Ren's Interpretation

What makes a ninja a ninja is the existence of chakra.

Orochimaru's initial conclusion was that ninjas did not possess chakra.

To be more precise, it should be that they never possessed that special kind of chakra, similar to the spiritual energy of cultivators.

Therefore, the chakra within a ninja's body must have a backdoor; if something really happens, it's not impossible to take it back.

After all, the Sage of Six Paths wasn't a good person in Ren's eyes.

Leaving aside all the strange things Ren encounters, let's just talk about the original story.

Gamamaru gave the Sage of Six Paths, who was then Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, a talisman that could bring people back to life.

Without any hesitation, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki killed his younger brother Hamura after obtaining the sage talisman.

He then used a talisman to revive Hamura, thus obtaining a pair of Rinnegan.

It appears that he used a talisman before the battle to gain two Rinnegan, making a huge profit.

But everything falls apart under scrutiny; it's truly terrifying upon closer examination.

The function of the talisman was as Gamamaru described, but its specific effects are unverifiable, even though Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki trusted Gamamaru completely.

However, considering that he was able to awaken the Rinnegan, he genuinely cared about his younger brother Hamura.

This also shows that deep down they truly believed he was dead, and most likely they believed the talisman wouldn't work.

Otherwise, if one assumes the talisman is 100% effective, then there's no emotional impact; at most, it's just a pity to have wasted a talisman.

A guy who's so heartless to his own brother who could help him open his eyes doesn't seem like the kind old man from the original story at all.

Before the great battle, he first sacrificed his younger brother to the heavens, and then sealed away his biological mother.

Ren felt that there was no one in the Shinobi World that ruthless. Even Itachi, who was touted as a god, was as kind as a white lotus flower in front of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki.

If it really is the Sage of Six Paths intending to reclaim chakra, Ren has no choice but to take it seriously.

People lived just fine before chakra existed.

Ever since the Sage of Six Paths spread chakra throughout the Shinobi World, everyone, including animals, would die if they completely lost their chakra.

Ren felt that he was the only exception in this world, since he possessed the power of other systems within him.

Yes, and so is Natsuri. Her chakra seems to be primal, without any backdoors left in it, so the Sage of Six Paths probably couldn't take it away.

As he made his guess, Ren's smile vanished, replaced by a slightly grim expression.

However, Ren didn't feel like the sky was falling, since it was all just his own speculation.

In the past, during the era of the Ninshu, there were no ninjas. It was only after Indra invented the hand seals that the practice gradually spread and eventually led to the ninjas we know today.

Maybe in the future, ninjas will just have a different name, like Superman?

To be more optimistic, Gamamaru's prophecy is, after all, just a prophecy; the fact that it didn't come true means it was altered.

Since nothing has happened yet, it means there's still a chance to change things.

Ren decided to delve deeper into everything, so he spoke to Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya, could you please tell me the time, details, and exact time when the Great Toad Sage made his prophecy?"

After seeing that Ren believed it, Jiraiya made no attempt to hide it.

He pulled a small notebook from his pocket, which contained all of Gamamaru's prophecies.

After all, many of Gamamaru's prophecies are like riddles, Jiraiya also needs to do his homework in order to find the chosen one.

Therefore, Jiraiya always carried information about Gamamaru's prophecy with him.

Ren took out his notebook and quickly browsed through it.

It has to be said that the old Toad must have had no shortage of dreams over the past thousand years, and the more Ren looked at it, the more his heart sank.

The prophecies that didn't come true were almost always about minor matters; when it came to slightly bigger things, Gamamaru was almost always right.

The reason it's said "almost" is because something big happened: Gamamaru's prediction failed.

That was Gamamaru's ninth prophecy, a prophecy about the extinction of humanity and all living things.

Looking at the date, it's the 134th year of the ancestral calendar.

Ren guessed almost instantly that it was probably Ōtsutsuki Clan Kaguya who used Infinite Tsukuyomi, and was sealed away by her two dutiful sons, Hagoromo and Hamura.

I never imagined that Gamamaru the size of a palm already possessed such abilities, and at that time, chakra was exclusively reserved for the Ōtsutsuki Clan family of three.

So, to change the prophecy, do you need at least the strength of two feathers?

Ren immediately felt a sense of urgency and made a decision in his mind.

Looking at the rest, without exception, except for the ninth prophecy, Gamamaru never made a mistake on any of the slightly more significant matters.

Further on, Ren also saw a prophecy about the chosen one.

After turning a few more pages, Ren finally saw the last prophecy that Jiraiya had just mentioned.

The prophecy was exactly the same as what Jiraiya had said.

Compared to most riddle-like prophecies, this last one was indeed much more accurate.

But we still have to guess: are all the ninjas dead, or have they changed their names? Nothing is certain yet.

Looking at the time again, Ren was stunned. It was the day he held his meeting and the Shinobi Alliance was officially established.