On the edge of the canyon, the spectators—the Third Hokage and the others—felt as if their worldview had been shattered as they watched the battle between the three behemoths.
It had all happened too fast, too suddenly, and they were having trouble accepting it.
"I can accept Kaito being that strong, but Nawaki and that Fugaku Uchiha... when did they become so powerful?" Jiraiya grabbed his hair, his face a mask of disbelief.
"Don't ask me, I don't know either," Tsunade looked as if she had seen a ghost. That powerful Wood Style ninjutsu... was it really being used by her own little brother?
"It's obvious that a formidable character beyond our imagination has appeared. It was he who bestowed this extraordinary power, which is beyond the conventional standards of the shinobi world, upon Nawaki and Fugaku Uchiha," Orochimaru said, a corner of his mouth curling up, his eyes glinting with a crazed excitement.
"But who could possibly do such a thing?" the Third Hokage wondered, gazing at the three giants still locked in combat.
"Heh, who knows? We can only wait for him to reveal himself."
Afterward, the Susanoo launched a sneak attack on the Tiga form, and together with the Wood Style Great Buddha, they brought it down.
The onlookers showed expressions of relief. "It looks like Nawaki and Fugaku have won."
The Third Hokage saw Nawaki and Fugaku chatting leisurely by the crater in his crystal ball and couldn't help but smile. "This is the best outcome. Let's go and greet them."
Just as they were about to set off, they were shocked to see Kaito reappear, defeating Nawaki and Fugaku with an unstoppable force.
"This..." The crowd fell silent.
And what happened next was once again far beyond their expectations—Nawaki and Fugaku, who should have been defeated, suddenly shot up and used a never-before-seen ninjutsu to seal Kaito within a giant stone sphere in one fell swoop.
And when the Sage of Six Paths with his Rinnegan appeared afterward, everyone's faces had gone numb.
"Hmph. It seems the person behind the scenes has finally appeared," Orochimaru said with a smile.
"To have such a presence... it's very likely the legendary Sage of Six Paths. I never thought that he, who passed away thousands of years ago, could still intervene and influence the shinobi world," the Third Hokage said in a low voice.
He looked at the sealed Kaito, unsure whether to feel happy or worried.
"But why would the Sage of Six Paths deal with Kaito? It's very strange, isn't it?" Jiraiya's mind was a muddled mess; he could barely think.
In his view, everything Kaito had done indicated that he was the Child of Prophecy. There was no reason for the Sage of Six Paths to act against the Child of Prophecy.
"What's the point of thinking so much? We can just wait for him to come over and explain," Tsunade said, clenching her fists, extremely nervous.
Because Nawaki was still in the hands of that mysterious old man, he might be in danger.
Fortunately, her anxiety did not last long, as she relaxed considerably upon seeing Nawaki appear.
The Sage of Six Paths waved his hand, releasing Nawaki and Fugaku back to the Third Hokage and the others.
Tsunade immediately rushed forward, supporting Nawaki. "Nawaki, are you alright?" she asked with concern.
"I'm fine, sis. I just used up a lot of chakra," Nawaki reassured her.
"You say you're fine, but look at the blood on your face. Here, let me heal you," Tsunade said, making Nawaki sit down without taking no for an answer and began to heal him with medical ninjutsu.
As for Fugaku, who had no one to dote on him, he could only walk over to Minato's side and sit down.
"Fugaku, are you alright?" Minato said with a gentle smile.
"I'm fine, just some superficial wounds." Fugaku sighed. "I feel like I wasn't the one fighting that battle, just a pawn in someone else's hands."
"Don't say that. You still worked very hard."
"..." Fugaku shook his head and looked up at the Sage of Six Paths floating in the air. He and the Third Hokage had already begun to talk.
"May I ask who you are? And why have you sealed the Amekage of the Land of Rain?" the Third Hokage asked in a low voice.
The Sage of Six Paths slowly opened his mouth and introduced himself to the crowd. "Greetings. I am the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the one who founded Ninshu."
"You say you're the Sage of Six Paths. Do you have any proof?" Jiraiya stared at the Sage, speaking bluntly.
"Whether I am the Sage of Six Paths or not, you should already have an answer in your hearts. As for Kaito, his very existence will destroy the shinobi world."
"What?!" Everyone was shocked.
"Are you joking? How could he destroy the shinobi world?" Jiraiya was the first to disbelieve.
"I never joke," the Sage of Six Paths said sternly. "How about this? I will tell you about something that happened a thousand years ago."
"Something that happened a thousand years ago? Does this have to do with Kaito?"
"Be patient. You will understand after I have finished."
Under the intrigued gazes of the crowd, the Sage of Six Paths slowly recounted the events of the past.
"First and foremost, the Otsutsuki clan are not native to this world. They came from outer space."
"Outer space? Beyond this planet?" Orochimaru asked.
"Correct," the Sage of Six Paths said. "Thousands of years ago, a woman named Kaguya Otsutsuki came here and planted the God Tree. This tree not only devoured all the energy on the planet but also used all living beings as fertilizer, binding them to its branches. After a thousand years, it finally bore the God Tree Fruit."
"After Kaguya Otsutsuki consumed the God Tree Fruit, she became the god who ruled over all creation. But her actions were against the laws of nature and were cursed by humanity, from which two children were born. I am the elder of the two."
"So there's such a history? From the looks of it now, Kaguya Otsutsuki is no longer around. Did you two brothers defeat your own mother? How filial," Orochimaru said with a cold smile.
"Yes." The Sage of Six Paths was not angered. He nodded. "My brother Hamura and I both believed our mother's actions were wrong. Unfortunately, our mother did not agree with us and even attacked us, wanting to take back our power. Hamura and I were forced to fight back."
"At that time, even though Hamura and I had inherited a considerable amount of our mother's power, we were still no match for her. She had already become an immortal and indestructible being. That battle lasted for several months before a victor was decided. We joined forces and used [Planetary Devastation] to seal our mother away. That is the moon you see today."
"What?! The moon was created by your ninjutsu?" The crowd was utterly astounded.
Tsunade looked at the stone sphere that had appeared in the sky and murmured, "The jutsu you used to seal Kaito was the same one."
"Correct."
"Why? Why would you treat him like that? What did he do wrong?" Jiraiya said indignantly.
"Because, like the Otsutsuki clan, he is an outsider. He also possesses the power of a god. Once he fully matures, he will completely change the shinobi world, and even ninjutsu itself will cease to exist."
The Sage of Six Paths said gravely, "That is the reason."