Goodnight Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo

The breeze in the Bamboo Forest rustled the leaves. Seeing the obsession in the brow of Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo finally dissipate, Manji curled his lips into a faint smile, his aura as calm as water.

"Alright, class dismissed."

Manji spoke in a light tone. As the words fell, he turned around, the hem of his green robes fluttering as he prepared to walk away.

"Wait, Teacher!"

Hagoromo suddenly called out to him, his voice as faint as a candle flickering in the wind.

Hagoromo slowly closed his eyes, his tone peaceful: "Teacher, my time is running out... These Rinnegan of mine might be of use to you. Let this be the final gift from your disciple."

Manji's expression tightened abruptly.

He froze in place, inwardly cursing: Damn it, I was so busy acting profound and preaching that I almost forgot the main objective!

Manji kept his composure, clasped his hands behind his back, and said in a deep voice: "Since you insist..."

Before he could finish, two sets of hurried footsteps tore through the air, laden with panic and urgency.

"Grandmaster!"

"Father!"

Asura and Indra rushed to the scene. The hostility had not yet faded from Indra, his gaze sharp and vicious as he stared at Hagoromo, clearly still intending to land a finishing blow.

Manji raised a hand slightly, an invisible pressure spreading out to stop him immediately: "Indra, the battle is over."

He did not want to see Hagoromo kill Indra, nor did he want to see Indra kill Hagoromo.

Both were his disciples.

Hagoromo also looked at Asura, soothing him with a gentle voice: "Asura, it is alright. Everyone here is one of our own. Grandmaster is one of our own, and Indra is one of our own..."

Hearing this, the two gradually calmed down.

"Hmph! This Ninja Sect, I do not care for it. You may take the Ninja Sect; I shall follow Grandmaster to Mount Myōboku."

Indra snorted coldly. After this ordeal, he had seen clearly that the members of the Ninja Sect would never submit to him. Even if he suppressed them with force, it would only cause internal strife to escalate.

Hagoromo breathed a sigh of relief, turned to look at Asura, and said with a solemn gaze: "Asura, I am dying. I have entrusted the Rinnegan to Grandmaster. As for my remains, you shall cremate them."

Asura and Indra were both shaken, their faces filled with shock.

The next moment, the Rinnegan automatically drifted from Hagoromo's eye sockets, glowing with a faint purple spiritual light, and settled steadily into Manji's palm.

Manji was inwardly delighted, yet his expression remained indifferent.

"This object is precious and shares a destiny with my Mount Myōboku."

"To prevent it from being coveted by evildoers, I shall keep it in my custody."

Manji spoke calmly, tucking the Rinnegan into his sleeve.

None of the three had any objections.

In their hearts, Manji was a man of high moral character who never lusted after power; all things in the world were but passing clouds to him.

A moment later, Hagoromo's breath ceased, and he fell into a long slumber within the Bamboo Forest.

"Father!!!"

Asura fell to his knees, weeping bitterly.

Indra stood to the side with a complex expression. Even though his father had once intended to kill him, the sudden passing of a relative still left him feeling dazed.

Manji took a deep breath and sighed wistfully: This old friend has finally departed. Another person from that era is gone.

The next day, in the heart of the Ninja Sect, a solemn funeral had been prepared.

Manji stood in the center of the high platform, his posture as straight as a pine tree; Indra and Asura stood on either side, their expressions sorrowful and grave.

Below the platform, the disciples of the Ninja Sect knelt in unison, their eyes filled with respect and curiosity.

They saw Hagoromo often, but this Grandmaster, who had only appeared once since the founding of the Ninja Sect, had always been a legendary figure in their hearts.

"Welcome, Grandmaster!"

"Welcome, Grandmaster!"

Deafening cheers echoed throughout the Ninja Sect.

In the crowd, Sarutobi stepped forward quickly, bowing respectfully: "Grandmaster, your disciple Sarutobi!"

Manji nodded slightly, looking at Sarutobi, and couldn't help but recall that child from years ago.

"The child of the past has grown into this appearance now."

Manji's voice carried a sense of reminiscence.

"It is thanks to Grandmaster's guidance that this disciple has achieved what he has today." Sarutobi lowered his head, his tone growing even more respectful.

Seeing this, Indra and Asura were filled with doubt, never expecting that this commoner disciple would have such a connection with the Grandmaster.

As Indra watched Sarutobi, he finally understood.

No wonder this Sarutobi never tried to curry favor with him or Asura; no wonder this Sarutobi was able to gain Hagoromo's favor.

No wonder this Sarutobi was never afraid of him.

So that was the nature of his relationship with the Founder...

"Very well, prepare the cremation ceremony."

Manji announced in a deep voice, then slowly rose to his feet as the eyes of the crowd turned toward him, an air of transcendence radiating from his entire being.

Manji swept his gaze over the disciples gathered below, looking at their bewildered yet expectant faces, and let out a faint sigh in his heart.

Although he knew the Ninja Sect was destined for ruin, he still had to go through the motions of a formal address.

People always need a bit of hope.

Just as everyone eventually dies, one cannot simply stop living just because death is inevitable.

What's more, the current situation within the Ninja Sect was a matter of internal strife.

The life-and-death struggle among the upper echelons of the Ninja Sect had been laid bare for all to see.

It was, to say the least, an unsightly affair.

Manji spoke slowly:

"As disciples of the Ninja Sect, you must remember the fundamental principles upon which this sect was founded!

Hagoromo established the Ninja Sect, passed down chakra, and preached the path of compassion—not for the sake of power or profit, nor to dominate the world, but to connect hearts through chakra, to protect the common people with strength, to quell the strife of the world, and to safeguard the peace of all living things.

"Today, Hagoromo has passed away. The dead are gone; the living must not drown in sorrow.

You must remember clearly: chakra itself has no concept of good or evil; it is the heart that wields the blade that distinguishes between right and wrong.

Indra chose to walk his own path, and Asura carries on the mantle; both are matters of fate."

With a single sentence, Manji reframed Indra's transgressions as merely choosing his own path, making it sound far more palatable.

If Manji were in Asura's position, he would have called it Indra losing his ideals and convictions...

Manji then added:

"The future is bright, but the road is tortuous."

"The legacy of the Ninja Sect has never been the responsibility of one person, but the collective heart of many.

"In the years to come, no matter how the world changes, no matter how power shifts, you must all guard your original intentions and uphold benevolent thoughts."

"Only then will you not fail the life's work of Hagoromo, the founding vows of the Ninja Sect, or your own cultivation."

As the admonition fell, a solemn silence descended upon the world. All the disciples of the Ninja Sect bowed their heads in reverence, carving these words into their hearts.

With that, Manji raised his hand slightly, and under the watchful eyes of the multitude, Hagoromo was cremated.

"On this day, Hagoromo has died, marking the end of an era. From this moment on, the Ninja Sect welcomes its second sun: Asura!"

"The future may be bright, but the road is destined to be tortuous. What will become of the Ninja Sect? Perhaps only time can tell... The recorder of this history is: Black Zetsu, Historian."

"Immortal, do you think this is acceptable?"

Black Zetsu respectfully handed the scroll to Manji.

Manji glanced over it briefly, then nodded. "It will do. You are responsible for recording this segment of history. As for the earlier part—the battle between Hagoromo and myself—you may delete it. Simply state that it was a struggle for power between Indra and Asura."

Black Zetsu nodded, offering no objections.

"It really is true. History is written by kings, generals, and nobles. Within this vast expanse of history, it is all the love, hate, and grievances of the elite, while the common folk are but dust..."

Black Zetsu looked at the volumes of history and could not help but sigh with emotion.

From Kaguya to Hagoromo, then to the Ninja Sect of Hagoromo, and finally to Asura and Indra, it was all one continuous thread.

"Oh? Black Zetsu, I didn't expect you to have a populist view of history."

Manji looked at Black Zetsu with a faint smile.

Black Zetsu gave a wry laugh upon hearing this. "Immortal, I have recorded so much history that I cannot help but lament."

Manji leaned back in his seat. "It is good to feel such things; it shows you still possess a shred of humanity..."

"Black Zetsu, how is life on Mount Myōboku?"

Manji asked slowly.

"It is very good. My heart has become as still as stagnant water."

Black Zetsu replied.

Having been on Mount Myōboku for so many years, Black Zetsu had found peace.

From his initial days of hidden endurance to his eventual acceptance of life on Mount Myōboku.

Black Zetsu had always assumed that Manji was guarding against him.

In reality, Manji barely paid him any mind at all.

Black Zetsu had let go of his worries. Let it be; life on Mount Myōboku was quite pleasant, and perhaps there would be something even better in the future.

"Perform well. You are now considered core personnel of Mount Myōboku. In the future, you might even manage to land a supervisory role, and coming and going from Mount Myōboku at will won't be a difficult task..."

Manji finished speaking and slowly walked away.

Manji truly did not fear Sage Black Zetsu causing trouble; with his strength, capturing Sage Black Zetsu would be effortless.

What's more, Manji had connections to both Indra and Asura. With just a word or two from him, it would be impossible for Sage Black Zetsu to succeed.

Manji left the History Archive of Mount Myōboku, leaving behind a radiant Sage Black Zetsu.

A gleam shone in the eyes of Sage Black Zetsu!

"That's right. Regardless of anything else, I am from the same generation as Fukasaku. As long as I perform well, I might even be able to earn the title of Sage Black Zetsu and become a veteran of Mount Myōboku."

Sage Black Zetsu immediately split his mouth into a grin.