"Fugaku, nice one!"
Nawaki shouted in excitement. Seeing the Tiga form fall, he immediately seized the opportunity, controlling the Great Buddha's arms to clench into fists and once again smash down violently.
"Sage Art: Buddha's Top Knot Barrage!"
Unleashing the barrage again, he hammered a deep, massive crater into the canyon, changing the very landscape.
Seeing this, Fugaku, his eyes aching, deactivated his Susanoo and landed in the distance.
When the Great Buddha finally stopped, there was no longer any trace of the Tiga form on the ground.
"Did... did we succeed?" Nawaki panted.
After using [Sage Art: Buddha's Top Knot Barrage] twice in a row, even with Hashirama Senju's chakra, he couldn't hold out any longer and released the Wood Style.
Without the support of his chakra, the Great Buddha collapsed with a roar, turning into real wood.
Nawaki regrouped with Fugaku. They stood at the edge of the giant crater, looking down, but they couldn't find any sign of Kaito.
"Don't tell me he's buried in there and can't get out?"
Nawaki said in a daze, "Does this mean we won?"
"Yes. We won," Fugaku said with a smile, nodding.
"Hahaha, that's great! I finally beat Master Kaito!" Nawaki shouted joyfully.
"Ah, shoot, we should hurry and find Master Kaito. It'll be bad if we're too late."
"..." Fugaku closed his eyes slightly. "Nawaki, are you sure you want to save him?"
"What are you talking about, Fugaku?" Nawaki asked, puzzled. "This is just a competition. We don't have to kill Master Kaito, do we? Aren't Konoha and the Rain Village allies?"
"But we just spent so much effort to defeat him. I believe that in a few more years, he will truly be invincible. If he wants to do something, no one will be able to stop him," Fugaku said coldly.
"Then we'll just have to beat him again when that time comes." Nawaki grinned, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. "Master Kaito will get stronger, and I will keep getting stronger too. Because I will definitely become the Hokage!"
"..." Fugaku looked at Nawaki in surprise, then smiled and shook his head. "That's you, Nawaki. I believe you. You can definitely become the Hokage."
"Heh heh, me too. Alright, let's hurry and find Master Kaito."
"Right. How about we call Lord Hokage and the others to help? It'll be more efficient."
"Good idea."
Just as they were about to move, a familiar voice sounded, making them freeze on the spot.
"No need to trouble yourselves. I'm not going to die that easily."
Kaito stood behind them, a smile on his face. "I'm touched that you want to save me. But, I'm sorry, you haven't beaten me yet. So, I'll go a little easy on you in a bit, so you'll pass out without feeling much pain. Be grateful, little brothers."
The scene just now had seemed terrifying, but in reality, it had only destroyed the Tiga form that Kaito had spent a considerable amount of plate energy to create. His own body had not been harmed much.
"Hiss~" Seeing Kaito completely unscathed, Nawaki and Fugaku both sucked in a breath of cold air.
"Don't be afraid, Nawaki," Fugaku said calmly. "Like us, his chakra must be running low. We still have a chance!"
"Right!" Nawaki took a deep breath and said loudly, "I won't give up! We will be the victors!"
"Heh heh, whatever makes you happy. So, fall for me!"
Kaito let out a soft chuckle, his figure blurring and instantly appearing behind the two of them, his hands pressing down.
Nawaki and Fugaku fell to the ground without any resistance, their faces slamming hard into the earth, instantly drawing blood.
"Oops, sorry, my hand slipped," Kaito said, squinting, his voice full of apology. "I'll end your suffering quickly. See you at the hospital."
He raised his arm, just about to deliver a [Hell Funeral Hand Blade] to each of the two lying on the ground, but in that instant, he sensed a strange fluctuation.
Before he had time to figure out what it was, the two who should have been unable to fight back shot up as if reanimated, simultaneously raising their hands and slapping them onto Kaito's body.
Time seemed to stand still. The next moment, the ground trembled and shattered.
All the rubble, as if attracted by a magnet, rushed towards the still-stunned Kaito.
"This is... Planetary Devastation?!"
Fugaku and Nawaki leaped back, watching with astonishment as Kaito's body was covered in rubble, slowly forming a giant stone sphere.
"What's going on? Why did my body move on its own? And what is this jutsu?!" Nawaki asked, bewildered.
Fugaku looked at his own palm and said coldly, "Madara Uchiha, was this a trap you set? What is your and the First Hokage's purpose?"
"Fugaku, are you saying..." Nawaki said in disbelief. "No way. My great-grandfather would never do something like that."
"It has nothing to do with those two. I was the one behind all of this." Suddenly, an old man radiating a soft white light appeared before Nawaki and Fugaku.
He wore a white robe adorned with a pattern of six magatama.
His face was ancient, with a long beard. Besides his Rinnegan eyes, a red Rinnegan was also embedded in his forehead.
"That's... the Rinnegan?" Fugaku was shocked.
"Old man, who are you?" Nawaki asked.
"My name is Hagoromo Otsutsuki. You are accustomed to calling me the Sage of Six Paths," the Sage of Six Paths replied with a gentle smile.
"The Sage of Six Paths? You're the legendary Sage of Six Paths who founded Ninshu?" Fugaku said in disbelief.
"Yes, it is I, the one who founded Ninshu and spread the seeds of chakra throughout the shinobi world."
"But didn't the Sage of Six Paths die long ago?"
"I did indeed die long ago," the Sage of Six Paths replied. "But my chakra has not disappeared. I have been silently watching over you all."
"Then, a venerable being such as yourself, why did you use our hands to deal with Kaito?" Fugaku said in a low voice. "Wouldn't it have been better to remain an observer?"
"Because this concerns the very survival of the shinobi world."
"The survival of the shinobi world?" The two looked at each other. "Are you saying Kaito will destroy the shinobi world?"
"I will explain the specific reasons to you in detail. However, there are others who are qualified to know of this matter, so I will tell you all at once. Come with me."
With that, the Sage of Six Paths gently raised his arm, and Nawaki and Fugaku floated into the air, flying with him towards the direction of the Third Hokage and the others.
"Are we just going to leave like this?" Fugaku pointed to the giant sphere in the sky. "Shouldn't we do something about him?"
"No need. He has been caught in my [Six Paths: Planetary Devastation]. Even he has no way of getting out."
"..."