Chapter 363: Seven Calamities and Eight Sufferings
Naruto had been happy, but the sudden appearance of these two made him quite unhappy.
Without any helpers, and with Naruto launching a sneak attack, even Hashirama would have fallen.
Not to mention Obito and Nagato.
After the matter was resolved, Naruto sent four Clones to escort the Ninjas who were maintaining the Heaven-Sealing Earth-Severing formation back to their respective directions—East, West, South, and North—before returning to his original position to slowly look for Ino and the others.
Uchiha Residence.
Sasuke sat on the sofa with a look of defeat, having learned from his mother about his father's deep slumber.
It seemed his Soul had returned to the Pure Land.
Mikoto looked at her son with concern.
"Sasuke, it's okay. Mom is still here."
"I'm fine, Mom."
Sasuke clenched his fists.
All the resurrected people in the Village had suddenly collapsed.
The only ones left were Might Guy's father, the First Hokage's grandson, and his own mother.
Most of the others had the strength of an Elite Jonin under normal circumstances. Was his mother's Soul not taken because her strength was insufficient?
Chaotic thoughts and heavy emotions made Sasuke feel suffocated.
Subconsciously, he called out in his heart to that ancient existence residing deep within his Soul who occasionally gave him guidance:
"Indra, what exactly is going on? You know something, don't you?"
After a brief silence, a proud voice echoed in the depths of Sasuke's consciousness.
"Hmph."
Indra seemed quite disdainful of Sasuke's despondent appearance and gave a cold snort:
"In the Old man's words, life and death are determined by heaven; the Seven Calamities and Eight Sufferings are simply unavoidable.
You should be grateful your mother could stay."
"Seven Calamities and Eight Sufferings?"
Sasuke frowned; this terminology was very foreign to him, as Ninja training rarely involved such knowledge.
Considering the child was young and had lost his parents at a young age, Indra did not mock him directly but instead began to explain patiently, realizing that at this moment, Sasuke needed 'answers' and consolation.
"The so-called Seven Calamities are: Fire, Water, Ghosts, Rakshasa, Swords and Staves, Shackles and Fetters, and Malignant Thieves."
He paused and continued:
"The Eight Sufferings are: Birth, Aging, Sickness, Death, Separation from the Beloved, Meeting the Hated, Seeking but Failing to Attain, and the Raging of the Five Aggregates.
The Seven Calamities represent external misfortunes, while the Eight Sufferings represent inner torment."
Seeing that Sasuke still looked bewildered after listening, clearly not understanding the specific references and deep meanings of these abstract concepts, Indra finally couldn't help but press his hand to his forehead and complained in a highly disgusted tone:
"Looking at your complete ignorance of the world's ultimate truths, I'm starting to doubt if you really are my Reincarnation. Could you be the Reincarnation of that simple-minded, hot-blooded idiot Asura instead?"
Despite saying this, Indra still patiently explained the meaning of the Seven Calamities and Eight Sufferings to Sasuke in more direct and simple terms.
Not everyone necessarily encounters all Seven Calamities, but the Eight Sufferings are a fate that no life can absolutely escape as long as it exists in this world.
"Everyone will experience birth, aging, illness, and death.
Everyone's parents, friends, and loved ones will also go through these and eventually leave you."
Indra's voice carried a desolation that came from seeing through the ways of the world.
"Life is inherently full of impermanence.
The more you pursue something, the more often you cannot get it—that is 'Seeking but Failing to Attain'; the more you cherish something, the easier it is to be separated from it—that is 'Separation from the Beloved'; the more you loathe something, the more you are destined to meet it—that is 'Meeting the Hated'; and your body and mind are always tormented and inflamed by various desires and troubles, never finding peace—that is 'the Raging of the Five Aggregates'."
"Your father has left you again; this is your 'Seeking but Failing to Attain'."
Indra finally pointed it out, his tone cold and direct,
"You long for a complete family, for your father's company and recognition, and to make up for past regrets, but you cannot have what you seek. That is the suffering of Seeking but Failing to Attain.
Even we brothers and our father suffered from the torments of the Eight Sufferings.
This is what you call the laws of nature, or destiny. Destiny is as such, and it is difficult to defy."
Sasuke remained silent.
He lowered his head, looking at his and his mother's tightly clasped hands, then looked out the window at the faint light of the festival.
Indra's words were like a cold chisel, carving the vague pain and doubt in his heart into clear and cruel lines.
It truly was unavoidable.
He thought of Naruto.
That man who is now as strong as a monster and stands almost at the peak of the Ninja World—he lost his parents, grew up in loneliness, and chased after bonds and recognition all the way... Has he also tasted the bitterness of 'Seeking but Failing to Attain'?
He then thought of the father Indra had just mentioned, the legendary Six Paths Sage.
He too had suffered the torments of the Eight Sufferings.
Even someone as strong as Naruto, or even the legendary Six Paths Sage, could not avoid this 'Seeking but Failing to Attain'.
It turned out that great strength cannot exempt one from the suffering inherent in life itself.
It might give you more confidence when facing the'Seven Calamities,' but it cannot eliminate the 'Eight Sufferings' that follow you like a shadow.
At this moment, the defeat in Sasuke's heart seemed to settle, transforming into a deeper and more complex realization. The pain did not disappear, but he felt as if he had touched a broader and colder reality beneath the pain.
He slowly released his clenched fist and gently held his mother's hand.
"Mom..."
He spoke in a low voice, still raspy, but it seemed to hold a hint of something else,
"I'm fine."
Seeing Sasuke quickly emerge from his initial state of defeated distraction—his eyes still heavy with pain but no longer vacant and lost, instead gradually gathering a nearly cold clarity and steadiness—Otsutsuki Indra, residing deep in his consciousness, showed a rare trace of satisfaction.
Well done.
Now this looks like something.
As expected of my Reincarnation; at least after suffering a major blow, he did not indulge in useless emotions for long but was able to quickly adjust his mindset and face reality.
This Heart-Nature is the foundation for becoming a powerhouse and practicing one's own philosophy.
However, Indra's pride and habitual thinking, rooted in a millennium past, made him only'see' Sasuke's superficial 'calmness' and 'realization,' while failing to—or perhaps subconsciously ignoring—perceive the true deeper turmoil in Sasuke's heart at this moment.
He thought Sasuke's silence and 'understanding' meant he had accepted the cold setting of an impermanent fate.
He was wrong.
If a youth easily compromised with fate, then he wouldn't be a youth anymore.
Uchiha Sasuke was never one to easily bow his head to fate or compromise with suffering.
He thought of his teacher, Orochimaru. Although Orochimaru hadn't taught him much after he became his apprentice, Orochimaru did know the Edo Tensei.
Since such a technique exists in the world, there must be a way for him to enter the Pure Land and bring his father back!
Just like Indra in his youth.
The Six Paths Sage favored the younger son, and Indra wanted to prove to his father that he, the eldest son, was right.
And after a thousand years, Indra was no longer the youth he once was.
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