"The Sage of Six Paths... Otsutsuki Shibai?"
Tsunade turned and stared blankly at Yamanaka Shinno, pointing toward the spot where the World Gate had just vanished.
"Yeah," Shinno nodded slightly. "He transcended dimensions, just like before—headed to a higher-level world."
"You said before... your power is on par with the Sage of Six Paths..."
There was a flicker of something in Tsunade's eyes—quickly buried again.
Transcending dimensions.
For anyone who seeks great power, those words carry an irresistible allure.
Just look at the Third Raikage A, Ōnoki, and Uchiha Izuna. The three of them were so overwhelmed with excitement that they were practically speechless. The Sage of Six Paths had transcended right before their eyes—that alone was enough to shatter their perception of reality.
Shinno had said before that his strength rivaled the Sage of Six Paths.
So then, one day in the future...
Would he leave the same way?
"Let me tell you all a story."
Shinno looked at the gazes from Tsunade and Uchiha Hikari. After gently ruffling Hikari's hair, he wrapped an arm around Tsunade's waist and pulled her into his embrace.
Tsunade gave a slight struggle.
But realizing how unusually strong his grip was this time, a faint blush crept up her cheeks.
She gave up and turned her head away, listening quietly to this bastard's story.
Shinno's story wasn't complicated.
It was about a genius who surpassed everyone—one who severed all emotions and desires, endured a thousand years of harsh training, focusing solely on gaining strength. After countless trials and miraculous encounters, he finally "transcended dimensions" and arrived in a higher realm.
Proud and arrogant, convinced he was one of a kind, this genius only realized how small he truly was when he arrived at the "Higher-Dimensional Administrative Bureau."
There, he found that the higher world governed countless lower dimensions.
And geniuses like him? There were millions.
To even qualify as the lowest-ranked soldier and earn the most basic cultivation resources, he had to pass the test of just one of the Eighty-Four Thousand Starfiend Guardians.
Each of these Starfiends was so strong he couldn't even begin to fathom their power.
And above those Starfiends?
There were land gods, mountain spirits, city wardens, lake gods, water deities, the 108 Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiends, the 60 Celestial Stems and Earthly Branches, the 36 Heavenly Generals, the 28 Star Lords, and even the Nine Celestial Sovereigns...
...
"So what you're saying is... you're going to wait until your foundation exceeds that of a low-tier soldier before you transcend?" Tsunade furrowed her brows and looked at Shinno.
"No, no. What I'm saying is—spending a thousand years clawing your way up, only to keep clawing once you get there? That's just cruel!"
As soon as he said that, Tsunade socked him in the chest.
"Can't your brain ever focus on something serious?!"
"Hahaha~"
"Stop laughing!"
Tsunade pounded his chest repeatedly in exasperation, but deep down, a warmth blossomed in her heart.
This bastard always spouted nonsense... but hidden beneath the jokes, he was clearly saying—
Even if he does transcend dimensions, he's taking her with him.
Uchiha Hikari beamed with joy after hearing the story too.
Shinno had promised—wherever he went, she'd be going too!
No problem at all!
...
Of course, just like there are a thousand Hamlets in the eyes of a thousand readers, the others took something very different from Shinno's tale.
The Third Raikage A, Ōnoki, and Uchiha Izuna had all once been hailed as rare prodigies in their own clans and villages.
But let's be real.
Compared to a once-in-a-millennium genius like Yamanaka Shinno, they were like candlelight against the sun—utterly insignificant.
The gap between them and Shinno was even greater than the gap between them and ordinary people.
And if even Shinno likened himself to a mere foot soldier...
Then what the hell were they?
Ōnoki let out a bitter chuckle and glanced at the Third Raikage, who wore the same rueful expression.
They weren't young anymore.
They knew better than anyone what kind of potential they still had left.
Transcending dimensions? That was dream-fodder—utter fantasy. Saying it out loud would just invite mockery.
As for Uchiha Izuna...
"Tch. I knew it. This sort of thing... I gotta rely on big bro."
Just like how, after his resurrection, his brother had helped him evolve his Sharingan—
If his brother ever gained the power to transcend, he'd surely bring him along too.
Yup.
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense!
...
While goofing around with Tsunade, Shinno's gaze swept across the sky where the World Gate had once hovered.
Then his eyes dropped to the two golden traits still inactive in his system interface.
There was something he needed to confirm—urgently.
"Wait here. I'm heading to the Pure Land to check out the Sage of Six Paths' stash."
Everyone looked a bit puzzled—why now, when Otsutsuki Kaguya hadn't been fully dealt with?
But they nodded anyway, not pressing the issue.
Shinno closed his eyes and used the spatial awareness granted by [Multiversal Traveler] to locate the Pure Land.
Then, using the spatial marking and transfer technique he learned from Otsutsuki Isshiki, he locked onto the Pure Land's coordinates.
A gate opened in front of him, emanating the putrid stillness unique to the Pure Land.
He stepped through it.
As spiritual energy coursed through his body, a faint aura of light bloomed around him, shielding him from the corroding power of the Pure Land.
He locked onto a deeper section of the realm.
With a single step, he entered a space saturated with the energies of yin, yang, and the cycle of reincarnation.
...
Beneath his feet, the dense Six Paths chakra had thickened into a shimmering liquid, spreading out like rippling water.
"This chakra... that old geezer definitely whitewashed himself!"
Shinno rolled his eyes at the unfathomable depth of the chakra lake.
Where'd this chakra come from, if he'd already let go of his mortal shell?
He didn't even need to think about it.
After the failure of his "Ninja Sect" plan, the Sage of Six Paths must've gone through a crazy phase after entering the Pure Land—siphoning chakra from the souls that arrived there.
Eventually, he must've found a better path and stopped.
Well, maybe not completely stopped. He probably just took a little from each soul—kept it as a backup plan.
Otherwise, why had the Pure Land never started running properly?
Shinno shook off the thoughts and looked toward a corner of the space, where an ancient building stood.
His eyes glowed with the power of the Byakugan.
He locked onto something inside—a head, sealed under layers upon layers of complex jutsu.
Otsutsuki Shibai's head.
"So strong..."
Just one look was enough for Shinno to make a judgment.
Even with the immense physical power granted by [Celestial Spirit Lord], Shibai's body was on an entirely different level.
His body and soul were nearly equal in strength.
And with Shinno's soul currently reinforced by numerous traits, he was only about equal to the Sage of Six Paths when he first appeared—not quite as dense or accumulated in power.
If physical and spiritual strength had to be "ascended" together...
Then with this kind of physical might, Shibai should've transcended with his body long ago.
So...
Does that mean "proving the Dao with strength alone" is just damn near impossible?
Or is the Naruto world simply not allowed to have physical transcendence?
...
"Well, in any case..."
Shinno waved his hand, sealing the entire building into the Boundless Weapon Realm.
Then he activated his spatial powers and left the Pure Land.
He didn't bother with the massive lake of Six Paths chakra, nor the core of the Pure Land sealed at the boundary by countless yin-yang seals.
He was only here to confirm one thing:
Once he fused the two newly copied traits—would he instantly hit the requirements for ascension?
Based on what he'd seen from Otsutsuki Isshiki and Otsutsuki Kaguya, he could safely guess that members of the Otsutsuki clan generally had stronger souls than bodies—likely due to their bloodline's natural affinity with Yin Release.
Otsutsuki Shibai's case proved that—even with his body that strong, it was his soul that transcended first.
Which meant...
Even if Shinno's soul reached the same level as the Sage of Six Paths at the moment of his transcendence—so long as he didn't willingly discard his body, the World Gate shouldn't descend on him.
He wasn't afraid of stepping into a higher world.
He still had one Trait Copy chance and four Trait Removal chances saved up. No matter what kind of twisted world waited beyond, he had full confidence in making a splash.
What did worry him...
Was that this higher world, the one clearly superior to the Naruto world, might just be...
Takamagahara.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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