Uzumaki Gamu began his story. "Legend says the Sage of Six Paths founded Ninshu and taught chakra and ninjutsu to the world, earning the titles 'Forefather of Shinobi' and 'God of Shinobi.' But he wasn't actually the source of everything-the true source was his mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki! She was the real progenitor of chakra!" To talk about the Sage of Six Paths, he had to discuss his mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki, so that was where the story would begin!
Madara had never heard that name before. Curious, he rubbed his chin and asked, "Kaguya Otsutsuki... what sort of being was she?"
"I don't know much about Kaguya yet. Let me keep digging up information from the inheritance grounds. Once I've figured everything out, I'll tell you!" Uzumaki Gamu planned to save Kaguya and the Ōtsutsuki Clan behind her for next time, brushing the subject aside for now. After all, too much at once was hard to digest-you ate one bite at a time, and told a story one step at a time.
The two trusted Uzumaki Gamu completely, so they thought nothing of it and kept listening!
Uzumaki Gamu continued, "Kaguya's background is still unknown. All we know is that she was the progenitor of chakra-it originated from her. With chakra's immense power, she ended the conflicts between Earth's people. That achievement earned Kaguya Otsutsuki supreme status in our world, and the people of that age called her the 'Rabbit Goddess.'
"Then, one day long ago, she suddenly gave birth to two sons. Both children inherited Kaguya's abilities from birth. The elder was named Hagoromo Otsutsuki, and he inherited her Rinnegan. The younger was named Hamura Otsutsuki, and he inherited her Byakugan. Neither knew anything about their mother's origins."
"Byakugan? So the Hyuga Clan shares an ancestor with us too?" Hashirama asked curiously, picking up on the key word.
"That's right!" Uzumaki Gamu answered. "At the source, we and the Hyuga are clans of the same lineage... back to the story. The brothers were kind and dutiful, and lived happily with their loving mother. But one day, they suddenly discovered that she was doing something horrifying... I'm still not sure what exactly, but apparently she intended to sacrifice a large number of humans. After uncovering the truth, Hagoromo opposed her actions. To protect humanity, Hagoromo and Hamura repeatedly begged Kaguya to stop. Disappointed that her children couldn't understand her intentions, she decided to reclaim the chakra she had shared with them."
At that, Madara mused, "Then... they fought?" A loving mother and dutiful sons turning on one another... nobody wanted that!
"Yes. To protect humanity, the brothers fought a fierce battle against their mother. It lasted several months and finally ended with them sealing her away!" Uzumaki Gamu answered. "Afterward, Hamura stayed beside their mother's seal, keeping her company. As for Hagoromo, their battle with Kaguya had brought terrible destruction upon the world. To restore the ravaged land, he set out on a journey of atonement. Along the way, he realized that chakra was a power meant to connect people. To create a world without war, where everyone could coexist peacefully, he founded Ninshu, turning chakra into bonds between people. Later generations called him the 'Sage of Six Paths.'"
Hashirama and Madara began to understand.
"So that's the story behind the Sage of Six Paths..." Hashirama said with feeling. "He chose to seal away his beloved mother to protect humanity. What an incredible man. But... he originally taught people chakra because he wanted to use it to connect their hearts?"
"And later generations only thought of using that power to fight... how laughable!" Madara gave a self-mocking smile. Uchiha power had always symbolized destruction, yet its source had existed for peace. Power meant to connect hearts and bring peace had ended up becoming a means of hurting one another... how ironic!
Uzumaki Gamu moved on to the next generation. "The story isn't over yet. Keep listening... several years later, Hagoromo returned home, married, and had children. His wife died in childbirth, leaving behind two sons, Indra and Asura. To choose Ninshu's successor, Hagoromo entrusted his power and will to them. Indra inherited the sage's eyes-the Sharingan-and possessed tremendous strength from birth. Asura, however, showed no great power at first. To work with others, he had to put in greater effort, endure every hardship, and train diligently. After his chakra awakened, Asura gained power equal to his brother's-the power of the Sage Body."
By this point, Madara and Hashirama understood what was going on.
"So Indra was the Uchiha's ancestor?" Madara said knowingly. The Sharingan had already come up-how could he not guess?
"And Asura was the ancestor of our Senju Clan?" Hashirama asked. Uzumaki Gamu had told him about the Sage Body before, so naturally he knew Asura was his ancestor!
"Exactly!" Uzumaki Gamu nodded. "Asura's way of life showed Hagoromo a new possibility. He believed mutual trust and cooperation between companions were the true source of strength. So, before his death, when he entrusted Ninshu's power and will to his sons, he chose Asura as its leader to guide humanity. He thought Indra, as the older brother, would help him accomplish that great undertaking. But Indra rejected Hagoromo's decision and opposed Asura. And so... the Ōtsutsuki Clan split into the Uchiha and Senju, and the brothers' descendants have fought each other ever since!"
After hearing the whole story, Hashirama and Madara were filled with mixed emotions!
"To think our ancestors kept us fighting all this time for a reason like that..." Hashirama sighed.
"And by our generation, we've even forgotten why the fighting started..." Madara smiled bitterly. "It's almost funny, except I can't laugh!"
"That's not the only reason they fought!" Uzumaki Gamu suddenly said. "Actually, Kaguya Otsutsuki had more than two children. Just before she was sealed, she gave birth to a third son. But because he was created in haste as an incarnation of her will, he didn't inherit her immense power-only immortality and the ability to hide! To free his mother, he turned Asura and Indra against each other, causing their descendants to fight endlessly. And to bring forth the power needed to undo her seal, he even altered the stone tablet the Sage of Six Paths left to the Uchiha!"
"Wait, you're saying the tablet was altered?" Madara asked with a frown. He no longer cared much about its contents, but being told his clan's heirloom was effectively a fake... that was hard to swallow!
"Yes... the Sage of Six Paths originally made it to warn Indra's descendants against relying too heavily on power and urge them to cherish emotional bonds. You need the Sharingan to read it, and the strength of your eyes determines how much information you can see. Honestly, that's like taking your pants off to fart. Couldn't you have told them all this before they awakened the Sharingan?" Uzumaki Gamu complained about the sage's utterly unnecessary approach.
Madara thought for a moment, then asked, "Then... was that power of all-creation what the incarnation of Kaguya Otsutsuki's will was seeking?"
"Exactly... the Rinnegan! It possesses tremendous power, the ultimate ocular power of the 'eyes that govern life and death.' Its wielder automatically masters all five chakra nature transformations, can control yin and yang, and possesses extraordinary abilities. They can become a god of creation capable of making the world, or a god of destruction capable of ending it." Of course, what's needed isn't the Senju and Uchiha, but Indra's and Asura's chakra. Well, I'll tell you two about being their chakra reincarnations next time. Uzumaki Gamu decided to stop there for now. The rest... could wait at the brink!
After all, the audience would get annoyed if the flashback dragged on too long!
"Power that can change the world..." Madara murmured. At this stage, he wasn't excessively obsessed with power, so he wasn't particularly fixated on the Rinnegan. He simply kept the information in mind!
"So, to achieve peace, we'll have to fight this unreasonable era and find the person who's been causing trouble behind the scenes?" Hashirama said thoughtfully. Achieving peace was already difficult enough, and now they had another enemy... what a headache!
Madara wasn't concerned. "Hmph. Having a clear enemy is better than having no opponent to find."
"Exactly... all right, that's enough history. Time to tell you what I think," Uzumaki Gamu told them. "I want to settle all these troublesome matters once and for all in our generation." Well, if these two reconcile, that basically settles the past. Black Zetsu will show up sooner or later, and once we deal with him, the goal's accomplished. Easy, easy! Uzumaki Gamu added inwardly. He seemed to have forgotten there was a whole lineup of Otsutsuki waiting afterward!
"Settling the past... in other words, realizing the Sage of Six Paths' vision? Making chakra a power that connects people's hearts instead of a tool for human conflict?" Hashirama added.
"...Huh?" I didn't think that far ahead! Stop making things up! Uzumaki Gamu grumbled inwardly.
"Peace throughout the Shinobi World? Hmph. Difficult, but worth the challenge!" Madara smiled too. Before Izuna's death, he wasn't yet the man so pessimistic that he wanted to achieve peace through Infinite Tsukuyomi.
"..." No, I didn't say that. Don't... forget it. If they want to do it, let them. I'll just watch the show from behind them! Their motivation to bring about world peace was good news for Uzumaki Gamu. Whether they would fall out and fight later... that was a problem for later!
Just then, Hashirama asked, "Gamu, what are you planning to do next?"
"Me? I'm going to travel around the Shinobi World!" Uzumaki Gamu answered without hesitation.
That reminded Madara of something. "Are you planning to search for that incarnation of Kaguya Otsutsuki's will?"
"Huh? No... yes, that's exactly what I'm planning!" Initially bewildered, Uzumaki Gamu answered decisively. Exactly? Was it really?
Uzumaki Gamu hadn't thought that far ahead, but... since Hashirama had imagined it that way, he might as well go along with it. Mostly, Hashirama's admiring gaze was quite an ego boost, and Uzumaki Gamu wanted to enjoy it!
"If that's your decision, we'll support you," Madara said approvingly. "While you're away from the Land of Fire, we'll find a way to unite its major ninja clans and establish a shinobi village of our own!" There weren't many old fossils left to obstruct them. They could finally charge toward their dream at full speed!
Ah, Kaguya deserved thanks for Konoha's early founding. If they hadn't killed off the Uchiha and Senju elders, relations between the clans could never have changed so quickly!
For Konoha's sake, Haki Kaguya, were you willing to become a villain?
They should reserve a place for Kaguya on Konoha's heroes' monument someday.
"Huh? You're already at that stage?" Uzumaki Gamu was a little stunned. Things seemed to be moving much faster than in the original story!
Normally, Konoha wouldn't be founded for at least another ten years. These two were only twenty, and they were already starting?
Still, that wasn't bad. Madara wasn't yet such an overbearing show-off, hadn't stained his hands with so much blood, and wouldn't be so harsh toward enemies. More importantly, Izuna was still alive. If they started steering Madara toward a gentler path now... perhaps the future would be completely different?
Well... there was no need to wait for the future. Things were already completely different. Both had become clan heads early-they couldn't have taken over in their teens in the original timeline. Their use of Wood Release, study of Sage Mode, and awakening of the Mangekyo had all happened early too. Those changes alone made following the original course impossible!
Of course, Uzumaki Gamu didn't care at all about changing history. He was already tired of the original plot, and watching it unfold in person would just be more of the same. Rather than watch that, he would prefer to work toward giving Naruto Boruto's life. (Naruto: "My father, the Hokage!" Iruka: "Okay, full marks!") ...Huh? Wouldn't that turn into the plot of Road to Ninja?
But if it really became Road to Ninja, wouldn't Naruto become Menma? Turning evil and all...
Hopefully, the future Naruto wouldn't become a mysterious masked man!
After chatting a while longer, the three went home. It couldn't be helped-those two were clan heads now, managing countless affairs every day. (Don't ask who "countless affairs" was!) They were insanely busy. Getting out for a little chat was already quite an achievement!
Besides, plenty of difficulties still awaited them. Although Kaguya's earlier backstabbing had given the Senju and Uchiha six years of reconciliation, easing relations considerably, both clans still had members who refused to accept the other and wanted to compete. There were plenty of grudges too. Getting them to abandon old grievances and fully cooperate in founding a village would take time... all they could do was proceed slowly!
Meanwhile, Uzumaki Gamu began preparing to travel through the Five Great Nations. His spar with Madara had also revealed his current shortcomings... what those were could wait until later!
Before leaving, though, there was one more thing to do-ask the Great Toad Sage what prophecy he had made about him.
It concerned the course of his future. Of course Uzumaki Gamu cared!
Two days passed, and Uzumaki Gamu was brought to Mount Myōboku by Reverse Summoning while eating.
"...Could you stop doing this every time I'm eating?" Uzumaki Gamu was utterly speechless. His eldest brother loved coming to find him during meals, and now Mount Myōboku did the same... couldn't they let him finish in peace before calling him over?
Uh... wasn't the reason every meal got interrupted actually that he was eating all the time? (Uzumaki Gamu: "Come to think of it, that's true!")
Sage Shima, whom he hadn't seen in ages, patted Uzumaki Gamu's back like a grandmother doting on her grandson and laughed heartily. "It's all right! You can eat here!"
Sage Fukasaku added, "Yes, Ma put a lot of care into preparing this. Finish eating before you see the Great Elder!"
Looking at the insect dishes he hadn't tasted in so long, Uzumaki Gamu replied, "Well... you actually finished cooking before calling me over? Then I'd better accept!" He happily dug in.
After three years living on Mount Myōboku, he had long since become accustomed to insect cuisine. He had even helped them develop a new menu-the Hundred-Insect Feast! The name alone was creepy, but its assortment of fried insects had earned rave reviews on Mount Myōboku!
After eating and drinking his fill, Uzumaki Gamu followed Sage Fukasaku to see the Great Toad Sage.
The human and toad arrived before the Great Toad Sage's seat, and Fukasaku announced, "Great Toad Sage, I've brought Uzumaki Gamu!"
The drowsy Great Toad Sage woke at those words, then asked groggily, "Oh... who's here?" He was very old, and usually looked rather... senile!
Fukasaku said awkwardly, "The child you prophesied about ten years ago. The ten years are up, and it's time to explain your prophecy to him."
"Hmm... ten years ago..." the Great Toad Sage said hazily. "I remember now. It's been so long... right, what was I going to say? I seem to have forgotten!"
"...Are we sure this is all right?" Uzumaki Gamu asked, breaking into a cold sweat. This prophecy concerned his future! Could he really trust someone in this state? Take it seriously, old man!
"Uh... the Great Toad Sage is always like this just after waking up," Fukasaku said awkwardly. "Um... the prophecy, Great Toad Sage. Your prophecy about Uzumaki Gamu!" Old people were like that-you had to coax them along!
"Oh... Uzumaki Gamu's prophecy... you should already know what you're supposed to do, right? If you know, go home. I'm going to sleep." The Great Toad Sage shut his eyes and began snoring. Huh? That was it? Wasn't that far too careless?
Damn it, I want to punch someone! Uzumaki Gamu had indeed learned his assigned job from the system, but... why specifically tell him to come back in ten years? It had made him think there was some other task waiting!
Forget it. Having nothing else to do is good too. Just working for Yama is a decent job. Doing it occasionally can even be enriching. If I had some great mission hanging over me, my happy days would be over! As an adult, Uzumaki Gamu understood perfectly-much of life's suffering came from responsibility!
Just look at Spider-Man-with great power came great responsibility! Those words had brought him unimaginable suffering like a curse. Of course, it was mostly because the writers were heartless and insisted on making him suffer! Otherwise, how could he possibly have bad luck every single day?
Back to the point: only someone without responsibilities could live freely. That was why Uzumaki Gamu had never sought status or anything similar-holding a position meant doing its work!
Fukasaku glanced at the sleeping Great Toad Sage, then told Uzumaki Gamu, "Looks like that's that. In that case, I'll send little Uzumaki Gamu ba-"
"I was joking!" The Great Toad Sage suddenly woke again!
Fukasaku: "..."
Uzumaki Gamu: "..." Damn you! Is dragging things out that much fun? You're just messing with me, aren't you?
"I just didn't want you to feel too much pressure," the Great Toad Sage continued. "Ten years ago, I had a dream..." Was he finally going to explain the prophecy?
Uzumaki Gamu focused all his attention!
After a pause, the Great Toad Sage continued, "You married seven wives!" Was that... good news? (Uzumaki Gamu: "Of course it is! Yes!")
"...Huh?" Uzumaki Gamu stared blankly. He had expected some difficult mission-how had they suddenly jumped to marriage? Still, seven? He was pretty impressive!
"Just kidding!" the Great Toad Sage said again.
Uzumaki Gamu had already started imagining how many children he would have and what he would name them. Those words shattered his heart!
"..." I really want to use Sage Art: Storm Release: Super-Ultra-Big Ball Rasenshuriken! He was so furious that he had mashed all his strongest techniques together! Right now, he wanted to hurl every one of them into the Great Toad Sage's face!
Don't give someone a dream only to destroy it yourself!
The Great Toad Sage didn't care whether Uzumaki Gamu's dreams were shattered. "In the distant future, you will face a crisis threatening the entire world. The world will need you to save it..." The prophecy Uzumaki Gamu least wanted to accept had arrived!
"So... I really am the Child of Prophecy?" Sharing Naruto's mission left Uzumaki Gamu at a loss. He didn't want such a tremendous responsibility!
I just want to spend my life happy and carefree... wait, could this be another drawn-out joke? He's only teasing me, right? Right? Right?! That has to be it!
Sure enough, the Great Toad Sage paused, then continued, "...And it won't be just one world!" Great. The stakes had multiplied!
"...Damn it, that's even worse!" Uzumaki Gamu grabbed his hair. Saving one world was hard enough to stomach, and now he was being told there was more than one?
Yes, the Dungeon System lets me travel between worlds, but isn't the job just killing people who refuse to die and sending them to Yama? Could it be... those people have the power to destroy worlds?
Uh... thinking carefully, people who could stubbornly refuse to die usually had considerable ability. Some were even great evil overlords... so these really could become battles to save worlds!
Wait... weren't there people refusing to die in his own world? Kaguya Otsutsuki, for instance... she had only been sealed!
And Kaguya's clansman... Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, who had been hiding all along.
He was another one who stubbornly refused to die!
Does that mean... I have to lie low until Boruto's era and fight him, and even the later bosses, to the death? Uzumaki Gamu suddenly understood why Yama had agreed so readily to reincarnate him in this world! Good-he had finally remembered the Otsutsuki lineup he would have to fight.
"Hmm... you're exactly right!" the Great Toad Sage confirmed outright!
Uzumaki Gamu: "..." It's over. Is my wonderful, carefree life really gone just like that?
No!
-Preparing ninja tools-
After brooding for a while, Uzumaki Gamu shook off the gloom of bearing such a tremendous mission. Enjoy today while he could; tomorrow's problems could wait until tomorrow!
Saving worlds was a matter for the future. Shouldering that burden now would only make him suffer unnecessarily. He would take things steadily, one step at a time!
Besides, I'm not alone. Doesn't Madara love being a savior? When the time comes, I'll let him share that glorious mission! If bearing the burden alone was difficult, he would find someone to help!
After all... one person's strength was ultimately limited. Unity was true strength!
"Unity is strength! Unity is strength! This strength is iron, this strength is steel! Harder than iron, stronger than steel!" Uzumaki Gamu hummed, leaving Mito beside him utterly baffled. What had gotten into her second brother now?
Seeing his little sister looking at him like an idiot, Uzumaki Gamu explained, "The road's boring. I'm just singing a little to pass the time!"
Why were they on the road? Because the siblings were already heading toward the Land of Wind!
After returning home from Mount Myōboku, Uzumaki Gamu took two days to adjust before setting out to travel the world. Partly because he couldn't sit still, and partly because... all right, changing his mindset wasn't that easy. Unless he found something to do, his mind automatically wandered back to the Great Toad Sage's prophecy.
If he didn't get out and occupy himself, that prophecy felt liable to crush him. So Uzumaki Gamu immediately took his little sister on a trip to clear his head!
Ashina and Daigu weren't surprised that Uzumaki Gamu was taking Mito sightseeing... no, broadening her horizons!
As Mito had said years ago, Uzumaki Gamu didn't seem like someone who would stay in one place. Combined with his habit of disappearing for years at a time-three years on Mount Myōboku, then another six-everyone was actually used to it.
As for Mito coming along... after one glare from her, neither Ashina nor Daigu dared say anything.
Well, the fiery tempers of Uzumaki women probably went back to ancient times-Kushina and Karin, for example. Even Tsunade's temper might have come from Mito. After all, Hashirama was a pretty nice fellow, so her temper probably came from Mito!
Of course, everyone else also needed to get used to Mito leaving. Sooner or later, she would marry into the Senju... huh? Had that already been decided?
"Yes, Hashirama and I are engaged!" Mito told Uzumaki Gamu on the road after they set out.
"Wow..." Uzumaki Gamu said calmly. It was only natural. Nothing surprising about it!
During Uzumaki Gamu's six-year absence, Hashirama had come over whenever he had time to deepen his relationship with Mito. Things had progressed naturally until they were discussing marriage.
Their marriage didn't surprise Uzumaki Gamu. What puzzled him was... why weren't they married yet? In an era with an average life expectancy barely over thirty, remaining unmarried at twenty already counted as marrying and having children late!
People married young in this era. No, even in Naruto's era, marrying at twenty was perfectly normal. Wasn't it late to still be fussing around with an engagement?
(Naruto became a father at twenty... a little complaint: only a year after fighting Toneri, he had completed the major milestones of marriage and children, as if rushing through a mission. What was the hurry? Of course, Sasuke's case felt even more like a task. Before the final chapter, he was still roaming outside the village, yet he likewise completed the child-having mission within two years. Kishimoto really went to great lengths to put Sarada and Boruto in the same class!)
Mito answered, "Hashirama said... marrying too early isn't good for a child's development, so we're waiting another couple of years!"
"...So it's because of what I said back then?" Uzumaki Gamu replied speechlessly. He had casually taught Hashirama about the best age to have children, only for it to come back and hit him like a boomerang!
Of course, he could reasonably suspect that Hashirama wanted to remain a bachelor a little longer because he was getting along so well with Madara... just kidding. He could still visit Madara after getting married!
In short, the wedding would be postponed a while... at least until Uzumaki Gamu and Mito returned from traveling around the Shinobi World!
The siblings had now reached the Land of Fire's border and would soon enter the Land of Wind.
Uzumaki Gamu's travel plan was to head west to the Land of Wind and enjoy the desert scenery, then north to the Land of Earth to see its mountains. Next, he would go east to the Land of Lightning to see its hip-hop scene, cross the sea southward to the Land of Water to experience island life, then head west back to the Land of Fire, completing his journey around the Shinobi World!
That would cover all Five Great Nations. As for places beyond them... they were only small countries, with little worth seeing. Besides... they were too far away. Without flight or Space-Time Ninjutsu at this stage, traveling that far would make getting home difficult. If something happened in the Land of Fire and he couldn't return in time, that would be awkward!
Back to the point: after several days of travel, the siblings finally reached the Land of Fire's border. Just ahead lay the Land of Rivers. (The Land of Rivers lay between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire-there were actually quite a few small countries between the Five Great Nations.)
Before you continue