"To put it simply, protect this world! We don't know what effect the arrival of power from another world will have on it. In the end, I'm a dead man, and my will has already been proven unworkable in the present world. Now that I have an heir like you, the path ahead should be yours to decide."
"Go and understand this world. Then protect it in your own way," the Sage of Six Paths said slowly.
"But be careful. Your Rinnegan is only in its infancy, just like you. It needs to grow, too. It doesn't have to overcome obstacles and endure repeated trauma to awaken like the Sharingan does, but it still needs powerful spiritual energy and chakra to sustain it. Right now, it's about as developed as an infant."
So that was how it was. Uchiha Cheng nodded. He understood that much. After all, this was his own power. If it had emerged fully developed, wouldn't he have ended up like Nagato, drained until he was nothing but skin and bones?
"I understand. If I'm capable enough in the future, I'll do everything I can to protect this world. You can rest easy, Ancestor!"
Uchiha Cheng agreed to the Sage of Six Paths' request. He had just received help from his ancestor; he couldn't very well refuse. His mother, whom he cared about, was still in this world. Preserving it meant protecting his family, too. Besides, no one was forcing him.
The Sage of Six Paths nodded. His figure gradually faded away, and the light in this world began to disappear as well. Uchiha Cheng's figure slowly vanished, too.
Konoha Hospital, in a hospital bed.
Uchiha Cheng slowly opened his eyes. Above him was an unfamiliar ceiling.
He had come back to life.
"Xiao Cheng!"
His mother cried out in surprise, then cupped his cheeks in both hands.
Uchiha Mika held his face, her voice trembling as tears streamed down her cheeks. She seemed unable to believe what she was seeing was real.
Uchiha Cheng said softly, "Mother, I'm all right now."
Uchiha Cheng's awakening caused an uproar at Konoha Hospital. According to the doctors who knew what had happened, the boy had been stiff when he arrived, and his heart had stopped beating. There had been no reason to attempt resuscitation if his mother hadn't begged them to try. Yet half an hour after his death, his vital signs had returned. Three days later, he had woken up—and he was perfectly healthy, without the slightest abnormality. It was nothing short of a medical miracle.
Between his death and his coma, Uchiha Cheng spent three days in a hospital bed. After he woke up and underwent a series of tests, he was found to have no problems at all, so he left the hospital with his mother.
On the way home, Uchiha Mika laughed and cried at the same time, tears running down her face as she burst into laughter. To celebrate his escape from death, she prepared a feast. Uchiha Cheng, who hadn't had a good meal in a long time, couldn't wait to dig in.
He devoured the food as if he'd been starving to death, while Uchiha Mika sat quietly beside him, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.
Uchiha Mika still felt as if she were dreaming. The past three days had been a roller coaster. That scumbag had nearly taken away her only hope. When she saw her son die, she had fallen into despair. But thankfully, the gods had shown mercy and sent him back to her.
Even now, fear and regret still filled her heart. She regretted not dealing with that scumbag sooner and letting him hurt her child. And she feared that her own actions had nearly caused her child's death.