What is the most defining trait of a god?
Aoba was not a god, so he didn't have the answer.
But based on his understanding, most gods shared one common trait, they could not be truly killed.
Even if the Sage of Six Paths had slain them, it wouldn't have been permanent.
And there was one particularly awkward fact, the Sage of Six Paths, despite his power, was not actually a god.
To become a god, one needed to possess divine authority.
For the Sage, that authority was chakra.
But unfortunately for him, the ultimate authority over chakra belonged to his mother, Kaguya.
Thus, while the Sage was powerful and far beyond any shinobi, he had never truly held godhood.
As a result, while he was strong enough to eradicate the indigenous gods of the shinobi world, he had never been able to truly kill them.
The normal course of action would have been to seal them instead.
But something else had happened.
Indra had turned against the Sage.
As for the reason? No one knew.
Perhaps he despised the Sage's methods.
Perhaps Indra himself had a similar ambition.
Whatever the case, they became irreconcilable enemies.
And because the Sage lacked absolute authority, he had been unable to completely suppress Indra.
However, the Sage had managed to completely dominate Asura, ensuring that Indra alone was no match for him.
Even so, Indra had not been completely destroyed.
Instead, the remnants of the slain gods had saved him.
Countless divine spirits, their remnants and authority fused with Indra's chakra.
And from that moment forward, the Uchiha clan, Indra's direct descendants, began to wield what became known as "the power of the gods."
The Mangekyō Sharingan, the ability to summon Susanoo, the mysterious techniques unique to each pair of eyes, all of it stemmed from this fusion.
These were the remnants of slain gods, their authority blending with the Uchiha's souls, creating power unlike anything else in the shinobi world.
Back then, the indigenous gods of the shinobi world had been powerless to stop the Sage.
With Kaguya sealed away, Hagoromo and Hamura had been the strongest beings left.
And with Hamura exiling himself to the moon, the Sage stood uncontested.
Having no other choice, the last remnants of the shinobi world's gods did the only thing they could, they left behind a message.
The Sage of Six Paths had once forcibly entered Itachi's mind to interfere.
But in doing so, he had triggered something buried deep in Itachi's Uchiha bloodline.
A hidden imprint, a message left behind by the slain gods.
Aoba placed his hand on Itachi's forehead, allowing their minds to connect as the information flowed into him.
If one wished to defeat the Sage of Six Paths, it was impossible to do so as a shinobi.
As long as chakra was being used, victory was impossible.
Even if the Sage was not the true progenitor of chakra, his control over it vastly exceeded that of any shinobi.
The only way to defeat him was to abandon chakra and instead wield the indigenous energy of the shinobi world... Natural Energy.
But harnessing Natural Energy was no simple feat.
Which was why the ancient gods had left behind a direct solution, become one of them.
That was the answer.
If Aoba chose to become a god of the shinobi world, he would be able to wield true Natural Energy.
Indra's reincarnations contained all the remnants of those fallen gods.
By uniting their scattered authority into himself, Aoba could become the first true god since their fall.
And with that power, he would have the means to fight the Sage of Six Paths.
After all, the Sage had not slain the gods all at once.
He had done it one by one.
If Aoba could gather the full authority of the indigenous gods, then defeating the Sage would be possible.
But Aoba did not immediately accept this path.
Because once he became a god, he would lose something far greater, his future potential.
Others might not understand, but Aoba did.
The Ōtsutsuki clan came from space.
That meant this world was part of a much larger reality.
If Aoba became a god bound to the shinobi world, then he would never be able to leave.
The world beyond the shinobi world would become forever out of reach.
Aoba was unwilling to set a hard limit on his growth.
But he didn't dismiss the option, either.
Instead, he marked it as a backup plan.
For now, he still had some time.
He could still pursue other possibilities.
Without hesitation, Aoba left the lab and headed toward one of Konoha's most classified locations
A hidden laboratory that also served as a special prison.
It was here that Black Zetsu was imprisoned.
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Currently on Chapter 355 - Jiraiya's Call for Help