531-535

Chapter 531: Interlude – Izanami  

Standing before Black Zetsu’s lifeless body, amidst the shattered earth and crimson firewalls, Shinji felt a sense of bewilderment.  

Even though he now possessed power nearly on par with the Sage of Six Paths, when he tried to peer through the cracks of history and uncover the man-made darkness that had stretched on for millennia, he still found himself powerless.  

It was the weight of time.  

Centuries of history had flashed by, yet the records left behind amounted to nothing more than a few cursory notes in the clan’s chronicles.  

If not for this rift between fantasy and reality—this river of reversal reflecting the past of the shinobi world beneath the surface of reality—then these events, these sacrifices, this history, these once-living, breathing people...  

Would amount to nothing.  

After witnessing firsthand the true mastermind lurking in the shadows of the shinobi world—Black Zetsu—  

Shinji began to recall fragments of his own memories, his true identity, and the reality of this world.  

And yet, the deeply ingrained beliefs he had held onto for so long began to waver.  

The Past 

Shinji had always believed that Uchiha Madara was the ultimate villain of the shinobi world, and that hidden behind him was the will of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya—the force manipulating the world’s thousand-year darkness: Black Zetsu.  

The final boss, as far as he was concerned, was none other than the progenitor of chakra herself, the so-called Rabbit Goddess, who had been sealed within the moon by the Sage of Six Paths—  

Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.  

Sealing or even defeating Kaguya was supposed to be the best possible outcome for a protagonist blessed by fate.  

However...  

Now that he had seen this long-lost history with his own eyes, experienced it firsthand,  

Shinji realized—  

Black Zetsu was nothing more than a pawn.  

It was impossible for Black Zetsu to control what kind of dojutsu Uchiha Rei awakened, nor could it dictate the reincarnation cycle of the Sage of Six Paths’ sons, Indra and Asura.  

All it could do was stubbornly adhere to its perceived mission—  

Sowing discord in secret, weakening the stronger of the Uchiha and Senju clans to maintain a balance of power, inciting conflicts between them, ensuring their endless feuds and wars.  

All in the hope that, amidst the chaos, there might be the slimmest chance of a Rinnegan awakening—  

The key to resurrecting Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.  

And yet, even the resurrection of “Mother” Kaguya seemed to be nothing more than a carrot dangled in front of Black Zetsu—  

A ploy to keep it moving forward, pushing it onward, unknowingly carrying out the will of the true mastermind.  

Beyond this, Black Zetsu was powerless.  

And because it was created from Kaguya’s own will using Yin-Yang Release, it could not deviate from its purpose.  

The Higher Will 

Above Black Zetsu existed an even greater will—one that allowed it to act freely while secretly manipulating everything, vying for a victory Shinji could not yet comprehend.  

And opposing this supreme will...  

Was another force—an entity known as “Indra’s Will.”  

Indra had treated the Uchiha clan as his chess pieces, using their bloodline as the thread, their inherited dojutsu as the spearhead of his relentless gambit.  

For thousands of years, he had continued his ruthless game, trying to break free from the shackles of fate.  

Black Zetsu was merely a tool to drive the tragedy forward.  

The true architect behind the endless cycle of suffering was none other than Indra—the progenitor of the Uchiha clan.  

But the real source of every tragedy...  

Was the one who claimed to be dead, yet somehow miraculously returned from the Pure Land in the future—granting the two protagonists divine power on the spot, enabling them to seal Kaguya then and there...  

The Sage of Six Paths—Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo.  

A New Path 

Shinji dismissed his thoughts.  

While his theories could explain a great deal, they were still mere speculation.  

The real truth—what had actually happened, and what lay at the heart of everything—  

He would uncover it himself.  

Just as Sasuke had summoned the past Hokage during the Fourth Shinobi War to question them about the Uchiha massacre,  

Shinji would use his own eyes to see through the darkness of the shinobi world!  

And then, he would judge this world,  

And those who sat high above the clouds.  

But unlike Uchiha Sasuke...  

In Shinji’s world, there was no Uzumaki Naruto—no overpowered protagonist screaming about friendship and bonds, forcing him back to the village.  

Now, Shinji was like a disciple of the Wind and Moon Sect, who had just discovered a hidden second ending in a supposedly linear path.  

And no one—  

No one could stop him from hanging those who deserved it from the streetlights!  

The Next Move 

Having eliminated Black Zetsu and squeezed out the last of its value,  

Shinji transformed into a radiant arrow of light and shot into the sky, launching himself hundreds of miles from Kikyo Castle.  

At that moment—  

The crimson sky that had enshrouded the world began to fade.  

The oppressive atmosphere was physically overturned, revealing an endless expanse of a clear, cloudless night.  

A solitary full moon hung high in the heavens,  

Bathing the earth in its cold, silvery light.  

It was as if all the chaos had finally reached its conclusion, yet at the same time, it felt like a mournful melody was being played in the distance—  

The Final Scene 

In the heart of Kikyo Castle, reduced to ruins,  

Under the cold glow of the moon, Shinji slowly descended.  

And it was then that he saw it—  

The final moments of this lost chapter in Uchiha history,  

As this world began its quiet countdown to the end.  

The battlefield was littered with corpses,  

Piles of bodies forming mountains of fallen "captains."  

At the peak of this grisly hill stood a lone figure, blood-soaked and ghostlike, staggering as he climbed over the bodies of his own kin.  

The child of fate who had slaughtered all the reincarnations of the “Oni” had finally reached the one who had orchestrated the rebellion and ignited the conflict.  

Uchiha Naka stared blankly at the crumpled body before him—  

Uchiha Claw, once his closest friend, someone he had shared everything with, like a brother.  

It seemed as if Claw had been waiting for this moment.  

He lifted a trembling hand from his blood-soaked abdomen, revealing an empty wound that had long since bled dry.  

His dazed eyes met Naka’s, and a soft, relieved smile appeared on his lips.  

“Naka... What I owed you... I can finally—”  

Squelch!  

A shattered, dulled blade plunged into Uchiha Claw’s face,  

Silencing the final word in his throat.  

And just like that, Uchiha Claw’s lifeless eyes faded,  

As he became just another corpse in the mountain of the dead.  

Uchiha Naga watched the scene before him, 

his vision gradually blurring as something hot trickled down his cheeks, 

sliding along his jaw and dripping onto the ground.  

Ah… strange. Why am I crying?  

Lowering his head, he looked at the red bloodstains spreading across Uchiha Claw’s face. 

Oh… turns out I wasn’t crying. That’s blood.  

For no apparent reason, a surge of elation rose in his heart, so intense that it brought tears to his eyes. 

Yet, at the same time, a wave of overwhelming loneliness swept over him.  

He covered his increasingly blurry eyes, the corners of his mouth curling upward, 

a hint of madness flashing in his gaze.  

"Heh… Heh heh… Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"  

Covering his face, Uchiha Naga burst into uncontrollable laughter, 

blood tears streaming endlessly from his eyes.  

He gazed at the "mountain of corpses" beneath him, 

at the countless demons he had slaughtered.  

The once-familiar faces in his mind gradually blurred, fading away…  

Until, finally, they became mere sustenance for his Mangekyō Sharingan’s ability—Heavenly Perpetuity.  

"I won!"  

"I will become the leader of the Uchiha! The ruler of the ninja world!"  

"I won! I won! I won! Do you see this, Father? I won!"  

"I will lead the Uchiha Clan to crush the Senju! I will unify the entire ninja world! I will break the never-ending chain of hatred that has lasted for a thousand years!"  

"I will—"  

Suddenly, Uchiha Naga froze.  

He stared blankly at his bloodstained hands, 

a strange emptiness swelling within his hollow heart.  

Something… something important was slipping away.  

He stood there, dazed.  

"Huh? Why did I want to do all this in the first place?"  

"This… this wasn’t my original goal, was it?"  

"But why… can’t I remember?"  

Shinji silently watched the scene unfold.  

He looked at Uchiha Naga’s blood-red Mangekyō Sharingan, 

at the boy sitting atop the mountain of corpses in a daze.  

The young man who once wielded his blade with the resolve to save his clan…  

In the end, he had become the greatest demon of them all.  

That is the nature of the Mangekyō— 

sacrificing what is most precious in exchange for a power beyond limits.  

From the very beginning, this gift had already determined its price.  

But…  

The Uchiha are not meant to be like this.  

The Uchiha are a clan of love.  

And a power born from love…  

Will ultimately find redemption through love.  

—Tap. Tap.  

The sound of footsteps echoed in the silence.  

Shinji turned his head slightly and saw—  

A solitary figure approaching under the moonlight.  

She wore a black cloak, a short blade glinting coldly at her waist. 

Her movements were as light as a butterfly, 

her long purple hair cascading down to her waist, 

glistening under the moon’s glow like a lone alpine flower reaching toward the sky.  

The girl stepped forward with unwavering resolve, 

ascending the mountain of corpses, 

facing the demon king who had slain all others.  

"Sister!?"  

As if sensing something, Uchiha Naga turned his head coldly.  

His lips curled into a mocking smile.  

"Even you would stand against me? Tch… then there’s no helping it."  

His sharp gaze locked onto Uchiha Chi, 

his exhausted yet still powerful Mangekyō Sharingan narrowing slightly.  

He yanked his chipped short blade from Uchiha Claw’s corpse, 

turning to face her.  

Like a true demon, 

he stared at her approaching figure, 

calculating where to strike next— 

where to drive his blade and rip away that sweet, flower-like life.  

Yet…  

Even in the face of his madness, his merciless gaze, 

and the killing intent that had already seeped into his very bones—  

Uchiha Chi took a deep breath.  

In the next moment—  

She resolutely opened her Mangekyō Sharingan, 

three petal-like tomoe blooming in her eyes.  

Then, she unfastened the blade at her waist…  

And let it fall to the ground.  

She stepped forward—unarmed, completely defenseless.  

"There must be another way besides endless fighting!"  

"Stop, Naga!"  

As the short blade landed with a soft thud and embedded itself into the earth, 

the girl pressed forward, unyielding, 

even as she walked straight into the demon’s blade.  

Forbidden Technique—Izana-Mi, activated!  

And so—  

In the world shaped by the intertwining of 

Kamurami’s Life and the forbidden Izana-Gi,  

As Heavenly Perpetuity and Izana-Mi became eternally entwined—  

This lost world, this forgotten history—  

At last, reached its quiet conclusion.  

Chapter 532: The Origin of Dojutsu, The Ancestor of Jutsu—Indra!  

As Uchiha Chiri let his short blade fall to the ground, activating Izanami, it was as if a cycle had come to an end. It was like time itself had been forcibly rewound, returning to its very beginning.  

Then, the hand that had turned back the clock let go,  

And time began ticking forward once more.  

Shinji watched as the vast, seemingly endless sky suddenly plunged into darkness. The stars in the sky reversed their movement, spinning backward. Then, a pure white light pierced through the darkness above,  

And in that instant, the world in reverse collapsed.  

His vision went black, and he felt a strange force pushing him upward.  

When he opened his eyes again,  

He had returned to the shore of the River of Reversal.  

At that moment, Uchiha Naka, who had been floating lazily in the river, had somehow managed to crawl back onto the shore. He still carried that same lazy demeanor—someone who, if he could lie down, would never sit, and if he could sit, would never stand.  

Now, he was sitting cross-legged beside Shinji, holding a handful of river sand that was gradually dissipating. His gaze followed the scattered points of light drifting in the air, a faint smirk appearing on his lips.  

“The world ended the moment Uchiha Chiri activated Izanami.”  

But Shinji suspected that wasn't how things were supposed to go. Before the world collapsed, he had clearly seen time rewinding. If the collapse hadn’t occurred, he should have returned to the very beginning of that world, entering a new cycle.  

At that moment, Uchiha Naka spoke first:  

"You already know that when Forbidden Jutsu: Izanagi and Dojutsu: Ame-no-Tokotachi are used together, you end up in this rift between illusion and reality."  

"In my sister’s Izanami, every time I used my dojutsu, I would come here, searching through the river’s reflection of history for the memories I had lost."  

"And the effect of Izanami is this: if I refuse to accept my fate, I will be trapped in that loop forever."  

"So?" Shinji raised an eyebrow and asked.  

"So, I died."  

Uchiha Naka spread his hands and chuckled helplessly.  

"Until the end of my lifespan, I never accepted fate. I spent my entire life trapped within Izanami."  

"My sister always said—there must be a way other than fighting."  

"So, I kept searching within the infinite cycle created by Izanami."  

"I returned to this river countless times, went back to the past countless times, tried to change everything countless times—only to fail every time."  

"Even when I eventually realized that even if I found a way to change everything, I could never truly return to the past."  

Uchiha Naka looked toward the direction Shinji had come from.  

Downstream, a dark purple ‘Wall of the Future’ was slowly shifting further down.  

He pointed to that eerie wall.  

"Time flows like a river, and we, drowning within it, can only return to the past in this illusionary world."  

"But reality has already drifted too far away from me."  

Uchiha Naka shook his head and smiled bitterly.  

"My era has long since passed. My sister and I… our very bones have probably turned to dust."  

"The me you see now is nothing more than a wandering ghost—just chakra lingering in this false world."  

Shinji fell silent for a moment before finally asking:  

"Then, after all this time, what is it you refuse to let go of? What is it you kept going back to the past to change?"  

He paused for a second, then rephrased his question:  

"Or rather—"  

"What happened afterward?"  

He was referring to what happened to the Uchiha clan after Uchiha Chiri activated Izanami. What kind of future was so unbearable that Uchiha Naka would rather die than accept it?  

"The Uchiha clan lost," Uchiha Naka replied, expressionless.  

"I killed all the clan members who had gone mad. Not long after, the Senju clan attacked. By then, my sister and I were the only Uchihas left with the Mangekyō Sharingan."  

"Uchiha Tsume and the squad captains—I killed them all. Uchiha Mitsu was buried alive by the Senju and Uzumaki clans at Mount Chii."  

"But I was strong—so strong that even when the clan leaders of the ninja world banded together against me, I could still defeat them."  

"Except… there was one man—one man even stronger than me."  

"His name was Senju Sōjin."  

"His strength defied all logic. When we first met, he was nothing—a weakling who couldn't even withstand a single strike from me. But the second time we met, he had just awakened Wood Release, and he was already my equal. After that, I could never catch up to him again."  

"Without any extreme training, it was as if he underwent some kind of overnight metamorphosis. His power skyrocketed—far beyond the boost that a Uchiha gains from awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan."  

Uchiha Naka sneered mockingly.  

"It was as if he was born just to overshadow me."  

Shinji glanced at this lazy man with an odd expression.  

"That sounds kind of familiar…"  

This guy's story sounded eerily similar to Madara Uchiha’s.  

Could he be the reincarnation of Indra? And was this Senju Sōjin the reincarnation of Asura in this particular timeline?  

The righteous Asura reincarnation leading the ninja alliance to defeat the ‘evil’ Uchiha reincarnation…  

How cliché!  

"With the combined power of our Mangekyō-wielding clan members, we barely managed to crush that guy and defeat the Senju. But after the internal conflict, with no way to balance his power, we were doomed to lose."  

Uchiha Naka analyzed coldly.  

"Even after I regained myself under my sister’s Izanami, I still couldn’t accept that reality. So, I kept returning to this river, going back in time, searching for a way to defeat him."  

"But no matter what I tried—even after taking my sister’s eyes and awakening the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan—I could only trade my life to severely injure him."  

"In the beginning, I tried to prevent the civil war. During that time, I could use Izanagi to revive all the Uchihas who died in battle. But no matter how I tried to mend the clan’s unity, there was always some force interfering, dividing us, fueling our conflicts. The entire Uchiha clan was like a boiling kettle, ready to explode at any moment."  

"Then, I realized something was wrong and started searching for the hidden mastermind. After 126,842 cycles, I finally found that shadowy bastard."  

Uchiha Naka let out a self-deprecating laugh and shook his head.  

"But in the end, I realized he was just a pawn too."  

"Just like you did."  

At these words, Shinji’s eyes lit up, and he immediately asked,  

"Then, what else did you discover?"  

"Of course." Uchiha Naka let out a cold laugh, his eyes gleaming with icy hatred.  

"I also discovered the true origin of our clan’s Mangekyō Sharingan, the real secret behind our so-called ‘Eyes that Reflect the Soul.’"  

"The ancient curse passed down through our bloodline, the reason why the Uchiha are marked as a clan of misfortune—"  

"The son of the Sage of Six Paths, the so-called ancestor of ninjas and all jutsu—"  

"Indra!"  

Hearing this, Shinji rolled his eyes in exasperation.  

"I already figured that out. What was the point of all that buildup?"  

Uchiha Naka chuckled, completely unfazed. He patted Shinji on the shoulder, then pointed downstream. His eyes gleamed with deep hatred.  

"Well then, what if I told you—"  

"That guy is right down this river?"  

Chapter 533: The Beginning of the Bloodline, The Uchiha Struggle!   

"You’re saying… that guy is right there!?"   

Upon hearing Uchiha Naga’s words, Shinji narrowed his eyes slightly, a flicker of killing intent flashing through them.   

The history of the shinobi world, at its core, is a history dictated by the Ōtsutsuki clan. At its foundation lies the conflict between Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and her son, the Sage of the Six Paths. A significant branch of this history stems from the ideological differences between the Sage’s two sons, leading to an enduring struggle.   

This conflict has stretched across millennia, perpetuated through the repeated reincarnations of Indra and Asura, spreading its influence like an unbroken legacy. The chaos and warfare that have lasted for generations primarily revolve around two clans—the Uchiha and the Senju.   

As long as Indra and Asura fail to reach a definitive conclusion, this ideological war that transcends time will never end.   

In the best-case scenario, as per the original timeline, the Fourth Great Ninja War would eventually lead to a resolution after the final battle at the Valley of the End between Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. They would become the last reincarnations of Indra and Asura, bringing an end to the cycle.   

However—   

The ninja world had already deviated from its original course due to Shinji’s presence. Now, the future was shrouded in uncertainty.   

Would Indra and Asura be able to reconcile in this lifetime? That was a question that remained unanswered.   

At that moment, a reckless impulse surged within Shinji’s heart.   

What if—   

What if he killed one of them right here and now?   

Uchiha Naga seemed to notice the killing intent in his eyes. He patted Shinji on the shoulder and shook his head.   

"As much as I hate that guy, Shinji, he is not our enemy."   

"On the contrary, he is also a member of the Uchiha clan—the oldest Uchiha, in fact. He is nothing more than a prisoner of this long, imprisoned history."   

A mocking smirk appeared on Uchiha Naga’s face, as if he had thought of something amusing.   

"That guy may be detestable, but he’s also pitiful. Born with a prestigious background, possessing extraordinary talent, yet living like a dog."   

"You’ll understand when you see him."   

Shinji was slightly surprised. He couldn’t help but wonder—Naga both hated him yet didn’t want to kill him. What exactly was he trying to do?   

Naga didn’t dwell on the topic of Indra any further. Instead, he slowly raised his head and gazed at the pure white river before them—flowing from the future to the past, from below to above.   

After a brief silence, he suddenly asked,   

"Do you know how Kekkei Genkai came to be?"   

Shinji nodded.   

Broadly speaking, Kekkei Genkai are powerful abilities created by the combination of two chakra natures trained to their peak. Once the first-generation user fuses them, the resulting ability can be passed down through their bloodline.   

For example:   

- Wind + Water = Ice   

- Earth + Water = Wood   

- Fire + Wind = Scorch   

- Fire + Water = Boil   

These are relatively common Kekkei Genkai. However, there are also certain bloodline traits that are believed to originate from Ōtsutsuki lineage, making their formation process unclear. These include abilities like Crystal Release, Twin Demon Eyes, Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse), Five Senses Manipulation, and Dragon Rebirth.   

The Uchiha’s Sharingan, a visual Kekkei Genkai, also falls under the category of bloodline traits.   

However—   

What Uchiha Naga said next completely contradicted the knowledge Shinji had always believed to be true.   

"Our Uchiha Sharingan is indeed a Kekkei Genkai."   

"But in the beginning, as a visual Kekkei Genkai inherited through our bloodline, the Sharingan’s limit was merely the Three Tomoe form, possessing three distinct abilities: Copying, Hypnosis, and Enhanced Perception."   

"There was no such thing as the Mangekyō Sharingan being a reflection of one’s heart, nor the notion that the stronger one’s desire, the more fitting their Mangekyō ability would be upon awakening."   

"In fact, in the very beginning, there was no such thing as the Mangekyō Sharingan at all."   

"Even the Sage of the Six Paths’ own Sharingan never awakened any unique ocular powers."   

"Just like how the first-generation Kekkei Genkai users engraved their abilities into their bloodline for future generations to inherit—"   

"If nothing unexpected occurred, the Uchiha, as inheritors of the Sage’s eyes, would have been limited to only the Three Tomoe Sharingan and its three inherent abilities. And once a Kekkei Genkai is fixed into the bloodline, modifying it becomes incredibly difficult."   

"Any attempt to alter a Kekkei Genkai would result in an omnipresent poison within the bloodline—like walking a tightrope over a bottomless chasm. One misstep, and death is inevitable."   

Hearing this, Shinji was stunned. He recalled his own battle against Ebizō on the battlefield of the Land of Rain.   

Back then, he had forcibly infused Senjutsu chakra from the Heaven’s Curse Seal and the frenzied natural energy of Ryūchi Cave into his Sharingan, ultimately evolving it into a Snake-Eyed Sharingan, stronger than a normal Sharingan.   

It was a nearly impossible feat to replicate.   

With an immortal body, Earth Grudge Fear, physical regeneration, the Snake Rebirth Technique, the Heaven’s Curse Seal achieving equilibrium with his Two Tomoe Sharingan, the Sage’s Orb… and Ebizō’s final, unintentional push—if even one of those factors had been missing, his eyes would have been destroyed on the spot.   

That was the first time Shinji attempted to modify his ocular Kekkei Genkai.   

And as it turned out, it was indeed possible to alter a Kekkei Genkai—   

It was just unbelievably dangerous.   

Acknowledging this, Shinji nodded slightly, recognizing the truth in Naga’s words.   

"But—"   

At that moment, Uchiha Naga’s tone shifted.   

"A true genius changed everything."   

Shinji’s brows furrowed.   

"That person… was Indra?"   

"That’s right."   

Naga nodded.   

"The first time an Uchiha awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, engraving that mysterious pattern into their eyes, traces back to the era when the Sage of the Six Paths was still alive."   

"At that time, Indra and Asura were undergoing the Sage’s trial for inheriting Ninshū. In the end, the Sage recognized his younger son, Asura, and rejected the genius system of ‘Ninjutsu’ that Indra had created."   

"Asura, inheritor of the Sage’s body, was granted the Wood Release—a power far surpassing the Sharingan. With the support of his followers, he defeated Indra."   

"But Indra refused to accept this. He returned, bearing a new power—a pair of eyes surpassing even the Sage of the Six Paths’ bloodline. He led the weak and scattered Uchiha clan in a long, bitter war against Asura, who held the Sage’s full legacy and led the Ninshū forces."   

"That was the true origin of the Uchiha clan."   

"Indra was our ancestor. Though he was a terrible leader—tyrannical, oppressive, and willing to sacrifice his own clan to prove his ideology—"   

"But even so, that tyrant gave us, the Uchiha, the hope to resist."   

"As the war progressed, under Indra’s leadership, the once feeble Uchiha clan grew strong—strong enough to stand against the Ninshū forces."   

"The difference between Ninshū followers and shinobi back then was like the difference between primitive humans praying to gods and intelligent beings wielding tools to shape their own destiny."   

"The foolish Ninshū could do nothing but cling together for survival."   

"By all logic, they should have been swiftly wiped out by the shinobi and discarded into the dustbin of history."   

Then, Uchiha Naga’s expression suddenly darkened.   

"But at that moment—"   

"The Sage of the Six Paths, who had long passed away, who had once vowed never to interfere in his sons’ dispute—"   

"He intervened."   

"No… he had intervened from the very beginning, when he allowed Black Zetsu to sow discord between Indra and Asura."   

Shinji’s eyes sharpened instantly.   

He suddenly realized—   

The nature of this story had changed entirely.   

It was no longer just a conflict of ideologies between men—   

It had become—   

Humanity’s rebellion against the divine!   

Chapter 534: This World Doesn’t Need a God!  

The Sage of Six Paths had an overwhelming fondness for his youngest son.  

If he had been just an ordinary man, this favoritism would have affected only a single household—at most, a few families.  

If he had been merely a respected leader of a powerful faction, his bias would have influenced the fate of that group, causing only a temporary shift in the balance of power.  

But—  

He was a god.  

After sealing away Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and after Hamura Ōtsutsuki ascended to the Moon, he remained the sole god in the Shinobi world!  

When a god desires the world to be shaped exactly as he envisions—to have everyone holding hands, their hearts connected, moving forward in perfect harmony along the path of Ninjutsu he preached— 

And especially when that god intends for this harmony to last forever...  

Then, the technique created by his eldest son, Indra, becomes an indelible stain on the pristine canvas, a crack in the illusion of eternal peace.  

Defeating Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, seizing all that she possessed, wielding the powers of the Bloodline Selection (noted in the Scroll of Formation with the 'Net' attribute, signifying Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki also had this ability), the Rinnegan, and the Ten-Tails— 

Even after his physical death, he continued watching over the Shinobi world from the Pure Land, observing the endless reincarnations of Indra and Asura.  

Such a god—  

His favoritism was a catastrophe for the entire world!  

Uchiha Naga gazed calmly at the pristine river flowing before him and spoke:  

"Just as you suspected, my thousand years on this river made me realize—"  

"The Sage of Six Paths is the darkness that has loomed over the entire history of the Shinobi world."  

"And we—whether it’s you, me, or even Indra himself, who still stubbornly fights to defeat Asura and prove his worth— 

We are nothing but prisoners of this endless cycle."  

"I hated Indra for forcing this fate upon me."  

"But when I lost everything and took a broader view of Shinobi history, I made an absurd discovery."  

"My era—the era of that lost history, the sudden civil strife within the Uchiha—was unique. It was a deviation, a moment where the Uchiha came closest to shattering the ancient, unchanging cycle of the Shinobi world."  

A bitter smile formed on Uchiha Naga’s lips.  

"In my time, we were the closest to success."  

"The Uchiha almost wiped out the Senju. As Indra’s reincarnation, I nearly killed Asura."  

"Indra’s Izanagi and the Mangekyō ability, Kamugami no Mikoto, made the Uchiha multiply like cancerous cells—unstoppably expanding, becoming monstrously powerful."  

"We were just one step away from ‘Ninjutsu’ defeating ‘Ninshū.’"  

After recounting this lost history, Uchiha Naga sighed deeply, his gaze fixed on the flowing river, lost in thought.  

"I see… so this is your burden?"  

Shinji turned his head and looked at him.  

At that moment, he finally understood what Uchiha Naga meant by "prisoners of time."  

But there was still something that puzzled him.  

"I haven't done what you said yet— 

I haven’t stopped the Uchiha’s use of Izanami before you could act."  

"But—"  

"Why did you take the initiative to halt the cycle of this world?"  

Hearing this, Uchiha Naga suddenly scratched his head with an embarrassed smile.  

"Well… I let you try because, honestly, I was just sick of living. Uh, don’t look at me like that— 

If you spent a thousand years stuck in this miserable place, you’d feel the same way."  

"I really just wanted to see what dying feels like."  

"If I die, that little world will instantly collapse. And then— 

It’s like when a hot dog gets suddenly crushed between two pieces of bread."  

"Smack!"  

"You’d die too."  

Uchiha Naga vividly mimicked the process with his hands, demonstrating the crushing motion, then scratched his head again and playfully patted Shinji’s iron-hard chest.  

"Didn’t expect you to be this tough, though."  

Shinji: “…”  

"But," Uchiha Naga smiled slightly before turning to look at Shinji with a serious gaze.  

"If you insist on asking why— 

It's probably because I’ve finally found my peace."  

"Honestly, I accepted my fate a long time ago. Who the hell am I kidding? How could I possibly defeat the Sage of Six Paths? I never had the power to change any of this."  

"But I still stubbornly stood my ground, guarding this piece of unrecorded history."  

"I was afraid that if I gave up and surrendered, then all those who sacrificed themselves for this cause—the Uchiha who weren’t born as demons but still fought to their last breath, my father’s resolve, my sister’s devotion, Tsuba’s remorse, everything I saw— 

I was afraid all these precious things would be washed away by time, forgotten by the world."  

"Shinji—"  

"Do you understand? After reflecting on my failed life, I’ve come to a realization."  

"To be forgotten— 

That is the truest form of death."  

"But now… in you, I see hope!"  

Uchiha Naga’s eyes gleamed as he stared at Shinji.  

"The thought that, even a thousand years from now, someone will still remember my name, someone will still know our lost history— 

That alone makes it worth betting my life!"  

Shinji blinked and suddenly felt an ominous premonition.  

Brother…  

Can’t we just have a normal conversation? Why the hell are you throwing a death flag!?  

Uchiha Naga pressed his hands against the ground and stood up, straightening his back.  

At this moment—  

All the exhaustion and laziness accumulated over the centuries vanished.  

He spread his arms wide, embracing the surging, time-defying river before him!  

"Wait—what are you doing!?"  

Shinji shouted in alarm, scrambling to his feet to pull Naga back.  

But when he reached out—  

His hand passed straight through Naga’s body!  

Uchiha Naga turned his head with a gentle smile.  

His crimson Mangekyō Sharingan blazed to life as he locked eyes with Shinji, his entire body now engulfed in brilliant flames.  

"Shinji—"  

"This world does not need a god!"  

"You have the potential to kill the Sage of Six Paths! In the thousands of years of Uchiha history, I’ve never seen anyone shine brighter than you!"  

"But right now… your gap with him is way too fucking big!"  

"Listen—"  

"The only thing I can do is use these eyes to send you across a thousand years, downriver in time!"  

Shinji stared blankly at him.  

Wait, what the hell?  

You’re an NPC whose sole purpose is to teleport me!?  

Is crossing a damn river really worth this much sacrifice!?  

But as Naga’s body burned brighter, clearly on the verge of complete ignition, panic surged in Shinji’s chest. He hastily shouted,  

"Wait—why the hell am I going downriver!?"  

"To find Indra!"  

"And why am I finding Indra!?"  

"Stop interrupting me, dammit!"  

Uchiha Naga glared at him furiously, shouting back with equal urgency.  

"You need to convince Indra— 

To help you kill his own father!"  

Chapter 535: The Land of Origin, Twelvefold Rashomon!  

Shinji watched as the chakra surging from Uchiha Nahe grew stronger and stronger.  

His entire form became increasingly radiant,  

Like a fearless torch raised high in the darkness!  

Shinji still had too many questions he wanted to ask this Uchiha, who had survived for an unknown amount of time through the loopholes of forbidden jutsu.  

Questions about the future, about how to escape from this place, about the true power of the Sage of Six Paths and Indra.  

Why did Uchiha Nahe, despite witnessing the divine power Shinji displayed in the small world—power no less than that of the Six Paths level—still conclude that Shinji was far from being a match for the Sage of Six Paths?  

But—  

Shinji had no more chances to ask.  

Before his eyes, Uchiha Nahe’s figure dissolved into countless points of chakra light and vanished.  

In its place, a surge of ocular power enveloped Shinji entirely, filling him with a mix of coldness, unfamiliarity, warmth, and an eerie sense of familiarity.  

Uncontrollably, Shinji began to float.  

Then, in a flash of crimson light, he shot forward like a tiny stone!  

As he sped through the air—  

A blinding light suddenly rose beneath him!  

Shinji’s expression sharpened in an instant. His eyes widened as he looked downward.  

What he saw next would be etched into his memory forever—  

A cliff, suspended above a river of pure white water.  

The cliff’s soil extended outward from the edge of an enormous purple light gate of unknown dimensions.  

Beneath the cliff—  

An endless, boundless, ever-narrowing river, flowing in reverse, stretching into unfathomable darkness in a triangular form.  

This river was so vast that even when Shinji expanded his Sensory Mind’s Eye to its absolute limit, scanning hundreds of thousands of miles, he still couldn’t see its edges.  

Within the pure white water, countless worlds were stacked together, shimmering like grains of sand in a radiant river.  

Shinji had thought—  

That if he simply followed the riverbank upstream, he would reach the lower course of this river of time and meet Indra.  

After all, he could fly. There was no need for Uchiha Nahe to send him downstream in such an exhausting manner.  

But now—he realized how naive he had been.  

The land he had just stood on, the path he had walked, was like a man-made "enclave" connected to the boundless purple Gate of the Future.  

A "solitary island" where stepping beyond the cliff meant plunging into the vast river of time.  

Or, in another sense—this was the pathway for Uchihas who had fallen into the rift of illusion due to forbidden jutsu, returning to the Shinobi World.  

A place where true souls wandered the underworld, one eye tainted by the breath of death, veiling the Future Gate leading back to reality, blindly stepping forward—toward resurrection.  

It was beyond imagination—  

What kind of existence could create such an island in the sky above this river, right before the gateway to the Future?  

At this moment, Shinji felt like a flying ant, suspended above the vast river.  

Suddenly, an instinctive premonition arose within him—  

If he truly wanted to cross this river and reach its downstream destination, he would have to dive in himself, drifting along the currents, passing through countless worlds, spending an unimaginable amount of time within this river of time.  

Only then—  

Would he finally reach the farthest end of this underworld river—  

The other shore.  

At that moment, he suddenly recalled what Uchiha Setsuna had once told him about his own experience in the rift of illusions:  

"From now to the Warring States era, from the Warring States era to the age of the Sage of Six Paths, now reduced to mere myth. From that grand era to a period of chaos, long forgotten."  

"Countless secret jutsu lost in the river of time. Countless Kage-level powerhouses. Countless treasures!"  

"The Ten Fist Sword, the Yata Mirror, the Yasakani no Magatama, the Sage Talisman, the Six Paths Tools, the Ame-no-Murakumo Sword."  

"The God Tree, the Ama-no-Sakahoko Spear, the Blaze Release Fan... and even a sky-blue Susanoo more powerful than Uchiha Madara’s!"  

Was this the journey that Uchiha Setsuna had experienced here?  

Like Uchiha Nahe, he too possessed the same ocular jutsu.  

Had he thrown himself into this river, spending an eternity, dying countless times, nearly going blind—before finally finding the way back to reality?  

But Shinji—  

Did not have a technique that could stabilize his existence in time.  

In other words—every second he spent here would pass at the same rate as time in the Shinobi World.  

If he lacked the protection of the ocular jutsu Heaven’s Eternal Stand, or Uchiha Nahe’s guidance—  

By the time he found a way to escape—  

Hundreds of years might have already passed in the real world.  

Before Shinji could dwell on this further—  

The sphere of light created by Uchiha Nahe’s ocular power seemed to briefly orient itself—  

And then, it plunged straight into the river!  

Plop!  

Like a stone dropped into the sea—  

Swept forward by the receding tide, carried by ocean currents, drifting toward an infinitely distant horizon.  

Under the protection of the Heaven’s Eternal Stand, a jutsu Uchiha Nahe had developed for countless years—  

Shinji was not swallowed by the massive "world grains of sand" in the river.  

Nor was he trapped by the "time" within them.  

Instead, he passed through the "worlds"—  

Rushing forward along the roaring river, traversing one wondrous realm after another,  

Traveling through millennia, journeying into the past, toward antiquity, toward the very sands of origin.  

Shinji saw the divine artifact, the Ten Fist Sword, buried at the bottom of the Naka River.  

He saw the Yata Mirror, hidden in the Land of Water, fought over for its miraculous powers, ultimately hoarded and worshiped by an aristocratic family.  

He witnessed countless battles between Uchiha and Senju—  

Fleeting moments of existence—  

Scenes of grandeur, monotony, silence, and chaos flashed before his eyes!  

Gradually—Shinji felt a deep drowsiness wash over him.  

He had no idea how long this journey would last, nor what awaited him ahead.  

Yet—  

Wrapped in the ancestral ocular power of the Uchiha, a strange sense of security settled over him, mingling with his exhaustion.  

It had been so long since he last rested properly.  

So—  

He closed his eyes.  

Who knows how much time passed—  

Splash!  

The sound of waves breaking against a shore jolted Shinji awake.  

He suddenly recalled—  

There was something important he had yet to accomplish.  

And—the hidden main mission he had only recently received from Uchiha Nahe—  

To eliminate the Sage of Six Paths, hidden in the shadows of the Shinobi World.  

Shinji's eyes snapped open.  

And what he saw was—  

A vast, shadowy corridor—eerie, expansive, its ceiling vanishing into darkness.  

The air was damp and ominous, like an ancient sewer. The once-pure river beneath his feet had turned a ghostly green.  

At the end of the corridor stood a towering, twelve-gated entrance—hundreds of meters high.  

The doorframe was adorned with depictions of death.  

Each of the two massive gates bore half of a demonic face.  

The ghostly green river trickled through the doors, passing through a series of gates—until it finally disappeared into a bottomless abyss.  

Shinji counted—  

Twelve gates.  

Then, piecing together the demonic imagery—  

He immediately recognized it.  

This was none other than the Rashomon Summoning Technique!  

But unlike Orochimaru’s Threefold Rashomon, or Senju Hashirama’s Fivefold Rashomon—  

This place had Twelve Rashomon Gates.  

The true source of the gates summoned by Orochimaru and Hashirama’s summoning jutsu.  

Twelve Rashomon—  

Just as described in ancient Buddhist legends, marking the twelvefold boundary between life and death.  

(End of Chapter)