The Sage of Six Paths gave Naruto a long, searching look, his eyes seeming to hold a thousand unspoken words. In the end, they became a sigh. "If you lose... you will take my place in the Pure Land after your death and watch over the Shinobi World."
At those words, not only Naruto, but Kaguya and Hamura also looked surprised.
Take the Sage of Six Paths' place in the Pure Land if he lost?
What did that mean?
It meant Naruto would become the new "administrator of the Pure Land." He would shoulder the responsibility of maintaining the order of life and death, guiding departed souls through reincarnation, and perhaps even "intervening" in the Shinobi World when necessary, just as the Sage of Six Paths did now.
It sounded like a punishment, a shackle, yet there also seemed to be an element of succession and trust.
Watching Naruto's shocked, thoughtful expression, the Sage of Six Paths slowly added an explanation, revealing the deeper reason. "I have come into contact with a higher dimension.
My mission in this world is nearing its end. My power and consciousness are gradually ascending to a higher level...
Or, rather, ascending toward a state that will take me beyond this world. I can no longer remain here indefinitely."
So that was it!
The Sage of Six Paths' very state of existence had changed. Like the soul of the God of Ōtsutsuki, he would soon leave this world.
He needed a "successor" to take over the balance between the Pure Land and the Shinobi World that he had protected for a thousand years.
And Naruto Uzumaki-the reincarnation of Asura, a young man with immense power, an independent will, and the resolve to challenge the existing order-had caught his attention.
Whether the Sage of Six Paths