After Hashirama said, "Let's go," the five of them followed the Hyūga and Hagoromo groups toward the cave.
Rubble blocked half the cave entrance, and the patterns carved above it had worn away until they were almost unrecognizable.
Hyūga Tenshu had two Hyūga ninja clear away the rubble, revealing a pitch-black opening.
"Inside," Hyūga Tenshu said, entering first.
The middle-aged Hagoromo man was named Hagoromo Takashi. He waved a hand, and the Hagoromo group followed him inside.
Hashirama glanced at Madara.
Madara snorted and went inside too.
Ryuto, Tobirama, and Izuna followed.
The cave was narrow at first, allowing only single-file passage, but after a few dozen meters, it suddenly widened.
And the farther they went, the brighter it became.
There were no lamps. The cave walls themselves gave off a faint green glow, like fireflies, but more even.
"This place..." Tobirama studied the walls as he walked. "It wasn't formed naturally."
"Obviously," Izuna said beside him. "Look at the stone. The cuts are too clean."
After speaking, the two glanced at each other, then looked away.
They walked for another ten minutes or so.
The space ahead suddenly opened up.
A massive stone chamber.
The chamber was circular, with a ceiling over twenty meters high. Dense writing covered the surrounding stone walls, the characters twisting like crawling worms.
A huge ritual array was carved into the floor at the very center of the chamber.
The array was incredibly complex, with rings nested inside rings and intersecting lines. At its center were nine circular depressions arranged in a precise pattern.
"This is it," Hyūga Tenshu said.
Everyone entered the chamber.
Hagoromo Takashi stared at the array, his eyes gleaming.
"These are... the Sage of Six Paths' ruins?"
No one answered him.
Madara had already approached one of the walls and