Chapter 468: Chapter 468 – Inheritance
After the Slug Sage asked his question, both the White Snake Sage and the Great Toad Sage turned to look at Uchiha Mirai, visibly tense.
As beings who had lived for thousands of years, it had been a long time since they last felt this kind of nervousness.
Noting their anxious expressions, Mirai said calmly,
"Tell me—what was the shinobi world like before Ōtsutsuki Kaguya descended? And how did you each attain sagehood?"
The three sages exchanged glances. After a moment of silence, the Great Toad Sage finally began to speak.
"Thousands of years ago, the shinobi world wasn't dominated by humans alone. All kinds of creatures—tigers, insects, snakes, even ants—possessed extraordinary power. Unlike the current system where chakra is refined from within the body, back then, the creatures of the world trained in natural energy. Their pursuit was to become sages and attain enlightenment."
"Because of that, most beings who succeeded in cultivation were far stronger than the shinobi who came later."
"But then, one day, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya suddenly appeared in the world… and ate the Chakra Fruit."
"Once she gained overwhelming power, she began expanding her territory. At the time, we didn't understand why she was doing it. Only now do we realize she was likely creating White Zetsu to defend herself from being hunted by other members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan."
"Kaguya's expansion inevitably clashed with the existing powers of the shinobi world. Countless battles broke out, large and small."
"But Kaguya was simply too powerful—no one could stand against her."
"The strongest being back then was a human born from the royal bloodline of the Land of Rōran. The Dragon Vein was a manifestation of the energy within his body."
"Before he died, that human transformed his remaining power into the Dragon Vein and sealed it underground. Only his bloodline—his descendants—could connect with and draw power from it."
"In the end, most of the powers in the shinobi world were wiped out. Nearly all of the great sanctuaries were destroyed."
"Only Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest managed to survive, thanks to being hidden away in separate dimensions."
"As for everything that happened afterward… surely you already know the rest."
...
After hearing the Great Toad Sage's explanation, Uchiha Mirai touched his chin thoughtfully and nodded.
According to the toad's account, the creatures of the shinobi world had always trained in natural energy. Due to the limitations of the natural energy in this world, however, even the strongest among them likely only reached Six Paths-level strength.
But that didn't mean their methods were inferior.
In fact, from Mirai's perspective, their way of drawing power directly from the world around them was the most effective form of cultivation.
After all, compared to the limited energy a human body could refine, tapping into the boundless power of nature offered a far greater potential. That was the essence of sagehood.
Take the Great Toad Sage's ability to foresee the future, or the White Snake Sage's keen senses, akin to clairaudience, or the Slug Sage's infinite duplication ability...
And then there were other beings—like the evil god worshipped by Hidan, the monsters of the Land of Demons, the entity sealed within the Box of Ultimate Bliss...
In that era, nearly every creature that reached a certain level of power possessed some form of unique, supernatural ability.
That was exactly why Uchiha Mirai had come here—to obtain the cultivation methods of the Three Great Sanctuaries.
Is the energy of the shinobi world too sparse?
Then what about the natural energy scattered across the entire universe?
At his current level, chakra-derived powers were no longer enough for him. He needed to wield something far greater.
Cultivation—true sagehood—was the best path forward.
With that in mind, Uchiha Mirai spoke.
"My goal is quite simple. I want each of you to hand over your respective cultivation methods—right now."
He narrowed his eyes. "And don't try to play any tricks... or else."
Hearing the veiled threat, the three sages immediately replied in unison,
"We wouldn't dare defy your command. You have our word."
They had each survived for thousands of years. There was no way they'd risk offending someone powerful enough to wipe out the entire Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Without further hesitation, the three sages began passing on their methods to Uchiha Mirai.
A satisfied smile appeared on Mirai's face.
"You've done well," he said. "As long as you don't threaten the stability of the shinobi world, I'll allow you to move freely within it."
"That includes establishing your own sanctuaries and passing on your legacies."
Upon hearing this, all three sages visibly brightened.
They had been confined to their tiny pocket dimensions for millennia. The chance to return to the real world was more than they could've hoped for.
And now, Uchiha Mirai was even giving them permission to establish their own lineages…
That meant the shinobi world might once again resemble the ancient, vibrant era they once knew.
For thousands of years, they had endured in silence, selflessly preserving their knowledge in hopes that one day, it could be passed down to the worthy.
Now, that day had finally arrived.
The three sages lowered their heads respectfully.
"Lord Mirai, should you ever need anything from us in the future, just say the word. We will do everything in our power to serve you."
Mirai waved his hand dismissively and said softly, "Just remember what I told you."
...
Allowing the sages to establish their own sanctuaries and pass down their teachings had been a spontaneous decision on Uchiha Mirai's part.
After all, in his previous life, he had read countless cultivation novels—filled with all kinds of fantastical beast-women, each more alluring than the last.
Now that he had the chance to make those stories a reality, there was no way he'd let it slip by.
As for whether these other creatures could eventually cultivate into human form...
The two sisters he'd just met in Ryūchi Cave—Ichikishimahime and Tagitsuhime—were proof enough that it was possible.
...
After leaving Mount Myōboku, Uchiha Mirai threw himself into his research.
Back when he had slain the evil god and the monster from the Land of Demons, he'd already obtained some basic cultivation techniques from their remains.
Now, with the addition of the Three Great Sanctuaries' methods, he had more than enough material to work with.
Given his current strength, it wouldn't be difficult to develop a cultivation system tailored specifically for humans.
Once he fully mastered this power, he'd reach an entirely new level.
...
While Uchiha Mirai secluded himself in study, the re-emergence of the Three Great Sanctuaries sent shockwaves across the shinobi world.
Beast clans in particular were overjoyed and deeply grateful to Uchiha Mirai.
After all, any clan that had survived this long had once been glorious in the distant past.
Now that the sanctuaries had returned and were allowed to pass on their teachings, it meant those clans had a shot at reclaiming their ancestral honor.
"To hell with being a summoned beast," some of them roared, "I'm going to become an immortal!"
And just like that, a wave of cultivation fever swept through the shinobi world.
Uchiha Mirai welcomed it. In fact, he took it a step further—opening several massive space-time gates that linked the shinobi world to a number of planets rich in natural energy.
As he gazed out at this world overflowing with vibrant life force, the corners of his lips curled upward.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before cat-eared girls started popping up everywhere...
(T/N: I strongly recommend you to read my new fanfic "Starting From Being Adopted by the Second Hokage!"
Quite an interesting fanfic. What really caught my attention is that the protagonist becomes stronger through a gradual process — this is not a brainless power fantasy. It's the first time I've seen something like this, and I have to say, I'm satisfied.
The main character has a pretty unique background, he's an Uchiha who was adopted by Tobirama (which is already unusual) thanks to Hashirama. As you might've guessed, the story takes place in the early timeline of the Naruto world. He's in the same generation as Hiruzen, which is another plus.
The MC is talented and works hard, but his efforts only make him slightly stronger than Hiruzen (at least for the first 100 chapters). He also has a well-developed personality, he's not a madman, but he is ruthless toward his enemies. One particularly interesting aspect is that he uses poison, a very underrated element in the Naruto world. We know from canon that poison can be deadly even to powerful shinobi, yet it's mostly associated with Sunagakure and usually used against genin or chunin.
The only downside is that the fanfic gives more attention to cooking than necessary (the MC is apparently very impressive at it, and everyone praises his cooking). It's manageable for me, but still a bit much. There's even a whole chapter about it at the beginning. For readers who aren't into that, I noted at the top that the chapter focuses on cooking and can be skipped. Thankfully, after that, the fanfic doesn't dwell on it this much.)
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
Fanfic is finished on Patreon (476 chapters in total.)
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