The Sage of the Six Paths (六道仙人, Rikudō Sennin) was the legendary figure who founded the arts of ninjutsu and created the ninja world. He defeated the Ten-Tails and sealed it within his own body, thus becoming the first jinchūriki.
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Background Edit
According to Jiraiya, the Sage was a monk who appeared long ago in an age of endless war. He was the first to discover the truth of chakra, and with it he tried to lead the world to an era of peace instead of conflict. He travelled across the land, spreading his ideal and religion, the Shinobi Sect (忍宗, Ninshū), which eventually came to be known as ninjutsu. His great deeds and ultimate desire to bring peace to the war-torn world made him widely known as the Saviour of this World (この世の救世主, Kono Yo no Kyūseishu).[1][2]
Centuries ago, the sage defeated the most powerful demon in the ninja world, the Ten-Tails, and was praised as a god for the virtue of his victory. In order to protect the world from the Ten-Tails, the Sage developed a certain technique to seal the beast within his own body, giving him the ability to harness and control its overwhelming power; he became the first jinchūriki. However, this offered only a temporary solution. In the event of his death, the seal would break and the Ten-Tails would once again be unleashed upon the world.[3]
Aware of his impending fate, the Sage used Creation of All Things (万物創造, Banbutsu Sōzō) to divide the Ten-Tails' chakra into nine individual constructs that would become known as the tailed beasts. As a final precaution, he used Chibaku Tensei to entomb the physical remains of the Ten-Tails body within a gigantic stone prison, which he hurled into the heavens, creating the moon.[4][5] It is later revealed that the Sage gave names to these beasts.[6][7] The Sage would leave behind a tablet for his descendants, detailing the history of his struggle with the beast. Only those who possess the Rinnegan can fully decipher the contents of the tablet, while a reader with a lesser dōjutsu can still partially interpret the information.[8] Some time after creating the tailed beasts, the Sage told them that they would be together even when separated, and that one day they would again be a single entity.[9]
The Sage's ultimate wish was to establish peace across the world, but it was a goal that would never be achieved in a single lifetime. Knowing this, he chose to entrust his strength, dream and legacy to his two sons. The older son, who inherited the Sage's "eyes" (his powerful chakra and spiritual energy), believed that power was the true key to peace. The younger son, who inherited the Sage's "body" (his powerful will and physical energy), believed that love was the true key to peace. On his deathbed, the Sage chose his younger son to be his successor. Overcome by bitterness and envy, the older son attacked the younger, beginning a war between them. Their feud would continue on through their descendants: the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan.[10]
