At the same time, the lingering will above Konoha condensed into the form of an aged figure.
"This young man is actually one of the fighters from the battle four years ago!" A trace of surprise showed on Hagoromo's face. The power displayed in that battle four years ago had actually reached the level of the Six Paths Domain. Moreover, even until now, he still hadn't figured out who his enemies really were.
"This concerns the Otsutsuki, so I must find out exactly what happened back then. However, the problem is, if my presence here gets exposed..." Hagoromo slightly frowned. But upon hearing the words from below, his brows gradually relaxed.
Voluntarily giving up power, and even treating those ethically controversial cloned beings with kindness—such a pure and kindhearted young man should be trustworthy!
Inside the grand hall.
"Besides these three, there's still another issue to handle." Seiki tapped the table, his gaze scanning the room. "What should we do about those monsters?"
If it were the three from the Akatsuki organization, perhaps everyone would still consider Seiki's feelings.
But when it came to these creatures that had destroyed their homes, none of them felt the slightest hesitation.
"Of course we kill them! Those monsters only bring disaster!"
"They look so disgusting, they must be extremely evil!"
Yet Seiki let out a sigh. "From my observations, these monsters also possess their own thoughts and will. They were created through cloning as weapons. To execute them for crimes committed involuntarily would be rather cruel!"
Some of the people hesitated—were those creatures even considered human?
They still understood the principle: "Their hearts are not like ours." If those monsters remained, what if they took over their homes in the future?
Plus, one more thing—they simply looked too grotesque.
Even Kisame Hoshigaki from the Akatsuki looked more human than those things!
But there were still some who seriously considered Seiki's words.
Slaughtering half a million beings was already somewhat cruel—not to mention if they were intelligent beings with consciousness!
As Seiki spoke, he suddenly changed his tone. "Of course, I'm not saying we should just release them. On one hand, even if they were controlled, the crimes they committed were real, so they must receive appropriate punishment. On the other hand, they have no concept of morality or law, and act recklessly. Letting them roam free would inevitably cause chaos!"
"Therefore, my suggestion is to imprison them, making them perform labor while undergoing moral re-education!"
Hearing this, the crowd began to feel convinced.
Wasn't this equivalent to gaining half a million laborers? And ones at the Chunin level too!
Still, some expressed concerns. "What if these monsters rebel again?"
They couldn't help but worry—half a million Chunin rebelling would be terrifying!
Seiki reassured them, "Don't worry. I'll place Seals on them. As soon as they have thoughts of rebellion, the Seal will suppress their Chakra!"
Upon hearing this, the group finally felt at ease.
"In that case, I have no objections."
"Fine, let's give those creatures a chance!"
Seiki let out a deep breath. "I'll thank them on your behalf. Today's meeting is over. Dismissed!"
The meeting ended, and everyone walked out in small groups, murmuring among themselves.
The content of today's meeting had essentially set the direction for future development, so naturally, they needed time to process it thoroughly.
"Senpai, I..." Rin and Kakashi approached.
Shiki was about to respond when his expression suddenly shifted slightly. "I still have something to attend to. I'll leave first."
With that, Shiki turned and left immediately.
Though slightly puzzled, Rin and Kakashi didn't think too much of it. With their senior's power, nothing in the world should be able to give him trouble.
"Let's go check on Obito then!"
After leaving the venue, Shiki headed toward his home.
Once inside, he glanced around and said, "Esteemed guest, won't you come out now?"
As soon as he finished speaking, an old man appeared before him, sitting cross-legged in midair with a staff behind him and nine black orbs swirling beneath.
"I humbly apologize for this unannounced visit!"
Looking at the other, Hagoromo's eyes softened.
This young man was not greedy for power, acted impartially, treated friends fairly, and even showed kindness to strangers and even those monsters. In him, Hagoromo seemed to see a reflection of his younger self.
Shiki's heart was unsettled as well. Though he had his suspicions about Hagoromo, he hadn't expected the other to actually appear in person.
"Who, exactly, is the esteemed guest?"
"I am the one who established peace and order—my name is Hagoromo. You may also call me the Sage of Six Paths."
"What? The Sage of Six Paths?" Shiki appropriately showed a hint of shock, then asked, "The legendary Sage of Six Paths from myth who saved the world?"
He wasn't particularly worried about his act being uncovered. Although his strength was likely still far inferior to Hagoromo's, at the soul level, they were already on the same playing field.
Unless Hagoromo truly possessed the power of pure soul-reading insight!
Indeed, Hagoromo chuckled lightly as he stroked his beard, "Haha, I'm no legendary figure—I'm just a human like you, albeit a bit stronger!"
Shiki calmed himself, nodded slightly, and said, "Only the legendary Sage of Ninjutsu could appear before me so silently like this."
Seeing how quickly Shiki regained his composure, Hagoromo couldn't help but feel admiration inside. "Such strong willpower… truly worthy of having defeated my two sons and becoming the leader of this era!"
Shiki continued, "Though I must say, Honored One, your current state seems to be—"
Hagoromo smiled. "No need to worry. I've long since passed away—my lingering chakra has just been wandering the world."
"Wandering?" Shiki feigned surprise.
"More precisely, most of the time I've been in slumber, but this time, the disturbance caused by the Ten-Tails temporarily awakened me!" Hagoromo stroked his beard and praised generously, "Still, thanks to the commotion the Ten-Tails caused, I learned that such an outstanding individual has emerged in the shinobi world!"
Shiki waved his hands repeatedly. "You flatter me, Honored Sage. I'm just a humble man who wishes to protect everyone!"
Hagoromo couldn't help but chuckle to himself. This response sounded awfully familiar—it reminded him of how he used to describe himself once.
Even he couldn't help but marvel at the other's talent.
Apart from Yugito and Hamura, not even their descendants had produced a cultivator approaching their level.
Yet he, just a regular guy, had done something even their bloodline heirs couldn't achieve!
Of course, this didn't make him feel threatened or resentful in the least. In fact, the stronger the other became, the happier he felt.
Because it proved that mother's approach had been wrong.
Even a regular guy could reach their level through hard work!
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