That raised the question: Where had his Sharingan come from?
Without any bloodline connection or inherited Visual Jutsu, why would the Sharingan, an eye that originally belonged to Indra's descendants, appear upon someone who had renounced the secular world, and why had it manifested in such a solemn and compassionate manji form?
For a time, the Sage of Six Paths stared at the young monk within the prophetic vision, growing increasingly puzzled.
Then, just as the young monk in the vision lowered his head while chanting scriptures, he seemed to sense something. Slowly raising his head, he looked toward the direction of the vision itself. Then he smiled faintly, pressed his palms together, and offered a respectful bow.
Those crimson eyes seemed to transcend the barrier of time itself, meeting the distant gaze of the Sage of Six Paths, who existed in the past.
"This humble monk had long wondered who it was that had been observing me. So it turns out that it is the Great Monk watching over me. This humble monk offers you his respects."
Hearing those words, the Sage of Six Paths was instantly startled.
The title Great Monk made him immediately realize that Genjo's words were directed at none other than himself.
The me of the future actually noticed the gaze of me in the present?
In other words, all the investigations I conducted into him before were very likely already...
For a moment, uncertainty filled the Sage of Six Paths' heart.
Meanwhile, the young monk in the vision continued smiling quietly as he gazed at him. His white robes fluttered gently amid the endless golden radiance and black sky, resembling a solitary moon that had remained unchanged throughout eternity, as though he had seen through everything, yet also as though nothing was worth dwelling upon.
"You, Great Monk, are a predecessor of our Buddhist path. You must possess profound insight into the true meaning of the Buddhist Scriptures. Being fortunate enough to meet you today is truly a blessing for this humble monk."
A moment later, the Sage of Six Paths opened his mouth, intending to speak.
Yet before he could say anything, the young monk in the vision let out a gentle sigh. There was neither joy nor sorrow within it, yet it seemed to lament every impermanent cause and effect in existence as he spoke: "Unfortunately, this humble monk still bears worldly karma that has yet to be resolved. I must first deliver these innocent wronged souls and send them on to the Pure Land. Regrettably, I cannot remain here to discuss Dharma and study Buddhist teachings together with you, Great Monk. What a pity."
He lifted his gaze; those crimson eyes bearing the manji pattern were calm as still water, yet unfathomably deep, impossible to see through.
"I hope that in the future, I may once again meet with you, Great Monk, so that together we may discuss the Dharma, recite the scriptures, and seek the profound truth."
As his words fell, the young monk pressed his palms together and bowed once more before turning back toward the endless sea of wronged souls.
Wherever his moon-white robes passed, golden radiance fell like rain, and the darkness receded, like a solitary lamp walking unhurriedly through eternal night, illuminating a path toward the farther shore.
Only his gradually receding back remained before the Sage of Six Paths. Then the prophetic vision came to an abrupt end, dissolving into countless specks of flowing light before disappearing.
The Pure Land returned to silence once more, leaving only the Sage of Six Paths seated alone in the depths of the void, unable to speak for a long time.
He was absolutely certain that the young monk named Genjo had not only sensed his gaze, but had also perceived his true identity.
Back then, after he and Hamura joined forces to battle their mother, Kaguya, the land had been left utterly devastated, with living beings suffering everywhere.
Hamura chose to journey to the moon and remain there to watch over their mother, leaving the vast Shinobi World to him alone, where he faced nothing but ruins and countless things that needed to be rebuilt.
At that time, he was still young. Having grown up by his mother's side, he had never truly set foot in the human world. He understood neither human nature nor the countless aspects of mortal life.
Faced with such devastation, despite possessing strength unrivaled beneath the heavens, he had no idea where to begin. He could not find a way to save the world, nor did he know what path he should guide humanity toward.
It was during those confused and difficult years that, through a fortunate coincidence, he came into contact with the Buddhist Scriptures. The compassion, wisdom, and path to liberation recorded within them struck his bewildered heart like a sudden enlightenment. He was deeply captivated by the profound truths contained within the scriptures and moved by the Buddha's spirit of attaining enlightenment to save the world.
Thus, he took on the identity of a monk, and while studying the Buddhist Scriptures, he traveled across the war-torn land, contemplating throughout his long journey how this world might be saved.
During those years, he walked through countless ruins and wastelands, listening to the suffering of all living beings as a monk. It was also during that long ascetic journey that he gradually came to understand the true meaning of chakra, the connection of hearts between people, and that understanding was likewise something he had realized through the Buddhist Scriptures.
Therefore, he truly deserved the titles Genjo had given him: Great Monk and predecessor of the Buddhist path.
And the fact that Genjo had recognized him so accurately during that fleeting moment where different points in time intersected also made the Sage of Six Paths realize that the true power of this young monk, whom he could not see through, was likely even greater than he had originally imagined.
For a time, the Sage of Six Paths rapidly began reviewing and organizing everything Genjo had demonstrated since descending from the mountains.
Flight, Wood Style, Sage Jutsu, and even the Mangekyo Sharingan that he would display in the future, as shown by the prophecy; any one of these abilities alone would have been enough to stir tremendous waves throughout the Shinobi World, yet they had all gathered within a single young monk.
However, in the Sage of Six Paths' view, all of those were merely secondary. They were branches and leaves, not the root.
What truly unsettled him was not what Genjo could do, but where those abilities had come from.
As he continued thinking, the Sage of Six Paths' thoughts suddenly settled upon a point that he had unconsciously overlooked before, yet one that was absolutely crucial.
The school founded by Genjo was called the Consciousness-Only School, and its central doctrine was known as all phenomena are consciousness-only.
All phenomena are consciousness-only.
To those who did not understand Buddhist doctrine, these words might have sounded like nothing more than an intentionally obscure slogan.
But the Sage of Six Paths was well-versed in the Buddhist Scriptures and knew the immense weight those words carried.
The so-called all phenomena are consciousness-only means that all Dharmas, all phenomena, and all forms of existence are nothing more than transformations of consciousness.
Mountains, rivers, the earth itself, plants, trees, and all living beings; everything seen, heard, touched, and perceived is but a manifestation of consciousness.
The myriad forms of the world are nothing more than ripples rising upon the ocean of awareness.