The Sage of Six Paths sensed that something was wrong in the Shinobi world.
First, a mysterious figure named Uchiha Itsuki appeared out of nowhere!
Truly out of nowhere!
He had always kept an eye on the Shinobi world, but what was the deal with this kid?
In essence, the Shinobi world was a place ruled by bloodlines.
Only noble bloodlines could achieve greatness.
The top-tier warriors all had extraordinary bloodlines.
That's why the Sage of Six Paths had always kept tabs on clans like the Uchiha and Senju.
Of course, those with Mangekyō Sharingan weren't worth his attention.
He was the Sage of Six Paths, after all!
Only someone with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan was worth a second glance from him.
But!
This kid, Uchiha Itsuki, seemed to have appeared out of thin air.
When the Sage of Six Paths noticed him, Itsuki had already established his own village, become its first Kage, and was outrageously strong.
He didn't seem like someone who had just awakened the Eternal Mangekyō.
The Sage of Six Paths was puzzled.
When a normal person suddenly gains immense power, shouldn't there be some noticeable changes?
Especially psychological changes, which are hard to hide.
Like Uchiha Madara. Even though he took his brother's eyes, gaining incredible power, at that time, he acted like a fool, constantly clashing with Hashirama Senju, almost driving him into depression.
The Sage of Six Paths had easily noticed this and successfully incorporated Madara into his plan.
But!
After Uchiha Itsuki gained this power, he completely vanished.
Not a sound!
No abnormality!
And certainly no battles.
It was as if the Eternal Mangekyō was just like ordinary water—after drinking it, life continued as usual.
What the heck!
Impressive!
Shouldn't he have overthrown Konoha Village right after gaining the Eternal Mangekyō?
Because of Uchiha Itsuki, the Sage of Six Paths' plan began to unravel.
This Uchiha brat continuously altered the landscape of the Shinobi world.
There were times when the Sage of Six Paths nearly wanted to intervene directly.
Then the Fourth Shinobi World War erupted.
The Sage thought his plan could finally proceed smoothly, but right at that moment, his two "sons" presented another unexpected turn of events.
The Sage of Six Paths had known about the reincarnations of his two sons since the day they were born.
From that moment, he had been slowly infusing his own power into them.
Of course.
This process was slow and subtle. Apart from the Sage, no one could notice it.
It was like silent rain, seeping into them unnoticed!
This would allow him to control both of them in the future.
But!
The Fourth Shinobi World War broke out early.
Madara Uchiha was resurrected ahead of schedule!
Obito Uchiha took action sooner than expected!
This forced the Sage to kick off his plan earlier than planned.
Originally, it was supposed to start in at least two years, three being the ideal.
"Uchiha Itsuki, it's all because of that bastard!"
The Sage of Six Paths muttered to himself.
If not for Uchiha Itsuki, his plan wouldn't have gone off course.
In another two years, Naruto and Sasuke definitely wouldn't have resisted him and would have obediently listened to his words.
Now, it was too late to say anything.
With two fewer years of power infusion, he had to quicken his steps.
"You two are the most crucial pieces of my plan. You can't escape."
The Sage of Six Paths muttered.
He once again poured his energy violently into Naruto and Sasuke's bodies.
Once his power reached a certain threshold, the two would be influenced by it and believe his every word.
He would use them to defeat Uchiha Madara, defeat Uchiha Itsuki, and seal away his mother.
The third Sage of Six Paths.
In the Pure Land, this was his true form.
The Six Paths inside Naruto and Sasuke were merely projections of his power.
The true Six Paths looked around at everything in the Pure Land, a smile tugging at his lips.
So many souls!
This time, the large number of deaths in the Shinobi world caused the population of the Pure Land to surge.
Mother, though you were known as the Rabbit Goddess,
Your vision was too limited.
Turning the entire Shinobi world into White Zetsu, your soldiers, what's the point of that?
They are finite.
But unlike you, I've stayed quietly in the Pure Land, collecting souls.
The Shinobi world is constantly at war, always sending large batches of souls.
These souls would become his soldiers.
He, the Sage of Six Paths, was walking the path of sustainable development!
Moreover.
He could pick and choose the strongest souls.
Ordinary souls?
Ordinary soldiers?
He had no interest in them!
Even the Ōtsutsuki Clan would eventually bow to him!
The Sage of Six Paths smiled faintly, his power intensifying.
Naruto and Sasuke let out pained grunts.
"Stop resisting. It's useless. Surrender peacefully!"
…
"Huff… huff…"
Heavy panting filled the air.
Naruto and Sasuke gritted their teeth, their faces twisted in agony.
They were struggling to resist that mysterious voice.
"Are… are you okay, Sasuke?!"
Naruto struggled to speak.
"Idiot, shut up!"
Sasuke's expression was pained.
He felt like he couldn't hold on any longer.
But!
He absolutely didn't want to lose to Naruto.
If Naruto could keep going, so could he.
He definitely wouldn't lose to him!
"Heh, looks like you're still hanging in there!" Naruto grinned. At a time like this, he still managed to fist bump Sasuke, saying, "You're trying so hard, how can I fall behind? Just watch, I'll surpass you for sure!"
Sasuke: "..."
I swear, I want to punch this guy to death! No one stop me!
At a time like this, and you're full of energy!
Damn!
Even though they were both talking tough, in reality, they were close to their limit.
Who exactly was the Sage of Six Paths?
Even if it was just a projection of his power, no ordinary person could withstand it.
What's more, the Sage had been channeling his power into both of them since they were born. They were already over 80% transformed into his image.
To the Sage, it was just a matter of time.
"Hehe, painful, isn't it?"
Hmm?
Sasuke slightly opened his eyes.
Although it hurt, there was no mistaking it— that voice just now belonged to someone unfamiliar.
But...
In that unfamiliarity, there was something very familiar.
It was almost as if the person speaking was Sasuke himself.
"Who? Who's there?"
Sasuke shouted in alarm.
He had a faint feeling that something life-changing was about to happen.
"Heh, so sharp. As expected of..."
The voice chuckled softly.
"Who are you?"
Sasuke continued shouting.
This time, the owner of the voice responded.
A flash of light passed by, and suddenly, a person appeared in front of Sasuke.
"You… You're…"
"Hello, kid. My name is Indra!"
The man gave a faint smile.
"Indra?"
Sasuke's eyes widened in shock, and he blurted out, "Impossible, no way! How could you still be alive? The Sage of Six Paths…"
"Don't mention him!"
Indra raised a finger and, still smiling, said, "The fact that you're mentioning him right now proves one thing—you instinctively choose to believe him, don't you?"
"I..."
Sasuke was dumbfounded.
That statement seemed to be spot on.
When Indra appeared before him, the Sage's words echoed in his mind.
Indra was dead, and he had made up his mind to oppose him to the end.
But that can't be right!
The Sage clearly had malice towards him!
So why would he instinctively trust him?
With these thoughts, Sasuke gradually calmed down.
Indra smiled in satisfaction. "That's more like it. Don't trust anyone. Aside from yourself, no one is worthy of your trust."
"What do you really want to say?"
Sasuke's voice turned cold.
"Heh, I want to tell you that I can help you. I can help you deal with the Sage of Six Paths. How about it?"
Indra grinned wickedly.
"Hmm?"
…
Inside Naruto's mind.
Naruto sat cross-legged.
In front of him was someone who shared a similar aura, grinning at him.
"You scared me!"
Naruto chuckled, "So, you're Asura, right?"
"Right!"
"And you're going to help me?"
"Right!"
"Why?"
Naruto couldn't help but ask, "Isn't your father the one trying to take over my body?"
Asura fell silent.
After a long pause, he slowly said, "Father is indeed a noble term, but not all dads are worth trusting."
Naruto was taken aback and instinctively asked, "What do you mean by that? You don't trust the Sage of Six Paths?"
"Heh, do you think he's worth trusting?"
Asura smiled, but it was a bitter smile.
"My brother and I have been fighting for thousands of years!"
Asura looked up at the deep black void and said, "Thousands of years. Ever since the birth of ninjutsu, we've been locked in battle."
Naruto said in surprise, "The Sage of Six Paths said he couldn't stop you two."
Asura sighed. "At first, we believed that too, but in the end, the conclusion was far from what we expected."
"Conclusion?"
"He can transfer power to you. He can bring powerful ninja back from the Pure Land. You tell me, do you really think he couldn't stop the fight between me and my brother?"
Asura couldn't help but ask.
If the Sage truly saw Asura as his successor, why didn't he pass his power down to him in every generation?
With that power, Asura could definitely defeat his brother.
Again and again and again!
Asura couldn't believe that his brother, stubborn as he was, kept challenging him over and over, no matter how many times he was beaten.
Heh, maybe he's a fool!
But the Sage did nothing!
He just watched as they fought, time and again.
It wasn't until the final time that Asura finally felt the power his father had passed into him.
But!
Then the bombshell dropped.
Indra, his elder brother, had also received power from the Sage.
You must be worried we're not fighting intensely enough, right?
Asura wanted to kill someone!
He had a gentle temperament, but even he couldn't stand it anymore.
It wasn't his patience running thin; it was just that after fighting for thousands of years, anyone would break!
Damn it!
If he could, he would've ended it all himself.
And now, the Sage had nearly evenly divided his power between the two of them.
Heh, how worried must he have been that one of them would gain a clear advantage?
"This… this…"
Naruto was at a loss for words.
After all, the other party wanted to take control of him.
Naruto might be dense, but he wasn't stupid.
You want to control me, and I'm supposed to praise you for it?
Dream on!
"So, what do you want me to do?"
Naruto sighed softly.
Asura sneered, "Didn't he transfer his power into you? Then accept it, all of it."
"Huh?"
"That's right!" Asura said firmly, "Don't worry, I won't let you be controlled."
Naruto still didn't respond.
As mentioned earlier, he wasn't an idiot.
Just because Asura said to accept all of the Sage's power, he should follow suit?
And what if he got controlled? Whose fault would that be?
"Heh!"
Seeing Naruto's expression, Asura actually relaxed.
"Good, with this kind of vigilance, at least you won't die so easily."
Asura sighed softly, "Remember, kid, the only person you can trust is yourself. No one else is worth your trust."
"Even you?"
"Including me!"
Asura didn't hesitate in the slightest. "I'm not worth trusting either, but right now, you have no choice but to believe in me."
"Why?"
"Because if you don't, the Sage's power will consume you!"
Asura grinned. "So, do you take the gamble and trust me, or do you let yourself slowly be swallowed by the Sage's power?"
"Sigh!"
Naruto looked at Asura helplessly. "Seems like I don't have much of a choice."
"Exactly!"
Asura extended a fist. "Come, accept my power and resist the Sage!"
"You better not be lying to me!"
After a brief hesitation, Naruto reached out and bumped fists with Asura.
At the same time…
Indra and Sasuke's fists collided as well.
"This is all I can do to help you."
Indra sighed, and then his voice turned icy. "But even if I die, I won't forgive that old Sage. He's been manipulating me for so many years. Does he really think I don't have a temper?"
Or perhaps, Indra was just as proud.
To be manipulated for so many years— even by his father— was something he would never forgive.
"What are you going to do?"
"Nothing much!"
Indra sneered. "Remember, I've given you all my power. So, you're no longer prey. You're the hunter."
"Now just watch as the Sage's power enters your body."
"When it reaches a certain level, unleash my power and devour his completely. Got it?"
"That's your revenge on him?"
"Exactly!"
Indra responded without hesitation. "He thinks his power is always his, even if he gives it to someone else. Well, I'm going to show him how much power he's about to lose!"