Aim64C
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I am not giving this discussion a prefix as it extends beyond the prefixes.
This is the ultimate theory of Naruto and thereby the ultimate theory of Kishimoto. With it, nearly everything can be explained and nearly every overture in the plot can be predicted. Some individual details and character actions are nearly impossible to predict - but the overall course of the plot falls in line nicely.
But we need some epic music to fitting animations, so your trip here wasn't in vain:
[video=youtube;WU7SGn0MeP0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU7SGn0MeP0[/video]
We must first start at the beginning. Not at where various characters think the story began - but at the very beginning.
In the beginning, there was the endless expanse of nothing. Upon it shined the light of infinite potential, and from these two forces, symbolized by light and dark, the universe was born amidst the swirling tides of change.
"The fundamental postulate is the "great primal beginning" of all that exists, t'ai chi – in its original meaning, the "ridgepole". Later Indian philosophers devoted much thought to this idea of a primal beginning. A still earlier beginning, wu chi, was represented by the symbol of a circle. Under this conception, t'ai chi was represented by the circle divided into the light and the dark, yang and yin, Yin yang.svg. This symbol has also played a significant part in India and Europe. However, speculations of a Gnostic-dualistic character are foreign to the original thought of the I Ching; what it posits is simply the ridgepole, the line. With this line, which in itself represents oneness, duality comes into the world, for the line at the same time posits an above and a below, a right and left, front and back – in a word, the world of the opposites. (1967:lv)"
"Thus, the Taoist cosmos consists of 2 main parts: Wu-ji Non-Being) and Tai-ji (Being). In the depiction above, the Wu-ji surrounds the Taiji, smaller than the Wuji by definition (Tai-ji literally means “with limit”; Wu-ji “without limit”). Together, they function as a single entity, operating through a loosely-coupled resonance (ganying 感应) relationship, in which the Tai-ji senses the Wu-ji and moves in sympathy, spontaneously (自然 ziran) and without deliberate action (wu-wei 無為). (See TTC ch. 25 and ChuangTzu ch. 7 – Mair, Wandering On The Way, p. 71: “The mind of the ultimate man functions like a mirror… it responds (ying) but does not retain”.) Due to the symbiotic relationship between wu and you, when the classic texts (TaoTeChing, ChuangTzu and LiehTzu) refer to Tao, Tao can be either Wu-ji or Tai-ji or both. "
"The Tai-ji embodies an expanding universe, because the energy field spins out oscillating in a spiral motion. From the TTC ch. 40, the motion of Tao is reversion or returning (反 fan) and from TTC ch. 25, the path of motion is circular. The character fan is drawn to suggest a turning around or flipping over. The original form of the Chinese character for returning (回 or “hui”) has its own origin in a spiral shape, so the movement of the Taiji traces a concentric coil that expands outward in one direction, contracts to unity in the other. (Sze, Mai Mai, The Tao Of Painting, New York: Pantheon Books, c. 1963, p. 16.) "
From this action of Taiji and Wuiji, we see the development of the Four Images; Great Yin, Great Yang, Minor Yin, Minor Yang. These four interact to produce the Bagua - or Eight Trigrams.
The Five Elements are also depicted and are often placed as being the forces that give rise to the Four Images (though this depends upon which era of Taoism we are discussing).
Some depictions show this:
It is important to understand this concept and relationship, as it expresses itself all throughout the Naruto Universe, as the real story has yet to surface.
Hints of the Truth:
This is literally the key to the series.
The spiral motion of the Taijitu giving rise to the radiance of the Four Images that in turn produce the Eight Bagua. According to the Postnatal Heaven arrangement of bagua, the 'missing' element is thunder:
Which is frequently denoted as being the phase of division. Which would make sense - seeing as the 'key' is supposed to alter the division of forces (though this could be an over-reach).
But the real key is the square in the upper left hand corner.
Here we enter into the world of Japanese Taoism as it merged with Shintoism.
The square is the symbol for the Sun and its goddess, Amaterasu.
The circle is the symbol for the Moon and its god, Tsukuyomi.
The triangle is the symbol for the stars and their god, Susano'o.
"The Sun (Amaterasu, represented by the square), symbolizes our inner light, and rules the day, the state of Divine Presence. When presence is absent, the moon gives light, and rules the night, the state of sleep , in which man spends most of his days. The moon (Tsukuyomi no Mikoto, represented by the circle) symbolizes our ruling faculty or the mind, which Gurdjieff called the steward. It tries to bring us back to the state of presence. Gurdjieff spoke about creating moon in oneself, which means creating a steward, or a faculty in oneself that keeps reminding one to not sleep, but to be present.
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.
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In ancient times, the stars were the main means of navigation at sea during the night. Stars (Susano-no-Mikoto, represented by the triangle) symbolize reminders to awaken the God within. When one is submerged in daily activities, one suddenly realizes that one is asleep, and one tells oneself to Be (present). Stars are small sparks of light in the darkness (the state of psychological sleep that we spend most of our waking hours in) that guide us to our destination, the present moment."
Which is a damned good explanation for Infinite Tsukuyomi and provides some interesting insight on how Kishimoto may go about breaking it.
If this does not grab your attention, I really do not know what will.
Obviously, the spiral has been seen elsewhere:
The Uzumaki represent Taiji.
But who were the Uzumaki?
"The first known mention of tree spirits is in Japan’s oldest known book, the Kojiki (Record of Thing’s Past) that talks about the tree god Wakunochi-no-kami, second born of the godling brood of Izanagi and Izanami."
If the Juubi or the Holy Tree is to have a name - it will quite possibly be known as Wakunochi. (If Naruto learned the name of the nine tailed beasts - why not the ten tailed one?)
But about the Uzumaki:
"In Aogashima, Izu Islands, people place small shrines at the base of cryptomeria (Japanese cedar) trees and still worship and pray to them. This is said to be the remainders of a nature-worshiping religion that once dominated."
The Uzumaki were the original tenants of the Holy Tree.
They observed its adsorption of natural chakra and from these observations developed seals and rituals that harnessed the flow of natural chakra currents like the Holy Tree. I would wager that the most advanced and developed among all of them would have developed a form similar to 'Sage Mode.'
These were the sages of the natural order. For humans to seek the power of the fruit would be a breach of the natural order.
Enter the Ototosuki - the embodiment of Wuji - the endless nothing, or the endless yet-to-be.
It is the duty of the Ototsuki to select among them a member to consume the fruit and ascend to the realm of the gods. This ancient arrangement has existed since time began - the Ototsuki and Uzumaki acting in concert to preserve the harmony of energy within the universe.
Except Kaguya broke from tradition. Kaguya noticed the sorrow and the struggle of the people:
Birth of A New Philosophy
She fell in love with the world and saw fit to involve herself in the world. Further, she fell in love (most probably with an Uzumaki) and bore two sons. Between them, she divided the power of the fruit.
From this, we get Rikodu - Hagoromo - the Sage of Six Paths; embodiment of Buddhism and the philosophy of ending human suffering.
"As the day of her return approached, the Emperor set many guards around her house to protect her from the Moon people, but when an embassy of "Heavenly Beings" arrived at the door of Taketori no Okina's house, the guards were blinded by a strange light. Kaguya-hime announced that, though she loved her many friends on Earth, she must return with the Moon people to her true home. She wrote sad notes of apology to her parents and to the Emperor, then gave her parents her own robe as a memento. She then took a small taste of the elixir of life, attached it to her letter to the Emperor, and gave it to a guard officer. As she handed it to him, the feather robe was placed on her shoulders, and all of her sadness and compassion for the people of the Earth were forgotten. The heavenly entourage took Kaguya-hime back to Tsuki-no-Miyako ("the Capital of the Moon"), leaving her earthly foster parents in tears."
A feathered robe is called a Hagoromo.
Which is frequently worn by Tennin - the equivalent of Buddhist Angels in Japan:
"Tennin (天人), which may include tenshi (天使), ten no tsukai (天の使い, lit. heavenly messenger) and the specifically female tennyo (天女) are spiritual beings found in Japanese Buddhism that are similar to western angels, nymphs or fairies.[citation needed] They were imported from Chinese Buddhism,[1] which was influenced itself by the concepts of heavenly beings found in Indian Buddhism and Chinese Taoism."
From Kaguya's sinful and selfish desire to control the events of the world was born Hagoromo (and Hamura - though he is a bit of a wild-card at the moment).
The Sage of Six Paths represents the six paths of Buddhism - the six phases of human suffering.
Thus begins the theme of "suffering" and "pain."
Hagoromo sets in motion a plan to end human suffering. But for that to happen - Kaguya must be removed from the picture. Using his unique powers born to combat human suffering - he attempts to remove Kaguya's compassion for the world so that she can continue where she should.
The attempt backfires, and Kaguya becomes a demon bent on autocratic totalitarian rule.
Note who is telling the story, here.
Kaguya pursues Infinite Tsukuyomi as a solution to ending the growing discomfort with her power. During the war, she is sealed by a joint task force of Uzumaki sages and Hyuuga (likely a name for a class of Ototsuki warriors or a name assigned to those left behind to safeguard the compassion of Kaguya that had been sealed away) in a process involving the Holy Tree. This is the origin of the Eight Trigrams Seal, the Hyuuga's Caged Bird Seal, and the Dead Demon Consuming Seal - which calls upon the essence of Kaguya to seal away the chakra of those targeted by the Uzumaki.
From this, the Juubi is unwittingly born. Kaguya's will is strong enough to twist and distort the power of the Holy Tree into seeking its chakra fruit.
The Juubi is then sealed by Hagoromo and Hamura.
It is claimed that Black Zetsu was a product of Kaguya's will by Zetsu - but I call attention to this:
Note the concentric circles denoting the Sage of Six Paths.
The Sage originally developed this method to subvert the will of people. Why? Because his solution is that of subversion. His is the Outer Path - the unnatural path - the path that rejects the natural order.
"There is a saying in Mahayana Buddhism: "Those who have precepts to break are bodhisattvas; those who have no precepts to break are outer-path followers." Many Buddhists know that receiving the bodhisattva precepts generates great merit, yet they believe this without a real understanding of the profound meaning of the precepts, or of what keeping these precepts entails. "
GE means outside of, off. DO means bodhi, the buddha's enlightenment, the buddha's truth; again, DO means the way. MA means demon. TO means group.
Ge Do Ma Zo (Zo means "sculpture").
The Sculpture of Demonic Misguidance.
The Sage of Six Paths is Joken Gedo -
"Therefore in Buddhism, for example, Master Bokuzan Nishi-ari (1821-1910), a former Abbot of Soji-ji Temple, said in his book, entitled "Shobogenzo Keiteki, or Opening the truth of Shobogenzo," that "Materialism (Danken-Gedo) and Idealism (Joken-Gedo) are enemies against Buddhism." "
The Sage has constantly endeavored to alter the universe to fit his idealism and continually broken the Precepts of Buddhism (or simply not received them in the first place).
He left the Stone Tablet.
He divided up the tailed beasts.
He gave humans chakra.
He sealed the Juubi (and thereby Kaguya).
Then he sends his soul into the future - why? To pass along his powers and convince Sasuke that sealing Kaguya was a good idea (since he suddenly seems to be an expert on Kaguya - makes you wonder what the Sage's conversation with him was about).
Black Zetsu was most likely a creation of Hagoromo, not of Kaguya (whether or not Black Zetsu realizes this is another issue).
Black Zetsu most likely orchestrated the destruction of the Uzumaki, since their techniques were quite a hindrance to the goal of resurrecting Kaguya.
At this point - Ashura and Indra become arbitrary. Indra inherited the 'eyes' of the Juubi while Ashura inherited the 'body' of the Juubi (not the sage, who inherited/embodied the desire of his mother to bring an end to human suffering - hence the Rinnegan). Hence, we get the Rinnegan and the Wood Style, respectively.
To understand the role of the Sage, I reference two particular pages of interest:
There are many similarities between the Taoist sage and the Buddhist Sage.
"What is the image of the ideal person, the sage (sheng ren), the real person (zhen ren) in the DDJ? Well, sages wu wei, (chs. 2, 63). In this respect, they are like newborn infants, who move naturally, without planning and reliance on the structures given to them by others (ch. 15). The DDJ tells us that sages empty themselves, becoming void of pretense. Sages concentrate their internal energies (qi). They clean their vision (ch. 10). They manifest plainness and become like uncarved wood (pu) (ch. 19). They live naturally and free from desires given by men (ch. 37) They settle themselves and know how to be content (ch. 46). The DDJ makes use of some very famous analogies to drive home its point. Sages know the value of emptiness as illustrated by how emptiness is used in a bowl, door, window, valley or canyon (ch. 11). They preserve the female (yin), meaning that they know how to be receptive and are not unbalanced favoring assertion and action (yang) (ch. 28). They shoulder yin and embrace yang, blend internal energies (qi) and thereby attain harmony (he) (ch. 42). Those following the dao do not strive, tamper, or seek control (ch. 64). They do not endeavor to help life along (ch. 55), or use their heart-mind (xin) to “solve” or “figure out” life’s apparent knots and entanglements (ch. 55). Indeed, the DDJ cautions that those who would try to do something with the world will fail, they will actually ruin it (ch. 29). Sages do not engage in disputes and arguing, or try to prove their point (chs. 22, 81). They are pliable and supple, not rigid and resistive (chs. 76, 78). They are like water (ch. 8), finding their own place, overcoming the hard and strong by suppleness (ch. 36). Sages act with no expectation of reward (chs. 2, 51). They put themselves last and yet come first (ch. 7). They never make a display of themselves, (chs. 72, 22). They do not brag or boast, (chs. 22, 24) and they do not linger after their work is done (ch. 77). They leave no trace (ch. 27). Because they embody dao in practice, they have longevity (ch. 16). They create peace (ch. 32). Creatures do not harm them (chs. 50, 55). Soldiers do not kill them (ch. 50). Heaven (tian) protects the sage and the sage becomes invincible (ch. 67)."
To which, most recently, we have:
Yeah - I started writing this before this chapter. He doesn't just send his soul into the future. The guy just can't leave things alone.
"-- "There is really no question of any responsibility because I do believe totally, without any reservation, that nothing can happen unless it is God's Will, I certainly don’t mean that in a fatalistic manner. What it means is simply that if there is something for me to do in my daily living, I shall, of course, make a decision on what to do and how to do it. Having made the decision, I shall put in my best effort to make that decision fructify. However, having done that, I know with total certainty that whatever happens, thereafter, will be put OFF MY CONTROL and will depend entirely on the Will of God. I shall be waiting comfortably without any stress and strain for the result of 'my action'. The result could be successful or not successful and, therefore, the consequences of that result would again depend entirely upon God's Will. This is what I call A HAPPENING … a result of my efforts IS in GOD’S HANDS and is HIS WILL that prevails… I am at rest …my mind is tranquil and I TRUST completely in the outcome of my actions as the consequences - good, bad or indifferent – as being God's Will and my DESTINY. There's truly no problem, no avoiding responsibility." I am in peace with myself because I tried my best and the outcome is not in my hands… as I have explained."
The Sage, tasking himself with his mother's goal of bringing peace to people, inherited a power that was not his own and has been using it tirelessly to bring about a specific outcome. As such, he is walking the outer path. He is Gedo, misguided, corrupt, and is ultimately the greatest hindrance to restoring the natural order.
Echoes of Hamura
We know little of Hamura.
However, we can surmise that Hagoromo inherited the power of the fruit and was tasked with resolving human suffering. Perhaps Hamura's section of the fruit contained a different objective. As much as humans lust for peace - they also lust for power.
The Chakra fruit of the tree was likely derived from the natural chakra in the world that the tree had absorbed. It is reasonable to assume that Hamura satisfies the human desire for power by enabling human beings to draw upon nature chakra.
"Like a sage!" - you suggest.
Yes, like a Sage - but without the training and discipline.
"But... wait...."
Juugo - or, rather, his clan, are quite possibly descendants of Hamura.
Hints of a Grand Conspiracy
But it goes deeper.
Kabuto is just be-bopping along, helping Orochimaru in a plot to destroy the village - when he just -happens- to be near Hinata and her injuries act up (that the Leaf doctors couldn't heal)?
Or... perhaps this... Orochimaru character, who seems to know a lot of things, witnessed Hinata's injury and dispatched Kabuto specifically to rectify things?
But why?
. . . Could he have known?
And what significance would Hinata play?
I defer to a thread I have already created:
And here:
Further, I posit that Orochimaru and Itachi were working together all along. Itachi sealed Orochimaru (rather than kill him) in a manner that Sasuke could resurrect him. Further - rather than kill Kabuto - Itachi used a technique to solidify Kabuto's identity and personality as an individual (compared to a pawn).
It is even possible that Danzo was involved in a good portion of this - if not involved, entirely. It was his fight with Sasuke, after all, that caused the light of Sasuke's eyes to fade to the extent that he would need to implant Itachi's eyes to continue (which was necessary to trigger the technique housed within Naruto by Itachi). Though that one could be a bit of an over-reach.
In the end - I surmise that Orochimaru has been a good guy the entire time. In his research, he hit upon the origins of the ninja world. When he fled the village, he inserted himself into the Akatsuki to learn more about the origins of ninja. He left not long after it was arranged to eliminate the Uchiha and for Itachi to be embedded within the Akatsuki. By this point, his research would have already been leading him to the conclusion that the Akatsuki were less knowledgeable than was useful to him, anyway - they were simply the hired muscle with a paranoid leader. That is when he would have begun touching on the properties of nature chakra, the Jugo clan and Uzumaki clan - which would have tied into his earlier work involving the cultivation of Hashirama Senju's power (Tenzo).
Return to Another Tomorrow:
Which leads us all back to the purpose of Naruto - the goal.
In the grander scheme of nature - nothing is truly unnatural nor heretical. Just as Kaguya's decisions led to the development of the Ninja world - so, too, did they solidify a destiny for the one(s) who would return it to the natural order:
As the mutual guardians/tenants of the tree - both the Hyuuga and the Uzumaki hold the responsibility of bringing in the next natural order.
It was the Uzumaki who safeguarded the secrets of the tree, the arts of the Sage, and the art of sealing away energy. As such, they were destroyed by Black Zetsu and his plot to return Kaguya to the world.
It was the Hyuuga who safeguarded the secret of Kaguya, guarding the portion that was wrought from her being. All but the head branch have their abilities sealed away to prevent them from using the forbidden chakra and slipping down the same path as Kaguya.
This is massive - and I could conceal it within a bunch of spoiler tags - but, I think it is best presented as a contiguous piece intended to be read sequentially as opposed to picked out in chunks.
This is the ultimate theory of Naruto and thereby the ultimate theory of Kishimoto. With it, nearly everything can be explained and nearly every overture in the plot can be predicted. Some individual details and character actions are nearly impossible to predict - but the overall course of the plot falls in line nicely.
But we need some epic music to fitting animations, so your trip here wasn't in vain:
[video=youtube;WU7SGn0MeP0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU7SGn0MeP0[/video]
We must first start at the beginning. Not at where various characters think the story began - but at the very beginning.
In the beginning, there was the endless expanse of nothing. Upon it shined the light of infinite potential, and from these two forces, symbolized by light and dark, the universe was born amidst the swirling tides of change.
You must be registered for see links
"The fundamental postulate is the "great primal beginning" of all that exists, t'ai chi – in its original meaning, the "ridgepole". Later Indian philosophers devoted much thought to this idea of a primal beginning. A still earlier beginning, wu chi, was represented by the symbol of a circle. Under this conception, t'ai chi was represented by the circle divided into the light and the dark, yang and yin, Yin yang.svg. This symbol has also played a significant part in India and Europe. However, speculations of a Gnostic-dualistic character are foreign to the original thought of the I Ching; what it posits is simply the ridgepole, the line. With this line, which in itself represents oneness, duality comes into the world, for the line at the same time posits an above and a below, a right and left, front and back – in a word, the world of the opposites. (1967:lv)"
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see images
"Thus, the Taoist cosmos consists of 2 main parts: Wu-ji Non-Being) and Tai-ji (Being). In the depiction above, the Wu-ji surrounds the Taiji, smaller than the Wuji by definition (Tai-ji literally means “with limit”; Wu-ji “without limit”). Together, they function as a single entity, operating through a loosely-coupled resonance (ganying 感应) relationship, in which the Tai-ji senses the Wu-ji and moves in sympathy, spontaneously (自然 ziran) and without deliberate action (wu-wei 無為). (See TTC ch. 25 and ChuangTzu ch. 7 – Mair, Wandering On The Way, p. 71: “The mind of the ultimate man functions like a mirror… it responds (ying) but does not retain”.) Due to the symbiotic relationship between wu and you, when the classic texts (TaoTeChing, ChuangTzu and LiehTzu) refer to Tao, Tao can be either Wu-ji or Tai-ji or both. "
You must be registered for see images
"The Tai-ji embodies an expanding universe, because the energy field spins out oscillating in a spiral motion. From the TTC ch. 40, the motion of Tao is reversion or returning (反 fan) and from TTC ch. 25, the path of motion is circular. The character fan is drawn to suggest a turning around or flipping over. The original form of the Chinese character for returning (回 or “hui”) has its own origin in a spiral shape, so the movement of the Taiji traces a concentric coil that expands outward in one direction, contracts to unity in the other. (Sze, Mai Mai, The Tao Of Painting, New York: Pantheon Books, c. 1963, p. 16.) "
From this action of Taiji and Wuiji, we see the development of the Four Images; Great Yin, Great Yang, Minor Yin, Minor Yang. These four interact to produce the Bagua - or Eight Trigrams.
You must be registered for see images
The Five Elements are also depicted and are often placed as being the forces that give rise to the Four Images (though this depends upon which era of Taoism we are discussing).
Some depictions show this:
You must be registered for see images
It is important to understand this concept and relationship, as it expresses itself all throughout the Naruto Universe, as the real story has yet to surface.
Hints of the Truth:
You must be registered for see images
This is literally the key to the series.
The spiral motion of the Taijitu giving rise to the radiance of the Four Images that in turn produce the Eight Bagua. According to the Postnatal Heaven arrangement of bagua, the 'missing' element is thunder:
You must be registered for see images
Which is frequently denoted as being the phase of division. Which would make sense - seeing as the 'key' is supposed to alter the division of forces (though this could be an over-reach).
But the real key is the square in the upper left hand corner.
Here we enter into the world of Japanese Taoism as it merged with Shintoism.
The square is the symbol for the Sun and its goddess, Amaterasu.
The circle is the symbol for the Moon and its god, Tsukuyomi.
The triangle is the symbol for the stars and their god, Susano'o.
You must be registered for see links
"The Sun (Amaterasu, represented by the square), symbolizes our inner light, and rules the day, the state of Divine Presence. When presence is absent, the moon gives light, and rules the night, the state of sleep , in which man spends most of his days. The moon (Tsukuyomi no Mikoto, represented by the circle) symbolizes our ruling faculty or the mind, which Gurdjieff called the steward. It tries to bring us back to the state of presence. Gurdjieff spoke about creating moon in oneself, which means creating a steward, or a faculty in oneself that keeps reminding one to not sleep, but to be present.
.
.
.
In ancient times, the stars were the main means of navigation at sea during the night. Stars (Susano-no-Mikoto, represented by the triangle) symbolize reminders to awaken the God within. When one is submerged in daily activities, one suddenly realizes that one is asleep, and one tells oneself to Be (present). Stars are small sparks of light in the darkness (the state of psychological sleep that we spend most of our waking hours in) that guide us to our destination, the present moment."
Which is a damned good explanation for Infinite Tsukuyomi and provides some interesting insight on how Kishimoto may go about breaking it.
If this does not grab your attention, I really do not know what will.
Obviously, the spiral has been seen elsewhere:
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The Uzumaki represent Taiji.
But who were the Uzumaki?
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"The first known mention of tree spirits is in Japan’s oldest known book, the Kojiki (Record of Thing’s Past) that talks about the tree god Wakunochi-no-kami, second born of the godling brood of Izanagi and Izanami."
If the Juubi or the Holy Tree is to have a name - it will quite possibly be known as Wakunochi. (If Naruto learned the name of the nine tailed beasts - why not the ten tailed one?)
But about the Uzumaki:
"In Aogashima, Izu Islands, people place small shrines at the base of cryptomeria (Japanese cedar) trees and still worship and pray to them. This is said to be the remainders of a nature-worshiping religion that once dominated."
You must be registered for see images
The Uzumaki were the original tenants of the Holy Tree.
They observed its adsorption of natural chakra and from these observations developed seals and rituals that harnessed the flow of natural chakra currents like the Holy Tree. I would wager that the most advanced and developed among all of them would have developed a form similar to 'Sage Mode.'
These were the sages of the natural order. For humans to seek the power of the fruit would be a breach of the natural order.
Enter the Ototosuki - the embodiment of Wuji - the endless nothing, or the endless yet-to-be.
It is the duty of the Ototsuki to select among them a member to consume the fruit and ascend to the realm of the gods. This ancient arrangement has existed since time began - the Ototsuki and Uzumaki acting in concert to preserve the harmony of energy within the universe.
Except Kaguya broke from tradition. Kaguya noticed the sorrow and the struggle of the people:
You must be registered for see images
Birth of A New Philosophy
She fell in love with the world and saw fit to involve herself in the world. Further, she fell in love (most probably with an Uzumaki) and bore two sons. Between them, she divided the power of the fruit.
From this, we get Rikodu - Hagoromo - the Sage of Six Paths; embodiment of Buddhism and the philosophy of ending human suffering.
You must be registered for see links
"As the day of her return approached, the Emperor set many guards around her house to protect her from the Moon people, but when an embassy of "Heavenly Beings" arrived at the door of Taketori no Okina's house, the guards were blinded by a strange light. Kaguya-hime announced that, though she loved her many friends on Earth, she must return with the Moon people to her true home. She wrote sad notes of apology to her parents and to the Emperor, then gave her parents her own robe as a memento. She then took a small taste of the elixir of life, attached it to her letter to the Emperor, and gave it to a guard officer. As she handed it to him, the feather robe was placed on her shoulders, and all of her sadness and compassion for the people of the Earth were forgotten. The heavenly entourage took Kaguya-hime back to Tsuki-no-Miyako ("the Capital of the Moon"), leaving her earthly foster parents in tears."
A feathered robe is called a Hagoromo.
Which is frequently worn by Tennin - the equivalent of Buddhist Angels in Japan:
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"Tennin (天人), which may include tenshi (天使), ten no tsukai (天の使い, lit. heavenly messenger) and the specifically female tennyo (天女) are spiritual beings found in Japanese Buddhism that are similar to western angels, nymphs or fairies.[citation needed] They were imported from Chinese Buddhism,[1] which was influenced itself by the concepts of heavenly beings found in Indian Buddhism and Chinese Taoism."
From Kaguya's sinful and selfish desire to control the events of the world was born Hagoromo (and Hamura - though he is a bit of a wild-card at the moment).
The Sage of Six Paths represents the six paths of Buddhism - the six phases of human suffering.
Thus begins the theme of "suffering" and "pain."
Hagoromo sets in motion a plan to end human suffering. But for that to happen - Kaguya must be removed from the picture. Using his unique powers born to combat human suffering - he attempts to remove Kaguya's compassion for the world so that she can continue where she should.
The attempt backfires, and Kaguya becomes a demon bent on autocratic totalitarian rule.
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Note who is telling the story, here.
Kaguya pursues Infinite Tsukuyomi as a solution to ending the growing discomfort with her power. During the war, she is sealed by a joint task force of Uzumaki sages and Hyuuga (likely a name for a class of Ototsuki warriors or a name assigned to those left behind to safeguard the compassion of Kaguya that had been sealed away) in a process involving the Holy Tree. This is the origin of the Eight Trigrams Seal, the Hyuuga's Caged Bird Seal, and the Dead Demon Consuming Seal - which calls upon the essence of Kaguya to seal away the chakra of those targeted by the Uzumaki.
From this, the Juubi is unwittingly born. Kaguya's will is strong enough to twist and distort the power of the Holy Tree into seeking its chakra fruit.
The Juubi is then sealed by Hagoromo and Hamura.
It is claimed that Black Zetsu was a product of Kaguya's will by Zetsu - but I call attention to this:
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Note the concentric circles denoting the Sage of Six Paths.
The Sage originally developed this method to subvert the will of people. Why? Because his solution is that of subversion. His is the Outer Path - the unnatural path - the path that rejects the natural order.
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"There is a saying in Mahayana Buddhism: "Those who have precepts to break are bodhisattvas; those who have no precepts to break are outer-path followers." Many Buddhists know that receiving the bodhisattva precepts generates great merit, yet they believe this without a real understanding of the profound meaning of the precepts, or of what keeping these precepts entails. "
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GE means outside of, off. DO means bodhi, the buddha's enlightenment, the buddha's truth; again, DO means the way. MA means demon. TO means group.
Ge Do Ma Zo (Zo means "sculpture").
The Sculpture of Demonic Misguidance.
The Sage of Six Paths is Joken Gedo -
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; idealism."Therefore in Buddhism, for example, Master Bokuzan Nishi-ari (1821-1910), a former Abbot of Soji-ji Temple, said in his book, entitled "Shobogenzo Keiteki, or Opening the truth of Shobogenzo," that "Materialism (Danken-Gedo) and Idealism (Joken-Gedo) are enemies against Buddhism." "
The Sage has constantly endeavored to alter the universe to fit his idealism and continually broken the Precepts of Buddhism (or simply not received them in the first place).
He left the Stone Tablet.
He divided up the tailed beasts.
He gave humans chakra.
He sealed the Juubi (and thereby Kaguya).
Then he sends his soul into the future - why? To pass along his powers and convince Sasuke that sealing Kaguya was a good idea (since he suddenly seems to be an expert on Kaguya - makes you wonder what the Sage's conversation with him was about).
Black Zetsu was most likely a creation of Hagoromo, not of Kaguya (whether or not Black Zetsu realizes this is another issue).
Black Zetsu most likely orchestrated the destruction of the Uzumaki, since their techniques were quite a hindrance to the goal of resurrecting Kaguya.
At this point - Ashura and Indra become arbitrary. Indra inherited the 'eyes' of the Juubi while Ashura inherited the 'body' of the Juubi (not the sage, who inherited/embodied the desire of his mother to bring an end to human suffering - hence the Rinnegan). Hence, we get the Rinnegan and the Wood Style, respectively.
To understand the role of the Sage, I reference two particular pages of interest:
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There are many similarities between the Taoist sage and the Buddhist Sage.
"What is the image of the ideal person, the sage (sheng ren), the real person (zhen ren) in the DDJ? Well, sages wu wei, (chs. 2, 63). In this respect, they are like newborn infants, who move naturally, without planning and reliance on the structures given to them by others (ch. 15). The DDJ tells us that sages empty themselves, becoming void of pretense. Sages concentrate their internal energies (qi). They clean their vision (ch. 10). They manifest plainness and become like uncarved wood (pu) (ch. 19). They live naturally and free from desires given by men (ch. 37) They settle themselves and know how to be content (ch. 46). The DDJ makes use of some very famous analogies to drive home its point. Sages know the value of emptiness as illustrated by how emptiness is used in a bowl, door, window, valley or canyon (ch. 11). They preserve the female (yin), meaning that they know how to be receptive and are not unbalanced favoring assertion and action (yang) (ch. 28). They shoulder yin and embrace yang, blend internal energies (qi) and thereby attain harmony (he) (ch. 42). Those following the dao do not strive, tamper, or seek control (ch. 64). They do not endeavor to help life along (ch. 55), or use their heart-mind (xin) to “solve” or “figure out” life’s apparent knots and entanglements (ch. 55). Indeed, the DDJ cautions that those who would try to do something with the world will fail, they will actually ruin it (ch. 29). Sages do not engage in disputes and arguing, or try to prove their point (chs. 22, 81). They are pliable and supple, not rigid and resistive (chs. 76, 78). They are like water (ch. 8), finding their own place, overcoming the hard and strong by suppleness (ch. 36). Sages act with no expectation of reward (chs. 2, 51). They put themselves last and yet come first (ch. 7). They never make a display of themselves, (chs. 72, 22). They do not brag or boast, (chs. 22, 24) and they do not linger after their work is done (ch. 77). They leave no trace (ch. 27). Because they embody dao in practice, they have longevity (ch. 16). They create peace (ch. 32). Creatures do not harm them (chs. 50, 55). Soldiers do not kill them (ch. 50). Heaven (tian) protects the sage and the sage becomes invincible (ch. 67)."
To which, most recently, we have:
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Yeah - I started writing this before this chapter. He doesn't just send his soul into the future. The guy just can't leave things alone.
"-- "There is really no question of any responsibility because I do believe totally, without any reservation, that nothing can happen unless it is God's Will, I certainly don’t mean that in a fatalistic manner. What it means is simply that if there is something for me to do in my daily living, I shall, of course, make a decision on what to do and how to do it. Having made the decision, I shall put in my best effort to make that decision fructify. However, having done that, I know with total certainty that whatever happens, thereafter, will be put OFF MY CONTROL and will depend entirely on the Will of God. I shall be waiting comfortably without any stress and strain for the result of 'my action'. The result could be successful or not successful and, therefore, the consequences of that result would again depend entirely upon God's Will. This is what I call A HAPPENING … a result of my efforts IS in GOD’S HANDS and is HIS WILL that prevails… I am at rest …my mind is tranquil and I TRUST completely in the outcome of my actions as the consequences - good, bad or indifferent – as being God's Will and my DESTINY. There's truly no problem, no avoiding responsibility." I am in peace with myself because I tried my best and the outcome is not in my hands… as I have explained."
The Sage, tasking himself with his mother's goal of bringing peace to people, inherited a power that was not his own and has been using it tirelessly to bring about a specific outcome. As such, he is walking the outer path. He is Gedo, misguided, corrupt, and is ultimately the greatest hindrance to restoring the natural order.
Echoes of Hamura
We know little of Hamura.
However, we can surmise that Hagoromo inherited the power of the fruit and was tasked with resolving human suffering. Perhaps Hamura's section of the fruit contained a different objective. As much as humans lust for peace - they also lust for power.
The Chakra fruit of the tree was likely derived from the natural chakra in the world that the tree had absorbed. It is reasonable to assume that Hamura satisfies the human desire for power by enabling human beings to draw upon nature chakra.
"Like a sage!" - you suggest.
Yes, like a Sage - but without the training and discipline.
"But... wait...."
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Juugo - or, rather, his clan, are quite possibly descendants of Hamura.
Hints of a Grand Conspiracy
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But it goes deeper.
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Kabuto is just be-bopping along, helping Orochimaru in a plot to destroy the village - when he just -happens- to be near Hinata and her injuries act up (that the Leaf doctors couldn't heal)?
Or... perhaps this... Orochimaru character, who seems to know a lot of things, witnessed Hinata's injury and dispatched Kabuto specifically to rectify things?
But why?
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. . . Could he have known?
And what significance would Hinata play?
I defer to a thread I have already created:
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And here:
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Further, I posit that Orochimaru and Itachi were working together all along. Itachi sealed Orochimaru (rather than kill him) in a manner that Sasuke could resurrect him. Further - rather than kill Kabuto - Itachi used a technique to solidify Kabuto's identity and personality as an individual (compared to a pawn).
It is even possible that Danzo was involved in a good portion of this - if not involved, entirely. It was his fight with Sasuke, after all, that caused the light of Sasuke's eyes to fade to the extent that he would need to implant Itachi's eyes to continue (which was necessary to trigger the technique housed within Naruto by Itachi). Though that one could be a bit of an over-reach.
In the end - I surmise that Orochimaru has been a good guy the entire time. In his research, he hit upon the origins of the ninja world. When he fled the village, he inserted himself into the Akatsuki to learn more about the origins of ninja. He left not long after it was arranged to eliminate the Uchiha and for Itachi to be embedded within the Akatsuki. By this point, his research would have already been leading him to the conclusion that the Akatsuki were less knowledgeable than was useful to him, anyway - they were simply the hired muscle with a paranoid leader. That is when he would have begun touching on the properties of nature chakra, the Jugo clan and Uzumaki clan - which would have tied into his earlier work involving the cultivation of Hashirama Senju's power (Tenzo).
Return to Another Tomorrow:
Which leads us all back to the purpose of Naruto - the goal.
In the grander scheme of nature - nothing is truly unnatural nor heretical. Just as Kaguya's decisions led to the development of the Ninja world - so, too, did they solidify a destiny for the one(s) who would return it to the natural order:
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As the mutual guardians/tenants of the tree - both the Hyuuga and the Uzumaki hold the responsibility of bringing in the next natural order.
It was the Uzumaki who safeguarded the secrets of the tree, the arts of the Sage, and the art of sealing away energy. As such, they were destroyed by Black Zetsu and his plot to return Kaguya to the world.
It was the Hyuuga who safeguarded the secret of Kaguya, guarding the portion that was wrought from her being. All but the head branch have their abilities sealed away to prevent them from using the forbidden chakra and slipping down the same path as Kaguya.
This is massive - and I could conceal it within a bunch of spoiler tags - but, I think it is best presented as a contiguous piece intended to be read sequentially as opposed to picked out in chunks.
