"[Pure Land] was a 'place of rest' I created for all departed souls, drawing upon my understanding of Yin-Yang Release."
The Sage of Six Paths spoke calmly. "It exists in the gap between life and death, cut off from the conflicts, pain, and erosion of time in the living world. Its original purpose was to allow weary souls to temporarily escape the endless suffering of reincarnation and attain eternal peace."
Yet guilt soon tinged his voice.
"However, those words only sound pleasant on the surface. Though I created the Pure Land and gave it the name 'rest,' in truth, the souls who come here can only experience an eternal, unconscious slumber."
"No perception, no memories, no communication—not even a tangible sense of 'existence.' I failed to give it the warmth and meaning true 'rest' should possess. I merely provided a space of undisturbed 'stagnation.' This was not what I had originally envisioned."
"And you, Uzumaki Naruto, possess the great power of [Manifestation of All Things], a power capable of touching and altering the fundamental laws of reality. Your strength far surpasses even mine at my peak."
"More importantly, you possess the pure heart to protect everything, embrace everything, and bring true peace and happiness to all existence."
"You are the most suitable person—perhaps the only being in this world capable of establishing a more complete, more humane new order between the two most fundamental dimensions of 'life' and 'death.'"
"Of course, please understand," Hagoromo quickly added, afraid of being misunderstood. "When I say 'take over the Pure Land,' I do not mean asking you to reside permanently in the realm of the dead, nor do I expect you to brutally interfere with the natural cycle of life and death."
"Rather, I hope you can become the guardian of this special