Naruto: The Sage Body of Konoha

The River of Three Paths technique reminded Heiyan of another ninjutsu used by the Uchiha clan—the Izanagi.

At first glance, these two techniques appeared very similar. However, upon closer examination, three major differences became apparent.

Firstly, Izanagi could only affect the user himself, whereas the River of Three Paths worked exclusively on others.

Secondly, within a certain timeframe, Izanagi transformed all negative effects targeting the user into dreams while turning beneficial factors into reality. In contrast, the River of Three Paths simply and crudely "rebooted" time, directly creating a rewind effect on the target.

Based on these first two points alone, the River of Three Paths was clearly inferior to Izanagi. However—

Thirdly, once used, Izanagi would permanently blind the eye involved, making it a one-time use ability. The River of Three Paths, however, could be used repeatedly as long as sufficient ocular power remained, without any risk of blindness.

This was the greatest strength of the River of Three Paths—it was designed specifically to support allies.

Realizing this, Heiyan turned to Hiashi Hyuga and asked,

"Hiashi Hyuga, I once heard Might Duy mention that when opening the eighth gate—Death Gate—of the Eight Gates, you gain strength many times greater than the Hokage's, correct?"

"Exactly."

Hiashi Hyuga nodded in agreement. His feelings toward this ultimate power were mixed—both longing and fear, because—

"However, Might Duy also said that the price of opening the Death Gate is burning away the user's own life force… leading to death."

Suddenly realizing why Heiyan had asked about this, Hiashi Hyuga continued.

"If that's the case, then you might need help someday," Heiyan smiled, then turned to Fugaku Uchiha. "Isn't that right, Fugaku Uchiha?"

"Hmph."

Fugaku Uchiha gave a short grunt, glancing at Hiashi Hyuga before coldly replying, "Let's see him reach that level first. I doubt he ever will—not in this lifetime, at least."

That last remark came off as classic cold-then-hot stubbornness.

"Uchiha Fugaku, don't underestimate me! I definitely don't need your help!"

Refusing to let the jab stand, Hiashi Hyuga shot back defiantly, "Things are different now! You're no match for me anymore. Let's fight if you don't believe me!"

Ever since his Byakugan had evolved, Hiashi Hyuga's confidence had not only returned but grown stronger daily. Right now, he was itching to beat Fugaku Uchiha up and prove who truly deserved to be number two in this team.

As for number one, that spot unquestionably belonged to Heiyan.

"Know nothing beyond your own pond."

Fugaku Uchiha coldly shot back with those four words. Instantly afterward, massive waves of solidified blue chakra surged from his body, forming a semi-transparent giant approximately five or six meters tall—one whose spine and ribs were clearly visible.

[Susanoo?!]

Hiashi Hyuga's expression changed immediately as he blurted out the name aloud.

During the legendary battle at the Valley of the End, the Susanoo of Madara Uchiha had left an unforgettable, terrifying impression on everyone present.

And now, Fugaku Uchiha possessed this same terrifying power as well.

"Stop!"

At this moment, Heiyan, who had been watching the spectacle from the sidelines, finally spoke up. He stepped between the two and raised a hand to mediate.

"Just a reminder," he warned seriously, "overusing dojutsu techniques like the Mangekyo Sharingan or Byakugan will consume massive amounts of ocular energy—eventually leading to blindness. I don't want to end up dragging two blind teammates through missions or onto the battlefield."

After giving them both a firm warning, Heiyan ended the fight between them.

"That's enough for today. Unless there's something else going on, everyone can head home now."

Seeing that both had calmed down, he added.

"Heiyan, I'm planning to visit the Naka Shrine. Would you…like to come with me?"

Fugaku Uchiha suddenly spoke up, extending an invitation.

"Oh? You're planning to use the Mangekyo Sharingan to decipher the stone tablet in the hidden underground room?" Heiyan guessed Fugaku's intention correctly. After hesitating briefly, he replied, 

"But the content on that tablet is essentially classified knowledge of the Uchiha clan…"

"What secret? It's just old mythological stories we've talked about before—Kaguya Otsutsuki, the ancestor of the shinobi world, bearing two sons, and so on."

Fugaku interrupted dismissively, clearly unbothered by the secrecy. He extended the invitation again, speaking sincerely: 

"I remember how fascinated you were by those myths—you even did some research on them back then. Once I decode the rest of the tablet, I'll need your help interpreting its meaning."

"In that case, I'll join you then."

Heiyan readily agreed.

But after thinking for a moment, he suggested, "Why don't we bring Hiashi along as well? I have a feeling this tablet might also be connected to the Hyuga clan."

"Really? Is that possible?"

Both Fugaku and Hiashi showed surprise at this revelation. Though they'd just argued, right now, what Heiyan said clearly mattered more than their quarrel.

So the three of them left the training ground together and headed straight for the Naka Shrine.

Half an hour later.

Inside the hidden underground room beneath the Naka Shrine,

Fugaku Uchiha looked away from the Six Paths stone tablet and slowly turned around. The Mangekyo pattern in his eyes gradually faded.

"Hmph~"

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to steady himself after the shock he just felt.

"So? Did you find anything valuable?" Heiyan asked.

"The inscription says that one son of Kaguya Otsutsuki was named Hagoromo Otsutsuki. Known among people as the Sage of Six Paths, over a thousand years ago, he subdued a rampaging monstrous beast called the [Ten-Tails]. Then he split it into nine fragments and scattered them across the world of shinobi—which later became the Nine-Tailed Beasts..."

Carefully choosing his words, Fugaku recounted everything he had read on the stone tablet.

"Just another old legend everyone's heard before. I thought there might actually be something exciting."

Hiashi Hyuga muttered disinterestedly, yawning openly in boredom.

However, Fugaku ignored him and continued speaking to Heiyan. "This stone tablet was actually left behind by the Sage of Six Paths—and we Uchiha... are his true descendants."

Before the words had even settled, before Heiyan could respond, Hiashi let out a short laugh.

"The Uchiha clan being descendants of a sage? That's the funniest thing I've ever heard in my life."

Hiashi Hyuga raised his voice openly in mockery.

In his opinion, this stone tablet was clearly forged by the Uchiha themselves—an obvious attempt at self-glorification, fabricating some mythical ancestor to boost their status.

"Don't laugh just yet."

Heiyan looked at Hiashi, then turned to Fugaku and asked, "This tablet once recorded that Kaguya Ōtsutsuki had two sons, right?"

"That's correct." Fugaku nodded respectfully and listened carefully.

"It's like this—I once read an ancient text that mentioned something along these lines..."

With great solemnity, Heiyan leaned on the authority of "ancient records" as he dropped a shocking bombshell: "Legend says both of Kaguya's sons left direct bloodlines within the ninja world. Among them, her eldest son, Hagoromo—also known as the Sage of Six Paths—most likely became the ancestors of today's Uchiha clan. As for the second son, Hamura, it's said he went to live on the moon, but before leaving the ninja world, he also left behind a bloodline—that's today's Hyuga clan."

"What?!"

Both Fugaku and Hiashi were stunned speechless again upon hearing this.

"Yes, both the Uchiha and Hyuga clans are descendants of the sage. Your very eyes serve as proof. According to the ancient texts, the Sharingan and Byakugan originated from the same source—they were originally one and the same pair of eyes."

Heiyan concluded, dropping yet another explosive revelation.

A long silence followed.

Fugaku and Hiashi slowly regained their composure, gradually absorbing the immense amount of staggering information Heiyan had shared.

"Never would have thought... our Hyuga clan would actually be descended from a celestial sage."

Hiashi murmured, his eyes shining with excitement and emotion. His inner thoughts unfolded like this:

What? A stone tablet claiming the Uchiha are the sage's descendants? Pfft, how ridiculous.

What? Me, a descendant too? Well... guess I can't complain then.

From dismissing such myths as nonsense to wholeheartedly believing them—two words summed up his feeling: Zhenxiang (truth smells so good).

After all, who wouldn't want to hear their family line traced back to immortals?

"Who'd have thought our Uchiha clan shares a common ancestor with those Hyuga people—it's truly unbelievable."

Fugaku muttered as well, naturally referring to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki as that "common ancestor."

Upon hearing that, Hiashi exchanged a glance with Fugaku. In the very next moment, both let out a scoff, turned away with icy expressions.

They weren't just teammates—they were rivals as well. And now, they bore a newfound blood connection, making the atmosphere between them increasingly tense.

Perhaps... this is what real bonds feel like.

Heiyan watched the two of them, suddenly getting a strange sense of déjà vu—as if he were watching Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki bickering and competing with each other again.

And himself, the one who tried to mediate between them in this three-man team… was basically playing the role of… "Sakura Haruno?"

Ten minutes later,

The three left Naka Shrine and went their separate ways, ending the encounter.

As Heiyan approached the alleyway leading to his home, he saw Tsunade waiting by the entrance with her arms crossed, clearly having waited for quite some time already.

"Big sister Tsunade, what did you need me for?" Heiyan asked as he approached her.

At the same time, he noticed that she looked somewhat different compared to the last time they met.

She stood there looking like she'd just come straight from the training grounds. Her ponytail of golden hair and clothes were soaked with sweat. Her body had become even more toned and upright, her curves graceful yet powerful—undeniably captivating.

It seemed she had been undergoing intense training during this period.

"Grandma Mito asked me to come get you for dinner. Also, she discussed with me about sending you to Shikkotsu Forest to learn Sage Arts."

When Tsunade said this, she suddenly rolled her eyes, shoved Heiyan's shoulder lightly while frowning, "If you wanted to go to Shikkotsu Forest, why didn't you just tell me directly? Why all this unnecessary hassle?"

Wha—" Taken aback by her sudden accusation, Heiyan hesitated, unsure how to respond.

"Never mind, let's go."

Seeing this, Tsunade decided not to press him further and simply grabbed Heiyan's hand, pulling him toward her family mansion.

Before long,

The pair arrived at the front door of the estate where a smiling Mito Uzumaki was already waiting with Kushina's small hand in hers.

Then together, all four entered the house to enjoy a hearty and satisfying lunch.

They spent the meal in warm and joyful conversation, so cozy it might have fooled anyone into thinking they were family.

"So," Heiyan casually asked Kushina mid-meal, "since arriving in Konoha, are you settling in alright? The past few days you've been staying at Grandma Mito's, but I've also taken you out around the village twice."

"Umm... yeah!"

Kushina nodded enthusiastically while taking a bite of another dorayaki and counting off on her fingers, "Big brother is the best to me. Grandma Mito is great too. As for big sister Tsunade… well, she can be kinda scary sometimes, but she's nice to me too."

Hearing this, both Heiyan and Mito Uzumaki smiled knowingly.

"Hey! I'm not *that* scary, am I? You better clarify that!" Tsunade placed down her chopsticks and glared threateningly at Kushina.

"Now you really *are* scarier," Kushina whispered, shrinking behind Heiyan nervously while whispering into his ear,

"Big brother, I actually think big sister Tsunade is super pretty, and you two look perfect together. Too bad she's so fierce—if you ever got married, she'd definitely bully you every day..."

Heiyan fell silent, visibly embarrassed. Although children often spoke innocently, Kushina's matchmaking still caught him completely off guard.

"Brat!"

Kushina hadn't even finished speaking when Tsunade interrupted with a furious roar. Enraged, Tsunade shot to her feet and flicked Kushina right on the forehead with a sharp snap.

"Slap!"

With a crisp sound, Kushina's forehead immediately turned bright red and started swelling. The little girl looked wronged, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Hmph! That'll teach you to speak recklessly again."

After disciplining Kushina, Tsunade gave a sharp scoff, then instinctively glanced at Heiyan.

Before, Tsunade had always seen Heiyan as her younger brother—after all, he was six years younger than her, just a teenage boy. But...

Now nearing fifteen, Heiyan's tall, upright build and sharply defined features had matured into those of a young man, making him seem more like Tsunade's peer than her younger brother.

Plus, recently, Heiyan had gone through the legendary battle at the Valley of the End, been surrounded by rumors of being the Omen of Misfortune, caused chaos at the Golden Exchange, and gained a bounty of 150 million ryo...

Such monumental and legendary life experiences have become the most valuable traits of a man. They had given Heiyan a calmness as deep as the ocean and a steady temperament like a mountain—and naturally, that also made him irresistibly attractive to women.

After all, nothing stirs a woman's heart quite like a hero.

Tsunade suddenly realized she couldn't see Heiyan the same way anymore—or treat him like she used to.

When she came to this realization, she remembered Kushina's "nonsense" once again and inexplicably felt her face flush.

"I'm full. I'll head to the training ground first."

Trying to hide her flustered feelings, Tsunade muttered only these words before hastily rising to her feet, walking away without looking back.

"Look what you did? You made Onee-sama run off angry."

Watching Tsunade's retreating figure, Heiyan sighed and said to Kushina.

"What'd I even say wrong?" Kushina grumbled softly, rubbing the red bump on her forehead.

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