Madara's Rinnegan eye and held it out in front of Naruto. "Do it or not?"
Naruto gritted his teeth. "Do it!"
He reached out and placed his hand on Sasuke's hand. His share of the Six Paths power slowly appeared, and emerald green Chakra gathered above the Rinnegan.
Seeing this, Sasuke also smiled. With Naruto's action, his share of the Six Paths power began to gather, and purple Chakra intertwined with emerald green, turning into a strange light that flashed across the entire inner world.
What they were doing now was simple. The Six Paths power, plus Indra and Ashura's Chakra, plus Uchiha Madara's Rinnegan, would awaken the Sage of Six Paths' consciousness left in this world.
Yes, they were waking up the Sage of Six Paths!
The reason was simple: for the victory of this great war!
The purple and emerald green light gradually merged, and the Rinnegan floated from Sasuke's palm, merging into a white Chakra that rose.
The white Chakra was like boiling water, tumbling and surging in the sky, finally turning into a figure hovering in the sky.
Seeing this familiar face, Naruto couldn't help but get excited: "Grandpa Six Paths..."
It was a very old man with white hair and a silver beard, his eyes closed, his face with a strange majesty. He hovered in front, holding a Shakujo staff of Truth-Seeking Balls in his hand, and nine black Truth-Seeking Balls floated behind him.
Even though he had died, even though his Chakra was almost exhausted, Hagoromo still gave people a feeling of unmatched terror.
Even Naruto and Sasuke felt a pressure from that majestic aura.
But as Hagoromo opened his eyes, that pressure suddenly disappeared without a trace.
Looking at the two in front of him, the seriousness on Hagoromo's face suddenly disappeared, turning into the kindness of an ordinary old man. In those somewhat dim Rinnegan eyes, the figures of Naruto and Sasuke were reflected.
He spoke softly, his voice gentle: "Long time no see, Naruto, Sasuke."
"Long time no see, Grandpa Six Paths." Sasuke replied with a smile.
Hagoromo touched his chin, then chuckled: "No, it should only have been a short time for you, right?"
Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Not really, come to think of it, it's been a long time."
Hagoromo shook his head with a smile. "Okay, in Kurama's words, let's skip these meaningless filler words and get straight to the point."
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a look, and the expressions on their faces became serious at the same time.
Sasuke spoke first: "We need your help."
"I roughly know." Hagoromo nodded, his gaze also slightly serious. "But Sasuke, are you really sure about this? I can't see the future after my mother is revived, so whether you'll have one more enemy or one more helper is unknown to me."
Sasuke was silent for a moment. "I believe Great-Grandfather Hashirama."
Hearing this answer, Hagoromo smiled.
He nodded to Sasuke. "I understand."
"Then, leave the rest to me, and you two, lift the already activated Infinite Tsukuyomi as soon as possible, then head to the battlefield. Mother... I'll leave her to you." After saying that, he looked at the two with a serious expression.
"Of course!" Naruto raised his fist, smiling confidently. "This is what we promised you we would do!"
"Also, the ninja world still needs us to save it!" Naruto looked at Sasuke. "Right, Sasuke?"
"Hmph..." Sasuke snorted softly. Although he didn't answer directly, the curve of his lips still revealed what he was thinking.
"Where is this?" Hashirama looked at the darkness in front of him with shock, not understanding for a moment.
In the dark space, the water flowed over his ankles, and the sky was a not-so-bright sun.
No, this was weird, since any space with a sun wouldn't be this dark.
"This is my inner world, a world outside of common sense." As Madara frowned vigilantly, Hagoromo's voice came from behind him.
Madara subconsciously turned his head to look, his eyes narrowing slightly, his tone carrying a hint of surprise: "Sage of Six Paths?"
"It's me." Hagoromo nodded slightly to Madara.
Hashirama looked at Hagoromo with shock, his simple face revealing confusion: "Did I die again? Why would I see the legendary Sage of Six Paths?"
"Hey? Why did I say "again"?
Hagoromo looked deeply at Hashirama: "Your appearance always reminds me of my sons, Ashura/Indra. You and he are very similar."
"Uh..." Hashirama scratched the back of his head, his face strange. "Are you teasing me?"
Hagoromo: "..."
What was I going to say?
Almost unable to resist rolling his eyes, Hagoromo looked helplessly at the person in front of him: "You should spend less time with Kurama."
One corner of Madara's mouth lifted, his arms crossed as he looked at Hagoromo: "What that pet said was quite interesting."
"Pet?" Hagoromo was speechless. "Kurama would be angry if he heard you say that."
"Who cares." Madara chuckled.
Hagoromo... he looked at the person in front of him, watching in silence.
After what seemed like a long time, he suddenly showed a smiling face: "You've changed."
Hashirama's smile paused, then he smiled again: "Because I've seen a lot, understood a lot, and reconciled with my best friend. Things like that always bring about some changes."
"Have you become better?" Hagoromo asked.
Hashirama was stunned for a moment: "Are you asking me?"
"Yes." Hagoromo nodded with a smile. "Do you think your current changes are good or bad?"
Madara crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and stood in place, seeming to be thinking.
He thought for a long time, but Hagoromo wasn't in a hurry, and just looked at him with a kind smile.
After a long while, Madara suddenly opened his eyes, the trademark arc once again hanging on his lips: "Not bad."
"Not bad?" Hagoromo was also stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing, "Hahahaha... not bad, indeed not bad."
With Hagoromo's laughing face reflected in his eyes, Madara asked: "So, you're looking for me just for this?"
"Of course not." Hagoromo shook his head, his face full of smiles. "What I want to ask is another question, I was just suddenly a little curious."
"What question?" Hashirama was also a little curious.
Hagoromo raised his head and looked at the dark sky. Madara followed his gaze and saw a white crescent moon.
The next moment, Hagoromo lowered his head, his gaze looking deeply into the eyes of the person in front of him: "My question is, if you obtained even more powerful power, what would you do?"
More powerful power?.
The smiles on Madara and Hashirama's faces disappeared, and the two fell silent at the same time.
Hagoromo was a little strange: "Is this question difficult?"
Hashirama shook his head: "It's simple... but..."
"I don't understand." Madara replied. "Or rather, it's meaningless."
Hashirama scratched the back of his head: "No matter how strong the power is, it's just power. What you do depends on your own thoughts, not on the power."
"Being able to do things because the power is strong... that's just an excuse for the weak. What you do, what you can do, what you should do, has nothing to do with how strong the power is." Madara tilted his head to look at Hagoromo.
Hashirama shrugged: "So whether I have more powerful power or not, what I do won't change."
Light appeared in his eyes.
Hashirama: "Protect the people behind me, and keep moving forward."
Madara: "Keep moving forward, and protect the people behind me."
Similar... but completely different answers...
Hagoromo stared blankly at the people in front of him. They were completely different from Ashura and Indra, and had no similarities with Naruto and Sasuke, only the radiance in their eyes was the same.
Ashura, Hashirama, and Naruto's persistence.
Indra, Madara, and Sasuke's pride.
Hagoromo revealed a look of relief: "You are not them, you are Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, you are the people who calmed the troubled times, you are the people who changed this world."
After saying that, Hagoromo took a deep breath, his gaze sincere: "This power, in the original 'story,' belongs to Naruto and Sasuke, but now I want to give this power to you, to let you... do what you will do, what you should do, and what you want to do."
I made a mistake once, entrusting my power to someone I thought was more suitable, wanting him to use this power to change the ninja world.
But I don't even know that what changes the ninja world isn't power, but the heart. What you want to do is what you wanted to do from the beginning, not what you want to do after you get the power.
It has nothing to do with the strength of the power...
"Extend your hands, and accept this power." Hagoromo reached out his hands, the power of the sun and moon residing in his hands.
I have never regretted my choice, and this time, I still won't regret it.
Naruto... Sasuke... the future is left to you.
Hashirama extended his hand blankly, and touched Hagoromo's hand. That powerful power passed through his arm and turned into a seed in his body.
Madara clenched his fist: "Hmm... not as good as Kaguya."
"After all, I'm just one of my mother's separated Chakras." Hagoromo smiled. "Finally, I have a word for you."
Hashirama said with respect: "Please speak."
"Senju Hashirama, entrust responsibility to future generations. Don't blindly try to shoulder everything yourself. Peace is not one person's peace. Sometimes going through hardships together is more important than facing them alone!"
"Uchiha Madara, wait for the people behind you as you move forward. If the road is without thorns and they can't see the figure in front, then perhaps they will stop without you knowing."
Hagoromo's figure slowly disappeared: "The past is the past, the present is the present, and the future has not yet arrived."
Even as he disappeared, his face still had that loving smile.
Hashirama took a deep breath, his face solemn: "Thank you..."
"Hmph..." Madara huffed softly, but there was no coldness in that sound.
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