Naruto : Sequence 0 Visionary

The thick black mist drifted, and the Sea of Collective Subconscious stirred with waves.

At the deepest layer of all beings' subconscious, in a place that seemed shrouded by darkness, at the boundary between reality and illusion, stood a majestic and sacred cathedral.

It was a massive structure built from the corpses of countless unknown creatures, with several towering bone columns, each over a hundred meters tall, supporting a dome that resembled the sky. 

Above, a ring of skulls was embedded in the ceiling, their hollow, eerie gazes seemingly watching over everything inside the cathedral.

Adam, or Uchiha Sogetsu, appeared surrounded by countless overlapping phantoms, making it impossible to see his true form.

On either side of a rusted, bronze long table, seats were arranged in an orderly fashion. Each seat had a matching brass oil lamp placed on the table. The lamps were of an ancient design.

Sogetsu leaned lazily in his chair, tilting slightly, and lightly tapped his finger on the table.

Boom!

An invisible force spread throughout the cathedral.

Soon after, several ancient brass oil lamps flickered to life with blue flames, and the spiritual energy contained within them spread across the ocean of subconscious.

Before long, under the flickering light of the brass oil lamps, those holding "tokens" appeared as pure spiritual entities. They were guided through the Sea of Collective Subconscious and seated one by one at the chairs beside the long table.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Adam!" 

As a long-time member of the Twilight Hermit Order, Orochimaru was the first to rise from his seat, bowing deeply to the figure at the head of the table, which seemed to be made of countless overlapping shadows.

After seeing his gesture, the others also stood and respectfully acknowledged the figure.

Once they received a nod from the figure at the head of the table, everyone sat down, collecting their thoughts as they prepared for the discussion of the day's topics.

After sitting, Orochimaru narrowed his snake-like eyes and habitually began observing the others. Upon noticing a new presence next to Konan, he licked his lips, revealing a knowing smile and thought, "The movements are stiff, they seem nervous. It should be Uchiha Mikoto."

He enjoyed this—using subtle details to uncover hidden truths.

For instance, "Iwa (Rock)," who carried themselves with a calm and cautious demeanor and rarely revealed useful information, seemed to suggest that they were very old, had a significant position in Iwa Village, and wielded considerable power.

Looking at "Paper Crane" again, there's no doubt she's a woman, relatively young, and quite innocent. 

In her speech, there's always a strong emotional tone, suggesting she's likely not from one of the five major hidden villages. 

It's very likely she's from a smaller, oppressed ninja village, which would explain her behavior.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Orochimaru's gaze sharpened, noticing that someone was seated at the end of the long table.

This person had an incredibly low presence. In fact, if he hadn't seen him with his own eyes, Orochimaru would have subconsciously ignored him. This piqued Orochimaru's interest. His snake-like eyes narrowed, a hint of curiosity flashing through them.

This newcomer doesn't seem simple!

On the other hand, Onoki also noticed something unusual: for this gathering, two new people had joined at once, which was unprecedented.

"Mr. Adam, thank you for saving me," White Fang said, his words simple and blunt. "If it weren't for you, I'd probably be dead by now."

His words immediately attracted the attention of the others, their gazes filled with surprise.

This was the first time they'd heard of a member of the "Twilight Hermit Order" nearly dying. It made them curious. 

What was even more surprising was that 'Adam' had answered White Fang's plea and personally saved him.

"Ah, no need to mention it," Uchiha Sogetsu replied casually, as if it was nothing important.

However, the more indifferent he acted, the more curious the others became, itching to know what had really happened.

"Ahem," Onoki cleared his throat. "White, would you mind telling us what exactly happened?" he asked. "Since we're all members of the Twilight Hermit Order, if you ran into trouble, maybe we can help."

Upon hearing this, White Fang hesitated slightly. He couldn't help but glance at Orochimaru beside him, as if seeking his opinion.

Everyone turned their gaze toward Orochimaru, and Onoki furrowed his brow. "This matter involves another member as well? Could it be that these two already knew each other?"

"It's not as complicated as it seems," White Fang finally spoke.

Unpleasant memories resurfaced in Orochimaru's mind, and he sighed. "I found the 'Blasphemy Slate' with White, but on the way back, we encountered Mr. A from the 'Aurora Order.' We were no match for him, and he took the tablet. White was injured because of it, so I ask Mr. Adam for help."

"Blasphemy Slate!" 

Konan and Onoki's eyes widened in shock, unable to suppress their exclamations.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Mikoto, who was attending the gathering for the first time, kept a calm expression. She only glanced at Orochimaru and White once more, suddenly understanding. 

This guy must have caused trouble in Konoha deliberately, probably for the 'Blasphemy Slate.' 

"Heh, who would have thought that you would be the first among us to find the Blasphemy Slate," Onoki said, taking a deep breath to calm himself. 

Then, he asked, "The Aurora Order, Mr. A—can you describe his appearance and characteristics? Maybe I can help. I'm no bragger, but I still have some influence in Iwa."

"I can help too," Konan added, eager not to be left behind. The Blasphemy Slate was related to the 'Path of the Gods,' so she naturally wanted a share of it.

"Well, thank you all," Orochimaru smiled lightly, seemingly not bothered about sharing information. 

"But be careful. Mr. A is very troublesome. He is immortal, can summon three monsters with different attributes to assist in battle, can teleport using shadows, and his flesh can explode. If you're infected by it, the consequences are severe."

"Right. His flesh has a strong corrosive effect," White nodded in agreement. "I was hit directly by his flesh bomb and had to ask Mr. Adam for help."

"The Aurora Order. Besides Mr. A, there is another person you need to watch out for," Mikoto suddenly spoke up, having remained silent until now. 

"The Dark Saint. He's one of the three Saints of the Aurora Order. It's said that he once saved Mr. A in Konoha, forced the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, to retreat, and forcibly took the corpse of the Fourth Hokage, Uchiha Sogetsu."

Onoki and Konan exchanged looks, roughly guessing that this newcomer was a ninja from Konoha.

"Sorry, we've been talking about matters and nearly forgot about the two newcomers," Onoki said kindly, crossing his arms and adopting the demeanor of an elder. 

"Let's introduce ourselves. I'll start. You can call me by my code name, 'Iwa.' If you ever need anything from Iwagakure, feel free to come to me."

"I'm 'Higanbana,'" Orochimaru nodded at the two and added with a smile, "I don't have the influence of 'Iwa,' but I have some expertise in biology and souls."

"White, skilled in assassination," White Fang said, as brief as ever.

"I'm 'Paper Crane.'"

Konan smiled gently and said, "If you have any commission tasks, feel free to come to me."

After each person introduced themselves, everyone's gaze shifted to Mikoto. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "My code name is 'Moon'. I don't have any particular specialties, sorry."

Finally, all eyes turned to the person at the end. This figure had remained silent the entire time, seeming to be set apart from the rest.

The person did not speak but instead turned his gaze toward the figure sitting at the head of the table.

After receiving a nod of approval from that figure, he finally withdrew his gaze. His voice was calm and steady, like a still pond, as he said, "My name is Otsutsuki Hagoromo, but you should be more familiar with another name of mine. Many once called me the Sage of the Six Paths."

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