The Pure Land, that eternal realm where souls rested and wandered, remained shrouded in a hazy, tranquil glow.
Hagoromo Otsutsuki, known to the world as the Sage of Six Paths, floated cross-legged in the void. Faint Truth-Seeking Orbs circled him as he kept his eyes closed, sensing the state of the Shinobi World.
The Sage of Six Paths had a rather complicated attitude toward Naruto Uzumaki, the unpredictable factor who had stirred up the Shinobi World, taken the Hokage position ahead of time, and even begun approaching the threshold of kekkei mōra.
He was not entirely unconcerned. Naruto's rate of growth, his way of doing things, and even the potential within him were all things Hagoromo could not completely ignore.
Yet, compared with Naruto, the being weighing more heavily on his mind at that moment was someone else: Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
To think he managed to evade my observations for a thousand years...
The Sage of Six Paths murmured inwardly, with a trace of unease and bewilderment.
He believed that although his surveillance of the Shinobi World did not cover every minute detail, he should have noticed any lingering traces of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, as well as chakra fluctuations as powerful as those of his mother, Kaguya.
But Isshiki had been like a venomous snake lurking in the deepest shadows. Only after a recent heart-to-heart with his mother had he learned of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's existence.
That ability to conceal himself forced Hagoromo to reassess how dangerous Isshiki was.
As expected of someone from the same clan as Mother. Truly unfathomable.
Hagoromo briefly reflected on this, raising his vigilance toward Isshiki to its highest level.
This "kinsman," who had descended alongside his mother Kaguya yet chosen an entirely different path, was a vast unknown. His aims, his strength, and the schemes he