The Truth and the Meeting of Giants!

Hyuga Shin was at a loss.

It was truly frustrating, yet he was unwilling to give up.

It felt like a novelist suffering from writer's block; his train of thought seemed stuck in one place, unable to move forward.

How could he enable ninjas to detect the Will of the Six Paths embedded within their chakra?

The Will of the Six Paths was one with chakra; one could say that the chakra within a ninja was composed of the Will of the Six Paths itself.

Could strengthening a ninja's willpower work? What if I came up with a method to enhance spiritual energy and had them train it?

Having powerful spiritual energy should be helpful for perception, but it's still highly likely that they wouldn't be able to discover something that is inherently part of them.

It was like having two eyes; everyone had two eyes, and no matter how much you studied them, they would always seem normal.

But in this case, it was anything but normal!

Hyuga Shin thought it over and dismissed the idea, feeling it was unlikely to succeed.

Then, should I continue to refine Sealing Techniques? That's an option, but any sealing technique can inevitably be broken. Besides, the Sage of Six Paths has been cultivating this for over a thousand years; I fear it would only hold him back for a moment.

Although this method was feasible, it still carried certain risks. He would set it aside for now; if he truly ran out of options, he would make it his final decision.

What about Soul Secret Techniques? For instance, the Spirit Transformation Technique, Living Corpse Reincarnation, or even Impure World Reincarnation?

Would their operational principles be of any help?

Not really. The soul is a manifestation of spiritual energy and one of the sources of the chakra system; the chakra system of the Sage of Six Paths likely permeates that as well.

Back when I was on the verge of death, what my soul must have counter-devoured was the Will of the Six Paths hidden within it.

Hyuga Shin speculated that in the original story, when Orochimaru attempted to possess Sasuke, he must have been undermined by the wills of Indra and the Sage of Six Paths.

Otherwise, there is no way a teenager like Sasuke could have resisted Orochimaru's spiritual erosion, Hyuga Shin pondered to himself.

Thinking back on it now, the fact that the Sage of Six Paths could control people like Orochimaru in the past must have been through soul infiltration to influence them.

The more he researched the back-up plans of the Sage of Six Paths, the more he felt that the old man's level of treachery was truly unparalleled!

Previously, he only felt that chakra was problematic, but thinking carefully now, the source of the chakra system was the physical body and the soul.

In the shinobi world, it was generally believed that the physical body was a product of Yin-Yang Release, while the soul fell under the category of Yin Release.

Extreme Yin-Yang Release could even grant life; that was how the Tailed Beasts were created.

However, the Shinobi World was actually composed of Natural Energy. One could tell from the original story in his past life that the hierarchy of Natural Energy was above that of Yin-Yang Release.

Furthermore, everything in the Shinobi World was made of Natural Energy, from a small stone or a blade of grass to a massive mountain or a vast lake.

Using the Taoist theories from his past life, Natural Energy was the "One," and the power of Yin and Yang was the "Two"!

Heaven and Earth gave birth to Natural Energy, Natural Energy gave birth to the power of Yin and Yang, and the power of Yin and Yang evolved into life.

Human beings were, even more so, endless aggregates of Natural Energy, naturally possessing both Yin and Yang aspects.

To the Sage of Six Paths, under the chakra system, this world was nothing more than a massive mine!

Ninjas were merely veins of ore containing Natural Energy and the power of Yin and Yang!

The Chakra Seed was used to extract and channel them.

The Sage of Six Paths was treating ninjas as ore veins, constantly draining the Yin-Yang power from within their bodies!

His suspicion that the Sage of Six Paths was using the masses for his own selfish gain was instantly confirmed!

It was becoming increasingly troublesome, and Hyuga Shin couldn't help but sigh.

Whether it was a mine or a nursery, the heavens of the Shinobi World were due for a change!

Although Hyuga Shin found it troublesome, he did not give up on researching how to deal with the Will of the Six Paths.

He wanted to achieve the Dao, and it would certainly not be that simple. If he didn't give the hidden hands of this world something to do, they would likely come to cause trouble for him.

Elsewhere, the Sage of Six Paths met with the Three Great Insect Sages in a special space.

The body of the Sage of Six Paths floated in mid-air, his form flickering slightly like a flame.

It was actually a body gathered from chakra, not his true self.

The same was true for the Summoning Beast Sages of the Three Great Sage Regions, though they had arrived as avatars gathered from Natural Energy.

However, their avatars were more solid, as if their true selves had arrived in person!

This showed that these Insect Sages were far, far stronger than the power they displayed to the outside world!

Even the Sage of Six Paths could barely stand on equal footing with them.

"Hagoromo, what is the reason for you initiating this meeting!"

"You should know that we had an agreement."

The Great Toad Head Sage narrowed his eyes and was the first to speak.

He showed none of the muddled appearance he had in the original story.

"An unstable factor has appeared in the Shinobi World. It has a significant impact on my plans, and its strength is not to be underestimated."

"I am currently trapped in the Pure Land and cannot break free. I hope you can offer some assistance to bring the destiny of the Shinobi World back onto the right track."

The Sage of Six Paths stated the purpose of this meeting directly; he had come to seek reinforcements.

"We stated long ago that we would only cooperate with the transmission and promotion of your Chakra system, and would not personally intervene in the development of the Shinobi World."

"We have already been quite tolerant and supportive of you."

The White Snake Sage took a puff of her long pipe and immediately rejected the request from the Sage of Six Paths.

"I am aware of that, but this person poses a truly immense threat that must be eliminated," the Sage of Six Paths said, his voice cold and filled with killing intent.

"That is your problem! It has nothing to do with us!"

The Great Slug Sage, known throughout the Shinobi World for her gentle, obedient, considerate, and kind nature, spoke with a voice dripping with coldness and ruthlessness.

It was a stark contrast to her image in the Shinobi World.

"This person will likely pose a threat to you as well. I hope you will reconsider," the Sage of Six Paths threatened, seeing that the three of them were unwilling to agree.

He knew a few things about these three old things; otherwise, he would not have been qualified to cooperate with them in the first place.

"Do not attempt to threaten us. Your so-called destiny is nothing more than a game of house."

"However, since you have come to us and your resolve is so firm, as allies, it would not be right to refuse you entirely."

"We will dispatch our contractors to investigate and let them handle it."

The Great Toad Head Sage pondered for a moment and decided to give the Sage of Six Paths some face.

After all, he had contributed to the current state of the Shinobi World back in the day.

"The threat I speak of is your contractors!"

"They may have already been targeted by that unstable variable."

"And yet, you remain completely oblivious!"

The Sage of Six Paths was not holding back, maxing out his mockery.

"The contractors were only chosen to cooperate with you; they are not indispensable to us."

"Furthermore, the idea that they could pose a threat to us through those contractors is pure fantasy."

The White Snake Sage remained calm, completely unfazed by the provocation and mockery of the Sage of Six Paths.

"May I ask who this unstable variable is? To be able to make you, Hagoromo, personally seek help, they must have an extraordinary identity."

The Great Toad Head Sage spoke up to inquire once more.

"He is a remnant of the Warring States Period named Hyuga Shin! You should have heard of him," the Sage of Six Paths replied.

"That little fellow? I didn't expect him to still be alive. Did the safeguards you left behind not work, Hagoromo?"

The White Snake Sage seemed to have heard of Hyuga Shin's existence, though she was quite curious that he was still alive.

In her view, the Chakra system of the Sage of Six Paths was quite perfect.

It was very efficient to harvest.

Aside from Madara, who had a script arranged for him, and the neither-human-nor-ghost Kakuzu, Hyuga Shin was the only one who could have survived from the Warring States Period until now.

"Let's start by having the contractors gather some information."

"He is nothing more than a slightly stronger grasshopper; he won't be able to jump for much longer."

"Besides, at his age, his lifespan should be running out. He won't have much of an impact on the Shinobi World. We will help keep an eye on him."

Before the Sage of Six Paths could respond to the White Snake Sage, the Great Toad Head Sage took over the conversation and made the decision.

He did not indicate that they would personally intervene.

The White Snake Sage and the Great Slug Sage on the sidelines had no objections to this.

"Then I shall await your news in the Pure Land." The Sage of Six Paths knew he could not persuade the Three Great Insect Sages to take action, so he stopped pressing the matter.

As long as Hyuga Shin was restricted, that was enough. Indeed, as the White Snake Sage had said, Hyuga Shin did not have much time left!