I am the Sage of Six Paths?!

"I am the Sage of Six Paths?!" "It is time to see the mortal realm. I wonder if Hagoromo has established the Ninja Sect yet, and how my Manji Temple is faring..."

Manji spoke indifferently.

In truth, he did not care much about his Manji Temple.

He had never expected that, through a twist of fate, it would become the world's largest religion.

But it did not matter; he was indifferent.

Manji stepped through the thin mist, exiting the barrier of Mount Myōboku, the ground beneath his feet gradually turning into the hard, dusty paths of the mortal world.

The air was filled with the scent of cooking smoke mixed with earth.

Standing now on a cliffside overlooking the mountains, Manji leaned the Six Paths Sword against his side.

"A century has passed..."

Manji gazed at the landscape, sighing.

A hundred years is enough for several generations to pass in the eyes of mortals.

But in his eyes, it was nothing more than a flick of a finger.

Manji arrived at a small village.

"Little one, where is the nearest Manji Temple?"

Manji's voice was as gentle as a spring breeze.

The child he called out to was about seven or eight years old, his face smudged with mud. Hearing the question, he turned to look.

The moment he saw Manji's face, the child's eyes widened, and the mud ball in his hand fell to the ground with a splat!

"Wow! You look just like the Sage of Six Paths! Really, just like him! You look exactly like the statue in our village's Six Paths Temple!"

The child exclaimed.

Six Paths Temple? Sage of Six Paths?

Manji frowned slightly, his fingers pausing as they caressed the hilt of his sword.

That brat Hagoromo, had he already spread the title of "Sage of Six Paths" so quickly?

But that wasn't right...

He remembered Hagoromo's appearance—horns on his forehead, his features carrying the cold detachment of the Otsutsuki clan.

It was vastly different from his own face. This child's eyesight must be poor to make such a mistake.

"Hey! Huzi! Stop your nonsense!"

A flurry of hurried footsteps approached, and an old man carrying a hoe rushed over!

"The Sage of Six Paths is the savior and founder; how can you speak of him so flippantly? Disrespecting the gods will bring retribution!"

The old man scolded the child with a face full of anger.

"Let it be, old man. Children speak without malice."

Manji said softly.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, it's true, I really feel like he looks just like him!" the child insisted, refusing to back down.

"Don't talk back! Behave yourself!"

"Heh, young man, don't be angry. The child doesn't know any better, you... ah!?!!"

As the old man spoke, he turned to apologize to Manji, but the moment his gaze touched Manji's face, all his words became stuck in his throat.

"You!? You, you, you!!!"

The old man's pupils contracted sharply, the anger on his face instantly replaced by extreme shock. The hoe in his hand hit the ground with a dull clang.

"The... the Sage of Six Paths?!"

The old man cried out, his voice trembling. His body swayed, and he knelt directly before Manji, his forehead nearly touching the ground, his tone filled with awe:

"This commoner... this commoner pays respects to the Sage of Six Paths! I did not know the Sage had descended to the world and failed to welcome you properly. I beg for the Sage's forgiveness!"

With that, he pulled his grandson down to kneel on the ground as well.

Now, it was Manji's turn to be completely stunned.

He lowered his eyes to look at the old man who refused to rise, then glanced at the child beside him, who was equally dumbfounded and kneeling in tow. The confusion in his heart grew heavier.

Hagoromo looked nothing like him; why did this old man mistake him for the Sage of Six Paths?

Could it be that Hagoromo's appearance had changed over the last century?

Or was it that... something had gone wrong somewhere?

Passersby gathered around at the commotion!

Every single one who caught sight of Manji's face underwent a drastic change in expression, one after another following the old man's lead to kneel and kowtow!

In unison, they cried out, "The Sage of Six Paths!"

"Holy crap! A god!"

"The Sage of Six Paths!!"

"Welcome, Sage!"

The voices grew louder and louder, and soon the area was packed tight.

Sage Manji did not wish to be gawked at like this. With a slight flick of his fingertips, a faint white mist surged around his body, shrouding his form.

"Sage Art: Immortal Mist Body Flicker!"

When the mist dissipated, the spot was empty, leaving only the townspeople kneeling in the street, still kowtowing piously.

The next second.

Sage Manji appeared in the mountain forest outside the town.

"What is going on..."

Sage Manji closed his eyes to sense his surroundings.

His sensory range had long since covered a thousand miles, yet as he swept across the entire region, there was not a trace of a "Manji Temple." In its place were dozens of "Six Paths Temple" locations, all emanating the scent of incense.

"Something is wrong..."

"Back when I distributed the Tailed Beasts, while not universal, many people built temples for me. How could they have vanished in a hundred years, replaced entirely by Six Paths Temple?"

Sage Manji muttered to himself.

Logically, as people gradually became more enlightened, things like temples would be phased out.

But they shouldn't have been swept into the dustbin of history so quickly...

Doubts sprouted in Sage Manji's heart. Without further hesitation, he transformed into a green blur and darted toward the nearest Six Paths Temple.

The temple was nestled halfway up the mountainside, with red walls and dark tiles, and smoke from incense curled before the gate.

Sage Manji walked slowly through the temple gate. Monks inside were wiping down the altar tables, and pilgrims were kneeling in devotion.

Sensing someone had entered, everyone instinctively looked up, but the moment they saw Sage Manji's face, all movement froze.

"Ah!?!!"

The voices came to an abrupt halt!

Everyone stared at Sage Manji with expressions of shock and utter disbelief.

The next second, whether monk or pilgrim, everyone turned pale and knelt to the ground, not daring to even breathe loudly, chanting respectfully:

"Greetings, Sage of Six Paths!"

"Greetings, Sage of Six Paths!"

The rising and falling sounds of kowtowing made the temple beams tremble slightly!

Sage Manji did not speak, passing through the crowd with an expressionless face.

"Sage Art: Invisibility!"

His figure vanished instantly.

Sage Manji walked straight toward the center of the main hall. When the portrait enshrined on the altar came into view...

Sage Manji shuddered.

All his doubts vanished in an instant.

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

In the portrait, a young man was dressed in black and red robes, standing with a sword on his back, his brows and eyes calm, his face peerless. Behind him were the clouds of Mount Myōboku—it was clearly himself from a hundred years ago!

On the plaque beneath the portrait.

The four gilded characters "Sage of Six Paths" shone brilliantly. The incense burner before the shrine was filled with candles, and the altar table was laden with fresh fruit offerings.

So that's it...

Sage Manji looked at the portrait and let out a soft, involuntary laugh, yet he still didn't quite understand.

Was he not Sage Manji?

How did he become the Sage of Six Paths?

"I must go find Hagoromo and ask him. Only he has the ability to pull this off..."

Sage Manji immediately expanded his senses to locate the Ninja Sect headquarters.

Sage Manji had read the original work, so he naturally knew the Ninja Sect headquarters was built on the ruins of Kaguya.

Ninja Sect headquarters.

Ninja Sect headquarters.

Hagoromo sat on the tatami mat, slowly and methodically organizing scrolls.

Just then, a voice rang out.

"You've been doing quite well for yourself all these years, Hagoromo..."

A voice, both familiar and strange, emerged from behind him.

Hagoromo was startled at first, then immediately turned his head to see the person he had always wanted to meet.

It was Sage Manji!