"Then I'll start from when I first came into contact with this world."
Looking at his present self before him, the misty humanoid paused to think, seemingly organizing his words before speaking.
"At that time, because I was a soul, the place where I arrived was actually the world of the dead. That was also why I was able to meet the Sage of Six Paths, the representative chosen by this world, the embodiment of the world itself. However, because I did not understand this world, I used the authority of the Nightmare Cycle Universe Core Fragment to hide myself. During those roughly two months of hiding, while learning about this world, I also thoroughly came to understand the abilities of the Nightmare Cycle Universe Core Fragment within me."
"So you started from back then..."
Chiba could not help interjecting halfway through the misty humanoid's explanation.
"Yes. From that time onward, I had already planned every step. At the time, though, my goal was simply to regain my emotions. I did not have much ambition."
The misty humanoid was quite patient. He showed no displeasure at Chiba's interruption and once again clearly confirmed Chiba's guess.
"You are not wrong either. At that time, I had already planned for Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina. I did not think that you, a blank slate, could truly survive in this world—a world where Uchiha Nobuhiko, an already quite mature Uchiha Nobuhiko, existed. That was why I created Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina as your bodyguards, or rather, as tools to clear away obstacles for you."
Then, he continued.
Tools to clear away obstacles...
Hearing that, Chiba's mouth visibly twitched stiffly. His past self's description of Hirohiko and Yukina made him deeply uncomfortable. After all, Hirohiko and Yukina were both people willing to sacrifice