Chapter 124 - Chapter 123: The Past of the Ninja World, A Different Ashura!

In the Pure Land, Uchiha Madara's gaze fell upon Uzumaki Naruto's eyes. His expression was filled with excitement, even disbelief.No one understood better than Madara what kind of eyes those were.The Rinnegan.A power he had spent his entire life striving to attain—through manipulation, sacrifice, and strategy—Naruto had achieved with apparent ease. It was almost absurd.But it wasn't just a matter of "luck."Naruto had merged the powers of the Uchiha and Senju clans. As if that weren't enough, his Uzumaki bloodline served as the perfect medium to stabilize and balance these two diametrically opposed forces.These three lineages—Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki—each carried terrifying potential. To combine them was an unimaginable feat. Even the slightest imbalance in their fusion would cause the body to collapse under the strain and explode.Naruto had risked his life to attain the Rinnegan.Even though Madara's pride made him reluctant to acknowledge it, he couldn't help but admire Naruto. If he had possessed such insight and boldness in his youth, perhaps he might have attempted the same thing.But that was a time long past. After his crushing defeat at the hands of Hashirama, Madara had become far more cautious. Age had dulled the sharp edge of his ambition, replacing it with prudence. Even after obtaining Hashirama's flesh and awakening unique powers, he had never dared to merge the cells completely, unlike Naruto.He only scratched the surface, borrowing strength without full integration.He never attempted anything as drastic as what Naruto had done—fully combining the opposing forces of the Uchiha and Senju into a single body.> "Two opposing forces... combined into one... the source of all creation..."Madara murmured these words as he watched Naruto, still in awe.---Meanwhile, in the vast emptiness of the Pure Land, Naruto stood facing an unfamiliar presence. A voice echoed from the void.> "Ashura, Kurama, it's been a long time."As the voice faded, a mysterious figure appeared before Naruto.He was an old man wearing a loose-fitting white robe, adorned with six black magatama on his chest. His brown hair was tied up, and two horn-like protrusions jutted from his head, giving him an unusual, almost divine appearance.The moment Naruto sensed his chakra, he immediately became alert. It was enormous—immeasurable, even.If Naruto's chakra could be compared to the sea, then this man's was the entire ocean.> "Were you the one who spoke just now? And… wait… Grandpa, do you know Kurama?"Inside his mind, Kurama groaned.> "Naruto… you idiot… The person in front of you is the legendary—"Before the Tailed Beast could finish, the old man interrupted him.> "Kurama? I know him quite well. In fact, you could say that he and the other tailed beasts are my children."> "EH?!"Naruto's jaw nearly hit the floor. His face was full of disbelief.> "Kurama… your child?! And the other Tailed Beasts too?"> "Then you're…"The old man smiled at Naruto's stunned reaction and murmured softly, almost as if talking to himself.> "Looks like this boy's finally catching on."> "Yes, I am Liu—"> "Wait—are you the Ten Tails?!"A long silence followed.The old man nearly coughed up blood.> "Ahem! I am not the Ten Tails! The Ten Tails is the embodiment of the divine tree, a primordial force beyond mortal comprehension!"> "Then how could you have given birth to Kurama?"Naruto frowned. According to the secret scrolls recorded by the Third Hokage, all the Tailed Beasts originated from the Ten Tails.> "Idiot!" Kurama snapped. "Naruto, haven't you figured it out yet? This old man... is the Sage of Six Paths!"> "Ohhh, I see now," Naruto said, as if it finally clicked. "No wonder his chakra feels so overwhelming!"In truth, Naruto had already suspected it. He just liked messing around.> "So, Kurama," Naruto said, turning to the fox with a sly grin, "You really respect the Sage of Six Paths, huh? You only call him 'old man' when you're fond of someone!"> "Tsk… I'm just used to it!" Kurama replied, flustered and looking away.Naruto turned back to the Sage of Six Paths, now looking at him more seriously.> "Your eyes… they're just like mine."> "Yes," the Sage said with a nod. "These are the Rinnegan—the final evolution of the Sharingan. They hold the power to govern all things."The Sage patiently began explaining everything to Naruto in detail.As he spoke, he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of déjà vu. Looking at Naruto was like looking at his own son, Ashura, from long ago.---Elsewhere in the Pure Land…Uchiha Obito watched the scene unfold, his voice filled with grim certainty.> "As expected… those are the Rinnegan. Just like Nagato's."Black Zetsu, standing beside him, remained silent.But deep inside, it was secretly relieved.> "Thank goodness Naruto isn't from this world. If he were… forget saving my mother… I'd be worried about saving myself!"---> "Grandpa Sage," Naruto asked, "Why did you call me Ashura earlier? My name is Uzumaki Naruto."The Sage smiled, stroking his long beard.> "Naruto… the fact that you possess both the eyes of a sage and the body of a sage proves it. You are Ashura—the reincarnation of one of my sons."> "I'll never forget the feeling of your chakra… it's the same as Ashura's."Naruto nodded thoughtfully. He didn't completely understand, but since it came from the Sage of Six Paths, it had to be true.> "So… Sage… can you tell me more about Ashura and the past of the ninja world?"Although it felt strange to say it out loud, Naruto was overwhelmed by a sense of closeness toward the Sage. In fact, the warmth he felt from him surpassed even what he had felt when meeting the Fourth Hokage.He could sense the sincerity in the Sage's presence.He knew—this man would never lie to him.The Sage nodded and began his tale.> "Let me tell you the truth about the past—truths that the current ninja world has long forgotten."---The story began long before the formation of villages and clans, long before Ninjutsu spread across the land. It began with one woman—Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.She was the origin of chakra, the mother of all power. With unmatched strength, she viewed the entire world as her possession.But her children—Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo (the Sage of Six Paths himself) and his younger brother, Ōtsutsuki Hamura—did not share her ideals. They believed in benevolence and unity.Eventually, the two brothers stood against their mother.Using their combined might, they sealed Kaguya using the Planetary Devastation technique. The mighty Kaguya was sealed away, and peace was momentarily restored.To guard the seal, Hamura led a portion of the Ōtsutsuki clan to the moon, while Hagoromo remained on Earth.In the years that followed, Hagoromo traveled the land, founding what would become the ninja clans, and shared the knowledge of chakra and ninjutsu with the world.Thus, he became known as the Sage of Six Paths, the ancestor of all ninja.---In time, Hagoromo had two sons—Indra and Ashura.As always, fate took a cruel turn.Indra, the elder son, inherited his mother's belief that power was absolute. Ashura, the younger son, embraced Hagoromo's vision of compassion and peace.The two clashed—violently and endlessly.Their conflict became a cycle, destined to repeat over generations.---The sheer weight of this history left Naruto speechless.He was stunned. Everything he knew about the ninja world—all its jutsu, its chakra, even its wars—originated from Kaguya and the Sage of Six Paths.> "So, Grandpa Sage… are you saying I carry Ashura's chakra?"The Sage nodded, pleased by Naruto's understanding.> "Yes. Before you, Ashura's reincarnation was Senju Hashirama, a man who carried my ideals. Indra reincarnated as Uchiha Madara—a powerful force in his own right."> "Together, they forged the system that would become the foundation of today's ninja world—the Five Great Nations, each with one powerful village."> "Although it brought only a fragile peace, it was still a step forward."The Sage's expression grew more serious.> "When Hashirama and Madara died, the wheel of fate continued turning. Ashura's will found a new host—you, Naruto."> "And Indra chose Uchiha Sasuke…"For a brief moment, a shadow passed across the Sage's face.> "But this time… the balance is off."> "In the past, Hashirama and Madara were evenly matched. But you and Sasuke… your strengths are not equal."> "This generation… may finally break the cycle."---To be continued...