"Step."
"Step..."
Within this void where even thought seemed to freeze, the sound of clear and steady footsteps rang out without warning, abruptly shattering the absolute silence that had reigned within the sealing space for twelve years.
The entity imprisoned behind the massive vermilion gate—the Sage of Six Paths, Otsutsuki Hagoromo, who should have been distantly overlooking the changes of the Ninja World from the Pure Land—snapped his head up.
A terrifying divine light suddenly erupted within his light purple Rinnegan, locking onto the source of the sound.
"Has he finally... arrived?"
"The true master of this space."
As his voice fell, a slender youth walked toward the sealing gate with unhurried steps.
Stopping before the light curtain flowing with sealing formulas, the boy tilted his head and curiously observed the "tenant" inside the gate.
The youth's gaze was complex.
There was inquiry, astonishment, and realization, but buried deep beneath those emotions, almost overflowing, was an undisguised, nearly burning...
Joy?
That look was like a starving ghost seeing a grand feast, or an old farmer who had spent two lifetimes tilling the soil and finally dug up a piece of gold the size of a basin—pure, straightforward, and utterly sincere.
The Sage of Six Paths narrowed his Rinnegan. Even with his thousands of years of experience, having seen countless heroes throughout the history of the Ninja World, he had to admit that this youth's physical features were top-tier. But what shocked him more was the power flowing quietly within the boy's body.
Though faint and obscure, it was exceptionally pure. It shared the same source as his own Six Paths Chakra, yet possessed subtle differences.
"I see..."
Realization dawned on the Sage of Six Paths, but his gaze became even more grave.
"The Six Paths Chakra that has leaked from me over these years has actually been absorbed and fused by his body..."
If this trend continued, even if the boy did nothing but lie at home and "breathe," he could fleece benefits from the Sage that an ordinary ninja could never imagine.
A twelve-year-old boy had not only used some method he could not comprehend to forcibly detain him here from the Pure Land, but at this moment, he had even become the "vessel" imprisoning him.
In a sense, this boy was now his...
Jinchuriki.
As this thought crossed his mind, even the Sage of Six Paths, who had weathered many storms and personally sealed the Ten-Tails, felt a trace of a chill. The situation of the Ninja World had completely spun out of control from the moment he was pulled into this sealing space.
Outside the vermilion gate, Senju Makoto could hardly suppress the corners of his mouth.
The outfit of the person inside the gate was too recognizable.
A plain white robe, brownish hair, two prominent horns on his head, and six black magatama patterns arranged on his chest. Most importantly, those light purple eyes with concentric ripples...
If he couldn't recognize this, he would have lived two lives for nothing.
The Sage of Six Paths! The greatest filial son of the Ninja World!
Recalling his near-miraculous healing earlier... the case was closed!
Other people might start as a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki at best, but his start was the trump card of all trump cards—he had directly become the Sage of Six Paths' Jinchuriki.
This pure, sincere smile of someone who had just found a treasure appeared particularly piercing and even carried a hint of silent mockery in the eyes of the Sage, who had been forcibly "renting" this space for twelve years.
The Sage of Six Paths had long lost the composure he held in the Pure Land. Being mysteriously sealed here and knowing nothing about the current state of the Ninja World... this feeling of everything being out of control was truly terrible for him.
Seeing that the boy only stared with a smile and did not speak, the Sage suppressed the complex emotions churning in his heart and broke the silence first.
His voice was grand and ancient, carrying the natural divinity and majesty of one who had lived through endless ages, echoing through the empty sealing space.
"Who are you?"
Hearing this, Senju Makoto snapped back to his senses. His eyes darted around as he thought for a moment, then he spoke slowly with a serious face.
"My name is Senju Makoto. I am twelve years old. I live on the edge of the Senju Clan compound. I am unmarried and I like beautiful girls."
"I don't smoke. I only drink occasionally. I go to bed by 9 PM every night and drink a glass of warm milk before sleep. I do some light stretching to ensure I get plenty of sleep and never leave fatigue for the next day."
"Everyone says I am very normal. My dream is to not eat beef!"
Upon hearing the surname "Senju," a flash of understanding and reminiscence appeared in the Sage's Rinnegan.
"Senju... a descendant of Asura?" he whispered internally. "No wonder there is such pure Yang Release aura in his body... but why is the Yin Release aura also so rich? They have even reached a certain balance..."
He temporarily pushed these doubts aside and spoke in a deep, flat tone that carried the weight of someone looking down at the river of time.
"My name is Otsutsuki Hagoromo."
He paused. Seeing no expected shock, awe, or fanaticism on the boy's face gave him a faint bad premonition. He then added with unquestionable certainty:
"By bloodline, you may call me—'Ancestor'."
Senju Makoto: "?"
Ancestor? Claiming such high seniority right off the bat?
He almost blurted out "I'm your father," but fortunately, his reason from two lives kicked in, and he forced the words back, making his chest feel a bit tight.
He looked at the iconic Rinnegan of the Sage of Six Paths, and his heart pounded with excitement. A bold idea began to grow like wildfire.
In an instant, a perfectly timed smile appeared on Makoto's face—a mix of respect and hope. Then he spoke, his words so direct they even stunned the well-traveled Sage of Six Paths.
"Hello, Ancestor! So... since it's our first meeting, don't you think... you should give your junior a meeting gift?"
After speaking, Makoto pointed to his own eyes, his smile becoming even brighter and slightly shy, as if he were asking for something trivial.
"I'm not a greedy person, and my request for a meeting gift isn't high. Just make my eyes the same as yours..."
The Sage of Six Paths: "..."
Even with a thousand years of refinement, a vein seemed to twitch imperceptibly on his temple.
This kid... he asked for the Rinnegan the moment he opened his mouth?
He did not directly answer this absurdly blunt request. Instead, the gaze of the Rinnegan fell upon the center of the sealing gate, onto a seemingly ordinary but slightly fluttering white talisman.
For twelve years, he had studied this gate countless times.
He had finally determined that the key lay in this talisman. As long as it was peeled off, a gap would appear in the seal, giving him a chance to break free.
But the eerie thing was that no matter what power he used, he couldn't move the talisman at all. It was as if it were a power that did not belong to this world.
And now, just because of this boy's appearance and proximity, the talisman that had been silent for twelve years actually began to flutter slightly.
A cold and necessary plan instantly became clear. The Sage's gaze toward Makoto became deep and compassionate, and his tone took on a tone of guidance and entrustment.
"Child, do you see that talisman on the gate?"
Makoto followed his gaze, and his heart skipped a beat.
This scene, this tone, this sense of déjà vu... it was too strong!
It was exactly like some ill-intentioned old man pointing at an exposed electrical box or a smoking firecracker and saying to an innocent child: "Kid, go touch it/light it, it's fun."
"I see it," Makoto answered very cautiously, even taking an imperceptible half-step backward.
"For the peace and future of the Ninja World," the Sage's voice suddenly rose, filled with a holy sense of mission that echoed through the sealing space.
"Go, peel it off. This is your destiny!"
Makoto didn't move. He just looked at the talisman. His intuition told him that if he peeled it off, he might die.
Thinking of this, he slowly turned his head to look at the Sage of Six Paths. The smile on his face faded slightly, but his tone became calmer.
"Ancestor, I've read many books. Don't lie to me."
"Why do I feel like... if I peel this thing off, I might die?"
The Sage of Six Paths fell silent for a moment. The boy's sharpness and bluntness had surprised him once again. Since he couldn't hide it... he would lay his cards on the table.
To exchange this insignificant life for the supreme glory of being recorded in the history of the Ninja World—he believed that any normal child raised under the values of the Ninja World could not refuse such honor.
"Indeed," the Sage admitted frankly, his Rinnegan staring directly into Makoto's eyes. "If you peel it off, your life and soul will come to an end."
Without waiting for Makoto to respond, the Sage's voice suddenly rose to another level, carrying a grand persuasion and unquestionable righteousness, like a deity issuing a decree.
"But, child! Sacrifice the small self to achieve the great self!"
"Your passing will allow me to return to the Ninja World and continue to protect billions of living beings. At that time, the entire Ninja World will sing your name and remember your sacrifice! You will become a monument lighting the darkness, a hero eternally recorded in the history of the Ninja World!"
"In the name of the Sage of Six Paths, I promise you!"
The voice boomed through the empty sealing space, carrying a soul-shaking persuasiveness.
Senju Makoto listened quietly, his face expressionless. He even scratched his head.
When the echoes of the Sage's impassioned speech faded, he simply gave a soft "Oh."
And then—his gaze drifted away.
He looked directly past the Sage of Six Paths, who was still waiting for him to be moved to tears and resolve to die, and toward the other massive vermilion gate on the opposite side of the barrier.
With one look, his attention was instantly locked.
Inside the opposite gate stood a pink cross with a figure tightly wrapped and bound in black talismans.
Even though the face could not be seen clearly, and even the clothing was hidden, that exceptionally slender figure and those breathtaking curves... still radiated a singular charm that made one's heart skip a beat, even through the heavy restraints.
Especially...
Makoto's gaze fixed on the top of the figure's head.
There, within the tightly wrapped talismans, were two obvious, horn-like protrusions...
An even more shocking and somewhat absurd guess slammed into Makoto's mind, making his heart race again.
Seeing that the boy was not only indifferent to his "Call of Destiny" but was instead looking at the opposite side with great interest and shining eyes, a nameless fire that had been suppressed for twelve years finally began to flare up in the Sage.
The irritability of being sealed, the worry for the state of the Ninja World, and this kid's stubborn attitude caused cracks to appear in his thousand-year-old calm.
"You!"
The Sage's voice took on a clear tone of reprimand. Beneath the divine shell, human emotions were churning.
"You carry my chakra and bear this karma. How can you be so selfish and cowardly! Do you know that because of your private desires, the Ninja World could fall into chaos, with countless lives lost and corpses everywhere!"
Makoto didn't even bother looking back at him. Sacrifice himself for the Ninja World? Be a savior?
Sorry, he wasn't some pure and noble saint. He had been a beast of burden in his previous life, and in this life, he had finally landed a god-tier start. He was thinking about beating Uchiha Madara, kicking Senju Hashirama, and taking on Otsutsuki Kaguya.
He ignored the "old man" behind him whose tone was becoming increasingly urgent and focused his mind.
His consciousness withdrew, exiting the sealing space.
The moment his consciousness returned to reality—vroom!
A translucent panel flowing with pale gold light, which only he could see, abruptly appeared in the air before his eyes.
[Honkai Ninja World—]
[By disrupting the original plot, you can forcibly extract the bloodline power of 'Otsutsuki Hagoromo' within the sealing space. As the plot disruption increases in the future, more characters can be unlocked.]
[More functions to be activated...]
Seeing this, Makoto's eyes lit up. This was his "cheat"?
By disrupting the plot, he could fleece the bloodline of the Sage of Six Paths and even unlock other characters? This was a massive win. Could the person sealed on the opposite side of the space be counted as one?
Makoto was wondering if he should go back into the space to tease the "great filial son" again, but just then—
"BOOM!"
The terrifying, explosive roar outside the village, which had lasted for an unknown amount of time and seemed intent on sinking Konoha, came to a sudden halt.
Following that was a deathly silence. Even the wind stopped. This sudden stillness was more heart-pounding than the previous clamorous battle.
Makoto pricked up his ears, his heart racing for some reason.
Then, he heard heavy, slow, but incredibly clear footsteps. From the direction outside the village, they were approaching the Senju Clan compound step by step...