Just Smile: A Naruto Fanfiction

Chapter 54: The Second Sage of Six Paths

A drop of water rang in Naruto's ears as his eyes flew open, their sky blueness seeing a black abyss in front of him but with a dark twinge of red mixed in. His entire body, especially his chest. His eyes widened and he sat up, ignoring the pain he felt in his chest but saw no physical wound. 

He looked under his black shirt and removed the leather armor he had underneath his shirt and saw his stomach and chest smooth and unharmed, bare of any damage that he remembered Madara had done. 

Meaning. . .

"Yes," An elderly yet firm voice spoke up. "You are not on the battlefield at the moment, your body may," Naruto turned his eyes and found an old man floating in the air crisscrossed with six truthseeking orbs behind him along with a staff that had an incomplete full moon and on the other end a ring with several other rings dangling off of it. 

He had pale brown hair that reached to his shoulders with a braid in front of his left ear. He had a long goatee that went down to his lower stomach. He had deep wrinkles on his face and his mouth was pressed into a thin line with glowing dark purple Rinnegan eyes and a red Rinnegan-styled marking on his forehead. 

"But your spirit is not." The man said. 

"Who are you?" Naruto immediately lashed out, standing up. "Why did you bring me here? I'm needed out there!" 

"My name is Hagoromo Otsutsuki, but you may know me as the Creator of Ninshu, the Sage of Six Paths. It is a pleasure to meet you, Naruto Namikaze. As to why I brought you here, I saved your life." Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Sage of Six Paths? There's no way, you can't. . ." He trailed off as he saw the cloak he was wearing with the similar tomoe markings Madara's cloak had, and half of the staff was identical to Madara's along with the truthseeking orbs. "You are. . ." He whispered breathlessly. 

"Yes I-" 

"Oh father," Indra spat out in disdain as he walked from behind Naruto. "You truly are pathetic, trying to reconnect with my reincarnate so he can help the world you helped create?" 

"Indra. . ." Hagoromo muttered under his breath, annoyance lacing his voice. "What are you doing up?" Indra grinned and held up his hands in the air. 

"I woke up pops! It's great, isn't it? Usually, I sleep whenever I get reincarnated, but since my little brother is here too, that conflict woke me up!" Hagoromo sighed.

"Yes, it is the first time you two have been reborn in the same person. Your last reincarnates are on the battlefield fighting even now, the hatred you left between them is still fueling long after their time." 

"Hashirama and Madara?" Naruto guessed correctly. "But still, why did you bring me in here?" 

"I wanted to talk," Hagoromo admitted honestly. "I want to know more about you, what you've done and the reasoning behind it, as well as everything else. Then, I want you to tell me your plans for the future. From there on I shall decide." 

"Decide what?" Indra was seething on the inside, he knew. He knew exactly what his father was referring to. 

"On whether to give you my power or to let you die." Naruto shook his head. "I'm already dead," Naruto spat. "My heart was destroyed, my organs put in the blender, and my body was made into a pin cushion by those shitty chakra rods that Rinnegan so helpfully creates." He finished with a bit of a glare. 

"Besides father," Indra continued. "You need him. Despite what he says you'll give him your power, even if it's just a fraction. You need him to get rid of that Madara fellow." Hagoromo frowned.