Chapter 601: Kowtow? Kowtow!

"The Reaper?"

Uchiha Gin was stunned upon hearing this. Although he owned a low-quality replica of a Reaper mask, he had never imagined dealing with such an indescribable entity of unknown origin.

If the other party turned out to be a legendary "mechanic monster," wouldn't all the stats he had spent years stacking be for nothing?

"You used it, didn't you? The Dead Demon Consuming Seal."

Just as Uchiha Gin was frowning in thought, a strange figure suddenly drifted into the pale yellow space. Although the voice was not loud, every word was clearly audible as it fell into his ears.

"You are..."

Seeing the person who had arrived, Uchiha Gin's pupils constricted slightly. He had not expected to meet the true ancestor of the Uchiha so soon.

"That is correct. I am your..."

Hagoromo Otsutsuki, floating in mid-air, gently stroked his long goatee, the corners of his mouth curling up unconsciously. He was very satisfied with the look of extreme shock on Uchiha Gin's face.

"You must be the Great Uncle Ancestor that the Old Ancestor mentioned!"

"Huh?"

Hearing this, the smile that had just appeared on Hagoromo Otsutsuki's face instantly froze. His purple, ringed eyes slowly shifted to his younger brother, who was looking somewhat awkward behind him.

"Hamura, I need an explanation."

The Uchiha Gin before him was clearly his own descendant; how could he be so unfilial as to forget his roots and acknowledge a thief as his father? There must be some villain meddling in the middle.

"Big Brother, he has the Byakugan and the Shikotsumyaku, so how can he not be considered my descendant?"

Hamura Otsutsuki, whose scalp was tingling from his brother's stare, thought of the roasted chickens Uchiha Gin sent down every year, so he stiffened his neck and argued.

"Then why didn't you mention that he also has the Sharingan?"

Hagoromo Otsutsuki glared fiercely at his younger brother, then turned his head to reveal a kind smile and began his self-introduction.

"My descendant, do not be deceived by those with ulterior motives. I am your true ancestor. My name is Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the founder of the Ninja Sect."

"Oh, oh, oh! I've heard all about your glorious deeds from the Old Ancestor, right?"

"That is correct. People of later generations do indeed revere me as the Sage of Six Paths who created the world."

Hearing Uchiha Gin call him the Sage of Six Paths, a hint of hidden pride appeared in Hagoromo Otsutsuki's eyes.

"Mm-hmm, I know you. When the Old Ancestor fought the world-destroying Goddess of Rabbit to the death, you didn't hold him back much, did you?"

Uchiha Gin nodded with a serious expression, repeating word-for-word the wild, modified history that Hamura Otsutsuki had told him when they first met.

"..."

"HAMURA!!!"

Hagoromo Otsutsuki, who prided himself on his excellent composure, finally broke down in front of the wild history fabricated by his own brother. His eyes widened abruptly, and his purple Rinnegan erupted with a terrifying ocular power that made Uchiha Gin feel a slight tremor of fear.

Hamura Otsutsuki dared not linger any longer. While Uchiha Gin was repeating the wild history, he had already been quietly backing away, waiting for a chance to run back home for refuge, but he had been caught red-handed anyway.

"Big Brother, I suddenly remembered I have soup simmering on the moon..."

Facing his brother's Rinnegan, Hamura Otsutsuki could only force a smile and offer a very far-fetched excuse.

"Old Ancestor, you are the unsung hero who sealed the Goddess of Rabbit and saved the world from fire and water."

Watching the frozen Hamura Otsutsuki, Uchiha Gin continued to fan the flames.

"There must be some misunderstanding here. Everyone, sit down and have a good chat..."

Staring at his brother's man-eating gaze, Hamura Otsutsuki swallowed hard and began to wink frantically at Uchiha Gin.

"Old Ancestor, don't lose face. You were the one who said Hagoromo Otsutsuki was a 'carried-to-victory' dog."

Can you shut your mouth for a second or you'll die?

Hamura Otsutsuki felt a deep sense of regret. Had he known Uchiha Gin was such a blabbermouth, he would have bragged less back then.

"Hmph... Hamura, we brothers haven't sparred in a few hundred years, have we? Don't leave later; stay for a casual meal, and while we're at it, let's do some after-dinner exercise so I can check if your skills have grown rusty."

Hagoromo Otsutsuki looked at his flustered brother with a gloomy expression for a long time, finally let out a long sigh, and chose to handle the important business first, leaving the family affairs for later.

"Then the soup I'm simmering..."

"Forget about that soup of yours; I'm afraid you won't be able to hold onto it. I'll stir-fry a couple of hard dishes for you later."

"Okay... okay."

Feeling the bone-chilling coldness in his brother's tone, Hamura Otsutsuki felt his insides tighten. Knowing he was doomed, he nodded in despair, looking like a frost-bitten eggplant, and stood back behind Hagoromo Otsutsuki in a dejected manner.

"My descendant, the Dead Demon Consuming Seal borrows the power of an old god. It is better not to use it again in the future."

Hagoromo Otsutsuki withdrew his gaze and landed it on the curious Uchiha Gin before him, speaking quite seriously.

"I can resolve it for you this time, but the next time might not be the same."

Power of an old god?

Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this unfamiliar term. He didn't know much about the Reaper that harvested the souls of the caster and the target, and the original work hadn't explained the origin of the Reaper in detail either.

But from Hagoromo Otsutsuki's tone, it could be inferred that the Reaper's background was not small—at least enough to make someone like the Sage of Six Paths feel troubled.

"But I don't remember ever casting the Dead Demon Consuming Seal?"

Rubbing his chin in confusion, Uchiha Gin recalled his recent encounters and found no memories related to the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.

"Kurama, or as you call it, the Nine-Tailed Fox."

Hagoromo Otsutsuki's face showed a look of nostalgia as he explained gently.

"The Dead Demon Consuming Seal within the card-based ninja tool you created was triggered by an external force, and the summoned Reaper regarded the sealed Kurama as its primary target."

"Huh?"

No wonder that after the Nine-Tails card was split in two, it didn't fuse and recover as he had imagined, but instead repaired itself into two independent Nine-Tails cards.

So it turned out the Reaper had literally carved up the Nine-Tails.

No wonder he felt a chill down his back at that moment; it turned out he had been targeted by the Reaper.

Uchiha Gin suddenly realized. It seemed that he had been negligent while performing the hand seals and had mistakenly cast the Dead Demon Consuming Seal instead of the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style, accidentally layering it onto the Nine-Tails Tailed Beast card.

It couldn't be helped; after all, the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style and the Dead Demon Consuming Seal looked too similar, and he wasn't a proofreader who needed to check every word—"close enough" was fine.

"That's not right, though. Why didn't the Nine-Tails get eaten into the Reaper's stomach?"

Before he could reflect on his mistake, Uchiha Gin remembered the effect of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. Logically, if the Reaper targeted the Nine-Tails, it would surely have to consume the soul into its stomach to be satisfied.

However, the Nine-Tails that had been carved up not only didn't disappear but split into two independent individuals, which didn't make much sense.

Could it be that the Reaper was already full before its shift and couldn't swallow a fat fox?

"Naturally, it was Big Brother who stepped in to resolve the crisis for you."

At this moment, to avoid physical pain later, Hamura Otsutsuki instantly transformed into a sycophant, beginning to flatter his brother with compliments that rolled off his tongue.

"Although the Reaper is troublesome, it is no match for Big Brother."

"Uh... thank you, Great Uncle Ancestor."

"Hey! Why haven't you changed how you address me? Quickly, call me Ancestor."

Hamura Otsutsuki stepped forward and urged him with a straight face.

"Many thanks to the Old Ancestor for your help."

Uchiha Gin acknowledged his ancestor without any psychological burden; hesitating for even a second would be disrespectful to Hamura Otsutsuki's sycophantic performance.

Anyway, he was an ultimate "mixed-blood" mess; visiting anyone's grave was just visiting a grave.

"Since you have met your ancestor, why do you not kneel?"

Hagoromo Otsutsuki nodded in satisfaction, unconsciously putting on the airs of an Old Ancestor.

"Ah?"

Uchiha Gin was slightly stunned upon hearing this. Did this mean he actually had to kowtow to this old guy?

"Where are your manners?"

Looking at the hesitant Uchiha Gin, Hagoromo Otsutsuki frowned slightly. The local descendants were too impolite; they didn't even kowtow upon seeing their own ancestor.

"Just go through the motions. Big Brother is just a stickler for etiquette. As a junior, it's not unreasonable for you to kowtow to an elder."

Hamura Otsutsuki, standing to the side, couldn't watch anymore. For the sake of the roasted chickens, he decided to give this young man a hint, so he walked slowly to Uchiha Gin's side and whispered in his ear.

At least give me some benefits before making me kowtow. Even if you are the Sage of Six Paths, you can't get a freebie out of my, Gin's, knees.

Uchiha Gin was a man of great principle; he never let himself be a victim of a "freebie" scam.

"What are you still standing there for? Kowtow to Big Brother; maybe if he's happy, he'll share the power of Yin and Yang with you."

Noticing his brother's expression gradually turning gloomy, Hamura Otsutsuki hurriedly urged him in a low voice.

"Big Brother is usually generous, but you know, people tend to pick up some bad habits as they get older."

"Sigh~"

Uchiha Gin scratched his head helplessly. How did he end up with such an ancestor?

"Hmph!"

Seeing that Uchiha Gin had made no move for a long time, Hagoromo Otsutsuki's gaze sharpened. The Rinnegan radiated a faint pressure, directed at the impolite descendant before him, preparing to make him recognize who was the master and who was the servant.

"Hmm?"

The moment he came into contact with the ocular power of the Rinnegan, the tomoe in Uchiha Gin's eyes appeared automatically, quickly rotating and connecting to transform into two complex, bewitching patterns.

"Not bad eyes."

Discovering that Uchiha Gin was using his Mangekyo to resist the pressure of his Rinnegan, Hagoromo Otsutsuki raised his eyebrows in surprise. This descendant's talent was indeed far beyond that of ordinary people, not inferior even to his beloved son, Indra.

"But it is still not enough."

The Mangekyo was, after all, just a Sharingan, and there was a chasm-like gap between it and the Rinnegan. Hagoromo Otsutsuki no longer held back, slightly increasing the threshold of his ocular power. A cold, substantial aura instantly enveloped Uchiha Gin.

"Ugh!"

Uchiha Gin felt his heart tighten. Under the suppression of the Rinnegan's ocular power, his eyes, which had automatically transformed into the Mangekyo, felt incredibly sore.

Sure enough, in terms of pure Sharingan ocular power, he still had a certain distance to go compared to a veteran powerhouse of the Sage of Six Paths' level. A desire to turn the tables grew in Uchiha Gin's "salted-fish" heart.

It seemed he couldn't continue to slack off; his Sharingan actually couldn't suppress the Rinnegan—how embarrassing!

He made up his mind that after returning, he would start seriously grinding, striving to evolve the Five-Gang into Seven-Gang as soon as possible, harvesting crops fiercely, and then stunning everyone.

His Sharingan was about to be completely suppressed by the ocular power of Hagoromo Otsutsuki; Uchiha Gin frowned slightly, preparing to switch to another set of contact lenses, but the next second, his actions were interrupted by a black hole gate that suddenly opened behind him.

"A dojutsu?"

Although he had long understood Uchiha Gin's abilities, this was the first time Hagoromo Otsutsuki had witnessed the dojutsu of this descendant.

Looking at the gate of the Shadow Realm, which radiated dense negative energy, the curiosity in his eyes only increased.

To be able to carve out an entrance to an alternate space within the space he had created, Uchiha Gin's dojutsu was indeed remarkable.

"You are the second person to carve out an alternate space within my space."

Hagoromo Otsutsuki nodded slightly to show his approval, his annoyance at Uchiha Gin's rude behavior fading a little; the last person to surpass him in spatial power was Mother.

"Your spatial talent is not bad; as long as you obediently kowtow once, I will pass on everything I have learned to you. I hope you are a person who knows the times."

He was already giving Uchiha Gin a way out, hoping this descendant would seize the opportunity.

Isn't it just one kowtow?

In the past, he had kowtowed and paid respects to Mother many times; over the years, the small horns growing on his forehead had even become crooked to both sides.

Before Hagoromo Otsutsuki could finish speaking, a fluctuation suddenly appeared within the pitch-black gate of the Shadow Realm.

"Clack~!"

A dark-skinned jailer wearing exquisite sandals stepped out slowly, the crisp sound instantly attracting the gazes of the three people present.

"Who is it?"

The hearts of the two Otsutsuki brothers tightened in unison; they had not sensed the aura of a fourth person at all. The newcomer was definitely not someone to be trifled with.

"Sister Wang, why are you here? Go back quickly, otherwise you will have to kowtow too."

Uchiha Gin, whose spellcasting had been interrupted, scratched his head helplessly, turned to look at the dark-skinned royal sister wearing a white robe, and revealed a regretful smile on his face.

"Kowtow once?"

However, Wang Liang, who had intruded, had no intention of leaving; instead, she slowly turned her head, completely exposing her face to the highly vigilant Otsutsuki brothers, the corners of her mouth curling up in an imperceptible arc.

If she wanted to conceal her aura, these two rebellious sons would never be able to detect it.

"Thump!" *2

Hearing two uniform landing sounds in the space, Uchiha Gin looked at his own knees in confusion, finding no traces of bending, so he turned his head to follow the sound.

"Huh? Ancestors, why are you performing such a grand salute?"

As a result, the scene before him made Uchiha Gin's jaw drop; Hagoromo Otsutsuki, who had just been acting as if he were the only one supreme in heaven and earth, was kneeling on both knees with a stiff expression.

And Hamura Otsutsuki was prostrate beside him, his white head buried on the surface of the lake, his aged body trembling uncontrollably.

"Mo—"

Hagoromo Otsutsuki, with a tense face, let his gaze pass over the confused Uchiha Gin and land on the dark-skinned royal sister standing gracefully behind him, his lips parting slightly.

Wang Liang: (o_o)

You try calling out that name and see what happens?

"Mother-hen~"

Receiving the signal from his mother's eyes, Hagoromo Otsutsuki patted his shivering younger brother beside him, stood up slowly, and said expressionlessly,

"At our age, after floating for a long time, it is inevitable that our legs will cramp."

"Then you old folks must get a good massage; I happen to have a set of massage chairs here."

Hearing this, Uchiha Gin's eyes lit up; he reached back into his backpack, pulled out a brand-new massage chair set, and shoved it into Hagoromo Otsutsuki's hands without a word.

"Consider this a meeting gift from a junior to you. The outside world is in a new era now; how can vulgar rituals like kneeling and kowtowing be as practical as a gift that satisfies the heart?" (End of chapter)