"How do you intend to proceed? Will you continue on the path you were on?" the Sage of Six Paths asked.
"That's none of your concern. You just need to revive me!" Lin Nan said calmly.
However, deep down, Lin Nan was somewhat afraid that the Sage of Six Paths would not revive him.
But as things stood, he seemed capable of directly taking down the Sage of Six Paths.
Yet, it would be useless to kill him, as only he possessed the miraculous power to bring the dead back to life and restore flesh.
The Sage of Six Paths replied, "Not yet. I must ensure my mother's seal is secured before I can send you back!"
So, he was afraid I would interfere with Kaguya's sealing? He's thinking too much.
A sudden thought crossed Lin Nan's mind. He immediately said, "Do you know the history of the Ōtsutsuki clan?"
The Sage of Six Paths frowned slightly. "Ōtsutsuki? My mother's kin? I investigated for so many years in my lifetime without finding any clues!"
"The Ōtsutsuki clan comes from beyond the heavens. All the chakra in this world originates from the Divine Tree, and the Divine Tree comes from the Ōtsutsuki clan!" Lin Nan recounted the history of the Ōtsutsuki that he knew.
The Ōtsutsuki clan was akin to plunderers of planetary energy.
They would travel to different energy-rich planets in pairs, plant a Divine Tree, and the tree would absorb the planet's energy to bear chakra fruits.
Upon consuming these fruits, they would grow stronger, while the planet, its resources depleted, would be destroyed.
Thus, the Ōtsutsuki clan was also equivalent to destroyers of planets.
They disdained humanity, viewing the inhabitants of any planet as mere ants, holding themselves superior and arrogant.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya also hailed from the Ōtsutsuki's home planet. However, due to various unforeseen circumstances midway, she betrayed her partner and kin, thus taking root on this planet.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's cultivation of White Zetsu was very likely intended to counter the Ōtsutsuki clan, though it proved largely ineffective.
Later, Kaguya was sealed by her two sons, the Sage of Six Paths and his younger brother. The deeds of the Ōtsutsuki faded into the river of history.
However, the Ōtsutsuki clan would eventually return to this world.
Therefore, the ninja world was never a peaceful place. It not only faced internal strife but would also be invaded by outsiders from beyond the heavens in the future.
"If what you say is true, then you shouldn't be eliminating ninjas. They will be the backbone force against the Ōtsutsuki clan in the future!" the Sage of Six Paths stated.
Lin Nan shook his head. "Ninjas of this caliber are useless. Although you are the progenitor of this ninja world, you are unaware of the bottom-level conditions of the ninja villages and nations. Ordinary ninjas are like nobles of the old era, offering no help to the development of this age. Some even willingly become the pawns of the daimyo. Therefore, their destruction is inevitable! Moreover, I am not targeting all ninjas. For the true ninjas stationed in the villages who are loyal to their Kage, I will perform resurrection rituals for them in the future!"
Lin Nan, as a fan of the original anime from his past life, recalled that the early parts of the original story and flashbacks extensively described the lifestyles of ordinary ninjas. In the years he had traveled far and wide in his life, Lin Nan had also deeply disagreed with ordinary ninjas who left the ninja villages to serve the nation.
Consider the ninja world war, with such a large number of participants. In the ninja villages, for instance, the stationed ninjas in Konoha were only about a thousand.
Then where did the remaining people come from?
Ninja villages belonged to their respective nations. Konoha belonged to the Land of Fire, so the Land of Fire would not allow a large number of ninjas to remain stationed in Konoha but instead utilized them as military forces to guard the nation. Those they served were no longer the Kage, but the nation's head, the daimyo.
The previous ninja world wars were, in essence, wars between nations. Ninja villages were merely weapons.
The puppeteers were not even the Kage, but the nations' daimyo.
Therefore, ninjas in ninja villages were generally restricted by their Kage and had clear guidelines for their actions, making them true ninjas.
As for ninjas who left the ninja villages to join the nations, they were akin to individuals sent by the nation to learn in ninja villages, and then returned to their nations. They were merely dregs masquerading as ninjas.
Dregs must be purged.
Even if the dregs were innocent, under the overwhelming trend, they could only blame their misfortune.
The wheels of history rolled on, crushing not only those who deserved to be crushed.
"If destruction can lead to development, then I do not mind bearing this infamy!" Lin Nan's expression was devoid of joy or sorrow.
The Sage of Six Paths nodded. "For an era to develop into a new one, reform is inevitable! Therefore, this is why I do not stop you. It seems you have made up your mind, and I shall say no more!"
"I will grant you life, but the power of the Ten-Tails has been extracted from your body. Your life was lost because of me, so I will compensate you with a small amount of Six Paths power. I believe it should be enough for you!"
"It's enough!" Lin Nan nodded and glanced at the screen. "Can I go back now?"
The Sage of Six Paths slowly nodded. "I have bestowed upon Naruto the Sage Body and the ability to communicate with Tailed Beasts, and upon Sasuke, the Eyes of the Sage and the power to control Tailed Beasts as well; as for you, I have decided to entrust you with the last of my consciousness remaining in this world!"
"What do you mean?"
"I will grant you the power of the Rinne Sharingan, but not a complete Rinne Sharingan. With your abilities, you can switch at any time. The power of this eye can allow you to summon me anytime, anywhere, but my remaining power in this world can only allow you to summon me three times, and I cannot appear in reality, only draw your consciousness into this space again!"
"What's the use of that?" Lin Nan frowned slightly.
The Sage of Six Paths smiled. "Firstly, I wish to see the future world, and secondly, I wish to know if the so-called Ōtsutsuki clan will invade again. Furthermore, the greatest benefit of summoning me is that I can show you any scene you wish to see, including scenes lost to history. You should understand what that represents!"
"..."
A ripple of emotion couldn't help but spread across Lin Nan's eyes. Of course, he understood what that represented.
"Take care, Lin Nan. I hope you are correct!"
As the Sage of Six Paths finished speaking, he waved his hand once more.
...
"Did Eyebrows Teacher die at the hands of Mr. Lin?" Naruto looked at Lin Nan's still-warm "corpse," his expression extremely complex.
After Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and the Ten-Tails were sealed, Lin Nan's body fell out.
At this moment, his chakra was drained, and he was on the verge of death.
Kakashi nodded. "Lin-kun's temperament changed drastically after becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. Might had no choice but to stop him..."
"Now is the time, kill him completely!"
Sasuke activated his Susanoo and was about to strike with his sword.
However, the next moment, Lin Nan's figure had already disappeared.
"What's wrong..." Naruto's expression changed.
Before everyone could comprehend what was happening, Lin Nan reappeared.
But at this moment, Lin Nan was holding a rabbit with a Rinnegan in his arms.
(Sage of Six Paths: "...")