In a daze, Lin Nan opened his eyes.
The surroundings were a hazy white, the fog extremely dense, and all that met his gaze was paleness.
At this moment, Lin Nan felt as if he were dreaming, his thoughts themselves a muddled mess.
Another illusion?
Lin Nan looked around, and suddenly, from the thick fog, he spotted a figure.
"Who?"
Lin Nan let out a cold shout, then immediately raised his palm, ready to attack.
However, as he extended it, he was startled.
Lin Nan was still wearing the red robe he had after his transmigration, but now it had become a white robe, and the skin of his palm was a strange, pale white.
Is this, Six Paths' Sage Body?
It seems I succeeded.
Just now, in his panic, Lin Nan had a sudden thought.
Back then, the Gold and Silver Brothers could obtain the Nine-Tails' chakra by consuming it, so why couldn't he?
And so, the scene of hundreds of Lin Nan's shadow clones simultaneously gnawing ensued.
Fortunately, Lin Nan succeeded.
Of course, the "gnawing" here wasn't ordinary. Lin Nan possessed the Rinnegan and the Outer Path power. Even with Madara Uchiha's immense ocular power, he couldn't affect the Ten-Tails' chakra that entered Lin Nan's mouth.
Therefore, it was perfectly normal for Lin Nan to absorb it himself.
In this way, had he become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki?
At this moment, Lin Nan finally understood why Obito had such a calm demeanor after becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki.
Lin Nan also felt an immense peace settling in his heart, as if his heart no longer belonged to him.
He didn't know what he looked like now, but Lin Nan could faintly see his own hair had also turned pale.
Although he had become a sage, Lin Nan felt no physical abnormality whatsoever. He felt perfectly normal, so normal it almost felt alien.
He looked behind him, but there were no Truth-Seeking Orbs floating there.
He also didn't have the Six Paths staff in his hand.
Did I consume too little?
As he pondered this, a voice suddenly sounded.
"Kubayasi (Lin Nan)?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Nan's body froze. He then looked incredulously at the small figure in the mist.
In this world, only one person called him that.
Lin Nan felt a lump in his throat, his wildly fluctuating emotions preventing him from speaking.
Immediately, a purple-haired girl in a purple robe walked out of the mist.
"Lin Nan, how did you die too?" the purple-haired girl asked angrily. "Didn't you say you were strong? You pushed yourself too hard again... Why do you look like this after dying? So ugly..."
As she spoke, the purple-haired girl even punched Lin Nan.
Lin Nan was speechless for a long time.
"Why aren't you speaking?" the purple-haired girl seemed to realize. "Oh right, people who just died can't speak. It was the same for me back then, though maybe I just didn't meet anyone else!"
That's right, this was Hydrangea, who had already passed away.
"Is this... the Pure Land?" Lin Nan finally spoke, his voice somewhat hoarse.
Hydrangea nodded. "I don't know either. I only know I appeared here after I died! But it's good, at least I won't be lonely now that you're here. This place has been a blank white expanse every day. It feels like a long time has passed, and yet also like less than a day."
Looking at Hydrangea's bright smile, Lin Nan couldn't smile at all. Only intense grief surged through his heart like a tide.
"Can you tell me what happened outside? How much time has passed? Did Lord Angel fulfill everyone's wishes? And also..."
Hydrangea spoke incessantly, as if wanting to pour out all her unspoken questions at once.
Lin Nan just stared blankly. For some reason, he suddenly thought of Obito.
Perhaps, at the very moment he became the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, he too had seen Rin!
After all, the Rinnegan was an eye that transcended life and death. When the Rinnegan was maximized by becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, it was possible to traverse to the Pure Land.
Lin Nan took a deep breath, forcing himself to put on a smile. "Don't you care how I died?"
"Ew, you look really ugly when you smile. And your eyes, why is there a new one? You could cover it with an eyepatch before, but what will you do now? The crucial thing is that both your eyes are different!" Hydrangea said somewhat irritably.
Alright, this little girl really didn't care how she died.
Perhaps, having arrived here, certain unpleasant things should be forgotten.
However...
"Do you want to be revived, Hydrangea?" Lin Nan finally asked.
Hydrangea looked confused. "What do you mean? Can I be revived?"
Lin Nan nodded. "Yes, if you wish!"
Hydrangea smiled, then shook her head. "Don't try to trick me, Lin Nan. I'm not a child anymore. Resurrection would surely involve sacrifice, and I don't want anyone to sacrifice anything!"
That was Hydrangea. Chasing the light in her heart, she always thought of others, sometimes even neglecting herself.
"Actually, I think it's pretty good here. No damp rain, no biting cold winds, and no pain. It's just that there's no one to talk to. Now that you're here, everything is developing in a good direction, isn't it?" Hydrangea tilted her head.
Lin Nan closed his eyes tightly, trying his best not to let the sorrow in his heart show.
She was always like this, always believing that everything would get better, that there would soon be no war, no despair.
There would be hope, there would be peace, and there would be sunshine.
But all of this, ultimately, had turned into bubbles.
"Now that we are both dead, don't think too much about things in the real world!" Hydrangea, seeing that Lin Nan seemed a little off, tried to comfort him.
Lin Nan remained silent for a long time.
Hydrangea continued with longing in her voice. "Perhaps in the not-too-distant future after we died, that world will no longer have war, nor suffering. I really want to see what that world would be like!"
"Hey Lin Nan, do you know why I liked going on missions so much?" Hydrangea suddenly asked.
Lin Nan remained stunned, saying nothing.
Hydrangea chuckled softly. "I was like this when I first died too. Don't worry, your body will recover slowly."
"I said I liked going on missions because the sunshine elsewhere was so abundant, while our Hidden Rain Village was always overcast and drizzling."
"I still prefer a sunny environment!"
"The sun can reach every corner of the world, bringing warmth to the suffering and healing their souls!"
"Perhaps, in a long time, Lord Angel's wish can truly be realized. I would be very happy to see such a world!"
"Hmm? Lin Nan?"
Hydrangea said with a giggle, but suddenly noticed that Lin Nan's figure had disappeared.
"Goodbye, Lin Nan..."
Hydrangea turned around, and a dark shadow appeared behind her.