Mizuki Ryosuke furrowed his brows slightly, his sharp mind quickly grasping the underlying meaning behind the Sage of Six Paths' words.
"Senior, you mean to say…"
"In this spring, the Yin and Yang attributes cannot coexist within the same vessel?"
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's gaze flickered with a trace of surprise. He hadn't expected the young man before him to deduce the truth so quickly.
"That's correct."
"If you wish to take the spring's essence, the only possible vessel is your own body."
"And within it, there must be an absolute equilibrium between Yin and Yang."
"Not even I, in my prime, could simultaneously contain both extremes."
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo spoke slowly, his tone carrying a weight of experience and finality.
With that, the truth behind the anomaly became crystal clear.
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, having come to this place alone, had used his own body as a medium to extract the Yang-based spring, unintentionally leaving behind the highly concentrated Yin attribute.
Now that Mizuki Ryosuke understood the situation, the solution seemed almost self-evident.
A smirk formed at the corner of Ryosuke's lips.
"With your intelligence, I'm sure you've already figured out a way to resolve this."
"Indeed."
"I will now teach you a unique sealing technique—one that will allow your body to serve as a perfect vessel for containing the Extreme Yin Spring."
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo didn't hesitate to reveal the answer, as though he had long anticipated this moment.
However, contrary to expectations, Ryosuke shook his head slightly, his expression filled with hesitation and skepticism.
"Senior, I lack knowledge of the Yin-Yang Release."
"Even if I obtain the 'Extreme Yin Spring,' what use would it be?"
"Moreover, sealing something of such volatile nature within my own body—it's far too dangerous."
Ryosuke's voice was calm, yet tinged with a deliberate reluctance, as if he were seriously considering rejecting the offer.
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's gaze sharpened slightly.
As the man who sealed his own mother and played the grandest game in the history of the Shinobi world, he immediately recognized Ryosuke's ploy.
This boy… he's bargaining with me?
Yet, he wasn't angry.
After all, he was merely a fragment of consciousness left behind for a specific purpose—to find a suitable inheritor who could resolve this issue.
A glint of amusement flashed in his ancient eyes.
"What is it that you want?"
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo asked with mild curiosity, now fully aware that Ryosuke had an ulterior motive.
Ryosuke, seeing that his gamble had paid off, didn't bother beating around the bush.
"It's nothing much."
"Senior, you wish for me to seal the Extreme Yin Spring within myself, but as I mentioned earlier, I have no grasp of Yin-Yang Release."
"If I cannot utilize its power, then what purpose would this seal serve?"
"Surely, you wouldn't want such a precious treasure to go to waste?"
Ryosuke spoke with an honest smile, feigning the innocence of a simple villager.
The unspoken message was clear.
"Hahaha!"
"Indeed, that was my oversight."
"A small technique to wield Yin-Yang Release—that much, I can certainly provide."
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo chuckled heartily, stroking his beard in amusement. Without hesitation, he raised a finger and gently tapped Mizuki Ryosuke's forehead.
In that instant, a flood of knowledge surged into Ryosuke's mind.
The intricacies of Yin-Yang Release, the fundamentals of Creation of All Things, and methods of utilizing spiritual and physical energies—all of it was laid bare within his consciousness.
A gleam of satisfaction flickered in Ryosuke's eyes.
He had successfully "knocked" on the Sage of Six Paths.
At first glance, this maneuver might have seemed risky, but Ryosuke had calculated the odds.
First, everything that had happened here was ultimately the result of Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's own actions. By taking the Extreme Yang Spring, he had caused an imbalance, leading to the mist's chaotic transformation.
If Ryosuke had simply accepted the task without asking for anything in return, he would have essentially been cleaning up after the Sage of Six Paths.
Second, the entity before him was not Hagoromo's true self, but merely a lingering consciousness.
This meant that his primary objective was to ensure that someone took on the task of sealing the Extreme Yin Spring. As long as that goal was met, he had no reason to reject a minor request.
And finally, for someone of Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's caliber, sharing knowledge of Yin-Yang Release was a trivial matter—barely a drop in the vast ocean of his wisdom.
At this point, there was no benefit in being stubborn and waiting another hundred or so years for another "destined one" to appear.
However, if it had been the true Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo standing before him, Ryosuke wouldn't have dared to make such a move. He had no desire to end up on the "blacklist" of the Sage of Six Paths.
But against just a fragment of his consciousness?
Of course I'm going to knock on that bamboo stick for all it's worth.
"Boy, listen carefully."
"I will now teach you how to properly seal the Extreme Yin Spring."
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's expression turned solemn.
"Yes, Senior."
Ryosuke's demeanor also grew serious as he focused his attention entirely on the lesson.
For the next twenty minutes, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo carefully explained the intricate process of the sealing technique.
It was a method that rivaled even the most advanced Fuinjutsu in the world—a sealing art complex enough to stand among the greatest techniques ever devised.
At the end of his lecture, Hagoromo asked, "Do you have any questions?"
The Sage of Six Paths fully expected that Ryosuke would need further clarification. After all, even he had spent a great deal of effort perfecting this sealing method.
However, to his surprise, Ryosuke simply nodded in understanding.
"No questions, Senior. I've grasped it all."
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo paused.
Then, slowly, he turned his gaze toward Ryosuke.
His eyes held a strange intensity, as if he were studying an anomaly—an extraordinary specimen under his microscope.
Ryosuke could feel the weight of that gaze.
For a moment, he had the unsettling feeling that the Sage of Six Paths might suddenly dissect him just to see what lay inside.
Instinctively, Ryosuke took several cautious steps backward.
Fortunately, after a brief moment, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's expression softened.
His curiosity remained, but it was now laced with admiration.
This level of talent…
This is not something the shinobi world has seen in a very long time.
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