"I inform you of these matters not to seal your fate," the Sage of Six Paths interrupted their thoughts, his voice carrying a hint of urgency.
"But rather, I hope you understand the origin. The battle outside has reached a moment of life and death.
The power of the Six Paths far exceeds expectations. You must understand yourselves and each other as soon as possible... The true battlefield awaits you."
As his voice fell, the Sage of Six Paths's gaze fell upon Naruto and Sasuke, who had not yet fully processed this shocking secret.
In the mental space, Naruto's words carried an unquestionable firmness, and golden chakra fluctuated slightly around him.
He looked directly into the deep eyes of the Sage of Six Paths.
"Sage, I believe what you said. The reincarnation of chakra, the grudge between Ashura and Indra... these might all be true.
But in this life, it's me, Naruto, and Sasuke!"
He paused, turning his gaze to Sasuke beside him, his mouth curling into that signature smile.
"This guy and I have been rivals, friends, and... brothers since the Shinobi Academy! We've come all this way, but between us, there is no such life-and-death fated conflict like you described!"
Sasuke's tightly pursed lips relaxed slightly, Naruto's figure reflected in his purple Rinnegan.
He nodded, his voice low but clear: "Yeah. I admit, the moment I saw this guy suddenly gain such powerful strength, jealousy almost made me lose myself. It was Nii-san who woke me up in time."
He clenched his fist, the light of realization flashing in his Rinnegan.
"Power, I will pursue it! But I will do it in my own way, relying on my own efforts to catch up to him step by step! I will never repeat the mistakes of my ancestors and let this power become the root of destruction."
The Sage of Six Paths quietly listened to the declarations of the two young juniors.
For a thousand years, he had witnessed the endless cycle of struggle between the reincarnations of Indra and Ashura's chakra; that obsession and hatred seemed etched into the very nature of chakra.
Yet at this moment, these two boys before him, with the purest intentions and most direct words, severed the shackles that had been entangled for a millennium.
An indescribable emotion softened his ancient face, finally condensing into a deeply gratified and even relieved smile.
"That... would naturally be for the best." The Sage of Six Paths's voice seemed to shed a massive burden, becoming exceptionally gentle.
"I never expected that this karmic grudge lasting a thousand years would reach its end in your generation in such a... simple and pure way.
The chakra of Indra and Ashura chose you, yet you have transcended the fate carried by the chakra itself. Good... truly good."
The Sage of Six Paths gazed at the pair of reincarnations of Indra and Ashura before him; they shone with an awareness that transcended the bonds of fate.
"Very good..." The Sage of Six Paths's voice seemed to travel through a thousand years of time, carrying a hint of weariness but being incredibly solemn, "Children, step forward."
Naruto and Sasuke did as told, standing before the Sage of Six Paths.
The Sage of Six Paths slowly raised both hands, palms facing up.
"Though I have passed away, the remnant power of this body was reconsolidated to protect the Shinobi World." The Sage of Six Paths's voice was low and full of power.
"At this moment, I entrust this power to the two of you. I hope you can use it well to lead the Shinobi World through this calamity."
Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other; no words were needed, as they saw each other's determination and trust.
Without the slightest hesitation, they simultaneously reached out their palms and firmly pressed them against the palms of the Sage of Six Paths, which were covered in the marks of time.
The moment their four palms met, a warm and massive flow of energy began to pour into Naruto and Sasuke's bodies.
The golden-red Nine-Tails chakra cloak on Naruto seemed to be injected with new life, becoming even more dazzling and radiant, faintly emitting a holy glow;
Meanwhile, Sasuke's newly acquired Rinnegan fluctuated violently, its purple light swirling endlessly as if resonating deeply with this power, his Ocular Power growing and transforming at high speed.
However, the Sage of Six Paths let out a heavy sigh in his heart.
He clearly perceived that the power he had re-accumulated was far too meager compared to Obito, who possessed the perfect Six Paths Power and was surrounded by nine Truth-Seeking Orbs on the battlefield, as well as The Collector.
'How can this little bit of power... be enough?' This thought lingered in his mind.
He knew that this power might allow them to resist temporarily, but it was far from enough to completely turn the tide.
But the arrow was already on the string; there was no turning back.
"There is no other way..." The Sage of Six Paths suppressed the hint of helplessness in his heart, his eyes becoming firm again.
He injected the last trace of his power into Naruto and Sasuke without reservation and said in a deep voice.
"Go, children! The future of the Shinobi World is in your hands!"
Just as the light in the mental space began to flicker and the figure of the Sage of Six Paths was about to dissipate.
A flash of inspiration struck Sasuke's mind, and a question that had been obscured by the intense combat and the impact of power suddenly surfaced.
"Wait!" Sasuke's voice carried a hint of urgency, interrupting the space's dissipation process, "One more question... the previous generation of Ashura and Indra reincarnations, who were they?"
The Sage of Six Paths's gaze fell on Sasuke, as if he had long expected this question.
He spoke calmly: "The previous generation's Indra chakra reincarnation was Uchiha Madara. And the corresponding Ashura chakra reincarnation was Senju Hashirama."
The answer exploded in Sasuke's heart like a thunderclap, yet it was also within expectations.
In an instant, all the various clues from the past seemed to be linked by an invisible thread.
He remembered when the Allied Forces were discussing the ownership of the Rinnegan, only he had a strong resonance with those eyes.
"So that's how it is..." Sasuke whispered, his three-tomoe Sharingan spinning unconsciously, as if echoing the distant source of his bloodline.
"Uchiha Madara... Hashirama... the previous generation of Indra and Ashura... their fated battle was the legend of the Valley of the End!"
At this moment, he completely understood why he could perfectly adapt to and fuse with Madara's Rinnegan.
Because they were both reincarnations of this generation's Indra chakra!
This was no coincidence, but a fated connection deeply rooted at the bottom of his bloodline and soul.
Madara's eyes, to Sasuke who flowed with the same source of Indra's power, were like a part of his own body, naturally able to resonate and be used.
What he inherited was not just Madara's eyes, but the continuation of that millennium-long entanglement of fate and power originating from Ōtsutsuki Indra.
This realization filled Sasuke's heart with mixed emotions, both the heavy sense of fate's shackles and an unprecedentedly clear understanding.
The Sage of Six Paths looked at Sasuke's enlightened expression and nodded slightly: "The bond of blood, the trajectory of fate... this is the root of your resonance with Madara's eyes. But remember, child, you are no longer the Indra of the past."
As his voice fell, the figure of the Sage of Six Paths completely turned into points of light and dissipated, but the power he injected surged and galloped within Sasuke's body.
Sasuke felt his Ocular Power transforming at an unprecedented speed, a deeper and more powerful force awakening in his bloodline.
He opened his eyes, and the desperate battlefield scene of the Allied Forces in the real world came back into view, but his gaze was sharper and firmer than before.
In reality.
Obito hovered in mid-air, nine pitch-black Truth-Seeking Orbs circling him like satellites, emitting a suffocating pressure.
He clearly perceived the giant figure rising from the ground into the clouds, the terrifying power contained within that Wood Release: Shinsu Senju covered in blue, green, and red Susanoo armor.
This power was so vast that it far exceeded the ordinary Super Kage level and even faintly touched the threshold of a higher level, causing a flicker of genuine surprise to cross the heart of Obito, who possessed the Six Paths Power.
"Hmph..."
Obito let out an ambiguous snort, that trace of surprise quickly replaced by absolute self-confidence, which then turned into a cold sneer.
"What an impressive struggle, Hashirama, Madara... and you Uchiha ants.
Forcibly blending Senjutsu, Wood Release, and Susanoo Ocular Power in this way...
Unfortunately, before the true power of a god, all efforts are but futile wails of sorrow!"
There was no fear in his eyes, only a cold indifference and mockery as if looking down at ants.
In the next moment, the tiny Six Paths figure turned into a stream of light and boldly crashed into the heaven-and-earth-standing giant!
The battle erupted instantly, but the scene was not an evenly matched fierce fight, but a one-sided devastation.
The thousands of giant arms of the True Several Thousand Hands, each strike enough to shake mountains, carried the destructive energy of Senjutsu chakra and Susanoo Ocular Power, smashing toward Obito like a blanket covering the sky.
However, the Truth-Seeking Orbs surrounding Obito suddenly changed shape, either turning into indestructible pitch-black shields, extending into peerless sharp spears, or instantly expanding into a massive barrier.
"Boom! Boom! Boom-rumble!"
Deafening explosions resounded through the desert.
Every collision between the giant arms and the Truth-Seeking Orbs erupted in blinding energy turbulence and shockwaves enough to tear through space.
The earth wailed, and the sky changed color.
But the fire of hope that had just risen in the eyes of the Allied Forces was quickly extinguished before the cruel reality.
They saw:
The giant Senjutsu Wood Release fists containing Natural Energy struck the Truth-Seeking Orb shields, only stirring a circle of violent ripples before being easily deflected; even the fist tips began to disintegrate and annihilate the moment they touched.
Under the cutting and piercing of the Truth-Seeking Orbs, the tri-colored Susanoo armor let out an overburdened wail, cracks spreading like a spiderweb.
The blue part representing Madara was the first to become dim and shattered, followed by the red area of Itachi, which also fluctuated violently and was on the verge of collapse.
Only Shisui's deep green Susanoo power was the most resilient, but it too was covered in cracks, its light flickering uncertainly.
Huge holes were constantly blasted into the massive body of the Shinsu Senju by the Truth-Seeking Orbs, wood chips flying and Senjutsu chakra dissipating.
Although it was rapidly regenerating and repairing itself by virtue of its massive volume and the tenacity of the fused energy, the speed of regeneration was far behind the speed of destruction.
Every repair became more difficult, and the giant's movements grew increasingly sluggish.
Obito's figure moved through the gaps of the giant arms like a ghost, the nine Truth-Seeking Orbs moving as if they were his own limbs, integrating offense and defense.
He easily avoided the giant's main attack points, using the Truth-Seeking Orbs to precisely dismantle the giant's joint energy nodes.
Every strike was like tearing off a large piece of flesh from the giant.
In the center of the battlefield, that ultimate creation—a fusion of the First Hokage, Madara, and the Ocular Power of two top Uchiha geniuses—which symbolized the last hope of the Allied Forces.
Was being ruthlessly dismantled and ravaged by Six Paths Obito with an absolute power advantage.
Although it had not yet completely collapsed and was still swinging its fists in a tenacious struggle driven by Hashirama's unyielding will, everyone understood.
Its disintegration was only a matter of time.
The tiny figure of Six Paths Obito hovering in the air, in the process of overwhelmingly suppressing a giant millions of times larger than himself, emitted a desperate divine radiance.
At this moment, in the eyes of the Shinobi Allied Forces, he was no longer just a "powerful enemy," but truly like a god, possessing an absolute power that was matchless and overturned all known logic.
Hashirama gritted his teeth, the Senjutsu markings on his face fluctuating violently, sweat beads forming on his forehead;
Madara's Sharingan stared fixedly at Obito, filled with unwillingness and anger, yet unable to hide a hint of solemnity when facing a higher level of power;
The bodies of Shisui and Itachi trembled from the continuous output of Ocular Power...
In this suffocating moment of despair, two weak yet entirely new and different energy fluctuations quietly awakened at the edge of the battlefield.
Finally, despite Hashirama, Madara, Shisui, and Itachi pouring in all their strength.
Even the Tri-colored Susanoo-Armored Giant Buddha, constructed by fusing Mangekyo Ocular Power, collapsed with a bang under the bombardment of Six Paths Obito's nine matchless Truth-Seeking Orbs, like a sandcastle torn apart by a wild wind!
Wooden fragments and the energy remains of the Susanoo fell to the earth like a rainstorm, the giant Buddha that symbolized the Allied Forces' last hope completely reduced to nothing.
Six Paths Obito hovered in mid-air, nine pitch-black Truth-Seeking Orbs circling his body like satellites, a nearly cruel smile of satisfaction finally appearing on his cold face.
Below, the members of the Allied Forces witnessed this overwhelming defeat; despair, like tangible ice, instantly froze everyone's hearts and blood.
Even the Edo Tensei First Hokage, Hashirama, now furrowed his brows tightly; his Edo body limited his peak power, and facing this perfect Six Paths Power, he seemed to have no more options.
The battlefield fell into a dead silence, with only the destructive aura emitted by the Truth-Seeking Orbs silently permeating the air.
Just at this suffocating moment when the Allied Forces' will was on the verge of collapse!
A dazzling golden light, as if tearing through the night of despair, rose into the sky from the edge of the battlefield without warning!
That light was pure and intense, containing unimaginable energy fluctuations, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
The next moment, a massive object with a diameter far exceeding the ordinary, its scale and sense of pressure even comparable to the "Ultimate Tailed Beast Bomb" previously fired by the Ten-Tails.
Carrying an aura that crushed everything, it streaked across the sky at a speed exceeding the limits of vision, shooting straight toward Six Paths Obito hovering in the air!