The real Shinobi World...
Between life and death, on the other side of this world and the underworld, there exists a realm that the living cannot reach— the Pure Land.
There is no concept of time here; the souls of countless departed beings float like stars in the boundless void. And at the highest point of this Pure Land, a figure draped in a white Tomoe slowly opened his eyes.
The Rinnegan rippled within his eyes, and nine Truth-Seeking Orb floated silently behind him. Hagoromo Otsutsuki —the being revered as the "Sage of Six Paths"—awakened from his long slumber.
"What is this...?"
His gaze pierced through the spatial barrier and saw the enormous Heavenly Screen hanging above the Shinobi World.
Then I watched as videos played on the Heavenly Screen.
Hagoromo's Rinnegan reflected the scenes playing in the Heavenly Screen: Naruto fighting Pain, and Sasuke and Itachi teaming up against Kabuto Yakushi. The distinct Chakra characteristics were undoubtedly those of Asura and Indra reincarnated.
Especially the scene showing "Madara Uchiha fighting Hashirama Senju" was shown.
Are the Chakra of Indra and Asura still fighting?
The sound of the Hagoromo echoed like an ancient reverberation, rippling through the Pure Land.
He raised his withered fingers and touched the specks of memory that appeared in the void—
A thousand years ago, he and his younger brother Hamura joined forces to seal away their mother, Kaguya;
He sealed the Ten-Tails within his body, becoming the first Ten-Tails Jinchuriki;
He founded the Ninshu and spread its teachings to the world;
He watched as his two sons turned against each other due to their differing ideologies;
He witnessed the Chakra of Indra and Asura repeatedly battling in countless reincarnations...
The last time he awoke was when Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju joined forces to establish Konoha.
At that moment, he was relieved, thinking that the reincarnated pair had finally broken the cycle of fate. So his main consciousness fell into slumber again, leaving only a Chakra drifting in the mortal world.
"I never expected..."
For thousands of years, the descendants of both sides have been engaged in endless battles. They finally saw the reincarnated individuals of both sides join forces to establish Konoha, but they never expected to see this scene when they awoke again.
Gazing at the mysterious Heavenly Screen above the Shinobi World Hagoromo Otsutsuki murmured, "The 'people from beyond the heavens' that my mother spoke of... are they finally coming?"
He recalled Kaguya's warning before she was sealed away, and the White Zetsu army created to fight an unknown enemy. Did the appearance of this mysterious Heavenly Screen foreshadow an even greater crisis?
In the depths of the boundless Pure Land, the figure of the Sage of Six Paths Immortal floats in the void.
Before him unfolded a 3D projection made of Chakra, which was several pieces of content projected from the Heavenly Screen and played repeatedly.
"Asura... Indra..."
Hagoromo's voice seemed to have traveled through a thousand years, carrying a deep weariness and sorrow.
His aged fingers lightly touched the figures of the two boys in the picture, and ripples of Chakra spread in the void, reflecting the intertwined fate of these reincarnated individuals for thousands of years.
Memories from a thousand years ago
Young Indra practices Ninjutsu by the river, while Asura clumsily imitates his brother's movements;
As a boy, Indra stood alone outside the main hall of the Ninshu, watching his father instructing his younger brother.
The two brothers, now adults, confront each other in the desert, and Indra's Mangekyō Sharingan sheds tears of blood...
"Even in Hashirama and Madara's time, you were never truly reconciled?"
Hagoromo withdrew his hand, and the projection changed to the final battle between Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju at the Valley of the End. How similar were the fates of these two pairs of reincarnated individuals, beginning as close friends and ending as mortal enemies.
Looking up at the Heavenly Screen above the Shinobi World again, the Sage of Six Paths knew that something beyond the Shinobi World's comprehension was interfering with this world.
"The ninjas of this world must be warned..." Hagoromo's figure began to fade, "Especially... those two children..."
Moon...
Inside the vast, hollow space of the moon, pale fluorescent light shone from the artificial light source in the dome, illuminating the lonely figure of Otsutsuki Toneri.
He stood before the transparent crystal platform, and despite having no eyes, he could see the images projected onto the Heavenly Screen above the Shinobi World —the fierce battle between the Five Kage and the Impure World Reincarnation Madara Uchiha.
"Susanoo..." Toneri murmured softly, watching as Madara's immense power leveled the entire battlefield.
Within the light screen, the Dust Release of the Tsuchikage Ōnoki and the violent attacks of the Raikage A alternated; Mei Terumi's dual Kekkei Genkai blossomed with deadly beauty on the battlefield; Tsunade's Monstrous Strength shattered the earth; Gaara's giant sand hand blotted out the sky...
"Such a powerful ninja..." Toneri stared blankly at the scene of battle; "anything could become an obstacle."
He turned and walked toward the enormous device in the center of the space—a complex system composed of countless green Chakra spheres, with a giant Byakugan, over three meters in diameter, suspended at its center. This was the treasure that the Ōtsutsuki Clan had guarded for generations, and also their tool for monitoring the Shinobi World.
Toneri placed his hand on the control panel of the device, Chakra flowed in, and his enormous Byakugan rotated slightly, its gaze piercing through the moon's crust and outer space, locking directly onto the Hyuga Clan's settlement in the Shinobi World. The image zoomed in continuously, finally settling on a little girl practicing Gentle Fist in the Training Ground — Hanabi Hyuga, whose Byakugan purity was second to none among the contemporary Hyuga clan members.
"Just a little bit more..." Toneri withdrew his hand and walked towards the altar at the other end of the space. A statue of Hamura Otsutsuki stood majestically and solemnly on the altar. "Ancestor, the Shinobi World has fallen to this state. Battle, slaughter, hatred... This is indeed the truth of the world created by the Sage of Six Paths."
His voice echoed through the empty interior of the moon, but no one answered. Only a few humanoid Puppets stood silently in the shadows, like loyal guards.
Toneri knelt before the statue of Hamura, his hands forming an ancient mudra. "Please give me some more time. Soon, I will complete my redemption—creating a truly peaceful world."
As he prayed, the entire interior of the moon began to tremble slightly. The artificial light source in the dome flickered a few times before becoming brighter. Toneri stood up and walked to a high platform at the edge of the space, where a strangely shaped crystal container was placed, containing dozens of ordinary Byakugan —left behind by generations of Ōtsutsuki clan members after their deaths.
"Not pure enough..." Toneri stroked the eyeballs through the crystal, "It needs living, blood-related Byakugan closest to our ancestors..."
He closed his eyes, feeling the pulse of the Tenseigan within his body. Since fusing with the Byakugan of most of his clansmen, this power had been growing every day, but it was still far from perfect. The battle between the Five Kage and Madara in the light screen had reached a fever pitch, and the energy fluctuations generated by the clash of various Ninjutsu were heart-pounding even through the Heavenly Screen.
"If I went to the Shinobi World now..." Toneri assessed his own strength and finally shook his head. He looked at his Puppet army—hundreds of Puppets of various shapes were neatly arranged in his spare space, ready to be deployed at any time. "No matter how many there are, they would be useless against ninjas of this level."
Toneri turned his attention back to the Heavenly Screen, where the battle was drawing to a close. The Five Kage, though powerful, were being steadily pushed back by Madara Uchiha's overwhelming strength. Toneri carefully observed Madara's every move, analyzing his tactics and weaknesses.
"The power of the Rinnegan..." Toneri mused, "But my Tenseigan will not be inferior to it."
He then walked towards the training area, where a pair of Puppets immediately came forward to act as sparring partners. Two hours later, he destroyed the entire pair of Puppets.
He waved his hand to summon another batch of Puppets and continued training. After several hours of intense practice, Toneri finally stopped, sweat streaming down his pale face.
After a short rest, we headed towards the library inside the moon. It was a huge, circular space with walls inlaid with ancient scrolls and stone slabs, recording the knowledge accumulated by the Ōtsutsuki Clan over thousands of years and the changes in the Shinobi World.
Toneri took down a scroll labeled "Hyuga Main Family" and began to read it carefully. The scroll detailed the Hyuga Clan's branch family system, Gentle Fist techniques, and the bloodline of the main Main Family. His finger stopped on the latest page—which recorded the names of Hyuga Hiashi's two daughters: Hinata and Hanabi.
"My sister's Byakugan has already been influenced by that Nine-Tails brat..." Toneri said softly, "My sister's is the best choice."
He closed the scroll and returned to the control panel. The giant Byakugan was still monitoring Hanabi Hyuga's every move. The little girl was practicing under the guidance of the clan elders; although her movements were still immature, they were already quite impressive.
"When you're a little older..." Toneri seemed to be speaking to Hanabi, or perhaps comforting himself, "By the time you're twelve, your Byakugan will be fully developed. By then, my Tenseigan should be ready too."
The battle scenes on the light screen had ended, and the Heavenly Screen began playing other content. Toneri turned off the light screen, and the interior of the moon fell silent again. He floated to the central platform, sat cross-legged, and began his daily meditation.
Chakra circulated within him, power accumulating bit by bit. Toneri's consciousness gradually sank into the depths of his heart, where there was an eternal and unchanging vision—a perfect world without war or suffering, where all humanity lived in a harmonious illusion, where there was no free will and therefore no conflict.
"Soon..." the meditating Toneri murmured to himself, "When the Eye of the Moon Plan is completed, true peace will come."
Around him, countless Puppets worked silently, some forging new weapons, some assembling new Puppets, and others maintaining the lunar ecosystem. All activities were carried out in silence, like a meticulously choreographed pantomime.
Meanwhile, in the Shinobi World, Hanabi Hyuga suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. She stopped training and looked up at the sky in confusion. There was nothing there except a few white clouds, but she felt as if a pair of eyes were watching her...