Ancestor of Sage Arts

To become a Six Paths powerhouse now would take at least twenty years. Only when my Mangekyō Sharingan and Byakugan evolved into the Rinnegan or Tenseigan would I truly reach the Six Paths Realm.

Otherwise, I would merely be comparable to someone in the Six Paths Realm.

The current ranking system in the Ninja World was divided into Genin, Chunin, and Jonin, with each rank further divided into special, ordinary, and elite.

Above Jonin were Grandmasters. A Grandmaster was equivalent to a clan head during the Warring States period—in other words, what would later be called Kage Level.

Grandmasters were divided into ordinary Grandmasters [Kage] and peak Grandmasters.

Above Grandmasters were Grandmasters [Super Kage], peak Grandmasters, and those who had reached half a step into the Six Paths Realm.

The Six Paths levels were: Six Paths Realm, Kekkei Mōra level, Ten-Tails Jinchūriki with Kekkei Mōra, and beyond the Six Paths Realm.

Since there were no clan heads in this era and the Ninja Sect held all the power, Otsutsuki Tatsuten had named the rank above elite Jonin "Grandmaster." As the Ninja Sect's name also contained the word "Sect," the title couldn't have been more fitting.

"Brother Hagoromo, how did things with those villages work out?"

Otsutsuki Yuhao asked Otsutsuki Hagoromo with a smile.

"Mm, after I used your method..."

"The villages won't go to war over water anymore.

"By the way, how did you know that if you dug a hole underground, you'd find water?"

Otsutsuki Hagoromo asked curiously.

"It's simple. Once, I sensed water-attributed Natural Energy beneath the ground. Curious, I dug a deep hole, and that's how I discovered it."

Otsutsuki Yuhao said with a smile.

He wasn't lying. Once, after sensing an abundance of Natural Energy beneath the ground, Otsutsuki Yuhao had grown curious and dug a well. To his surprise, he found water inside.

From then on, Otsutsuki Yuhao had called it water-attributed Natural Energy.

"I see. But Natural Energy has different attributes?"

Otsutsuki Hagoromo asked, somewhat surprised.

Although he practiced Senjutsu too, he hadn't studied it like Otsutsuki Chentian had.

"Of course. Natural Energy has attributes like water, fire, earth, and lightning. You just don't usually pay attention to that.

"More importantly, not everyone can practice Senjutsu, so even fewer people have studied whether Natural Energy has different attributes."

Otsutsuki Yuhao replied.

"I see."

Otsutsuki Hagoromo nodded. Even now, he didn't pay much attention to such things.

"For example, the Senjutsu I practice is based on water and wind. I can train faster out at sea than on land.

"And you, Brother Hagoromo, should be attuned to earth and lightning."

Otsutsuki Yuhao explained his research into Natural Energy to Otsutsuki Hagoromo.

In Otsutsuki Yuhao's view, Natural Energy was much like the spiritual energy from his previous life: energy that existed between heaven and earth. Chakra, meanwhile, was simply Natural Energy absorbed by the God Tree and converted into a form that was easier to absorb.

Otsutsuki Hagoromo knew very well that Otsutsuki Yuhao practiced only Senjutsu, not ninjutsu.

Although Senjutsu took a long time to master, once you did, it made you far stronger in battle than ninjutsu could.

Otsutsuki Hagoromo considered himself stronger than Yuhao, but when it came to Senjutsu, Yuhao really was better.

"You're back for a few days this time. Don't leave after just a few hours like you did last time.

"You've been wandering outside for so many years. It's about time you settled down and started a family.

"You can't keep running around like this forever."

Otsutsuki Hagoromo nagged Otsutsuki Yuhao like a doting father.

W-was he telling me to find a partner? Otsutsuki Tatsuten thought with a rueful smile.

"I'm still young. Just look at Brother Hamura—he's still single!"

Otsutsuki Yuhao quickly used Otsutsuki Hamura as an excuse.

"Hamura already has ten children."

Otsutsuki Hagoromo replied expressionlessly.

"What? Ten?"

"Even pigs don't have that many. Brother Hamura, how many wives do you have?"

Otsutsuki Yuhao was stunned.

He had never imagined that Otsutsuki Hamura already had so many children.

Could Hamura have realized that, in the future, only one of his descendants would remain on the moon, and decided to have more children now?

The moon.

"Achoo!"

Otsutsuki Hamura, who was watching the children on the moon, couldn't help sneezing.

"Who's thinking about me?"

"Could it be Brother Hagoromo or Yuhao?"

Otsutsuki Hamura murmured to himself.

Ten years later.

Otsutsuki Yuhao had spent another ten years traveling around the Ninja World, searching for spiritual herbs and other treasures that could increase his strength.

After searching for ten years and earning the title "Ancestor of Sage Arts" throughout the Ninja World, Otsutsuki Tatsuten left.

He headed out to sea. By then, Otsutsuki Yuhao had concluded that nothing in the Ninja World could make him stronger. He had already collected most of the Ninja World's ancient techniques, but they had little use for Otsutsuki Tatsuten.

Taking a group of people who were willing to follow him, Otsutsuki Yuhao set out for the ocean.

--

In the middle of an endless sea sailed a huge ship.

The ship was a hundred meters long and about fifty meters wide. Its deck was laid with ebony planks, and flowers, birds, beasts, and people had been carved into its hull. It also had handles made of gold, silver, copper, and iron.

The ship's masts rose high into the sky, glimmering through the white mist.

Some of the painted designs on the hull depicted phoenixes, Kirin, lions, and other birds and beasts. Others showed mountains, rivers, and people, all depicted with lifelike detail.

Though the ship was enormous, it was just a tiny boat bobbing on the vast sea.

More than a hundred people were aboard. They were Otsutsuki Yuhao's disciples, and they had chosen to follow him. Most of them were orphans.

Otsutsuki Yuhao stood at the bow, watching the calm water. He couldn't help feeling pleased. The sea before him was peaceful, without a single wave crashing against the shore.

"Chibaku Tensei!"

Otsutsuki Yuhao shouted. His eyes transformed into five-Tomoe Mangekyō Sharingan, and the five Tomoe in each eye swelled and began to spin.

A black orb appeared in Otsutsuki Yuhao's left palm.

The orb slowly rose, flying up into the sky.

A powerful force of attraction emanated from it.

All the rocks and mountains in the surrounding sea were drawn together.

Under Otsutsuki Yuhao's control, the sea itself remained undisturbed. The orb only pulled in rocks from the seabed and nearby islands.

A little over an hour passed. When Otsutsuki Tatsuten decided it was enough,

a meteorite as large as the Land of Fire appeared in the sky.

Before long, a gigantic island rose from the sea.

Otsutsuki Yuhao watched the enormous island, his face somewhat pale.

Chibaku Tensei didn't consume much of his ocular power. What took its toll was keeping it under control in the sky for so long.

Even Otsutsuki Yuhao, whose chakra had reached the level of the One-Tail, found it difficult to endure.