Chapter 456: I Love a Little Cheat
"..."
The person who appeared was none other than the Sage of Six Paths. After sensing the presence of the Ten-Tails, he had been monitoring the battlefield.
When Naruto and Sasuke were trapped in the Kamui dimension, he quietly attached himself to Rin and followed her inside.
"Though I don't quite understand what 'selling cheats' means, it seems I don't have to worry about introducing myself."
"I am the embodiment of peace and order, Hagoromo, also known as the Sage of Six Paths in the legends of the world."
"Perhaps because of the passage of time, there are vast differences in culture, ideology, thought, and ethics between me and you, the reincarnations of a later era..."
Listening to this long-winded speech, Naruto was baffled and on the verge of collapsing, as if he had returned to a sleepy classroom lecture.
But the situation was urgent, and there was no time for the old man to ramble. Naruto hurriedly interrupted:
"Can you speak in words people can actually understand?"
"Words people can understand? It seems the differences in our culture and thinking are indeed significant. Has that much time really passed..."
Naruto's face turned dark with exasperation at this rambling. He quickly interrupted again:
"I mean, keep it simple and straightforward!"
The Sage of Six Paths said seriously, "To put it simply, you two are my sons."
???
Not only was Naruto full of question marks, but Sasuke was also utterly confused.
"Too straightforward?" The Sage of Six Paths laughed and lightly tapped the ground with the staff floating around him.
In front of Naruto and Sasuke, unfamiliar yet familiar figures emerged.
"You, Naruto, are the reincarnation of my son Ashura's chakra, and your companion Sasuke is the reincarnation of my other son, Indra."
"And just like your age difference, Indra is the older brother, and Ashura is the younger."
"So?" Naruto said, still bewildered.
"I will fairly pass on my legacy to you both, to help you face the imminent crisis." The Sage of Six Paths stepped forward, holding Naruto's hand with his right hand and Sasuke's with his left.
At the moment their hands touched, the power of Yang flowed into Naruto, while the power of Yin flowed into Sasuke.
Already nurtured by Haneda's chakra, neither of them had much difficulty absorbing the new power.
Especially Sasuke's eyes, influenced by the chakra of the Tenseigan, began to rotate rapidly.
Within mere breaths, Sasuke had fully absorbed the Yin power, and his Mangekyō Sharingan awakened.
The Tenseigan chakra lingering in Sasuke seemed to sense the transformation and pushed his eyes beyond the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Sasuke's right eye directly evolved into the Rinnegan!!!
Even the Sage of Six Paths was somewhat incredulous at this transformation.
"A pure Tenseigan... it seems he is even more exceptional than I anticipated."
The Sage shifted his gaze from Sasuke to the seemingly ordinary Naruto.
Within Naruto, the Nine-Tails chakra and the Hashirama cells implanted earlier began to activate.
The power of Wood Release and Sage Mode emerged.
At that moment, with the Nine-Tails chakra's assistance, Naruto's chakra surged to near the peak of the original Ashura!
Feeling the surging power within them, Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance and smiled.
With their new cheats in hand, it was time for their enemies outside to feel the might of Konoha's little students!!!
But compared to Naruto and Sasuke, the Sage of Six Paths was in no rush and advised:
"Suddenly gaining great power while being too weak can lead to arrogance and a disregard for one's inner weaknesses."
"To be honest, I am deeply concerned about your future, and I hesitated before doing this."
"I have witnessed firsthand the consequences of such errors, as well as examples to the contrary."
"These examples come from those I love."
"I want to know your most sincere answers. What do you wish to gain from this war, and what are your dreams?"
Naruto, who loved to cheat a little, no longer despised the Sage's rambling. He thoughtfully rested his chin in his hand before replying:
"To help Uncle Haneda beat up Obito, and to blow that guy up again to vent some anger!"
"As for my dream... of course, it's..."
Naruto looked at Sasuke and smiled, "Sasuke, you go first."
Without hesitation, Sasuke said, "I want to help Konoha win the war, not just for Uncle Haneda, Shisui, and my brother, but to create a better order."
"Although I don't completely understand the meaning of that, it's what I've been taught, both at home and at school."
"I want to see how the world changes after the war, under Uncle Haneda, Shisui, and my brother's leadership."
"More than reading about ideals in books, I want to witness and contribute to them myself."
Naruto, wide-eyed, listened to Sasuke's lengthy explanation, half understanding and half puzzled.
He couldn't help but ask:
"Sasuke, so after all that, what's your dream?"
Sasuke averted his gaze, closed his eyes, seemingly too lazy to deal with Naruto's ignorance.
But after a few seconds, just as Naruto was about to lose his temper, Sasuke explained:
"My dream is simple: to watch the world change under Uncle Haneda, Shisui, and my brother's hands."
"And if possible, I want to make the world even better in my own way."
"Alright, I'm done. Your turn, Naruto."
Naruto immediately responded, "That's it, Sasuke? My dream is way grander than yours!"
"I, Uzumaki Naruto, will become Hokage and make you my assistant, handing all my work to you!"
Sasuke retorted, "Like Uncle Haneda and Elder Shikaku?"
Naruto, as if it were a given, said, "Exactly! You're so smart and capable, Sasuke."
"Heh~ You know you're an idiot, right? Too bad, idiots don't become Hokage. Also..."
Sasuke stepped in front of Naruto, lifting his chin with one hand,
"Even if you become Hokage, you'll have to beg me for help. I won't be as accommodating as Elder Shikaku."
Naruto laughed, "You will."
"And why is that?"
"Just a feeling."
"Then trust your feelings, big idiot."
...
Watching the two, whose bond was deeper than that of brothers, the Sage of Six Paths smiled warmly.
It reminded him of the times Indra and Ashura played and trained together as children.
Those were the days when their bond was just as strong.
Unfortunately...
The Sage of Six Paths returned to the present, opening the Kamui space's exit through the marker he had left in the real world.
"I hope you remember the words you spoke today."
"The path to the real world is there. The enemies outside are formidable, but your strength will match your courage. Do not be afraid."
...