Pure Land

The Sage of Six Paths followed the faint sobbing and slowly approached. A crowd of villagers surrounded an ordinary house.

Grief marked every face as they sighed quietly. Intermittent sobs drifted from inside, laden with the sorrow of a final farewell.

He squeezed through the crowd and drew closer. On the bed inside lay a white-haired old man, perfectly still, clearly nearing the end of his life.

At the sight of a life drawing to a close, the Sage of Six Paths froze.

As an Otsutsuki descendant, he, too, had begun to feel the passage of time.

Watching someone else approach death with his own eyes stirred an inexplicable mix of emotions within him.

Only after a long while did he collect himself. With a faint, bitter smile, he murmured, "Birth, aging, sickness, death... a life coming to an end. These are the most ordinary laws of this world."

"Yes, all too ordinary."

A gray-haired elder beside him happened to hear his words and quietly answered, his voice steeped in weary resignation.

"No one can escape aging or death. I'm old myself. My health gets worse by the day. Who knows when I'll leave this world and return to that legendary Pure Land?"

The Sage of Six Paths offered gentle reassurance. "Birth, aging, sickness, and death are laws ordained by heaven and earth. No one is exempt. The length of a life is never all there is to it. Even when it ends, there is no need for worry or regret."

But the elder shook his head, plainly disagreeing. His eyes held the most genuine longing and reluctance of an ordinary man.

"No. You're not old yet, so you don't understand."

"The legendary Rabbit Goddess can live forever, and that Sage of Six Paths surely won't die either. Of course