541-545

Chapter 541: Bloodline Network – Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan!  

Indra stared in shock at the shattered shackles on his wrist.  

As the Truth-Seeking Ball was crushed, the pitch-black chains hanging from the twelfth Rashōmon gate began breaking inch by inch. In an instant, seven-colored chakra lights shot into the sky before cascading down like a rain of shimmering orbs.  

The entire sky was filled with pure, seven-colored chakra spheres.  

But compared to this spectacle, and even more than the sudden escape from confinement, what truly sent shivers down Indra's spine was something else entirely.  

"You never think before you act, do you?! Idiot!"  

He glared furiously at Shinji, cursing under his breath. Without hesitation, he grabbed Shinji wrist, ready to dash toward the vast, pure-white river outside the corridor.  

Still keeping his eyes closed, Shinji wore a confused expression.  

Indra, pulling Shinji along as if fleeing for his life, scolded him in exasperation, 

"If you had a technique like that, why didn’t you say so sooner?!"  

Shinji scratched his head. "Well, you never asked."  

Indra let out a deep sigh, his eye twitching.  

"Breaking the Sage’s Chains like that—Six Paths Sage will immediately notice something’s wrong here. If you had told me earlier that you could undo these shackles, I could have—Ugh, never mind, you wouldn’t understand. Right now, we need to leave this place immediately! Jump into the Reverse Flow River. That’ll buy us a little more time!"  

He had never expected Shinji to break the Sage’s Chains in such a way.  

If the Six Paths Sage realized Indra was attempting to escape, the restrictions placed upon him would only grow stronger and stronger. In the end, he might even lose his own will entirely.  

That was something Indra absolutely could not accept.  

Although Shinji didn’t understand why breaking the Sage’s Chains had suddenly made Indra seem like a completely different person—expressing emotions like a normal human, acting more like a true Uchiha—he strangely found this rough, impolite Indra more agreeable than the cold and detached one from before.  

Well, Indra was an Uchiha, after all.  

But for some inexplicable reason, Shinji preferred this version of him.  

At that very moment—  

Beyond the twelve Rashōmon gates, in the dark abyss where the Reverse Flow River converged, a ripple suddenly spread across the void.  

It felt as if something was about to emerge from the Pure Land.  

Shinji’s long-dormant battle instincts flared to life!  

Almost instinctively, he sensed a presence even more dangerous than Six Paths Madara, as if some unspeakably terrifying event was about to unfold!  

A suffocating pressure bore down on him, stealing his breath and momentarily stopping his heartbeat. His hair stood on end, his entire body tensed like a startled cat.  

It was as if he had violated some forbidden law of the universe.  

Behind him—  

From the depths of the void beyond the twelve Rashōmon gates, a pale, elongated face emerged.  

The face was expressionless, with two horns protruding from its forehead, a red eye-like marking in the center of its brow, and a pair of purple Rinnegan eyes staring coldly from its sockets.  

The moment this being revealed itself, its brow furrowed slightly, its gaze falling upon the Sage’s Chains—now reduced to nothing but ashes.  

Then, it lifted its head ever so slightly and looked toward the two fleeing figures.  

Shinji was running for his life, facing away, but with his Sensory Perception fully activated, he locked eyes with the being at that exact moment!  

At once, he felt an overwhelming, inescapable force—like venom seeping into his bones, like a boundless ocean crashing down upon him.  

A sinister ocular power surged toward him through their connected gaze, threatening to engulf him completely!  

Shinji realized instantly:  

I must not fall for it! I must not be hypnotized!  

Even a moment of hesitation would spell disaster!  

But in the next second—  

Plop!  

It felt as if he had plunged into an endless ocean.  

Countless worlds unfolded before his eyes.  

And the figure gripping his wrist seemed eerily familiar with this place, not even looking back as he pulled Shinji into a tiny grain of sand!  

The world spun.  

When they emerged, they were standing beneath a massive rock wall, facing a lush, green forest.  

The overwhelming sense of imminent danger suddenly lessened—by at least ninety percent!  

Yet, a lingering unease remained, as if something could still be triggered at any moment.  

Above, from beyond the heavens, a colossal, expressionless face loomed.  

Before Shinji could even catch his breath—  

"We’re not safe yet!"  

Indra glanced warily at the sky, his expression grim.  

"This only bought us a little time. But this choice we made—it’s like we just threw ourselves into another prison. The Six Paths Sage could still find us at any moment. If that happens, we won’t even be able to escape this world."  

He exhaled deeply, then, in utter frustration, snapped,  

"Now I finally understand why Uchiha Nahe chose an idiot like you!"  

"Listen—"  

"We don’t have much time. I can’t teach you much, but you need to pay close attention. This is important!"  

"I’ll explain the conclusions of my research on Bloodline Networks, the limits we predicted, and—"  

Indra spoke at lightning speed, determined to impart as much information as possible in the short time they had.  

His expression hardened with resolve, as if he had made a crucial decision.  

"In the end, I’ll use my ocular technique, Heaven’s Constant, to send you to the island where you first met Uchiha Nahe. From there, use the second method I taught you—sacrificing one eye—to escape."  

"Wait a second!"  

Shinji suddenly clamped a hand over Indra’s mouth, exasperated. Eyes still closed, he sighed.  

"Didn’t I already tell you?"  

"I have a third solution!"  

"You idiot!" Indra exploded with fury, yanking Shinji hand away.  

"This whole mess is because of your reckless actions! If you had told me earlier, we wouldn’t be in such a passive position!"  

Indra looked utterly unconvinced, his expression one of absolute skepticism—like a stubborn child refusing to listen. He jabbed a finger into Shinji chest, barking,  

"I’m trying to teach you how to survive! If you don’t want to die, then shut up and listen!"  

Shinji was speechless.  

He thought, Why did this guy’s entire personality do a 180° flip the moment he broke free?  

Was this… the real Indra? The infamous tyrant of legend?  

Shinji expression hardened.  

There was no point in continuing this back-and-forth. Explaining things like a reasonable person wouldn’t help anymore.  

He decided to speak in the Uchiha way.  

Shinji turned to face Indra directly, his expression instantly growing cold.  

"That look on your face… Are you questioning my decision?"  

Indra immediately sensed the shift in the air. His eyes narrowed, his expression darkened, and in a flash, countless Mangekyō Sharingan patterns flickered through his pupils.  

In the next moment—  

Shinji answered with action.  

He opened his eyes.  

His irises—blood-red as ever—bloomed with eight twisted, flame-like black petals, unfolding like a kaleidoscope.  

At that moment, he had transcended Bloodline Selection, reaching a level that no ordinary human could ever touch.  

These were the ultimate eyes—  

Forged through the fusion of seven unique ocular techniques, the culmination of boundless power.  

This was—  

A Bloodline Network-level ability—  

The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan!  

In an instant, the entire miniature world around them cracked and splintered under the sheer force of Shinji awakening ocular power!  

Indra’s expression changed dramatically!  

Chapter 542: Dojutsu - Izanami of the Spring!  

In the River of Reversal, 

The closer one gets to the source, the closer one approaches the ancient world, and the more stable everything becomes.  

For example, in this small world where the two of them currently stand, the timeline is set shortly after the death of the Sage of Six Paths, during the period when Indra and Asura waged the Shinobi Sect War.  

Both brothers possess strength beyond the "Super Kage" level as defined in later generations, infinitely close to the Sage of Six Paths. Aside from not having fused Truth-Seeking Orbs to complete their full ascension, their power is nearly equal to that of Naruto and Sasuke after their final battle at the Valley of the End.  

In other words, this world is different from Uchiha Nagato's world before. 

It is strong enough to withstand power that infinitely approaches the level of the Sage of Six Paths!  

And at this moment, 

Shinji simply opened his Mangekyō Sharingan—yet once again, the small world began to crack! 

Indra understood all too well what this meant.  

Those eyes of his might have already surpassed an ordinary Rinnegan and reached an even higher realm beyond the Six Paths!  

And that realm is called—  

[Bloodline Transcendence].  

Bloodline Transcendence does not refer to a specific system; rather, it is a unique ability, or more precisely, a "technique" that transcends both Bloodline Limits and Bloodline Selection. 

This is a domain that should only be attainable after mastering the Truth-Seeking Orbs and stepping into the level of the Six Paths.  

Abilities such as Kaguya Ōtsutsuki’s Ame-no-Minaka-Nushi, Rabbit Hair Needles, Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack, All-Killing Ash Bones, and Expanding Truth-Seeking Orbs, as well as Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki’s Yomotsu Hirasaka, and various other abilities of the Ōtsutsuki clan—all fall under this category.  

However, Shinji is not at the level of the Six Paths. He is still far from it. 

Yet, his eyes… have already surpassed the Six Paths and reached the level of Bloodline Transcendence!  

At this moment, 

Seeing such an impossible reality unfold before him, something that defied all logic,  

Indra felt as if he had been struck on the forehead with a staff. He stood there in shock, completely speechless, staring blankly at Shinji with an expression of sheer terror, mumbling,  

"H-How is this possible!?"  

"How did you do this!?"  

"Even I could never accomplish something like this—so how could you possibly—"  

The sheer number of earth-shattering revelations Shinji had given him in just one day was simply overwhelming. Indra felt his head spinning, his eyes widening in disbelief.  

Meanwhile, Shinji smirked slightly, almost wanting to laugh. 

‘Damn, even I don’t know why I’m this overpowered—how the hell am I supposed to explain it to you?’  

Right now, stuck in the gap between illusions, the Heart of Steel system panel was inaccessible, making it impossible to directly examine the reasons for his transformation.  

But Shinji had a strong hunch—  

It had something to do with the Bloodline Regression ability he gained at the end of his first Bloodline Selection - Sharingan Fusion process.  

That effect must have played a critical role in pushing his Sharingan past an otherwise unreachable threshold, elevating it to this unprecedented level.  

By cross-referencing information from the original story, this also confirmed part of his hypothesis regarding Bloodline Transcendence.  

However, danger was still imminent.  

The Sage of Six Paths could locate this small world and find them at any moment. 

The top priority right now was to leave immediately!  

With that in mind, Shinji suppressed the sudden urge to show off in front of his ancestor,  

His gaze sharpened, and the pupils in his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan instantly contracted into razor-sharp slits.  

"Snap!"  

Shinji snapped his fingers.  

In the next instant—  

"BOOM!!!"  

The entire landmass of the small world violently tilted as the ground cracked, collided, compressed, and exploded! 

The cliff behind them collapsed into an endless abyss, 

While the vast forest ahead was instantly swallowed by magma surging from beneath the earth, turning into a hellish sea of fire!  

The once-clear blue sky turned blood-red in an instant.  

Within seconds, 

The tranquil world had transformed into a scene straight out of the apocalypse.  

"What the hell is happening!?"  

Indra staggered, barely maintaining his footing. Just as they were about to be swallowed by the rising magma, he hurriedly summoned his 140-meter-tall Susano'o, wrapping himself and Shinji within its protection as they soared into the air.  

Meanwhile, Shinji, still channeling his dojutsu, explained briefly,  

"The power of my dojutsu exceeded the limit of what this small world can contain, causing a collapse in time and space. Just hold on a little longer—I'm almost done!"  

"A space-time collapse?"  

Indra frowned in confusion. "So, your eye contains a space-time dojutsu?"  

"But you should know—even Kamui can’t escape this Illusory Rift we’re in. The connection between the Rift and the Pure Land was woven into existence by the Sage of Six Paths using his Bloodline Transcendence: Ame-no-Minaka-Nushi. It’s a realm on the same level as Kaguya’s Origin Sphere Dimension!"  

"Probably." Shinji briefly sensed the power stored in his left eye, then shook his head slightly. His left eye widened as he poured an immense amount of chakra and ocular power into it.  

His eye socket could barely handle the surging energy, and soon, a trickle of blood tears slid down his cheek.  

Just as Shinji invested nearly all of his chakra into his dojutsu, pushing himself to the brink of collapse—  

Dojutsu - Izanami of the Spring!  

Finally, it activated!  

At the exact spot where Shinji’s elongated pupil was fixated, 

Suddenly—  

A black portal appeared in mid-air, seemingly constructed from countless compressed and interwoven black grids!  

Just like how his right eye stored the Mythical Projections of the Totsuka Blade, Kusanagi Sword, and Susano'o, 

His left eye also held three abilities.  

And this—  

Was one of the three abilities within Shinji’s left eye—  

The Bloodline Transcendence - Yomotsu Hirasaka, a space-time dojutsu!  

"Go, now!"  

Without hesitation, Shinji lifted his foot and kicked Indra in the ass, sending him flying into the black portal.  

Indra turned back mid-air, his face twisted in shock and fury. "You dare kick the great ancestor’s ass!?"  

Meanwhile, the Susano'o began to dissipate since Indra had left this world. 

Shinji quickly stepped onto an airborne platform of solidified space and leaped toward the rapidly shrinking portal.  

But at that very moment—  

The sky was suddenly torn open by a massive hand!  

A thousand-meter-long black fissure split through the crimson sky, revealing a colossal gray face staring down from beyond this world!  

Standing outside the collapsing dimension, the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, locked eyes with Shinji, his Rinnegan shrinking in focus.  

In the next instant, 

The entire small world began to collapse, sinking into endless darkness!  

A force that seemed capable of erasing entire worlds swept through,  

Obliterating the very foundation of reality!  

And then—  

From within the black void, an even darker sphere of chaos emerged behind Shinji, 

Starting as small as a fingernail, but expanding exponentially within seconds!  

This was none other than—  

The Expanding Truth-Seeking Orb!  

Just as it was about to engulf him,  

Shinji leaped into the black portal.  

He turned his head at the last moment, locking eyes with the massive gray face above the collapsing world.  

Then, with a wicked grin, he raised his middle finger at the god beyond the heavens.  

Chapter 543: The Origin Space and Theories on the Kekkei Mōra   

"What kind of gesture is that!?"   

As he passed through the portal of Yomi Numa (Yellow Spring Swamp), his vision went completely dark for a brief moment before being flooded with an intense light, vastly different from the eerie atmosphere of the Twelve Rashōmon.   

Shinji instinctively squinted his eyes.   

At that moment, a cold and slightly disdainful voice rang in his ears—it was his ancestor, Indra.   

Only then did Shinji realize his mistake. Due to the sudden attack from the Sage of Six Paths as he crossed the portal, he had only managed to shoot back a fierce glare. However, when he subconsciously raised his middle finger at the Sage of Six Paths, he hadn’t had the chance to turn his hand around…   

Meaning that right now, that rude gesture was actually directed at—   

Indra.   

At this moment, Indra's face darkened. Though he didn’t understand what the middle finger signified, he could sense from the chakra emanating from Shinji that it definitely wasn’t a friendly gesture.   

So… what was this brat trying to say?   

Was he looking down on his ancestor?   

Or was he dissatisfied with the plan he had proposed!?   

Damn it, does this kid even realize how valuable my Mangekyō Sharingan is, with all the ocular techniques it holds!?   

Perhaps due to finally escaping the prison that had confined him for a thousand years, Indra’s emotions were running high. He was itching to find someone to vent to about the sheer joy of his newfound freedom.   

But due to his pride and the dignified image he had always upheld, he ultimately suppressed his emotions. Instead, he put on a stern face and asked Shinji in a gruff voice:   

"Where… is this place?"   

Shinji glanced at the lively chakra surrounding Indra, slightly surprised. He remained silent for a moment. For some reason, he could faintly hear some strange muttering coming from that chakra, but he decided to ignore it for now.   

He scanned his surroundings.   

The place where he and Indra had landed was an endless expanse of crimson hills, with countless oddly shaped mounds jutting out from the ground. The sky had a peculiar yellowish-green hue. There was no visible sun, and all the illumination seemed to come from a layer of glowing green clouds in the atmosphere.   

Or perhaps… the clouds themselves weren’t actually green, but rather, their color was distorted by the atmosphere’s refraction.   

This place matched a certain location that Shinji had seen in his memories.   

"This… should be the Origin Space."   

"The legendary dimension created by Ōtsutsuki Kaguya through her Kekkei Mōra ability—Ame-no-Minaka-Nushi (Heavenly Governing Lord)!"   

Taking a deep breath, Shinji surveyed the strange world.   

"To leave this space and return to the Shinobi World, we have to travel through five additional dimensions connected to the Origin Space."   

"However… for now, I think we’re safe!"   

Indra raised an eyebrow and observed the lingering unease on Shinji’s face. Then, with absolute certainty, he asked:   

"You saw the Sage of Six Paths?"   

"Yes."   

"Then you should understand—he can destroy the world he created in an instant precisely because he possesses the ability of Kekkei Mōra: Ame-no-Minaka-Nushi."   

"You brought me into this dimension, which was also created by the same technique. So tell me—how is this any different from what I did earlier?"   

Indra shook his head and smirked bitterly.   

"In the end, we’ve merely jumped into another prison and are just waiting for death to come."   

"No!" Shinji immediately refuted, smiling.   

"The Sage of Six Paths won’t be able to catch up to us!"   

"Why?" Indra furrowed his brows in confusion.   

Recalling the furious expression on the Sage’s face as he escaped through the portal, Shinji confidently concluded:   

"The Sage of Six Paths… doesn’t have the ability to use Yomi Numa!"   

Indra looked even more puzzled. His frown deepened.   

"But from what I know, Yomi Numa is one of the abilities granted by Kekkei Mōra. If the Sage of Six Paths has mastered Kekkei Mōra, then why wouldn’t he be able to use Yomi Numa?"   

Shinji pondered for a moment. He obviously couldn’t just tell Indra outright that according to the official databook, only Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and Ōtsutsuki Urashiki had been explicitly shown to possess the Kekkei Mōra space-time technique Yomi Numa.   

This was exactly why Shinji had dared to provoke the Sage of Six Paths before escaping—because he knew the Sage didn’t have access to that particular ability.   

"Think of Kekkei Mōra as a category of jutsu," Shinji explained.   

"It’s like our Uchiha clan’s Fire Release techniques. There’s the Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu, which enhances cutting power and aims for multiple weak points; the Great Fire Annihilation, which engulfs everything in flames; and the Dragon Fire Jutsu, which uses strings to manipulate the direction of the flames."   

"But regardless of their differences, they all belong to the Fire Release category."   

"So, what you’re saying is… even if someone possesses Kekkei Mōra, the specific techniques they can use still vary?"   

Indra was surprised by this unexpected perspective, and more questions arose in his mind.   

"But then… why was my grandmother, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, able to use so many Kekkei Mōra techniques?"   

Shinji pointed to his own eyes—his newly awakened Kekkei Mōra: Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan—and smiled.   

"The answer lies in the mystery itself!"   

"Kekkei Mōra, much like Kekkei Genkai, is an inherited form of jutsu!"   

"Ōtsutsuki Kaguya’s status is unique. According to legend, she was known as the ‘Princess.’ This suggests that her bloodline was of extremely high rank, allowing her to inherit a greater variety of Kekkei Mōra techniques. Of course, it’s also possible that she gained those abilities after consuming the chakra fruit from the Divine Tree."   

However, after further consideration, Shinji dismissed the latter theory.   

Even among the Ōtsutsuki clan, Kaguya’s status was extraordinary. While she was known as a ‘Princess’ in the Shinobi World, Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki had called her a lowly traitor.   

But Momoshiki's power and presence were nowhere near Kaguya’s level, making his insult seem oddly misplaced.   

Meanwhile, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, who had traveled alongside Kaguya and was later betrayed by her, only possessed Kekkei Genkai, not Kekkei Mōra. Even after creating another Ten-Tails and fighting Naruto, he still hadn’t reached the level of Kekkei Mōra.   

Based on existing information, the only known Kekkei Mōra users in the Naruto universe were Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, and the Sage of Six Paths.   

And even though Urashiki had Kekkei Mōra, he only demonstrated a single ability—Yomi Numa—far from Kaguya’s vast arsenal.   

So, Shinji speculated that the Sage of Six Paths was in the same situation as Urashiki. Like Urashiki, he had inherited a noble bloodline, and upon reaching the Six Paths level, he unlocked Kekkei Mōra abilities.   

But his abilities weren’t all-encompassing.   

From what was known, the Sage possessed at least two Kekkei Mōra techniques: Ame-no-Minaka-Nushi and the Expanding Truth-Seeking Orbs.   

However, given his reaction earlier—and the fact that in the Fourth Great Ninja War, he hadn’t simply opened a portal to retrieve Team 7 but had needed help from 17 past Kage to summon them back—   

It was clear that he didn’t have access to Yomi Numa.   

And since the Sage’s only option was reverse summoning, it aligned with the first plan Indra had proposed.   

Realizing this, Shinji finally relaxed—   

For now, the threat of the Sage of Six Paths had been neutralized.   

But soon, he was faced with another pressing issue—   

"I see."   

"But… kid,"   

Indra nodded in understanding, then frowned as he glanced at the pale and exhausted Shinji.   

"Do you have enough chakra left to get us back to the Shinobi World?"   

Chapter 544: The Ninja World That Can’t Be Returned To, The Beginning of Fusion  

Using Yomi Hirasaka requires an enormous amount of chakra. 

Just opening the portal to the Origin Sphere Space nearly exhausted all the chakra that Shinji had previously extracted with Uchiha Mitsu’s dojutsu, Eight Thousand Spears, in Uchiha Naka’s small world.  

At this moment—  

Shinji was in terrible shape. 

His body had automatically exited the Nuclear Explosion: Sage Mode - Eternal Form, and even maintaining the most basic Sage Mode - Eternal Form was proving difficult.  

But he had no choice. 

Opening a portal back to the ninja world wouldn’t help him escape the pursuit of the Sage of Six Paths.  

The Fourth Great Ninja War in the future had already proven that the Sage of Six Paths could travel freely between the Pure Land he created and the ninja world whenever he pleased. The only factor was whether he wanted to or not.  

However, if he opened the portal to one of the other five chaotic small worlds connected to the Origin Sphere Space, the situation would become much trickier. If he ended up in the Sand World, that wouldn’t be too bad—but if he was transported directly into the Acid Sea World, then he might as well declare game over on the spot.  

With enough chakra, Shinji could theoretically take a dip in the Acid Sea for as long as he wanted.  

But without chakra to sustain Nuclear Explosion: Sage Mode or use defensive jutsu, he wasn’t nearly as tough as he imagined.  

At the end of the day, ninjas were nothing more than glass cannons.  

At this moment—  

Realizing that, just like the Dream Rift, the Origin Sphere Space lacked natural energy, 

Shinji couldn’t help but let out a bitter chuckle.  

“I can only rely on my body to recover stamina, then refine chakra and convert it into stored natural energy—until I accumulate enough to use Yomi Hirasaka again.”  

Shaking his head, he made a rough calculation: 

“It’ll take about three days before I can use it again. If this place had natural energy, things would be so much easier… sigh.”  

Right now—  

Because of his actions to rescue Indra, he had caught the attention of the Sage of Six Paths. Even if he returned to the ninja world in three days, there was a high chance he would be hunted down again.  

Until he gained enough power to neutralize the threat of the Sage of Six Paths, for Shinji—  

The ninja world was no longer safe! 

And if he couldn’t return to the ninja world, he wouldn’t be able to stop the arrival of Infinite Tsukuyomi. If Infinite Tsukuyomi couldn’t be stopped, then everything he had done to protect the ninja world would be completely meaningless.  

At this moment, Shinji truly felt like he had been dragged into a hidden main quest that completely derailed the real main storyline. 

Unless— 

He could achieve another rapid power breakthrough within this short timeframe! 

To the point where even the Sage of Six Paths could do nothing to him!  

With that thought, Shinji immediately turned around and stared intensely at Indra. 

I paid such a heavy price to pull you out of there, my dear ancestor Indra— 

You better be useful!  

“…Why are you looking at me like that?” 

Being stared at so intensely, Indra shuddered involuntarily and turned away in irritation.  

“Don’t think that just because you saved me, I’ll be grateful to you!”  

What the hell? Now you’re acting all high and mighty?  

Shinji’s expression darkened instantly. But before he could start guilt-tripping Indra—  

Indra sat down cross-legged, deep in thought, and spoke first.  

“In the past, I always believed that truly reaching the level of the Six Paths was marked by the development of a Kekkei Mōra ability. But after seeing you now, I realize that this belief was flawed.”  

“There’s no doubt—you already possess a body comparable to, or perhaps even surpassing, the Six Paths level. You also wield Yomi Hirasaka, a jutsu exclusive to Kekkei Mōra.”  

“However, in reality, there is still an insurmountable gap between you and the true Six Paths.”  

Indra furrowed his brows and stated firmly:  

“And the root of this gap lies in the quality of chakra—the very essence of Six Paths power.”  

“That’s right.” Shinji nodded. 

“That’s exactly why I need your help!”  

Now that the threat of the Sage of Six Paths was temporarily gone, and as long as he stayed in the Origin Sphere Space, he would be safe for quite some time—  

Even though this place was technically the base of the final boss, Shinji felt oddly at ease here.  

It also gave him time to discuss the most critical issue with Indra.  

Looking straight at Indra, he said seriously: 

“Indra, I need you to help me find a way to obtain the power of the Six Paths—or a way to refine my chakra quality beyond its level!”  

Indra nodded. After a brief calculation, he spoke:  

“According to the original plan, Asura and I were supposed to reincarnate—or rather, inhabit new bodies—three months from now, when the Divine Tree begins to show signs of revival.”  

“In other words, if you want to stop Infinite Tsukuyomi from coming to pass, 

you must master the power of the Six Paths within these three months.”  

“However…” Indra frowned deeply, his expression turning grim.  

“The problem is—I have no idea how to obtain the power of the Six Paths!”  

“In fact, I don’t even fully comprehend what kind of power it truly is, since I never possessed it myself.”  

Upon hearing this, Shinji’s heart sank.  

If even Indra, the forefather of ninjutsu, had no clue— 

Then who else could help him obtain the power of the Six Paths?  

Steel Will?  

Well, that was certainly an option. With his current strength, he should be able to fight Six Paths Rinnegan Madara head-on.  

But could Six Paths power really just be overpowered into submission?  

The core mechanism of Steel Will, from what Shinji had understood, always bypassed proficiency and attribute requirements, directly granting him jutsu—not the power itself.  

For example, back in Yunming City, he had obtained both Lava Release: Granite and Lava Release: Seabed Needles from Roshi, but to this day, he still couldn’t use either of them.  

Unlike secret techniques or single-attribute jutsu, which could be used immediately after obtaining them, 

the fundamental reason was that a ninja’s body had the potential to develop all seven chakra natures naturally.  

Steel Will functioned as a reverse causality rule, where intense battle pushed him to extreme limits, allowing him to acquire new jutsu as a result.  

However, if a jutsu was completely beyond his innate limits, 

then even if he obtained it, Shinji wouldn’t be able to use it.  

Taking Lava Release as an example—since he hadn’t naturally awakened the Kekkei Genkai for it, he simply lacked the necessary chakra attributes to use it. He would have to train and integrate Lava Release manually before he could utilize the techniques he had acquired.  

And the biggest issue now was—  

No one knew the exact process of fusing all seven chakra natures to create Truth-Seeking Orbs. 

No one even understood the precise form of Six Paths power.  

It was like knowing that Rasengan could be learned through water balloon training, 

but without Jiraiya demonstrating it, people would only have a vague formula:  

Chakra + Water Balloon Training = Rasengan.  

When in reality, the steps required were:  

Chakra + Spin (bursting the water balloon) + Power (bursting a rubber ball) + Control (not breaking an air balloon) = Rasengan.  

Shinji lacked Six Paths power.  

Uchiha Naka suggested seeking answers from Indra. 

But now, even Indra was at a loss!  

However—  

At that moment, Indra seemed to have a sudden revelation. 

His eyes lit up as he looked at Shinji with intrigue.  

“I may not know how to fuse the Truth-Seeking Orbs or obtain Six Paths power…”  

“But I have an idea.”  

His gaze sparkled as if he had just discovered the most fascinating toy.  

“That white flame arm guard you used when breaking the Sage’s Shackles— 

Can you still use it?”  

“Show me!”  

Chapter 545: Forging the Sword!  

At this moment,  

Hearing Indra’s request to see the “Sage Art: Humanoid Form – Ultimate Mode – Armored Susanoo”, Shinji found it a bit strange but did not refuse.  

He slightly raised his palm, withdrawing the chakra that maintained his Sage Mode: Eternal Form within his body, converting it into senjutsu chakra that flowed toward his right palm. Then, his eyes widened slightly, as a surge of ocular power converged into a single point.  

In the next instant—  

Pure white flames ignited inch by inch, transforming into a blazing white arm guard that covered Shinji’s right arm.  

At this moment, the Sage Art: Humanoid Form – Ultimate Mode – Armored Susanoo was a technique that primarily utilized the ocular power of his Bloodline Selection: Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan as its main energy source. So, although it was just as energy-consuming as “Nuclear Explosion: Sage Mode”, Shinji could still barely withstand it.  

"I see... This technique is centered around Armored Susanoo, but it uses a compression method I’ve never seen before." 

Indra widened his Mangekyō Sharingan, carefully examining the armor on Shinji’s arm with a look of amazement.  

However, his brows soon furrowed, and he asked with some confusion:  

"Ocular power is essentially a form of chakra—yin-release chakra. Normally, any chakra within the seven elemental categories should be countered by Truth-Seeking Orbs."  

"Shinji, how did you prevent it from being destroyed by a Truth-Seeking Orb?"  

"Well..."  

Shinji scratched his head and dismissed the blazing white arm guard on his hand, leaving only a glowing mass of emerald-green energy in his palm.  

"I relied on the power of Sage Techniques."  

Flowing within this energy was the natural energy that Shinji had converted.  

"This is... senjutsu chakra? No, wait… something's not quite right." 

Indra stared at the emerald-green sphere in Shinji’s palm with surprise, his voice filled with uncertainty.  

"Could this… be pure natural energy?"  

"That’s right."  

Shinji nodded.  

"Armored Susanoo is a technique that greatly enhances defense, and using pure natural energy grants the immense power boost of Sage Mode. By supplementing these with curse seals and compressing them through senjutsu and ninjutsu techniques..."  

"Ultimately, it results in a humanoid Armored Susanoo that possesses defense, power, and compression properties all at once."  

"By compressing a several-hundred-meter-tall Susanoo to its absolute limit, I transformed it into a chakra armor—this technique gave me an almost invincible close-combat taijutsu."  

Shinji paused for a moment and summarized:  

"Simply put, this is a form of taijutsu that simultaneously utilizes chakra, senjutsu chakra, natural energy, and ninjutsu techniques."  

Shinji’s explanation made it sound simple,  

But Indra’s face remained serious.  

As the ancestor who had mastered countless techniques, he could naturally understand the intricate systems involved in this technique.  

At this moment, even he couldn't help but furrow his brows tightly. Immediately, he identified the blind spot in Shinji’s words that he couldn't comprehend.  

"Pure natural energy… can actually be used within a technique?"  

"And it can even achieve effects comparable to the power of the Six Paths?"  

"Does Sage Mode… really have such potential?"  

Indra furrowed his brows tightly. Then, with a solemn expression, he raised his palm.  

Just like Shinji, he began converting senjutsu chakra in his hand—despite being in the Primordial Sphere Space, which lacked natural energy—by using several strange techniques.  

Next, following Shinji’s method, he split the senjutsu chakra into three parts, keeping only the pure natural energy.  

As the ancestor of ninjutsu, Indra was no stranger to Sage Techniques.  

However, after witnessing its upper limits, he had abandoned it in favor of researching the ocular powers of Bloodline Limits and the possibility of fusing them into Bloodline Networks.  

And aside from that, another reason was—  

Indra stared at the pure natural energy in his palm.  

With his other hand, he formed the “Tiger” seal to assist in control, attempting to use this natural energy to perform the simplest Great Fireball Technique.  

But—  

"Boom!"  

The pure natural energy violently exploded the moment it received the command, maintaining its form for less than half a second before bursting uncontrollably.  

"As I thought… Shinji, you are special." 

Indra glanced at his now-charred hand. He wasn’t discouraged—instead, he simply shook his head with a calm expression, acknowledging his failure.  

"I cannot control this power the way you do."  

"No one else can wield pure natural energy as effortlessly as you, even using it to cast techniques without hand seals."  

"From a fundamental perspective, Truth-Seeking Orbs are highly condensed spheres of chakra formed by merging the seven elemental chakra natures. Their properties stem from the interplay of these chakra types, which give birth to countless variations of Bloodline Limits. This is the origin of its claim as an all-encompassing power."  

"However, your so-called 'Sage Mode' technique applies an immense burst of pure power in a single moment, exceeding the limits of imagination!"  

"This raw and overwhelming force directly alters the density of a Truth-Seeking Orb, disrupting its internal stability and compressing its structure to the point of self-destruction. Then, in an instant—Pong!—it shatters!"  

Indra frowned as he replayed the moment when Shinji crushed the Sage Chains in his mind, attempting to explain the phenomenon from a technical perspective.  

It seemed like an important piece of evidence.  

But Shinji—  

He scratched his head, paused for a moment, then let out an awkward laugh.  

"Hahaha, so that's how it works? Yeah, that’s exactly what I was thinking!"  

Of course, at the time, Shinji hadn’t thought that deeply.  

He simply recalled in the original story how Might Guy, after opening the Eight Gates Death Gate and unleashing Night Guy, had physically bent Six Paths Madara’s Sage Staff with a single kick—  

And even tore apart half of Madara’s supposedly immortal body.  

Shinji wasn’t sure how strong Night Guy really was, but from this, he deduced that even Truth-Seeking Orbs could be deformed under pure force.  

Since activating “Nuclear Explosion: Sage Mode” would likely make him even stronger than Eight Gates Might Guy, he decided to test it out—  

At this moment,  

Seeing Shinji’s “Oh, I totally knew that” expression,  

Indra twitched the corner of his mouth slightly, rolled his eyes at him, and shook his head.  

He let out a sigh of regret.  

Then—  

Indra lifted his head and spoke thoughtfully:  

"Although this is only a special case, it proves that this power is fundamentally different from the Six Paths system. It does not belong to chakra, nor to the combination of chakra and natural energy that forms senjutsu."  

"It is raw and pure. It has the potential to reach the same quality as the power of the Six Paths."  

"However, it still lacks a proper method of application."  

"I might be able to offer some suggestions to help you refine this—perhaps even develop a new system of techniques based on this power."  

Hearing this, Shinji slightly furrowed his brows.  

Indra’s words made a lot of sense, but if it was just about using pure natural energy to create techniques, then— 

The power generated in this way, in essence, is merely an alternative application of "fundamental energy." 

It is known that the Ōtsutsuki Clan has been planting trees across the universe for an unimaginably long time, all for the purpose of converting this natural energy into the more easily controlled "Six Paths Power." 

Their actions—planting the God Tree and transforming natural energy—align perfectly with what Indra is trying to achieve at this moment. Both are ways of utilizing "fundamental energy," and for the Ōtsutsuki Clan, this method must be the most efficient one within their understanding. 

Even if Indra, in just three months, could surpass the Ōtsutsuki Clan with his genius and develop a more direct way to harness fundamental energy, 

the gap between him and the celestial Ōtsutsuki Clan...  

...would be like comparing an ox cart to a Ferrari.  

Perhaps Indra’s method is more in line with the ultimate truth, and maybe it could even lead the Shinobi World onto an unprecedented path of "cultivation." 

But for now, this power has very limited immediate benefits for Shinji.  

This power cannot serve as a "weapon" for Shinji to wield in the imminent battles against his enemies.  

Yes, to Shinji, 

Chakra is a weapon. Sage Chakra is a weapon. Even the more fundamental "natural energy" is a weapon. 

And the Six Paths Power? It is an even more refined, efficient, and urbanized weapon.  

What he needs is not the future potential of weapon development. 

What he needs is an immediate, tangible increase in the power of the weapon he holds in his hands!  

As the ultimate swordsman, born with the innate talent of "battle intuition," Shinji has the ability to unleash the full potential and power of any weapon in his grasp!  

However—  

Right now, what he needs is not a "stubborn" swordsmith!  

If Indra could now develop a "seal" even more powerful than what the Ōtsutsuki Clan possesses, it might be a long-term achievement...  

But this world looks like it's about to collapse!  

What Shinji needs is something that matters now!  

And so—  

With this realization, Shinji took a deep breath, furrowed his brows, and outright rejected Indra's proposal.  

"No!"  

"Indra, you're wrong!"  

The sudden rejection caused Indra's expression to twist. For a moment, he had seen glimpses of a more beautiful future—a world freed from the shackles of Bloodline Limits and the barriers of Six Paths Power.  

Annoyed, he frowned and snapped,  

"Are you kidding me!?"  

"This is already the greatest assistance I can offer you! You brat, don’t push your luck!"  

"Isn’t this exactly what you wanted—something on par with Six Paths Power? This fundamental energy can undoubtedly fulfill your needs! All you need to do is remember the seals I teach you!"  

"No!" Shinji barked in defiance.  

His eyes widened as he stared directly at Indra, unreasonably demanding,  

"Indra, this isn't what I want! You should be able to come up with something more straightforward—something that directly enhances my power!"  

"I want that! And you must give it to me within three months!"  

"Otherwise, you can watch as I get crushed by the Sage of Six Paths, and then you can go back to being chained up like a dog!"  

Shinji glared at him and warned,  

"You must have some contingency measures left behind by the Sage of Six Paths, don’t you?"  

"Even though we’ve confirmed that the Sage of Six Paths doesn’t have the ability of Yomi Numa (Yellow Springs Hirasaka) and can't directly enter the Primordial Sphere, he can still construct a passage here using Reverse Summoning, just like you said."  

"You better understand that we are not truly out of danger!"  

Of course, this was a lie.  

With his Yomi Numa ability, Shinji could use his own portals to cut off and disrupt the Sage of Six Paths’ Reverse Summoning portals, preventing him from entering the Primordial Sphere.  

Though the Sage of Six Paths, with his Heaven’s Harmony and Expanding Truth-Seeking Ball abilities, could create his own world and rule over it as an absolute sovereign,  

without Yomi Numa, he would always be inferior to Shinji in terms of space-time abilities.  

As long as Shinji stayed in the Primordial Sphere, the Sage of Six Paths could do nothing to him. 

But if he left and reentered the Shinobi World, the Sage of Six Paths would be able to inflict devastating injuries on him. 

And if he entered smaller realms like the Dream Rift or the Pure Land, the Sage of Six Paths would possess the overwhelming power to annihilate him.  

However—  

If the war in the Shinobi World escalated to the point of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki’s resurrection, then even the Primordial Sphere would no longer be safe.  

And given that the dark side of the Shinobi World had always been secretly manipulated by the Sage of Six Paths, this outcome was almost inevitable.  

In that case, whether Orochimaru or Uchiha Madara won, they would both become sacrifices.  

When it came to the future’s security, Shinji hadn’t lied to Indra—he had merely reframed the truth.  

At this moment—  

"A more direct method?" Indra frowned deeply, coldly staring at Shinji, feeling as if this brat’s mind was utterly fixated on a dead end instead of taking the obvious, broad path ahead.  

He sneered, 

then raised his hand.  

"Of course, such a method exists!"  

"But you must understand—this path is doomed to fail!"  

As his words fell—  

In an instant, flames, wind, earth, water, lightning, yin, and yang rose from Indra's palm. The seven chakra attributes clashed and merged, forming fifteen eerie-colored Bloodline Limit chakra constructs.  

Then, those fifteen Bloodline Limit attributes devoured each other two by two—eliminating one another.  

In the end—  

Three spheres of chakra remained, glowing in black, white, and blue—Bloodline Selection orbs!  

Holding these three orbs, which radiated an extreme and terrifying power, Indra’s face was illuminated from below, making him look like a ghostly demon who had just crawled out of hell.  

He sneered,  

"On the path toward Bloodline Network, I ultimately discovered the existence of four possible Bloodline Selections!"  

**"If the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan represents the pinnacle of Bloodline Limits—the ultimate form of eye techniques—"**  

"Then—"  

"These four Bloodline Selections—"  

"—are the ultimate form of ninjutsu!"  

(End of Chapter)