Why the Sage of Six Paths Died

Just as the three of them returned home, an ANBU member handed Hiruzen Sarutobi a document. It recorded every word of Gengetsu's conversation with Minato and Kushina along the way.

"So that's how it is..."

After reading it, Hiruzen Sarutobi wore a grave expression, as though he had recalled something. Only after a long while did he come back to himself and order, "Temporarily lift the surveillance on Uzumaki Gengetsu!"

"Yes, Third Hokage!"

In the spring of Konoha's forty-second year, Gengetsu finally had his first full meal since transmigrating, sweeping away every dish Kushina had prepared.

After eating, Gengetsu took the initiative to wash the plates and bowls clean. It was not for show, but a way to become part of this family.

Afterward, Kushina took Gengetsu out to buy clothes and other necessities, stopping by the night market along the way.

That night, lying on a clean, soft bed, Gengetsu did not immediately fall asleep. Instead, he sank into thought.

"The Third Hokage should have temporarily set aside his suspicions of me, but I need to watch out for Danzo, that scapegoat."

Though it was only speculation, he was eighty or ninety percent certain. First, since he had been allowed to meet them and adopted by Uzumaki Kushina, it meant he had passed the memory inspection. As for how he had passed it, Gengetsu believed his transmigration was likely similar to reincarnation. He had merely awakened the memories of his previous life at the age of eight. Only that could explain why there had been no issue with his memories. After all, Konoha could only inspect memories from birth onward.

As for Danzo...

Gengetsu had never met Danzo and had no way of knowing his temperament. He could only use the original story as a reference; there was no harm in being cautious. After all, with his Uzumaki Bloodline and powerful physique, he was an ideal Jinchuriki candidate. If it were him, he would certainly find a way to get such a pawn under his control. And the reason he had managed to make it to Konoha was also thanks to this body's astonishing recovery speed.

"Then the next step is becoming a ninja..."

"I need to understand the ninja training system as quickly as possible and compare it with the original story. This is a living, breathing world, after all. There were so many unreasonable parts in the original story; there must be differences..."

When he had first transmigrated, Gengetsu had also considered becoming a ninja by relying on his knowledge of the original story. After all, every Naruto fan knew that Chakra was "the combination of spiritual energy and physical energy." Yet it was utterly useless; reality proved it was completely unworkable!

"According to the original story, the Third Shinobi World War will begin before long, followed by the Nine-Tails Rampage. What year is it in Konoha again?"

"Forgot..."

"Chakra—if I understand it through traditional Chinese medicine and Taoist thought, then spiritual energy is the spirit among the three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit, while physical energy is essence. Then what is energy? Is it Chakra?"

"Wait, there also seems to be Natural Energy. Would that correspond to energy among the three treasures?"

"With my conditions, how can I reach Kage-level, or even Six Paths-level?"

"The Uzumaki Clan has a Sage Body. It may be incomplete, but it should be able to bear the Sharingan... But evolving it into the Rinnegan is almost impossible."

"Orochimaru, Hashirama Cells..."

"Sage Art..."

As he thought, Gengetsu gradually drifted off to sleep.

In a daze, Gengetsu found himself possessing the Rinnegan, mastering perfect Sage Art, wielding Wood Release, beating Madara Uchiha with his fists and stomping Kaguya Otsutsuki beneath his feet. Just as he was about to marry a lovely young woman and reach the pinnacle of life, he woke up!

"Even if it was just a dream, what if it comes true?"

After sitting on the bed and savoring the dream for a while, Gengetsu got up in high spirits to wash up. By the time he was done, Kushina had already prepared breakfast and was waiting at the table, but Minato was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Brother Minato?"

Gengetsu asked as he sat down.

"He got a mission at the last minute!"

Kushina explained with a smile, then pointed at the abundant food. "Dig in!"

"Yes!"

Gengetsu began eating.

After breakfast, once he had helped clear the table, Kushina handed Gengetsu a notebook. "These are the study notes Brother Minato took when he attended the Ninja Academy. Once you have mastered this basic knowledge, I'll ask the Hokage to let you enter the Ninja Academy!"

Gengetsu's eyes lit up. Taking the notebook, he said gratefully, "Thank you, Sister Kushina!"

Kushina could not help rubbing Gengetsu's head of red hair. Then she said eagerly, "Then let's begin! I, Uzumaki Kushina, am going to train an outstanding ninja too. Gengetsu, don't disappoint your sister!"

"Mission guaranteed!"

After the joking ended, Kushina formally began teaching Gengetsu about ninja knowledge.

"To become a ninja, you must possess Chakra. It is the foundation of all ninjutsu."

"Chakra is formed by combining spiritual energy, which represents yin, with physical energy, which represents yang. We refine Chakra by extracting physical and spiritual energy from the countless Cells in our bodies and fusing them. To refine Chakra, you must possess strong spiritual willpower, allowing you to sense the energy contained within your Cells!"

"Our Uzumaki Clan has always been renowned for our powerful constitutions. Refining Chakra won't be a problem for you!"

Kushina had complete confidence in Gengetsu and continued, "However, having Chakra does not necessarily mean you can use ninjutsu. You must also rely on hand seals to guide and control Chakra before releasing ninjutsu!"

Gengetsu listened intently without rashly interrupting. Even if he had questions, he kept them in mind for now.

The concept of Chakra, hand seals, Meridians—Kushina explained each point while referring to Minato's notes.

Other than hand seals, which required long-term practice to become proficient, Gengetsu did not find the other points difficult, especially the knowledge concerning Meridians.

Although he had been a surgeon in his previous life, he came from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and had a certain foundation in Meridian theory.

Two hours later, Kushina was delighted to discover that aside from hand seals requiring prolonged practice, Gengetsu had easily mastered every other point. His comprehension ability was outstanding, and she immediately decided to teach him the Chakra Refining Technique.

The concept of Chakra seemed simple and easy to understand, but refining it was not.

First, spiritual energy was intangible and elusive. Second, the energy within physical Cells was also incredibly microscopic—unseen by the naked eye, untouchable, and even harder to observe. Many people were stopped at this very step, unable to refine Chakra and thus unable to become ninja.

The Uzumaki Clan's powerful constitution had one benefit: physical cellular energy was much easier for them to sense than for ordinary people.

Thus, following Kushina's instructions, Gengetsu focused his mind and meditated, sensing himself. After only a quarter of an hour, he felt the abundant physical energy inside his body, hidden within every Cell.

It was a wondrous sensation. The moment his intangible spiritual power touched that cellular energy, the energy known as Chakra naturally emerged. Like flowing water, it moved through Meridians that could not be observed by the naked eye.

At that moment, Gengetsu clearly felt his body changing along with the birth of Chakra... His ears became sharper, his eyes clearer, and his entire body brimmed with strength, as though he could punch a bull to death. Every Cell in his body became active as well, and his control over himself leaped directly to an unprecedented level.

The sensation gave Gengetsu the illusion that his life had evolved.

However, he soon discovered that if Chakra was not used and he stopped refining it, then even if it merely circulated within his body, it would gradually dissipate over time, though the speed was very slow.

This was completely unlike the internal energy, true essence, and mana in novels, which could be stored. Gengetsu found it completely unscientific!

As he continuously circulated, sensed, and controlled the Chakra in his body, Gengetsu gradually felt fatigue appearing in certain areas. That fatigue came from the Cells in those areas.

Gengetsu stopped refining Chakra. Before he could ask Kushina a question, she smiled and said, "Gengetsu's talent is outstanding. You refined Chakra in only a quarter of an hour. But since this is your first time refining it, you cannot evenly extract Chakra from every Cell, so you must not over-extract it from one particular area. Otherwise, it will cause cellular damage."

"Cells are like people. If they keep refining Chakra and working nonstop, they get tired too. They need rest, and they need to replenish their energy!"

Gengetsu fell into thought, then suddenly understood why even someone as powerful as the Sage of Six Paths would die!