Why…?
Was he even human anymore?
The sheer pressure of his presence was terrifying beyond words—enough to shatter one's will at the soul level.
After barely regaining their senses, Tagitsuhime, Ichikishimahime, and Takahime, still collapsed on the ground, felt their massive serpent bodies trembling uncontrollably. Panic and disbelief flooded their minds.
They had never imagined that the Fifth Hokage could be this monstrous.
After entering Sage Mode, he hadn't even lifted a finger—yet with nothing but sheer pressure, he had instantly suppressed the entirety of Ryūchi Cave.
What kind of power was this?
Vaguely, almost instinctively, they saw the shadow of the White Snake Sage reflected in Uchiha Ren's presence.
"…Boring."
Uchiha Ren glanced at the trembling trio and nodded calmly.
After entering Sage Mode, his Conqueror's Haki had clearly undergone a qualitative transformation.
Before, it was overwhelming spiritual pressure.
Now—
It had begun to touch the soul itself.
"Since you're already here," Ren said indifferently,
"White Snake Sage… why don't you come out?"
The next instant, his gaze shifted slightly.
"You may possess a concealment ability that even chakra cannot detect—but in front of my perception, you have nowhere to hide."
Boom!
A crushing wave of pressure slammed toward a corner of the hidden domain.
"…As expected of the Fifth Hokage."
With a soft puff of white smoke, a massive white-scaled serpent appeared—orange hair, golden slit pupils, a green jewel embedded in its chest, calmly holding a smoking pipe.
The White Snake Sage.
"White Snake Sage!!"
"Kill this Fifth Hokage who dares wreak havoc in Ryūchi Cave!"
"Please—avenge us!"
Before Ren could even react, the three snake elders cried out in desperation, as if they had found salvation.
Finally—
The master of Ryūchi Cave had appeared.
"Silence."
The White Snake Sage's expression turned cold.
"Uchiha Ren is a guest of Ryūchi Cave.
Who gave you the right to act so insolently?"
Boom!
A terrifying pressure instantly descended upon Tagitsuhime, Ichikishimahime, and Takahime.
Pff—! Pff—! Pff—!
Three heavy sounds rang out as the three slammed into the stone, breath knocked out of them.
Why…?
Their spirits shattered all over again.
They had thought the White Snake Sage would stand up for them—
Instead, she crushed them without hesitation.
This was devastating beyond belief.
After disciplining them, the White Snake Sage transformed into an elderly woman in white robes, her demeanor gentle and composed as she looked at Ren.
"Are you satisfied now, Fifth Hokage?"
"Very satisfied."
Ren smiled faintly.
Strength truly was the only universal language.
Once he demonstrated absolute dominance, even the White Snake Sage acknowledged him as a friend of Ryūchi Cave.
"Your strength… is extraordinary."
The White Snake Sage took a long draw from her pipe before speaking slowly.
"Everything you've done in the shinobi world—I am aware of it all.
The only words that describe you are: terrifying beyond measure."
A trace of genuine astonishment flickered in her eyes.
As one of the ancient beings who had observed the shinobi world for generations, she knew better than anyone how rare a figure like Ren was.
Aside from Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara during the Warring States Era—
Uchiha Ren was the third to truly stand at the pinnacle of the shinobi world.
More importantly—
He had defeated Hashirama Senju resurrected via Edo Tensei.
"Oh?"
Ren merely smiled, offering no comment.
After a brief pause, the White Snake Sage spoke again, her tone solemn.
"As a human shinobi, your growth has already reached the upper limit of this world.
If you wish to go further, you must break free of the shackles of the shinobi world itself."
Ren's brows furrowed.
"You mean… in this world, breaking into the Six Paths realm is impossible?"
"More or less."
The White Snake Sage nodded.
"Without Six Paths-level authority—a trigger, a key—no one can truly step into that realm."
"Uchiha Madara was an exception—because the Rinnegan was the key that forced that door open."
Ren's eyes sharpened.
"I see."
Everything suddenly aligned.
The shinobi world was created by the Sage of Six Paths.
To preserve balance, he would never allow another Six Paths–level being to appear freely.
Madara's evolution into the Rinnegan—
Was likely part of a larger design.
A grand scheme meant to resolve the conflict between Indra and Asura, and to deal with the hidden danger known as Black Zetsu.
When Ren recalled how, in another timeline, the Sage of Six Paths appeared as a "savior," empowering Naruto and Sasuke to seal Kaguya Ōtsutsuki—
One possibility became hard to ignore. Maybe the Sage of Six Paths never truly vanished
He knew of Black Zetsu's existence.
And he had allowed it to persist—
Not out of ignorance, but because it served his plan.
A plan to purge the shinobi world of its deepest, most ancient threats.
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