The Outer Path (外道, Gedō) is one of the seven abilities of the Six Paths Technique granted to the wielder of the Rinnegan, standing out from the other six Paths. It grants the user the power to control and transcend life and death.^[1] With this power, the user is able to revive the dead, transmit their chakra into black receivers, and manifest chakra chains.

Overview

One who wields the Rinnegan is said to exist outside the realm of life and death. They are regarded as the seventh Pain, the Outer Path, and wield the power to control life and death itself. With this power, the user is able to revive the dead through the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique,^[2] though doing so comes at the cost of the user's life.^[3]

The Rinnegan allows for the creation of black receivers,^[4] and by transmitting their chakra into these receivers, the user can bind anyone they touch through the power of the Outer Path. The user can also manifest the chakra chains of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to restrain those who touch the receivers with an even greater binding power.^[5] By implanting black receivers into corpses or reincarnated individuals, the user can reanimate and remotely control the bodies as the Six Paths of Pain. These bodies, as well as the King of Hell and the creatures summoned through the Animal Path, all have reflections of the Rinnegan in their eyes and share visual information with the user through the Outer Path.^[6][7]

During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki demonstrated the ability to recall the souls of the previous Kage from the Pure Land to assist him in summoning Team 7 and the tailed beasts back from Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's core dimension.^[8] When summoned in this manner, the deceased person does not have an actual body, but appears as a mass of flickering chakra in full possession of their personality and memories. Once the user ends the technique, the summoned souls dwindle and ultimately disappear completely. Hagoromo was also able to undo another person's use of the Impure World Reincarnation technique, releasing the reincarnated souls from their vessels and sending them to the Pure Land.^[9]

Trivia

• Gedō (外道, literally meaning: Outer Path), derived from the Sanskrit Tīrthika, refers to any doctrine which "treads the outer path" to enlightenment. This is opposed to the teachings of orthodox Buddhism, the Naidō (内道, literally meaning: Inner Path), and is thus considered misguided and heretical.
• The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path may have some relation to this technique, as it shares the same name. Madara Uchiha is responsible for giving the statue its name.^[10]
• Some abilities of the Outer Path may only be available to those who are truly alive themselves, as Madara in his reincarnated state required another living Rinnegan wielder to revive him.^[11]
• Naruto Uzumaki referred to the control of the Six Paths of Pain as an Outer Path Technique (外道の術, Gedō no Jutsu, Viz: Gedo Jutsu).^[7]
• Kabuto Yakushi noted that he could force Nagato to remove a person's soul with the Human Path, then store both their body and soul inside the King of Hell with the Naraka Path and revive them at a later time. However, it is unknown if this involves the Outer Path, as the process was interrupted.^[12]

References