A New Sun and Moon, a New Truth!

Saori left Orochimaru's laboratory first to attend to official business.

Once the door closed, Yu and Orochimaru grew serious.

Orochimaru asked, "Yu, you're the Sage of Six Paths of a new era now. You've gathered every necessary element. What's your next step?"

Yu lit a cigarette, his gaze turning distant. "I've only gathered the elements of Hagoromo's line. I still lack those of Hamura's..."

"Hamura? The Sage of Six Paths' younger brother and the ancestor of the Hyuga Clan?" Orochimaru asked. "Do you mean the Byakugan?"

"More precisely, the dōjutsu called the Tenseigan!" Yu flicked ash from his cigarette. "Its power rivals the Rinnegan. Even Kaguya, the progenitor of chakra, never awakened it. Hamura awakened it in his later years—it's the ultimate form of the Byakugan!"

"Since it evolved from the Byakugan, it probably can't coexist with the Rinnegan, which evolved from the Sharingan," Orochimaru said. "You'd have to obtain it through a transplant, and its power would inevitably suffer. Cutting another eye socket somewhere on your body wouldn't suit your tastes either..."

Orochimaru truly was the man who understood Riu best.

"Well, I've found a way to make them compatible," Yu said meaningfully. "I only need to obtain Subichini's mark."

Orochimaru's eyes lit up. "Subichini? Who is that? Is there a connection to your Ubiji Mark?"

Yu raised his right hand and looked at the red dot in his palm. "They're a pair. Their powers complement each other, and Subichini's mark can absorb the power of Hamura's line."

"A pair with Ubiji?" Orochimaru stroked his chin. "Then Subichini must be connected to Yomi... While my soul was there, I learned of only three deities: the Soul Guardian Deity, the Reaper, and the Ubiji-ni Deity. I never heard of Subichini. How did you find out?"

Yu finally revealed a startling