"The Great Toad Sage's prophecy was right after all."
Those words from the Sage of the Six Paths struck Naruto like a spark in darkness—rekindling the faintest glimmer of hope in his shattered heart.
With tears in his eyes, Naruto stood back up and looked at the Sage, asking in a steady but emotional voice, "What do you mean?"
The Sage smiled gently. "Aren't you curious why you're here, standing before me again?"
Naruto frowned.
That's right. Hadn't the Sage of the Six Paths completely vanished after the Fourth Great Ninja War? So how was he here, speaking to him now?
Unless…
Hope returned to Naruto's eyes. He stared at the Sage of the Six Paths, desperately waiting for the answer he hoped for.
The Sage looked calmly at Naruto and said, "Even though Boruto didn't defeat the Otsutsuki Clan, the prophecy from the Great Toad Sage still came true—because Boruto accomplished one thing: he sent you here to me."
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean I'm only here because Boruto brought me?"
The Sage nodded. "Yes. You did die in battle. But your soul—Boruto preserved it using the Pure Eye."
"He had already engraved the Otsutsuki clan's forbidden techniques into his eye beforehand. When he was finally defeated and turned into a vessel, his body was flooded with an immense amount of chakra, allowing the forbidden technique to activate through a divine tool. That's what allowed him to send your soul here."
"But the price… was his life."
Naruto trembled, tears falling freely."Boruto... my son... my good son..."
The Sage silently watched Naruto's grief. Then, he held up an object in his right hand.
"This is the divine tool."
Naruto wiped his eyes and looked closely at the cracked artifact in the Sage's hand.
"What is that? The Otsutsuki's weapon… the Plow?"
The Sage nodded. "Yes. Through this Plow, Boruto sacrificed himself and activated the forbidden technique to send your soul here. And now, Naruto, you stand before a choice—one that could change the fate of the ninja world once again."
Naruto was stunned, his mind spinning. So this was what the Great Toad Sage meant… That Boruto would be the one to change everything?
But…
How had Boruto known to do all this?
How could he have known that bringing Naruto's soul to meet the Sage would be the key to saving the world?
And how had he even learned the forbidden techniques of the Otsutsuki Clan?
The Sage of the Six Paths could read Naruto's confusion. He looked down at the damaged Plow and sighed.
"Before I answer your questions, Naruto, I need to ask you something first."
He looked at Naruto with calm but heavy eyes.
"After everything you've seen and suffered—do you still believe I made the right choices?"
Naruto fell silent for a long moment.
Then, quietly but firmly, he replied, "To be honest… no. Not anymore. The Otsutsuki Clan is too powerful. If we want to survive, we have to be willing to gain the power to fight back—at any cost."
The Sage of the Six Paths didn't speak. He lowered his eyes.
He remembered the last time they met—during the Fourth Great Ninja War—when he had asked Naruto a similar question. Back then, Naruto had believed in peace, in love, and in understanding between all people.
But now?
The Sage let out a bitter sigh. "So, the thing my mother feared… has finally happened. I was too naïve. In the end, I was wrong."
Naruto didn't argue. He had once shared the same ideals. But after witnessing the horrors of war, the deaths of friends and family, and the unstoppable power of the Otsutsuki, he knew that the old Naruto—the one who believed in love and unity—was gone.
Sensing the heavy atmosphere, the Sage of Six Paths gave a soft smile. "But it's not too late. Fortunately, my brother Hamura's backup plan was the right move."
Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion.
The Sage of Six Paths saw the look on Naruto's face and explained.
"You're wondering how Boruto could've known what to do—how he was so sure sending you to me would matter?"
Naruto nodded silently.
The Sage continued, "A long time ago, I disagreed with my mother Kaguya's actions and sealed her away on the moon. My younger brother Hamura stayed behind with her and led a group of people on the moon to watch over her. Over the centuries, Hamura began to investigate why our mother always gazed up at the stars in fear."
"And that's when Hamura awakened the Pure Eye."
Naruto was stunned.
"You mean—the same Pure Eye that Boruto awakened?"
The Sage nodded solemnly.
"Yes. Through that eye, Hamura began to catch glimpses of fragments across time and space—some from the past, others from the future. At first, it was random and uncontrollable. But eventually, he saw enough."
"He finally understood the truth behind Kaguya's fear. The Otsutsuki Clan from beyond the stars was real… and unimaginably powerful."
Shaken, Naruto asked, "Then he came to you?"
"Yes," said the Sage. "Hamura told me everything he had seen."
Naruto's mind reeled. So the Sage had known all along?
"Then why—?" he began.
"I know what you're going to ask," the Sage said gently. "Why did I take the path I did, even knowing all this?"
Naruto nodded.
The Sage sighed. "Because Hamura couldn't be certain. What he saw were just fragmented visions—possibilities, not guarantees. There was no way to prove the Otsutsuki Clan would truly return, or that the ninja world would fall."
"So you gambled," Naruto said, eyes narrowing.
The Sage nodded. "Yes. I gambled. I hoped that by promoting peace and understanding, we could avoid destruction. But I was wrong."
He looked down at the divine tool again. "Luckily, Hamura convinced me to prepare a backup plan, just in case. Otherwise… I'd have to live with that regret forever."
Naruto waited, his breath tense.
The Sage continued, "As Hamura studied the Pure Eye more, he was able to access Kaguya's memory chakra. Through it, he learned something shocking."
He looked directly at Naruto.
"In the Otsutsuki Clan, the Pure Eye is known by another name—The Eye of Samsara."