Holding the Great Toad Sage in his hand, Shishou curiously examined him.
"The three great sages of the ninja world are indeed not easy to kill," Shishou remarked.
The Great Toad Sage struggled and asked, "How did you know I wasn't dead?"
Shishou laughed, "Because I marked your soul with a seal."
When Shishou touched the Great Toad Sage's head to read his memories, he had also placed a caged bird seal on his soul, just like he had done with Raiko.
So, when the Great Toad Sage "died," Shishou immediately sensed something was amiss.
Suddenly, Shishou frowned and turned his head.
Not far from Shishou, a spectral figure dressed in white slowly emerged from the ground, addressing Shishou, "Hey, young man, can you let him go?"
The figure that appeared before Shishou was none other than the spirit of the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki.
Seeing Hagoromo, Shishou raised an eyebrow and casually threw aside the Great Toad Sage. "What did you just call me?"
Hearing this, Hagoromo frowned at Shishou, looking puzzled.
"The memories sealed by Kaguya haven't been restored yet, have they?" Shishou speculated upon seeing Hagoromo's expression.
He then formed a hand seal. "Release!"
In an instant, memories about Shishou flooded Hagoromo's mind.
With a look of shock, Hagoromo exclaimed, "You... you are..."
Shishou, hands behind his back, smiled and said, "What, have you forgotten your old man?"
"Old man???" The Great Toad Sage looked bewildered at Shishou and the Sage of Six Paths.
Raiko, who had just arrived, also stared at Shishou in astonishment.
The user of the Flying Thunder God Technique is the father of the Sage of Six Paths???
So the user of the Flying Thunder God Technique must be...
Realizing this, both Raiko and the Great Toad Sage were equally shocked and horrified.
Hagoromo bitterly smiled, stood up from mid-air, and bowed respectfully to Shishou. "Father."
Regardless of the circumstances, Shishou had shown great care and love to Hagoromo and his brother in their childhood, giving them a true sense of parental affection.
Shishou nodded with satisfaction and casually asked, "What about Hamura?"
Since Hagoromo was still around, Hamura should be as well.
Hagoromo replied, "Hamura has already passed away."
Hearing this, Shishou frowned, "Then how have you survived all this time?"
Hagoromo explained with a bitter smile, "Due to the actions of my two sons, I had to find a way to survive, and now I'm merely a combination of remaining consciousness and chakra."
"What method?" Shishou was very curious about how Hagoromo had managed to sustain his consciousness for over a thousand years.
Hagoromo explained, "I created a realm outside the Pure Land to temporarily house the souls of deceased strong individuals, using their spiritual energy to gather chakra and sustain my existence."
Hearing this, Shishou looked at him with interest.
"This kid is quite resourceful."
Shishou asked again, "Do you plan to continue this way?"
Hagoromo shook his head, "The chakra in the Underworld is running out. I estimate I will dissipate in a few decades."
"Why?" Shishou inquired, intrigued.
Sensing Shishou's curiosity, Hagoromo continued, "The success of Tobirama Senju's Edo Tensei technique is actually due to my creation of the Underworld."
Shishou suddenly realized something and asked, "Are you saying that the so-called infinite chakra of Edo Tensei actually consumes the chakra accumulated in your Underworld?"
Hagoromo nodded with a bitter smile, "Indeed. A while ago, someone used Edo Tensei to revive several strong individuals, depleting most of the chakra accumulated in the Underworld."
Hearing this, Shishou thought of the powerful individuals revived by Obito Uchiha with Edo Tensei, especially Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, who were significant energy consumers.
Feeling a twinge of pity for Hagoromo, Shishou thought, "Being exploited by his sons during his life and by their reincarnations after death, it's truly tragic."
After some contemplation, Shishou waved his hand and said, "Since you call me father, I'll spare this toad."
"As for the reincarnations of your two sons, as long as I'm around, they won't cause much trouble."
Hagoromo bowed respectfully, "Thank you, Father."
Seeing Hagoromo's gesture, Raiko and the Great Toad Sage both wore peculiar expressions.
Even with the evidence before them, they found it hard to believe that the user of the Flying Thunder God Technique was the father of the Sage of Six Paths.
After expressing his gratitude, Hagoromo continued, "Father, when do you plan to release Mother?"
Shishou stroked his chin and replied, "You know your mother's temper. I'll only release her when my power is enough to subdue her. With me around, she won't be able to cause any more trouble."
Hagoromo sighed in relief.
With his father around, Kaguya would likely regain her sense of humanity and wouldn't repeat the atrocity of demanding sacrifices for the God Tree.
Hagoromo formed a hand seal and created two chakra spheres, one black and one white, in his palms. "Father, this is the yin-yang power I have accumulated over a thousand years. It can help you reach Mother's level sooner."
With that, Hagoromo pushed the two chakra spheres toward Shishou.
Accepting the yin-yang spheres, Shishou thought, "This should be the same yin-yang power Hagoromo gave to Naruto and Sasuke in the original story."
Hagoromo then turned to the Great Toad Sage and asked, "Do you plan to come with me or stay in the ninja world?"
The Great Toad Sage glanced at Shishou and said, "I'll go with you."
His life was now in Shishou's hands, and staying in the ninja world seemed too risky. Being with Hagoromo felt safer.
"Then let's go," Hagoromo said, gesturing for the Great Toad Sage to follow, and they both disappeared.
"Master," Raiko greeted Shishou respectfully once Hagoromo had left.
After learning that Shishou was Kaguya Otsutsuki's husband, Raiko's respect for him was absolute.
Following such a powerful individual, she might indeed break through her previous limits and achieve further growth.
"Go about your duties," Shishou said, waving his hand as he disappeared with the yin-yang power given by Hagoromo.
He was eager to explore the power left by his dutiful son, Hagoromo.
After all, it was something that could elevate him to the level of a Six Paths Sage!
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POWER STONE!!!!
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This fanfiction is complete on my P@treon. If you want to read it, you can find it at p@treon.com/Betek.
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