HSU: Ch. 346

"Were these two just talking about going to chat with the Sage of Six Paths?"

Regarding the Sage of Six Paths and all that, Masashi didn't talk too much with the Hyūga about it. Otherwise, they really would have chatted until dawn. Leaving behind a "Let's sleep on it and talk tomorrow," the discussion between Masashi and the Hyūga clan came to a satisfactory close.

Good result, good acceptance from the Hyūga, smooth onboarding. As someone who had already blended well into this world, Masashi's principle was always to secure his own turf first.

Everything else came after.

First it was the Senju, then the Uchiha, and now it was all of Konoha. As for Isshiki, probably a character from Boruto. Since he never watched it, if not for Kaguya opening up her memories, he truly wouldn't have known that this guy was such a schemer.

Another good thing was that Kaguya was willing to accept the Hyūga clan's worship and stay with them.

That was the best outcome.

Teleporting home with Flying Thunder God, the living room was empty. At this hour, of course his wives and children were already asleep.

Masashi went upstairs first to check on the kids.

All sleeping soundly.

When he quietly closed their doors, he found Pakura already standing at the hallway entrance.

"The school didn't say anything, right?" he asked softly. "They didn't wake you all up, did they?"

"No. It wasn't really a big deal anyway. Saeko was asleep. I was very careful," Pakura said, still in her pajamas. As a seasoned jonin, whenever she was home, she could always sense immediately when Masashi came back late.

"But today, the First and Second Hokage went to the clan shrine. Fugaku and the elders talked with them for a long time, though we still don't know what exactly they discussed."

"What else could it be..." Masashi, of course, had a good idea of what his two brothers from another life were thinking.

As the founders of the Will of Fire, Hashirama and Tobirama always acted from the perspective of the village.

Indeed, with Minato stubbornly insisting on retiring, having Masashi run for Hokage really would be the most suitable result under normal circumstances. The problem was, things were not normal. With Madara active again, and even an Ōtsutsuki showing up, the situation was far from ordinary. At times like this, Minato continuing as Hokage was the best choice for Konoha's safety.

"You weren't actually telling them the truth, were you? That you just don't want to do desk work, so you don't want to run for Hokage?" Pakura asked with a smile.

After sharing a bed for so many years, she felt she understood her husband fairly well. He only said he hated trouble, but in reality, he had always been working hard to solve trouble. Otherwise, how would he have gained such high popularity?

Everyone had sharp eyes.

"Of course not, how could that count as a reason?" Masashi wrapped his arm around Pakura and walked back toward their room. "There's a huge problem right now, handled poorly, it'll be another war. Only if Minato continues as Hokage will Konoha stay safe."

"Can you talk about it?"

"Of course, but no rush. I'll explain everything at the clan meeting. I've been talking all day at the Hyūga's, my mouth is dry. I still have to go see Matatabi later. You go sleep first."

Pakura nodded and didn't ask further.

She trusted Masashi deeply, but seeing how tired he looked made her heart ache.

"Just remember you have so many people supporting you. Don't carry everything alone."

"Don't worry. When I need everyone's help, I won't hesitate."

After seeing Pakura back to the bedroom, Masashi used Flying Thunder God again. This time, he appeared at the southern edge of the clan grounds. This place used to be full of old houses, but later Yagura had enthusiastically helped tear everything down.

After rebuilding, the Uchiha turned the area into both Matatabi's dwelling and a playground for children. And the landscaping was excellent.

Walking through the greenery, he soon saw Matatabi curled up.

Easy to find, light radiated from Matatabi's body, illuminating the surroundings in a bright blue. It had indeed been a long time since he had spent time alone with Matatabi.

As soon as he approached, Matatabi opened its eyes and lifted its head. It had been with the Uchiha for some years now, but Matatabi was still a big cat incapable of deep sleep.

"Matatabi, long time no see." Masashi said, patting it gently.

"Masashi, I sensed a really scary chakra today," Matatabi said in a muffled voice, its big eyes on him.

It might sound mystical, but in its senses, that terrifying chakra still lingered faintly on Masashi.

"Yeah, no kidding. But don't worry, I won't let her lay a hand on you." Masashi reassured it.

If there was one real conflict between Kaguya and him right now, it was this. Kaguya would inevitably want to reclaim her chakra.

And the big share wasn't the God Tree, it was the tailed beasts.

With Matatabi's current relationship with the Uchiha, Masashi wouldn't allow anyone to hurt it. Kaguya knew this too. Perhaps not wanting this conflict to erupt so early, she hadn't made a move on Matatabi. But that was only a temporary fix, the conflict was merely delayed, not solved.

In the original timeline, the solution was Naruto and Sasuke, as bearers of the Six Paths power, working with Hagoromo to give Kaguya a mighty Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei.

"Okay. I trust you." Matatabi relaxed a great deal.

Whether he could actually do it or not, Masashi's attitude alone made it feel safe. Honestly, during the day, it had almost been scared enough to run away, if not for the Uchiha children still climbing all over it.

"About the Sage of Six Paths, can you tailed beasts take the initiative to contact him?" Masashi asked.

"Of course not. Before meeting you, we never saw him again after he died."

"Hm..." Masashi ignored the slip in Matatabi's wording and started recalling the two times he had met Hagoromo.

The first time had been completely muddled and unclear. The second time, several tailed beasts were present simultaneously.

Maybe it was because half of the tailed beasts gathered together that they attracted Hagoromo's attention.

"Let's try again."

As for whether tailed beasts needed to sleep, he believed it wasn't a physiological need but rather a lifestyle preference. Humans slept to rest their organs and remove fatigue. Tailed beasts didn't get tired at all. So they probably didn't get grumpy when waking up either.

"Same as last time? Got it." Matatabi was also thinking it had been too long since it last chatted with the other tailed beasts, so it had no objections.

Masashi jumped onto Matatabi's head and sat cross-legged.

A moment later, the cursed seal activated. Man and beast as one.

Well, spiritually.

His consciousness smoothly entered the curse-mark space, and Matatabi arrived at the same time.

"Looking at this scenery now, it really isn't very pleasing anymore." Masashi glanced around.

Having gotten used to Kaguya's beautifully crafted mindscape, looking at his own now, he couldn't help finding his own side a bit embarrassingly shabby.

So, recalling everything in Kaguya's mental world, he altered the scenery here.

Golden fields and towering trees appeared, along with a vast, clear blue sky.

Matatabi looked very pleased with the change. It ran around excitedly. Then Masashi began using the chakra he had obtained from the other tailed beasts to establish connections.

The second to arrive was Gyūki.

"Masashi!" Gyūki snorted unhappily the moment it saw him. "You again! You must be eyeing our chakra again!"

"Do you want to disappear?" Masashi had long since given up trying to repair their relationship. "Honestly, if not for Matatabi, I wouldn't care if someone turned you all back into the Ten-Tails."

Hearing the name "Ten-Tails," Gyūki, who had really just been mouthing off, immediately shut up. Truth be told, after so long, it wasn't even angry at Masashi anymore. It was just frustrated. They were all tailed beasts, so why was Matatabi living such a comfortable life?

Those brutes from Kumo knew nothing about tailed beasts.

Only after it shut its mouth did Gyūki notice that the scenery around them was completely different from the last time it came. Especially that tall, towering tree in the distance, something about it felt familiar. Yet Gyūki was certain it had never encountered such a tree.

While it pondered, Kurama and Chōmei appeared in succession.

And Kurama's first line was, "Matatabi, how about we switch places?"

It really couldn't help it. Lately, Minato had been going home on time every night. And doing nightly exercise. And since tailed beasts and jinchūriki shared sensations to some extent... When the jinchūriki got beaten, the tailed beast felt it too. When the jinchūriki did other things, the tailed beast also felt all the accompanying sensations. Even though tailed beasts had no gender, Kurama did not want to keep experiencing that.

And if it had to, it wanted to be the one delivering the output.

"No." Matatabi shook its head violently.

The feeling of being sealed inside a jinchūriki, Matatabi never wanted to go through that again.

Kurama was very displeased, but there wasn't much it could do. It turned to Masashi. "What did you call us here for?"

Only Chōmei was quiet. It had taken a liking to the sky here and was happily flying around. The four tailed beasts, no matter if noisy or quiet, instinctively kept their distance from the tree, even though it was just a false construct in a mental realm.

Their instincts rejected that thing.

"It's nothing major. I want to meet the Sage of Six Paths. Last time, this was exactly how we met him, wasn't it?" Masashi said to Kurama.

There was a joke that Kurama alone had more chakra than the other eight combined. Though exaggerated, Kurama indeed held a very special place among the tailed beasts.

In the original timeline, even after Naruto lost the Six Paths body, he could still dominate the shinobi world with just Kurama Mode.

"Hah?" Kurama felt like this was comedy for tailed beasts. "How could he just recklessly show up just because we gather together? What do you think we are, some kind of weird summoning swi..."

Its eyes suddenly widened.

Behind Masashi, a bearded man floated into view, a familiar circle of beads around his neck, horns on his head. Who else could it be but the Sage of Six Paths?

Masashi noticed Kurama's reaction completely. So he naturally turned around.

"Long time no see, Sage of Six Paths."

The four tailed beasts also gathered around, equally filled with curiosity.

So strange... Why could Masashi see him whenever he wanted?

"It's been months. I have so many questions."

"I'm not sure I can answer them," Hagoromo sighed with some helplessness. "More importantly, do you know what you're doing right now?"

The reason he could be "summoned" so casually wasn't just because nearly half of the tailed beasts were gathered. It was mainly because Masashi had stepped on every possible risk point.

Seriously? Now he even wanted to mess with another Ōtsutsuki!

"Of course, all problems must ultimately be solved through mutual tolerance and understanding between people. That's my guiding principle," Masashi said with a serious face.

"I'm glad you think that way," Hagoromo replied. "What do you want to know?"

"First question: The 'Pure Land' that Edo Tensei connects to, is that your 'Kāma'? Souls really do exist, right?"

Hagoromo thought for a moment and felt telling the truth wasn't a big deal.

"Since you even know about 'Kāma,' I have nothing to hide. Souls do exist, and they have a destination. The Ōtsutsuki clan's actions all revolve around collecting chakra, including my mother. But I didn't learn that technique from her. To protect this world, I studied the principles and created what you call the Pure Land to preserve the strong from each era."

"So, if an Ōtsutsuki arrives here, you'll intervene?"

"Of course. But if it were just to maintain my mother's seal, I wouldn't need to," Hagoromo said, his tone becoming more serious. "They are terrifying enemies. People must possess strength and unity. Hamura and I spread chakra for that purpose. But influenced by Indra, people used chakra as a tool for conflict, and even credited me with 'inventing ninjutsu'..."

"I understand." Masashi quickly cut off his reminiscing. "I asked because I wanted to confirm that Edo Tensei doesn't summon real souls, correct?"

"Certainly not. But Rinne Rebirth truly acts upon the soul. You must use it with caution."

"A life for a life, I'm always careful with that," Masashi nodded. "Then I have only one more question. Are you familiar with Isshiki?"

Hagoromo he began reviewing his relationship with Ōtsutsuki other than his mother and brother. And he was very sure, he wasn't familiar. Unless "familiar" included wanting to roast the guy alive. Kaguya wasn't completely silent with her children. She did share information about the Ōtsutsuki clan, otherwise, her children wouldn't bear the surname Ōtsutsuki.

Hagoromo and Hamura initially treated their distant kin from the heavens as hypothetical enemies. Even after turning against their mother, they didn't forget that somewhere on their land, a relative who once tried to feed their mom to the Ten-Tails but got backstabbed instead was still hiding.

Hagoromo had been searching for him ever since. If he found him, sealing would be the last thing on the list. From past conversations with his mother, he knew the Ōtsutsuki's so-called immortality came in two forms.

One was "Kāma," which, if used properly, allowed endless reincarnation, true immortality. The other was Kaguya's form: a literal immortal body, a physical inability to die, granted by the God Tree. After becoming the Ten-Tails jinchūriki, he also possessed this, until he separated from the Ten-Tails and the ability disappeared.

The source, of course, was still his mother. As the true form of the God Tree, she remained immortal even after losing most of her chakra.

"Isshiki was the one who helped my mother plant the God Tree. I've been searching for him," Hagoromo said, looking at Masashi. He suddenly felt that telling Masashi more wouldn't hurt. "Since he never ate the chakra fruit, he does not possess an immortal body like my mother."

A very straightforward hint.

"With you saying that, I'm relieved," Masashi said with great satisfaction.

If the guy can be killed, the difficulty drops drastically.

If he can't be killed, then there's really no way to deal with him at all.

If Orochimaru weren't so good at staying alive, Masashi would never have cooperated with him through "investment" in the first place.

"Well, I'm done. You can go back to whatever you were busy with."

Masashi said this very considerately. He understood, big figures like these were always ridiculously busy. The fact that he was willing to spare a moment to chat already satisfied him.

Hagoromo blinked.

Was he being dismissed?

That was truly rare. Usually, it was others wanting to talk more while he didn't have time. Last time there had been a bit of that vibe, but this time Masashi wasn't even trying to hide it. But Hagoromo suddenly felt less tense inside. This kind of personality would clash hard with his mother's temperament.

The tailed beasts gathered nearby were quite entertained. Watching Hagoromo get humbled was an irreplaceable joy within their eternal lives.

Kurama spoke, "See? I wasn't wrong last time, right?"

Gyūki let out a snort.

Chōmei continued acting transparent.

Matatabi, carefree as always, rolled around on the ground.

"I'm not busy." Hagoromo's tone hardened slightly. "Also, I have a question for you."

"Huh?" Masashi looked at him in surprise. "Alright, go ahead. I'll answer everything I know, and I won't hold anything back."

Yeah right, Hagoromo thought.

"I know you've already let Black Zetsu meet with my mother. Since you know about 'Kāma,' you should understand that Black Zetsu is my mother's Kāma. The seal is practically meaningless now. Once she absorbs the tailed beasts, she will bring destruction to this world." He fixed his gaze on Masashi. "You've worked so hard to protect your family and friends. Why would you do something like this? My mother's ideology is something you cannot change."

"No one's ideology can be changed by someone else, not just your mother," Masashi said, puzzled by the question. "I just think there may be better solutions. Isn't that far preferable to mother and sons turning on each other? After all, wasn't her goal to resist the other Ōtsutsuki?"

Hagoromo's brows tightened. Combined with his current appearance, it was almost funny.

"Having the same goal doesn't mean she'll protect anyone else. My mother only cares about this land. You're taking too many risks," he said, shaking his head. "The Ōtsutsuki clan brings no benefit to this world."

Are you forgetting you're also an Ōtsutsuki? Masashi didn't say that aloud, saying it would just start an argument, serving no purpose.

"Actually, I personally think there's still a way."

"What way?" Hagoromo didn't believe him.

He and Hamura had no way to handle Kaguya. How could some guy countless generations later possibly have a method?

"I've always wondered, what exactly lies beyond our lands?"

"What do you mean?" Hagoromo didn't follow.

"Well, the Ōtsutsuki clan can travel between different worlds. You probably wouldn't... well, no, you definitely wouldn't. But your mother can. Forget outer space, just speaking about our own world, this region is only a tiny corner of the planet, right?"

"Oh, that's what you meant." Hagoromo sounded disappointed. "That would still require continuing to harm this world."

"You still didn't answer my question. Have you ever gone?" Masashi wasn't about to let him change the subject.

He was the one who derailed others, he had a monopoly on that. Since he no longer had a physical body, he couldn't blush, and so Hagoromo replied with a straight face, "I have been to many places."

"Crossed the ocean?"

"No one there."

"Gone further west?"

"No one there."

"What about the sou... never mind."

Alright, no need to ask. This was a lazy Sage of Six Paths. Zero exploratory spirit.

"Seeing is believing..." Masashi tapped his temple. "We can't just think, we have to act. And we shouldn't shut ourselves away and assume."

Hagoromo felt a bit uncomfortable.

Why did Masashi talk so much?

Yes, he hadn't gone. So what? He was busy, okay?

"Leave that trivial stuff to me," Masashi said, waving his hand. "You focus on protecting the world. I'll go travel it."

Then he added, "After killing those Ōtsutsuki, of course."