The light and shadows of the Sky Screen high above never stopped, its images continuing steadily onward.
Across the shattered land left by the ancient war, Hagoromo Otsutsuki still walked alone.
Day after day, he restored mountains and rivers, nourished the earth, and healed the scars left by war, tirelessly spreading his ideals to all living beings.
People should understand one another, accept one another, set aside hatred, and safeguard peace together.
To most ordinary people who had endured war and oppression, the idea was laughably naive.
In an age of unchecked power, rigid social classes, and the strong devouring the weak, talk of understanding and acceptance was nothing but empty, impractical rhetoric.
So most people simply listened and moved on, returning to their struggle to survive without believing in the peaceful future Hagoromo described.
But there were always exceptions.
A small number of people, tormented by war and weary of bloodshed and suffering, desperately longed for stability deep in their hearts.
They were moved by Hagoromo's gentle nature, unwavering conviction, and genuine good deeds.
Watching him restore the land without asking for anything in return, aid the people, and treat the weak with kindness, they saw a glimmer of true light in that dark, chaotic age for the first time.
And so these people chose to believe in Hagoromo and willingly followed him.
They trained alongside Hagoromo, helped others with him, mediated disputes between villages, and comforted displaced victims of disaster.
Days passed, and the years slowly rolled on.
Hagoromo's followers gradually grew from a mere handful to several dozen.
More and more ordinary people, tired of war and yearning for peace, gathered around Hagoromo.
Over time, an entirely new force quietly emerged on this deeply scarred Ancient Land.
Hagoromo named it-ninshu.
Ninshu did not seek dominance through force,