The Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, stared at the terrifying existence standing before him with deep shock and heavy confusion.
At the same time real fear rose inside him and what made that fear even worse was the fact that the blue haired young man was looking directly at him with complete precision, as if he could clearly see through everything hiding him.
Even though Hagoromo was carefully concealed inside a completely separate dimension and even though he existed only in his spiritual state now, without a physical body after dying many long years ago those sharp sky blue eyes still locked onto him perfectly.
Then Dan finally spoke. His calm voice echoed clearly through the quiet mountain valley.
"Great Sage of Six Paths. It has been a long time since we last met."
He paused for a moment before a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Come. There is no need to keep hiding there anymore. Step out so we can speak properly."
Hagoromo remained silent for several seconds while thinking carefully.
"Since he already discovered me and even pinpointed my exact location there is no longer any meaning in hiding."
"It is better to face him directly."
Then his figure vanished from the separate dimension.
Fwoooosh!
A glowing spiritual form appeared only several meters away from Dan. He floated quietly in the air like a pale ghost covered in faint white light.
Dan looked at him with a small welcoming smile.
"It truly has been a very long time since I last saw you."
The Sage of Six Paths narrowed his eyes slightly while observing Dan carefully.
Then he spoke with visible confusion in his voice.
"Have we really met before? I do not remember you."
Dan's smile widened slightly.
"So you completely forgot me."
He paused briefly before continuing in a calm tone.
"To be fair, I cannot really blame you for that at that time, I was the kind of person people naturally ignored very easily."
Then he lifted his head slightly toward the sky as if remembering distant memories from another life.
"I lived in your village for a few years back when you were still alive and possessed a physical body."
Hagoromo stared at him carefully for a long moment while searching through the depths of his memory then suddenly his eyes widened slightly in realization.
"Ah…!"
"You were that isolated young man!"
"Yes… yes, I remember now."
He continued staring at Dan with greater focus.
"But you changed greatly. Your appearance now is completely different from before."
Then the shock in his expression deepened further.
"And somehow… you look much younger than you used to."
He paused briefly before asking with obvious disbelief,
"How are you still alive after more than a hundred years?"
Dan simply smiled faintly.
"Well… let us just say I became slightly stronger."
His answer was simple, casual even but for someone like Hagoromo, those words carried terrifying implications.
Then Dan's expression slowly became more serious.
"So tell me."
"What exactly brought you here?"
Hagoromo answered calmly and logically.
"I noticed that this specific region had become unusually blurry and unclear within my perception of the world."
He continued while maintaining eye contact.
"So I approached in order to discover the true reason behind that distortion."
Dan stayed silent for several seconds while staring at him with sharp eyes then suddenly his voice became cold and extremely firm.
"There is no need to play your little games with me and stop immediately what you are secretly preparing right now."
His gaze sharpened even further.
"Otherwise, I will consider you a direct enemy."
He give him a clear warning and direct threat no room for misunderstanding then Dan continued in a colder tone.
"And you definitely do not want to discover how violent my response would be."
Hagoromo was genuinely shocked by those words because Dan was completely correct.
In truth, Hagoromo had secretly begun preparing an enormous sealing technique meant to lock down this entire area. His goal had been to seal this mysterious and dangerous existence before learning the truth behind his sudden appearance and intentions but before he could even begin dan had already noticed everything.
Then Dan spoke again, this time in a calmer and more rational tone.
"In reality, there is no reason for us to become enemies."
"I have no interest in interfering with your long running play on this planet."
A brief silence followed.
"At least not for now not until the true Otsutsuki threat becomes serious enough to endanger this world."
Hagoromo's eyes widened further after hearing that the person standing before him knew far too many dangerous secrets.
Not only about the Otsutsuki Clan but even about the future threat that had yet to arrive.
Who exactly was this man and how could he possibly know such things? Then Hagoromo finally asked in a cautious voice filled with suspicion,
"Who… are you really?"
Dan gave a faint mysterious smile.
"There is no need for you to know everything about me."
He looked directly into Hagoromo's eyes.
"The only thing you truly need to understand…is that I consider this beautiful planet my real home."
"And I will protect it with all my strength."
Then his voice became colder.
"I owe you a debt.Your village helped me during a time when I desperately needed assistance.So I have no desire to fight you without reason."
There was genuine acknowledgment in those words and espect and ecognition of old kindness.
But then Dan's expression turned terrifyingly cold.
"If you ever dare approach me or any member of my family with hostile intentions…then make absolutely sure you understand something clearly."
A monstrous pressure suddenly filled the entire area.
The mountains trembled slightly and the air itself felt heavier. Even space seemed to distort faintly around him.
"I will erase you from this world completely."
A final warning and line that could not be crossed from Dan .
At that exact moment, Hagoromo felt an overwhelming killing intent descend upon him like a massive invisible blade resting directly against his neck even though he no longer possessed a physical body and he existed only as spiritual chakra the danger still felt absolutely real and terrifying.
This being standing before him could truly kill him not merely defeat him or seal him but erase him entirely.
For the first time in countless years, the Sage of Six Paths felt genuine fear because he clearly realized something horrifying.
The existence before him was not merely stronger than himself he might even be stronger than his mother Kaguya Otsutsuki herself.
A being surpassing Kaguya on this small planet? How and when ? Countless questions filled Hagoromo's mind.
But no answers came only a deep and instinctive fear toward the unknown.
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