Chapter 378: Master of All Things
Hagoromo Gengetsu's figure flickered as he appeared before the panicked Dragon Vein. Just as the Dragon Vein was about to flee after freeing itself from restraint, Hagoromo's golden Rinnegan activated. He extended his right hand, which glowed with a golden light, and gently grasped the Dragon Vein, calmly saying, "Be still!"
The Dragon Vein immediately quieted down, appearing completely submissive to Hagoromo Gengetsu's control.
This was the power of "Master of All Things!" A new Rinnegan technique awakened by Hagoromo Gengetsu after his Ōtsutsuki bloodline had been fully restored and his purple Rinnegan had evolved into the golden Rinnegan.
As the name suggests, the ability allows Hagoromo to control any living or non-living entity with a mere touch. It's similar to the principle that "a knight cannot die from bare hands," but the range of this ability is far more extensive. Weapons, animals, plants, humans, and even chakra itself fall under the influence of this technique.
At this moment, the Dragon Vein was completely under Hagoromo Gengetsu's control, surpassing the control of any previous seals or tokens.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and the Sage of Six Paths (Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki) soon followed after him. The Sage examined both the Dragon Vein and Hagoromo Gengetsu's glowing hand before breaking into a smile. "Can we go back now?" he asked, clearly understanding the nature of Hagoromo Gengetsu's new ability.
Hagoromo Gengetsu glanced at the Sage of Six Paths. Though he had surpassed the Sage in power, he couldn't help but feel a pang of envy for the Sage's Rinnegan, which could perceive and understand all things. Regrettably, such an ability could not be transferred or stripped away.
Sighing internally, Hagoromo Gengetsu returned his gaze to the now docile Dragon Vein and said, "As you deduced, Sage, the true Dragon Vein is a vast entity that connects countless parallel worlds. We can't return to our original world because the normal crossing rules have been broken."
The moment Hagoromo Gengetsu fully controlled this world's Dragon Vein, a flood of information about it became clear to him. He realized that even though he controlled this Dragon Vein, it was merely an insignificant part of the true, complete Dragon Vein.
To reverse the Dragon Vein's course, merely controlling this world's portion of it wasn't enough. To control the entire Dragon Vein, he would need to use his Rinnegan technique, "Master of All Things," on every part of it across the parallel worlds. However, even if this were possible, it would take an unimaginable amount of time.
Nonetheless, returning home wasn't entirely hopeless. Hagoromo Gengetsu needed to control more segments of the Dragon Vein, gathering enough power from various Dragon Veins to ensure success.
He shared his plan with the Sage of Six Paths and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. With no other options, they both agreed without hesitation.
"Let's begin," the Sage of Six Paths said, his gaze sweeping over the Dragon Vein and the part of himself sealed within Kaguya. Whether they succeeded or not depended on whether they could truly turn illusion into reality.
With a thunderous roar, the Dragon Vein let out a cry that echoed through the space.
Brilliant white light enveloped Hagoromo Gengetsu, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, the Sage of Six Paths, and the unconscious Naruto, whom Gengetsu had taken control of. With one last look at the chaotic world they were leaving behind, Hagoromo Gengetsu turned his gaze away, nodded to the others, and in a flash of white light, they were gone.
They left behind only a new moon in the sky of that world.
As they traversed the familiar yet disorienting corridors of space-time, this time, due to Hagoromo Gengetsu's control over the Dragon Vein, everyone remained together. They didn't scatter as they had before, nor did they arrive at their destination at different times.
Upon arriving in the new world, without paying any heed to the local matters, they immediately sought out the Dragon Vein. Hagoromo Gengetsu used his "Master of All Things" to mark it with his imprint and then swiftly moved on to the next world.
The inhabitants of these worlds never realized that a group capable of destroying their world many times over had just passed through.
Only one person noticed—a Sage of Six Paths in one of these worlds, who woke up late, opened his Rinnegan as if seeing something, and then closed his eyes again. Some things, as long as they posed no threat, were better left alone.
Thus, Hagoromo Gengetsu and his companions continued their journey through world after world. In each, they left an imprint of "Master of All Things" on the local Dragon Vein. The overall progress was smooth, but there were some worlds where they encountered challenges.
For example, in a world ruled by the Senju Empire, where everyone could use Wood Release, Hagoromo Gengetsu and his companions were immediately discovered upon arrival. They faced a massive army of wooden soldiers and ten gigantic Senju Buddhas, which were strategic weapons of the empire. Eventually, even the Sage-level ancestor of the Senju, Hashirama Senju, had to make an appearance.
Fortunately, though his personality had changed somewhat, Hashirama still had the sense to recognize that Hagoromo Gengetsu's group was not to be trifled with. They parted ways peacefully.
Pressed for time, Hagoromo Gengetsu and the others didn't linger. After controlling the Dragon Vein, they left without delay.
In another world, they had no choice but to get fully involved, which cost them additional time. In one of the most extreme cases, in a world corrupted by the Zero-Tails, where everyone had fallen to darkness, Hagoromo Gengetsu and his companions had to engage in a brutal battle. They fought until they defeated the Zero-Tails, which had gathered the darkness of all shinobi in that world and grown immensely powerful. Only then could they safely seek out the Dragon Vein and control it.
Finally, after traveling through countless worlds and marking the last Dragon Vein with his imprint, Hagoromo Gengetsu halted further travel.
He turned to the Sage of Six Paths and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and nodded. "It's about time. We can begin."
"Have we gathered enough Dragon Veins?" the Sage asked seriously.
"The amount we need to make the slightest dent is sufficient. Any more would be overkill," Hagoromo Gengetsu replied calmly.
Only by experiencing the journey through time and space firsthand could one truly grasp the vastness of the Dragon Vein. At first, Hagoromo Gengetsu had entertained the thought of marking every Dragon Vein in existence. But after traveling through so many worlds, he realized that he had only managed to illuminate a tiny corner of the complete Dragon Vein.
Moreover, as time passed, the "Master of All Things" technique had its limits, and the Dragon Veins he had controlled earlier would gradually slip out of his grasp. With the balance of control rising and falling, the total number of Dragon Veins under his control would remain relatively constant.
Deciding not to waste any more time, Hagoromo Gengetsu chose to act now.
Coincidentally, the Sage of Six Paths and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, who had initially hoped they could return home after their travels, also came to terms with the reality of the situation. Hearing Hagoromo Gengetsu's words, they nodded in agreement.
Following their plan, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya took out a prepared crystal ball adorned with the nine tomoe and infused with the Ten-Tails' chakra. Her Rinne Sharingan glowed brightly as she poured its power into the crystal ball.
The Infinite Tsukuyomi!
A yet-to-be-realized illusionary world began to take shape within the crystal ball.
Hagoromo Gengetsu reached out and took the nine-tomoe crystal ball, gazing into its depths as if recalling a time that was both brief and unforgettable.