Mizuki Ryosuke slowly placed Terumi Mei on the ground, his voice gentle as he smiled at her.
"Wait for me here. I'll be back soon."
Hearing this, a flash of surprise crossed Terumi Mei's eyes, but soon she seemed to realize something. She reached out and grabbed Ryosuke's hand.
"Ryosuke… Captain…"
She opened her mouth, hesitating. Words caught in her throat, unable to escape.
Beyond the ice wall, the dense mist loomed like a living force, twisting and writhing in the dim light. A trace of worry flickered in Terumi Mei's gaze.
"…You must… come back alive."
In the end, she chose to trust Mizuki Ryosuke.
"Most definitely."
With that, Mizuki Ryosuke raised his hand, gently resting it on Terumi Mei's head in a comforting gesture. Then, without hesitation, he turned and strode toward the ice wall.
The barrier of frozen chakra blocked the oppressive mist outside, but it could not stop Ryosuke's resolve. As he stepped beyond the icy shield, his figure was swallowed by the thick fog.
Terumi Mei clenched her fists, struggling with the emotions choking her. She wanted to call out, but in the end, she remained silent.
A single tear slid down her cheek.
She knew—once again, she had become a burden to Ryosuke.
Descent into the Abyss
Ice Release: Frost Armor—Saint Cloth Form, activate!
Ice Release: Extreme Cold Nerves, activate!
The moment he entered the fog, Ryosuke reinforced both his inner and outer layers of protection.
The oppressive force of the mist struck like a hammer, warping reality. This time, its spiritual influence was even more severe.
For a moment, Ryosuke's vision blurred. He felt as if he had returned to his past life—a steel jungle of skyscrapers stretching into the heavens. An elderly vendor, face wrinkled with time, smiled at him from a pancake stall.
Ryosuke's eyes turned ice-cold.
A massive blade of frozen chakra materialized in his grasp.
Without hesitation, he cut down the old man.
The illusion shattered.
The "vendor" was nothing more than another gray monster lurking in the mist.
Gritting his teeth, Ryosuke pressed forward.
Thirty meters.
Only thirty meters to his goal—yet it felt like a never-ending abyss.
For each step, he had to navigate countless detours. The mist twisted space itself, warping his path with an unnatural force.
Finally, after nearly ten agonizing minutes, Ryosuke arrived at his destination—standing before the ominous, viscous spring.
Beside the dark pool, a single kunai embedded in the ground gleamed faintly with a layer of ice.
Scarlet chakra pulsed through it.
This was the kunai Ryosuke had thrown earlier when he unleashed Great Fire Annihilation to burn away the fog.
Had it landed even slightly off-mark, he might have been lost in the mist forever.
Ryosuke exhaled deeply, steadying himself.
Then, without hesitation, he leaped into the abyssal pool.
The Voice of the Sage
"Yin and Yang, Body and Spirit…"
"Only by attaining perfect balance can one seek the realm of transcendence."
A voice—ancient, powerful, echoing across eternity—whispered in his mind.
Ryosuke's consciousness jolted.
Opening his eyes, he found himself floating in a vast, gray void.
Before him stood a towering figure—clad in flowing white robes, a pair of horns crowning his brow.
Mizuki Ryosuke's breath caught.
"…Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo!!"
The words slipped from his lips before he could stop them.
The elder raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Oh? 'Sage of Six Paths,' you say?"
A slight smile tugged at his lips.
"So, this is the title given to me by future generations?"
Ryosuke's mind raced.
In the original timeline, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo was revered as the Sage of Six Paths after founding Ninjutsu. But according to Ryosuke's deductions, this underground cavern was likely something Hagoromo had discovered during his travels—perhaps even before the sealing of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
This meant that the figure before him was not Hagoromo's true body, but rather a fragment of consciousness he had left behind.
"That's right, senior."
Ryosuke quickly relayed the events that had led him here.
Hagoromo stroked his beard, amusement flickering in his eyes.
"I see… fascinating."
Ryosuke didn't waste time.
"Senior, why are you here?"
The Sage did not hesitate to answer.
The story he told matched Ryosuke's earlier deductions.
Long ago, Hagoromo had discovered the Yin-Yang Spring at the bottom of this cavern. Inspired by its properties, he devised the foundations of Yin-Yang Release.
But the spring itself was no ordinary water—it was a rare, unparalleled treasure.
For reasons unknown, Hagoromo had a premonition that he might need the power of the Yang Spring in the future. Thus, he had taken all of its liquid.
Yet, even with his vast wisdom, Hagoromo understood a simple truth:
"A lone sun cannot thrive. A solitary shadow cannot grow."
The delicate balance of Yin and Yang was now broken. The remaining Yin Spring grew unstable, warping reality and corrupting the surrounding land.
Hagoromo had faced a choice—destroy the remaining spring to prevent future disaster, or seal it away in hopes that someone would one day resolve its imbalance.
In the end, he had chosen the latter.
"I left a fragment of my consciousness here, waiting for the one destined to correct what I could not."
After hearing Hagoromo's explanation, a question surfaced in Ryosuke's mind.
"…Then why didn't you take both the Yin and Yang Springs, senior?"
The Sage of Six Paths was not a man to act without reason. If the spring was truly a treasure, why had he taken only the Yang half?
Ryosuke found it hard to believe that Hagoromo had left the Yin Spring behind purely for the sake of a future successor.
Hagoromo simply smiled.
Without a word, he raised a hand.
With a flick of his fingers, a small flame ignited in the air. Beside it, a clear droplet of water formed.
Then, he brought them together.
"Tsssss!!!"
A violent reaction erupted.
Scalding steam surged into the air as fire and water clashed.
In an instant—both were gone.
Not a trace remained.
Ryosuke stared, understanding dawning upon him.
"Water and fire… Yin and Yang… If either side is removed completely, the balance is destroyed."
Hagoromo nodded.
"That is the law of all things."
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