Naruto: The Immortal Sage

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"Thank you, Grand Sage!" The eight bowed together, their gratitude heartfelt.

Manji brushed off their thanks. "No need to thank me. You all earned this through centuries of hard work in the Pure Land."

He turned away with a faint sigh. "You can go."

The clan heads bowed once more and withdrew without a sound, leaving him alone in the hall.

Manji sighed and rubbed his brow. He wasn't sure when it happened, but over the years, he had become calmer. His old anger was gone, and he didn't even feel like getting upset anymore.

"I haven't been angry in centuries..."

The last time had been during the Six Paths Purge, hundreds of years ago. In all the years afterward, nothing had disturbed his peace of mind.

"The closer I get to godhood, the further I drift from humanity..."

He sighed again, put his hands behind his back, and disappeared into the mist of the Pure Land.

........

When Manji entered the Grand Sage Hall on Mount Myōboku, he saw Kaguya standing with her back to him. Her pale pink and white gown touched the floor, and her silver hair reached her waist.

"What are you doing here?"

"I..." Kaguya turned at his voice. The usual coolness in her eyes was gone. She looked at him with a tenderness he had never seen from her before.

Manji frowned, puzzled by the change.

He gathered his power without letting it show, ready to unleash a lethal attack.

"You're acting strange. If you have something to say, just say it. I've told you before, you can send a message if you need anything. You don't have to come here in person." He walked across the hall and stopped in front of her.

Kaguya gazed up at him, flushed and anxious.

"Manji... I... I..." Her voice was barely a whisper. She faltered and clutched the folds of her skirt.

"What are you trying to say?" Watching her struggle to get the words out, Manji began to suspect something.

'NO... SHE COULDN'T BE...' He'd seen women act like this in his previous life.

Usually, it meant...

Kaguya drew a deep breath and forced herself to speak. "I don't want messages to be the only way we can talk anymore."

Manji frowned but said nothing. She moved closer as she continued.

"I sensed something different about you the first time we met. I couldn't explain it, but I knew you weren't like anyone else on this planet."

"Oh? My character?"

She laid a hand on his chest. "No. It goes deeper than that. Other people might not notice, but an Ōtsutsuki can. You... don't seem to be from this planet."

Manji's face stayed the same. He let her continue.

"I regretted killing you for the Chakra Fruit. I dreamed about you so many times... about us ruling this world and its people together. When I found out you were alive, I was so happy—and I hated you, too. I hated you for never coming to see me. For plotting against me with Hagoromo..."

Manji interrupted her. "You ambushed me for power, Kaguya. And now you're the one holding a grudge?"

Her eyes turned red. "I was helpless back then! My clan wanted me dead, and the emperor of the Land of Ancestors was using me. It was the only way I could protect myself!"

"Then why are you telling me this now?" Manji closed his eyes.

"What I'm trying to say is..." Kaguya suddenly hugged him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She pressed her flushed face into his robes and spoke, each word clear.

"I love you."

Her words hit him like a Truth-Seeking Orb exploding.

Manji jumped, too shocked to speak at first. Then he looked down at the woman holding onto him.

"You... what did you say?"

Kaguya pressed her red face against his chest and whispered, "I love you. I want to be with you forever—"

"..."

........

Black Zetsu was bored as he walked to deliver his report. He was about to enter the Grand Sage Hall when he saw Kaguya hugging Manji in the middle of the room.

He froze, eyes wide.

A moment later, he leaned against the wall, gasping and looking up at the sky.

"I've spent too long working on those histories..." he muttered in disbelief.

Still dazed, he left the hall. On his way back, he bumped into Fukasaku.

"Hey, Black Zetsu. Weren't we going to the Grand Sage Hall together to give our reports? Why are you..."

Black Zetsu grabbed him and dragged him away before he could finish. "RUN! THERE'S SOMETHING HORRIBLE IN THE GRAND SAGE HALL!"

Fukasaku stared at him, baffled. "What? What horrible thing? Who's causing trouble on sacred ground?"

........

Back in the hall, Manji finally pulled himself together and looked at Kaguya. "Kaguya, do you really mean that?"

She looked him in the eye and nodded. She meant it.

He tried to gently move her away, but she just held on tighter.

"You..." He didn't know what to say.

After all these years, he had experienced almost everything life could offer. But romance was never part of it. He was still a virgin.

He'd grown used to being on his own, and he thought of everyone around him as family. The tailed beasts, Fukasaku, Black Zetsu, Hagoromo, Hamura... he felt that way about all of them, and about everyone else on the planet.

He was the Sage of Six Paths. He loved the whole world!

"Kaguya... give me a little time to think."

Kaguya looked up at him in confusion, her eyes filling with tears. "You... don't you like me?"

"That's not it." Manji avoided her gaze. "I have a few things I need to take care of. When I get back, I promise I'll give you a definite answer. Okay?"

Kaguya nodded without a word, then clung to him again. She held on as though he might vanish the moment she let go.

"It's all right..." Manji patted her back, his face softer now.

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