"There's a lot of material, and it's complex. Let's start with the simplest one—"
Tobirama Senju pointed at Danzo's severed arm with clinical detachment.
"That guy Danzo transplanted Hashirama's cells specifically to suppress and control this arm full of Sharingan."
"The principle is actually quite simple. The emergence of the Rinnegan requires the combined power of Asura and Indra."
"Hashirama's cells represent Asura's power, but an ordinary Sharingan is merely a lower-grade Indra lineage that doesn't contain Indra's direct chakra."
"Rather than saying Hashirama's cells suppressed these Sharingan, it would be more accurate to say these Sharingan barely managed to suppress Hashirama's cells."
"Without Hashirama's cells, these Sharingan wouldn't cause any biological rebellion."
"But without these Sharingan, Hashirama's cells would likely run wild and turn Danzo into a tree."
"As for why... Because the two are inherently complementary, just like Yin and Yang."
After explaining the symbiotic relationship between Hashirama cells and Sharingan, Tobirama continued.
"I remember you previously told us two things."
"Though these two incidents were mentioned at different times—one in the Land of Wind and one in Konohaf—I still found the connection between them."
"The first point (Land of Wind): Hashirama, as Asura's reincarnation, should have needed everyone's power ('bonding') to defeat Indra's reincarnation, like all previous Asura reincarnations. But Hashirama was an exception, he bodied Madara solo. Hashirama's cells possess miraculous effects that shouldn't belong to a normal human."
"The second point (Konoha): The Sage of Six Paths, as Kaguya half-human son, should logically have a diluted bloodline and weaker abilities compared to a purebred Otsutsuki."
"But you said that except for not achieving immortality by eating the fruit, the Sage of Six Paths surpassed all known Otsutsuki clan members in various abilities."
Tobirama wasn't wrong—Makoto had indeed mentioned this to them.
The Sage of Six Paths.
Dead for over a thousand years, yet he could appear as a ghost during the Fourth Great Ninja War to transmit god-tier power to Naruto and Sasuke.
After transmitting power, he could even summon previous Kage from the Pure Land to help teleport the main characters back from another dimension.
Even his sons, Indra and Asura, were able to continuously reincarnate their chakra, inheriting the cycle of cause and effect, endlessly entangled with one another for centuries.
But what about Isshiki Otsutsuki?
Once his Karma vanished and he died, it was true death.
Complete and utter dissipation.
The residual power left behind contained no trace of his will or entanglement—it essentially became a "Beginner's Gift Pack" for Kawaki and Code.
During the Boruto era, while it seemed like raw combat power had skyrocketed, the pure Otsutsuki clan members who appeared—aside from the enigmatic "Otsutsuki God" (Shibai)—were individually less impressive and mystical than the Sage of Six Paths.
The emergence of the Sage of Six Paths felt somewhat like that of a Transmigrator.
First, as a transmigrator, he held no familial affection for his mother.
After sealing Kaguya, he could naturally say, "Let's just pretend I never had a mom."
Instead, he felt deeply indebted to the Tailed Beasts he had created and nurtured.
In contrast, Hamura Otsutsuki had genuine feelings for Kaguya, which led him to choose to accompany her seal on the moon.
Similarly, as a transmigrator, the Sage of Six Paths shared the same hobby as Makoto.
Just as Makoto named his abilities after various Stands and dubbed Mei Terumi's mode after Pokémon's "Primordial Sea," the Sage of Six Paths also loved naming things based on pop culture.
Though it seemed his pre-transmigration favorite was Journey to the West.
There was the Adamantine Staff, the Purple Gold Red Gourd, the Bashosen (Plantain Fan), and the Kohaku no Johei (Amber Purifying Pot).
Even a Tailed Beast that looked like a monkey had to be named Son Goku, and its dwelling was called Flower Fruit Mountain (Water Screen Cave).
An active volcano named "Flower Fruit Mountain"? How absurd.
While Makoto was pondering these meta-thoughts, Tobirama Senju continued his lecture.
He recalled what Makoto had said in the Land of Wind—that the ninja world was special.
While other planets would be completely destroyed and barren after the Otsutsuki absorbed their God Tree fruits, the ninja world survived and thrived.
Finally, Tobirama presented a conclusion, a bold scientific conjecture.
"The idea that Kaguya was 'blessed by the people' to give birth to the Sage of Six Paths and his brother might just be wishful thinking from romantic observers. The true 'blessing' for Kaguya didn't come from powerless civilians, but from The Planet Itself."
"Kaguya, as an 'invader,' consumed the fruit containing the power of this land."
"Thus, the Sage of Six Paths was essentially an 'Immune Cell' created by the planet's will to expel the invader (Kaguya)."
"This is why, despite being Kaguya's offspring as well, Hamura Otsutsuki showed no signs of possessing such overwhelming, world-altering power compared to the Sage of Six Paths. the Sage of Six Paths was the Planet's Champion."
"I believe my brother, Hashirama, might be a similar existence."
"That's why his cells and his very being are so unique."
"As for why? Perhaps it was because at that time, Isshiki Otsutsuki's presence still lingering on this land was sensed by the planet's defense mechanism?"
Tobirama finished his conjecture and looked at Makoto, awaiting his evaluation.
Uh...
Makoto thought most of what Tobirama said made sense.
But this last part about the planet sending Hashirama to deal with Isshiki... wasn't that a bit too much? Hashirama is strong, but against an Otsutsuki?
Then again, Isshiki was in a weakened state (living inside Jigen) at the time, and the land itself likely had no consciousness—perhaps it misjudged the "virus's" strength and sent the wrong antibody.
"Oh, and one more thing."
Tobirama glanced at Orochimaru beside him. "There's something off about Orochimaru's Resurrection mechanics too."
"Even if he's sealed away, as long as his chakra and cells combine, he can resurrect unconditionally."
"This reaction produced by the combination of the two is identical to when Indra's chakra touches Asura's chakra, generating the Rinnegan and drawing out the power and soul of the Sage of Six Paths."
"I've heard both the process and your hypothesis. There are no major logic holes, so what's the conclusion? What should we do? Do you have an actionable answer?"
Makoto nodded slightly at Tobirama Senju.
"Yes."
"According to the theory just mentioned, if the Sharingan is the product of the earth transforming the Otsutsuki's power into 'local power,' then the primordial Natural Energy representing the earth is the best Key."
"Of course, ordinary Sage Arts or Natural Energy cannot achieve this. You need the Premium stuff."
"Unless it's the Sage of Six Paths, or perhaps my living elder brother, they might have a chance. Because they are 'The Chosen Ones' of this land."
"But besides them..."
Tobirama Senju pointed a finger directly at Makoto.
"You should be able to do it too. The control over Natural Energy you've demonstrated doesn't seem like you were 'chosen' by this land... but rather that you actively mastered and subjugated the power of this land."
"So I need to get Nagato a stone too?" Makoto stroked his chin as he spoke.
"What stone?"
Tobirama looked puzzled, then without waiting for Makoto's answer, directly explained.
"We don't need anything that requires continuous maintenance like that. The Mangekyo Sharingan only needs to be unlocked once to be used permanently. Now we just need you to perform the procedure."
"Oh, I almost forgot. We still need someone who can absorb immense chakra to act as a buffer."
After saying this, Tobirama looked straight at Makoto, showing no real sense of having "almost forgotten."
It was clearly a deliberate prompt for Makoto to call in Uchiha Hikari for help.
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