Opening the Mind's Path (Part 1)

(This chapter's chapter order has also been adjusted, so paragraph comments have been cleared. We look forward to everyone filling them in~)

When Chen saw Jin's figure in his mind, his memories were also pulled back—to that autumn of Konoha Year 73.

In Konoha Year 73, the two families of Chen and Jin had attended the Willow Lantern Festival of the Ullambana Festival in Sai River Source Village of the Land of Earth.

They each called out to their families, and in the brief moment they were apart—

Jin was already lying by the riverbank beneath Shinazugawa Shrine.

By the time Chen arrived, Jin had no signs of life. His eyes stared rigidly at the sky, as if he had seen something utterly horrifying before death.

With Utsuro-ryu, Chen could manipulate the boundary between life and death.

Just like back then, when he retrieved those masterpieces one by one—

Chen desperately reversed time, but even as his eyeballs were lacerated by burst blood vessels, he could not restore warmth to Jin's cold body.

Chen realized that the time of Jin's death had already exceeded the limit he could reverse.

He immediately thought of a Forbidden Jutsu that could bring Jin back to life.

That was the Forbidden Jutsu used by Grandma Chiyo to revive Gaara: the Living Reincarnation Jutsu.

Fortunately, Grandma Chiyo was also one of his Impure World Reincarnation collections.

He immediately summoned Grandma Chiyo, who had already been placed under Kotoamatsukami, and had her teach him the Living Reincarnation Jutsu.

Chen formed the seals for Living Reincarnation and began to transfer his life force purely and completely to Jin. But the channel for life force transmission seemed closed—he could not send it in, and Jin had no way to revive!

Chen asked Grandma Chiyo why.

Grandma Chiyo was silent for a long time before saying that the prerequisite for Living Reincarnation to bring the dead back to life was that the person had been dead for no more than twelve hours, and their soul had not yet gone to the Pure Land of the afterlife.

Jin could not be revived, meaning his soul had already reached the Pure Land. Then Grandma Chiyo said in a heavier tone that for a soul to reach the Pure Land within half an hour of death was unprecedented.

At this point, Chen knew he could not count on Jin standing up alive again.

Chen reminded himself to stay calm, not to panic or rush, and not to repeat the mistakes that had cost his father and mother their lives! At the very least, he had to figure out what his younger brother had seen before death!

Chen released a White Zetsu from the Otsutsuki Time Zone, intending to use Impure World Reincarnation on Jin, just as he had once done with his father and mother!

Even if Jin would later ascend to heaven like their parents, his heart at peace, and leave him forever—at that moment, Chen didn't care about that anymore!

But reality dealt Chen a heavy blow. Impure World Reincarnation could not summon his younger brother's soul back to the living world either!

It was as if an invisible giant hand had blocked every channel through which Chen could see his younger brother one last time!

Truly, heaven would not answer, and earth would not respond.

Even now, Chen could not forget the heartbroken look of his younger brother's wife, Samui, holding the young Fuka and Fūka.

If this ninja world truly harbored an existence unknown even to him, a transmigrator, that could silently kill Jin—then it could silently kill anyone around him, likely without difficulty.

Whether the other party had left Jin's eyes intentionally or unintentionally, Chen did not know.

Chen realized more clearly than ever that his power was not strong enough to protect the people around him!

He absolutely could not let something like this happen again!

For that, he needed even greater power!

And so, he inherited Jin's eyes and awakened his own Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

What once required Jin's cooperation with Mizuha to achieve "Time Freeze" through Utsuro-ryu, Chen could now do on his own.

Chen froze Jin's remains and placed them in the farthest compartment of the Otsutsuki Time Zone.

In truth, there was another path to revive his younger brother: the Rinne Rebirth Jutsu.

That required the power of the Rinnegan.

Given the potential of this Eternal Mangekyo, awakening the Rinnegan in the future was not impossible.

But Chen would not take that path unless absolutely necessary.

They were no longer just two brothers relying on each other—they each had their own families, their own loved ones.

He had the responsibility and the duty to protect this entire family.

The matter of reviving his younger brother was shelved for the time being. In the years that followed, there was not a single day when Chen did not investigate the cause of his brother's death.

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There was not a single wound on Jin's body, nor any internal injuries like those caused by the Gentle Fist of the Hyūga clan.

Before death, his expression was terrified, as if he had seen something utterly horrifying.

But the cause of death could be confirmed as mental shock... most likely a [Genjutsu].

This was the only clue Chen had managed to grasp.

Yet, across the entire ninja world, who could make an awakener of the Mangekyo Sharingan—whose strength was not far behind Chen's own at the time—die from mental attack?

Chen was certain that even Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, lurking in this land, and his Kara Organization, had no one capable of such a feat.

Anxiety, hidden worry, self-blame... these tormented him during that period.

When the night grew deep and still, thoughts like 'If only I had made it to the riverside of the Immortal River Shrine that day, maybe Jin could have been saved' would arise in his mind, leaving him tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Remorse and self-blame, transformed into an Inner Demon wearing Jin's likeness, startled him awake more than once in the dead of night.

To keep it from affecting his body and mind, Chen used his means to seal it deep within the Samadhi Meditation Sea, along with the resentment and violent negative emotions born from Jin's death!

I thought it would never appear again!

Unexpectedly, the regret of failing to save his younger brother still clung to him even now. In a moment of low spirits and scattered focus, the Inner Demon struck again without warning, seizing the chance to kill him while he was weak!

'Demon Jin' had not truly broken free from the seal of the Meditation Sea; he had merely cast a 'projection' before Chen's conscious form!

Just like when the Nine-Tails' Chakra once leaked from the gaps in Naruto's seal!

But in Chen's current state, even a projection of the Inner Demon was enough to threaten his life!

Demon Jin snarled, "Answer me! Didn't you say you would protect me for life?!"

Chen did not reply.

"Die!"

"Boom!" Jin's Inner Demon clone raised its hollow eyes abruptly. A dark aura coalesced into a sinister skeleton, and a Bone Palm seized Chen's conscious form!

--Dark Susanoo Touch!

Black tendrils crawling from the gaps in the bones turned into sharp barbs that plunged into Chen's chest cavity all at once, violently amplifying the piercing pain...

"Ahhhhhhh...!" Chen's agonized wail echoed through the Space-Time.

Obito crouched nearby, watching the writhing flesh at Chen's chest, his brow deeply furrowed.

"The blood vessels that were originally repaired by Hashirama Cells have torn open again."

"And what's going on? Chen's Chakra suddenly split into a dark current. That current is now eroding him like poison..."

Obito clenched his fist tightly. "At this rate, this is bad..."

If this continues, Chen won't survive... I have to do something.

Obito didn't know what Chen was going through.

But he had an ability—to transmit Chakra through 'Kamui' and assist in battle within the spiritual world. Back when he died, that was how he helped Kakashi pull off the ultimate assist.

Obito pressed his hand to Chen's forehead, closed his eyes in concentration, and was about to sync his mind with Chen's!

"Boom!" Suddenly, a dark Susanoo manifested violently in the backdrop of his consciousness!

The flow of negative emotions turned into a vortex more terrifying than Kamui, devouring and tearing at Obito's mind!

He nearly lost control!

Obito yanked his hand away from Chen's forehead as if shocked!

Still shaken: What... was that!

This level of brutality and murderous emotion was no less than mine back then...

Precisely because of this, Chen urgently needed a helper now!

Obito steadied himself and reached for Chen's forehead again.

"Obito, let me handle this myself!" The hoarse cry from Chen's throat stung Obito's hand, making it tremble and stop an inch from Chen's forehead.

Brushing the hand aside, Chen's left eye had already transformed into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan!

Obito smiled: "Strong willed... just like me!"