The rustling of leaves filled the silence left behind after Shinsui disappeared into the shadows. Mito stood motionless on the dirt path, her red hair flowing with the gentle breeze. She didn't turn her head, even though she could feel the ancient chakra gathering behind her like a storm waiting to be spoken into existence.
"You took your time," she said quietly.
The air shimmered, and the space behind her distorted slightly, until the form of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths, emerged from the distortion. Tall, dignified, and otherworldly, his six tomoe Rinnegan eyes gazed at her with a timeless calm.
"I wanted to see how far he had changed before I intervened," the Sage said softly.
Mito let out a hollow laugh. "He's not the same man I sealed."
"He's still Shinsui," Hagoromo said. "Still your brother. Still the boy who carried you when your legs were too weak to walk."
Mito closed her eyes, her voice trembling ever so slightly. "Don't remind me of that. You've already made me destroy that version of him."
Hagoromo stepped beside her, his gaze fixed on the empty path Shinsui had taken. "You did what was necessary."
"You manipulated me," she said sharply, turning to face him. "Don't sugarcoat it with prophecy and foresight. You came to me when I was a child. You showed me visions of destruction, painted my brother as the ruin of the Shinobi world, and then left me no choice but to act. I thought you were a god. I didn't realize you were a strategist."
"I gave you a vision of what could be," the Sage replied evenly. "What you did with it was your own choice."
Mito's hands clenched into fists. "I trusted you."
"You trusted the world's need for peace more than you trusted your brother's intentions," Hagoromo said gently. "That was your truth. Not mine."
Her chakra flared faintly in frustration. "I was a child. You knew I wouldn't question you."
Hagoromo's expression softened, but only slightly. "And yet even as a child, you made the hardest decision of all."
"To seal away my own blood."
"Yes," he said. "And you saved the world."
"But at what cost?" she whispered, her voice breaking for the first time.
The silence that followed was heavier than before. Even the wind seemed to stop in reverence.
"I didn't tell him," Mito said finally. "I didn't explain why. I just followed the seal formula you gave me and locked him away. And when he asked me why just now—I couldn't tell him the truth."
"Because if you did," Hagoromo said, "he would not have believed you. You chose the pain of silence to protect the world from the pain of his wrath."
Mito turned away. "Do you feel proud of what you've done? All these years, guiding us like puppets on a string? Creating a world out of fear and sacrifice?"
"No," Hagoromo said simply. "I do not feel pride. But I accept responsibility."
She looked back at him, her eyes glistening with emotion. "You planned this. You always knew he'd escape."
"I did," he said without hesitation.
"And you knew he'd return stronger."
"I hoped he would. Because only then can the world prove it's strong enough to survive him."
Mito was stunned. "So we're just… a test? You're testing the world?"
"I'm ensuring it's worthy of its future," Hagoromo said. "And that includes Shinsui."
Mito's anger shifted to confusion. "Then why not tell him? Why not guide him like you guided me?"
"Because Shinsui's power is rooted in understanding," the Sage said. "If he understands too much—if he understands everything—then he will surpass even me. And the world is not ready for a being that can shape reality without limit."
Her eyes narrowed. "So you're afraid of him."
"No," he replied. "I'm afraid of what his freedom would mean to the structure I've built."
Mito's shoulders fell. "Then everything we've built—all the clans, the nations, Konoha itself—was just scaffolding around a lie."
"No," Hagoromo said gently. "It was hope built on sacrifice."
The two stood in silence once more.
Mito finally whispered, "He's going to attack. He's already begun. The weak demons were just a start."
"I know," the Sage said. "And the world will burn slowly… unless someone stops him."
Mito looked up at him, her voice quiet and cold. "And who will stop him this time?"
"I don't know," he said honestly. "But someone will rise. As they always do."
"And if they don't?"
"Then the abyss will consume all."
Mito looked to the sky, where stars blinked quietly above them. "You knew everything. But you didn't see what he would become. Not truly."
Hagoromo nodded. "Because he is the only variable I cannot predict."
Mito turned and began walking away.
"Where are you going?" the Sage asked.
"To prepare," she said. "This time, I won't seal him. If I see him again—I'll finish it."
She vanished into the forest, leaving the Sage alone on the path, staring into the night.
Above them, the moon was full and heavy.
And shinsui was preparing and bidding his time.