Lecture Begins!

Tsunade and Nawaki, having come back to their senses, had no idea what had just happened.

Only Orochimaru's expression was a bit unnatural, as if he had noticed something.

Hyuga Shin didn't explain either. Seeing they were fine, he simply said, "Let's head back."

Then Tsunade hoisted Nawaki onto her back, and the four of them made their way toward the camp.

Along the way, Orochimaru glanced at Hyuga Shin several times, as if he wanted to ask something, but he forcibly held back.

For Hyuga Shin, the real trouble was just beginning. His actions now were tantamount to a direct declaration of war against the Sage of Six Paths!

And the Sage would hardly give up his control over Nawaki, Orochimaru, and Tsunade easily.

He still needed to find a way, as soon as possible, to make them realize the problems inherent in the Chakra system on their own.

Otherwise, their deeply ingrained beliefs would be nearly impossible to overturn.

As for Nawaki's fate from now on, it would depend on whether Tsunade and Orochimaru chose to trust him.

As for why he didn't pass down the Immortal Cultivation Method he had created himself, that wasn't on his mind for now.

Not to mention that his method was far too difficult, requiring a vast foundation of knowledge from his past life to support it.

There was also another guess: the Bug Immortals of the Three Great Sage Regions likely wouldn't agree to it either.

The waters of this Shinobi World ran deep indeed. Even Hyuga Shin still had many things he couldn't figure out.

For instance, how a Toad Head, a slug, and a giant snake could all cultivate to immortality and gain long lives.

Why, then, were humans—the pinnacle of all living things—so pathetically lacking?

And what exactly was it about the Otsutsuki Clan that drove them to come here one after another?

Why had the two brothers who sealed their mother together gone their separate ways? Was Hamura, the Hyuga Clan's ancestor, truly dead or not?

And what was the shady deal between the Sage of Six Paths and the Three Great Sage Regions?

On that last question, Hyuga Shin already had a guess in mind, but he still needed time to confirm it.

Tsunade was overjoyed at her younger brother Nawaki's revival. Along the way, she kept bringing him along to express her gratitude to Hyuga Shin.

Orochimaru, on the other hand, spoke very little. But Hyuga Shin could see from his eyes that he had many questions.

Now wasn't the time, though. Everything could wait until they returned to camp.

By the time the four of them got back to the Leaf Camp, it was already four in the afternoon. After a simple meal, they all went to rest.

There was nothing urgent. As for the seals inside Orochimaru and Tsunade, Hyuga Shin had already removed them.

After all, this was a wartime state—they needed to maintain their full strength.

But he didn't remove Nawaki's seal, only saying that it needed to wait a little longer.

What if the Sage of Six Paths launched a counterattack?

Even though he guessed the Sage likely couldn't interfere with the Shinobi World too frequently, he still had to be on guard.

Removing the seals also dispelled one of Orochimaru's suspicions—that Hyuga Shin might be trying to control them.

Orochimaru was a smart man, and smart people tended to overthink things.

Because they had a deeper understanding of conspiracy theories.

Orochimaru was well-versed in the darkness of human nature.

But combined with everything Hyuga Shin had done, another suspicion lingered in his mind, refusing to fade.

On the other side.

After withdrawing his will back to the Pure Land and learning everything, the Sage of Six Paths flew into a rage!

A terrifying pressure radiated in all directions, startling the countless souls of the Pure Land into sheer terror.

The Sage never imagined that a single oversight would allow a towering tree to sprout from among his seedlings!

Though Hyuga Shin was nearing his end, his very existence was the greatest provocation to the Sage!

Because their paths were different, the Sage couldn't see through Hyuga Shin's depths—he was hiding too well!

What's more, Hyuga Shin's intentions were clear: he dared to try and change the Fate Script the Sage had set, and he had already succeeded in one case!

And he understood all of the Sage's thoughts so thoroughly! He had even made ample preparations to counter the Sage's contingencies.

That unsettled the Sage.

If Hyuga Shin truly found a way to restrain his interference in the Shinobi World in the future, it would inevitably have a terrible impact on his plans.

The Sage had never realized that losing control could be so infuriating.

He had to re-evaluate Hyuga Shin, this Warring States Remnant.

He was even considering whether to have Madara—Indra's host, already caught in the game and not yet dead—kill Hyuga Shin.

Because in this era, if Hyuga Shin still retained his full power, there was likely no one besides Madara who could match him!

The Sage of Six Paths had no doubt about that. When his will had visited the Shinobi World before, though he couldn't see through Hyuga Shin, he could certainly sense a threat from him.

This remnant was far from simple!

Besides, he valued his life and was cautious, never doing anything uncertain. The Sage of Six Paths had already learned this about him back in the Warring States Period when observing Hashirama and Madara.

But sending Madara also carried great risk.

Madara's Fate Script had reached a critical juncture. On top of that, Madara was old, relying on the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to sustain his life, and he had even given away his Rinnegan.

Whether he could even kill Hyuga Shin was another matter, and it would certainly shatter many predetermined Fate Scripts.

This was essentially a pyrrhic solution—not ideal.

What was to be done?

For a moment, the Sage of Six Paths found himself with a headache. Could he really have to go in person?

But right now, he was at a critical point, bound by the rules of the Pure Land and unable to break away. There were also prior agreements.

If he forcibly left the Pure Land, all his efforts up to now would be for nothing.

At this moment, the Sage hated the rules of the Pure Land with a passion! They had left him so passive.

"It seems I'll have to ask those in the Yang World for help."

The Sage felt some helplessness inside.

Those old fellows were still clever—they saw some things more clearly than he did. Perhaps they could offer some assistance.

The next day, back at the camp.

After a busy morning, Orochimaru finally had some free time. He planned to ask Hyuga Shin a few things to resolve the doubts in his mind.

Pushing aside the tent flap, Orochimaru saw Hyuga Shin sitting on the wooden tatami mat provided in the camp, one hand propping up his chin, his face locked in deep thought, as if he had run into a problem.

He hadn't even noticed Orochimaru's entrance.

"Senior, sorry to disturb you!"

"Oh, Orochimaru, you're here. Sorry, I was lost in thought and didn't notice."

Orochimaru's voice snapped Hyuga Shin out of his contemplation.

"Senior, no need to apologize. It was I who was abrupt."

"What brings you here?"

"Senior, you said before that when Nawaki was surrounded and killed, there were many problems and deep waters. You also mentioned our Summoning Beasts—they have issues, don't they?"

"You figured it out?"

"Although my Summoning Beast, Manda, isn't very obedient, he usually answers the call, since he's quite greedy."

"Tsunade's Slug always follows orders, never like this time, when only a small clone was summoned."

"In life-or-death battles, they've never let us down before."

"One case might be a special circumstance, but two suggests premeditation."

"Senior, do you think I'm right?"

Orochimaru calmly laid out his reasoning.

"You already have the answer in your heart, don't you?" Hyuga Shin didn't respond directly.

"Senior still likes riddles. It's really frustrating. Can't you just say it outright?" Orochimaru looked helpless.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to sleep after hearing it!"

"Some things you have to discover for yourself. Would you even believe me if I told you?"

"I can only be a guide for you."

"Orochimaru, have you ever wondered why ninjas possess such great power, yet their lives are so short?"

Hyuga Shin was about to bare his fangs.

In his view, it was time to give Orochimaru a lesson in the "whys" of everything.

People with a thirst for knowledge often had great creativity and discovery.

For Hizashi, he had used his resistance to an unjust fate.

For Kakuzu, it was lofty ideals and grand plans.

For Orochimaru, Hyuga Shin planned to exploit his insatiable curiosity.