The Dark Side of the Moon

The Shinobi World was only so large. Where could there be a safe place that was separate from it, yet still connected to it, and would not be affected by the destruction?

The trick of hiding in plain sight had always worked remarkably well.

It seemed close at hand yet remained out of reach; it involved neither life nor death, nor was it impossibly lofty. It possessed enough power to withstand outside incursions and strong, capable guardians.

More importantly, it could influence the Shinobi World without revealing its identity, had sufficient resources to establish a complete ecosystem, was large enough, and could shelter enough clan members.

With those criteria, there were not many possible locations in the Shinobi World.

The Shinobi World's continent was only so large. Even the most remote mountain wildernesses could not escape the God Tree's harvesting. There might have been another world in the depths of the ocean, but humans had not evolved to the point where they could ignore such harsh conditions.

Although the three great sacred lands of the summoning beasts interacted with humans, they were too busy with their own troubles to meddle in human affairs.

The Pure Land, which the Sage of Six Paths had sustained at great personal sacrifice, was a good place. But it was the resting place of souls in the Shinobi World. Though one might theoretically not be completely dead there, one could not be considered a fully living person either.

Humans were creatures who yearned for life and rebirth; they were incompatible with that ambiguous state between life and death.

The Pure Land was not a suitable place to turn into a true paradise.

If the Sage of Six Paths insisted on doing so, transforming the Pure Land into humanity's final refuge, then the Shinobi World would