The Sage of Six Paths’ following grew larger by the day, like a snowball rolling downhill.
He was no longer merely a solitary restorer and protector. He had become a leader and a teacher.
He systematically taught his followers the principles behind chakra cultivation and the fundamental methods of using it, guiding them to put this newfound power into practice.
Digging irrigation channels, transporting building materials, healing the sick and injured, driving away wild beasts… The concept of ninjutsu began to take root amid the simplest needs and practical applications.
Under the Sage of Six Paths’ guidance, his followers learned not only how to wield power, but also how to help one another, maintain order, and use that power to aid those who were still suffering.
Finally, at a moment of great symbolic significance, the Sage of Six Paths stood before the many followers who had gathered around him—people who had already mastered the rudiments of chakra—and solemnly declared:
“From this day onward, we gather here not for personal gain, nor for conflict.”
“We gather to study the wonders of chakra and explore a path of mutual aid and coexistence.”
“Therefore, we shall establish Ninshū!”
“With chakra as our foundation, with the welfare of all people in our hearts, and with the pursuit of peace and prosperity as our ultimate goal!”
For the first time, the name Ninshū rang across this newly reborn land.
It was more than merely an organization devoted to spiritual and chakra training. It represented the convergence of an ideal and the symbol of a new age—the beginning of an organized movement centered on chakra and dedicated to using that power to build, protect, and guide the world toward a better future.
Throughout the shinobi world, those watching the Heavenly Curtain were overwhelmed by complicated emotions.
The scenes of the Sage of Six Paths selflessly teaching others and guiding them to rebuild their homes with chakra still inspired the same awe and reverence for the world’s great benefactor.
But in light of what the Heavenly Curtain had previously revealed about the origin and nature of the chakra seeds, a deeper emotion began spreading through the crowd—a mixture of realization, helplessness, and even a faint chill of dread.
“So… this is how chakra was spread throughout the world…” someone said hoarsely, their voice heavy with a sense of fate. “It wasn’t some gift from heaven, nor was it a bloodline awakening… The Sage of Six Paths personally planted one of his own ‘seeds’ inside every person.”
“Everyone has a chakra seed from the Sage of Six Paths within them…” another person murmured, their face turning pale.
“There are still relatively few people now, but as time passes and it is passed down from generation to generation, once the chakra cultivation system becomes completely widespread…”
“I’m afraid that eventually, everyone will carry one of these ‘seeds of origin’ within them. Doesn’t that mean everyone’s chakra is connected to the Sage of Six Paths at its very source? If he wanted to, he could… at any time…”
The speaker did not dare finish the sentence, but everyone understood.
Reclaim it.
A horrifying possibility slithered around every heart like an icy serpent.
“We’ve spent our entire lives training, relying on chakra, treating it as the foundation of our strength…” an elderly shinobi said with a bitter, helpless laugh. “And now we’re being told it might have been something planted inside us by someone else from the very beginning? A power bound to our lives, while its source remains in someone else’s hands? I… I honestly don’t know what to say.”
A profound unease silently spread through the shinobi gathered there—the feeling that they might have been deceived, cultivated like livestock, and that the very foundation of their existence might not be as secure as they had believed.
For shinobi who regarded chakra as their strength, their honor, and even a part of their lives, the impact was no less devastating than having their worldview shattered once again.
Yet practical considerations soon diluted that pure fear.
“Even so…” a calmer voice spoke up. “Put yourself in their place. If you and I had lived in that shattered, hopeless world and encountered someone like the Sage of Six Paths—a being with godlike power who selflessly shared his knowledge and used that power to lead everyone in rebuilding their homes—even if you vaguely suspected that this power might carry some hidden danger, would you refuse it? Would you really not willingly follow him and master a power capable of changing your fate?”
Silence followed.
When they searched their hearts, the answer was almost unanimous.
Between survival and destruction, between the ordinary and the extraordinary, between despair and hope… no one could refuse.
“Besides,” someone else sighed, carrying the helplessness of history in their voice, “the people of that era—the very first followers—didn’t know any of this.”
“To them, the Sage of Six Paths was their savior, and chakra was a divine gift capable of changing everything.”
“Who would have imagined that behind such a ‘gift’ might lie dangers and control that would not reveal themselves until a thousand years later?”
Within the Heavenly Curtain, the Sage of Six Paths stood surrounded by the members of the newly established Ninshū, gazing into the distance with a gentle yet resolute expression.
Behind him stood a simple but thriving settlement, filled with people who had gained a new power and whose eyes shone with hope.
A new system—one founded upon goodwill, guided by leadership, and bound together by chakra seeds—had officially stepped onto the stage of history.
As chakra continued to spread and Ninshū took its first steps, the colors of the Heavenly Curtain gradually shifted from barren gray to warmer hues filled with life and hope.
The disciples of Ninshū who had mastered chakra were no longer merely those in need of protection.
They had become builders.
As the scenes sped by, people could be seen working together, using chakra to move massive stones and build bridges and roads, divert water to irrigate newly cultivated fields, fell trees, construct homes, and rebuild their communities.
Roads began connecting what had once been lifeless ruins. Green fields spread across the land, and smoke curled from an increasing number of rooftops.
At last, the world began to show signs of stable and lasting renewal.
As life gradually returned to order, the Sage of Six Paths, who had spent so long tirelessly traveling and guiding others, was finally able to rest for a time.
He found a gentle woman who understood his aspirations and married her. Before long, his family grew with the birth of two healthy, lively boys.
Inside their home, the candlelight was warm and comforting. The Sage of Six Paths held his two swaddled infants in his arms. On the face of the man who had endured so much—and who usually displayed only wisdom and solemn authority—there was now an undisguised tenderness and hope that belonged to a father.
He lowered his head and gazed deeply at his two sons, as though seeing a distant future unfold before him.
“Indra.”
He softly spoke the name of his eldest son, gently brushing his fingers across the baby’s fine hair.
“Asura.”
Then he looked toward his younger son. His eyes held the same paternal affection, yet there seemed to be a different kind of expectation within them.
He raised his head and looked toward the rising sun beyond the window, as though making a declaration not only to the entire world, but also to his own bloodline.
“One day, you will become the pillars of Ninshū and inherit my will… You will make this world a better place.”
Throughout the shinobi world, everyone watching the scene suddenly came to a realization!
“Indra! Asura! So it was them!”
Cries of astonishment erupted one after another.