Madara's low voice carried a tremor that even he hadn't noticed, as if he were confirming an absurd fact.
"This brat... can actually activate my 'Limbo'!"
He was absolutely certain of his judgment.
If the attacks from that shadow world hadn't been precise and lethal enough to threaten Obito in his perfect Six Paths form, the latter would never have chosen to dodge while holding an overwhelming advantage.
Madara saw the abruptness of that movement and the momentary shock clearly.
However, after the immense shock came a deeper confusion that felt almost absurd to him.
"Why?" Madara's thoughts raced as his past experiences flashed through his mind.
Nagato, the Uzumaki descendant who had possessed his Rinnegan for many years, was powerful and could even control the Ten-Tails as a Jinchuriki, yet he had never demonstrated the power of Limbo: Border Jail.
Obito, who possessed his other Rinnegan and was also of Uchiha blood, even merging with the Ten-Tails to achieve his current Six Paths Power, had never touched even a fraction of this shadow world.
Why was it specifically this wet-behind-the-ears Sasuke?
A young boy who had only just come into contact with the Rinnegan and wasn't even fully familiar with its power yet?
Madara's gaze swept like a hawk's over Sasuke's heterochromatic eyes; the right eye was his own Rinnegan, while the left was a Mangekyo Sharingan that had evolved into a Hexagram Pattern.
The combination of these eyes was itself full of mystery.
"Perhaps this brat has a bloodline power that is more compatible with mine?"
Unaware that both he and Sasuke were reincarnations of Indra's chakra, Madara could only speculate.
Takuno, on the other hand, wore an intrigued look; he knew that Sasuke was definitely more suited for that eye than anyone besides Madara.
But even he hadn't expected Sasuke to be able to use the unique ability contained within that eye.
Limbo: Border Jail!
However, seeing Sasuke panting, Takuno realized that even if Sasuke could use it, it wasn't his own eye after all.
Therefore, he wouldn't be able to bear the consumption; he could probably only use it a few times.
And that wouldn't be enough to deal with Six Paths Obito.
Although Six Paths Obito was surprised by that invisible attack, he soon realized it was Sasuke's ability.
That power wasn't a direct impact of chakra, but rather a kind of interference that transcended physical laws, acting directly on him and forcing him back.
He wasn't sure if this was a unique ocular technique of Sasuke's newly awakened hexagram Mangekyo Sharingan or some unknown ability brought by his right Rinnegan.
After all, those eyes incorporated Madara's Rinnegan, containing power that Madara himself might not have fully mastered during his lifetime.
However, seeing Sasuke's current state—his rapid breathing and even his body trembling slightly from the immense drain—Obito understood.
The opponent definitely couldn't use an attack of this level continuously; he might not even be able to sustain a second one.
This power was not without its flaws.
More importantly, although the attack itself was formless and its trajectory hard to capture, with Six Paths-level sensory perception, Obito wasn't entirely "blind" to it.
At the moment the attack approached, he did indeed catch a very faint "shadow" trajectory, like a distortion in space.
Although this clue was brief and blurry, it was enough for him to establish a preliminary counter-mechanism.
As long as it wasn't a completely unknown and imperceptible attack, there was no need for too much concern.
His nine Truth-Seeking Orbs still circled his body, emitting an indestructible absolute defensive field sufficient to handle any visible or "tangible" threat.
Obito's gaze locked onto Sasuke again, a hint of realization and contempt flashing in his cold Rinnegan.
A newly born power might be dazzling, but its foundation was unstable and its consumption massive; before an absolute gap in strength, it was nothing more than a fleeting struggle.
He wanted to see just how much longer this brat, who had inherited Madara's eyes, could struggle.
Naruto didn't hesitate for a second, decisively sharing his surging Nine-Tails chakra with Sasuke like a flood.
Feeling this pure and vast power pour into his body, the severe depletion Sasuke had suffered from frequent use of his Rinnegan abilities was instantly replenished, and his nearly exhausted chakra pool refilled.
"Sasuke!"
Naruto gave a low shout, and the golden chakra cloak on his body suddenly erupted with an even more brilliant and dazzling light.
This light wasn't static; it spread outward rapidly like a shockwave, making even the air tremble as it passed.
Under everyone's shocked gazes, this vast chakra finally took shape.
A colossal golden Nine-Tails rose from the ground, its majesty and sense of power far exceeding any previous form—it was the manifestation of the Kurama Sage Mode that Naruto had fully mastered!
Sasuke stood atop the golden Nine-Tails' head, his left hexagram Mangekyo Sharingan spinning rapidly as crimson blood trickled down his cheek.
He realized with absolute clarity that even if Naruto had gained such powerful new strength, Naruto alone would never be able to defeat Obito, who now possessed perfect Six Paths Power and controlled nine Truth-Seeking Orbs.
"Susanoo!"
Sasuke roared in a low voice, pouring out the Nine-Tails chakra shared by Naruto and his own Ocular Power without reservation.
An astonishing scene unfolded: the deep and powerful purple chakra energy, as if alive, first surged from the golden Nine-Tails' massive feet and rapidly spread upward to cover it!
Purple chakra skeletal armor materialized and solidified on the golden Nine-Tails' body at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In an instant, the golden Nine-Tails that pierced the heavens was completely encased in a layer of heavy, majestic, purple-glowing Perfect Susanoo armor!
Majestic Attire: Nine-Tails!
This ultimate combined Ninjutsu, which integrated the infinite chakra and destructive power of the Kurama Sage Mode Nine-Tails with the absolute defense and attack amplification granted by the Mangekyo Sharingan...
...had finally made its shocking descent onto the final battlefield between the Shinobi Allied Forces and Six Paths Obito!
The golden beast, clad in purple divine armor, emitted a terrifying pressure that eclipsed heaven and earth, pointing a Blade of Susanoo directly at Six Paths Obito, who hovered in the air ahead.
"Oh? Impressive power, but... still not enough!" Six Paths Obito snorted at the sight.
Six Paths Obito's cold gaze swept over the Majestic Attire: Nine-Tails beast formed by the golden Nine-Tails clad in deep purple Susanoo armor, his lips curling into a disdainful arc.
Naruto's spirited roar and Sasuke's sharp gaze didn't move him in the slightest.
In the next instant, his figure vanished from the spot like a ghost.
"He's coming!"
Sasuke's hexagram Mangekyo Sharingan spun rapidly, capturing Obito's near-instantaneous trajectory.
However, even with his current Ocular Power, he could only barely keep up with the opponent's speed.
Rumble!
Obito didn't use any fancy Ninjutsu; he simply smashed his fist, wrapped in dense Six Paths Power and a pitch-black Truth-Seeking Orb, toward the head of the Majestic Attire: Nine-Tails without any frills.
The air was compressed into a sharp sonic boom.
Naruto roared as he controlled the Nine-Tails' giant claw to meet the attack, while Sasuke pushed the Susanoo armor to its limits for defense.
Bang!
The deafening sound of the impact echoed across the entire desert.
The seemingly indestructible Majestic Attire: Nine-Tails was actually sent sliding back dozens of meters by this single punch, carving two deep trenches into the ground.
The Susanoo armor covering the Nine-Tails' head made an ear-piercing cracking sound as fine fissures instantly spread.
"So heavy!" Naruto felt as if he'd been hit by a mountain, and the Nine-Tails chakra momentarily became turbulent.
"Sasuke!"
"Don't get distracted! His strength is far beyond imagination!"
Sasuke's left hexagram spun frantically.
"Is this all you've got?" Obito hovered in the air, his voice cold.
"Your so-called bonds are nothing more than a laughable struggle in the face of absolute power."
He opened his fingers, and two pitch-black Truth-Seeking Orbs broke from their orbiting circle, instantly transforming into two massive black rods.
Carrying an aura of total destruction, they pierced toward the heart and head of the Majestic Attire: Nine-Tails like two bolts of black lightning.
"Kurama!"
Naruto roared as the massive Nine-Tails' body erupted with blinding golden light. Its nine tails lashed out wildly, gathering an unprecedented amount of chakra in an attempt to form a super-sized Tailed Beast Bomb to counterattack.
Simultaneously, Sasuke's Susanoo erupted with even stronger chakra; the purple ribs and muscle textures became more solid as a massive Susanoo sword condensed in its hand to strike the incoming black rods.
However, Obito's attack was faster and more lethal!
Rip!
One of the black rods was barely parried and deflected by the Susanoo sword, but the other pierced through the hurriedly condensed Tailed Beast chakra defense layer and Susanoo armor on the chest of the Majestic Attire: Nine-Tails as easily as if it were thin paper!
If Sasuke hadn't used a Limbo Shadow at the last second to force a change in the black rod's angle, causing it to pierce the shoulder instead of the Nine-Tails' core area, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
"Ugh!"
Intense pain fed back to both Naruto and Sasuke simultaneously. A massive hole appeared in the shoulder made of Nine-Tails chakra, with terrifying disintegration and annihilation power still lingering at the edges.
The massive body of the Majestic Attire: Nine-Tails stumbled, nearly falling to one knee.
"Naruto! Sasuke!" Minato, Kakashi, and the others on the distant battlefield were filled with anguish.
Kakashi's Kamui Sharingan spun violently with anxiety, but he couldn't find any opening to interfere in a battle of this level.
Reanimated Hashirama tried to gather Senjutsu chakra, but the limitations of his reanimated body prevented him from exerting his full strength.
Madara's expression was also exceptionally grave; he knew better than anyone how powerful Obito was right now.
"Do you see it now?" Obito's voice was like ice.
"Before true divine power, your cobbled-together strength is as fragile as it is pathetic. You don't even have the right to make me get serious."
He slowly raised his hand, and more Truth-Seeking Orbs gathered and transformed in his palm, emitting waves of despair-inducing destruction.
Inside the Majestic Attire: Nine-Tails, Naruto gritted his teeth against the intense pain. The Nine-Tails chakra struggled to repair the wound on the shoulder, but the speed was far slower than usual; the damage caused by the Truth-Seeking Orb contained destruction on a fundamental level.
Stabbing pains shot through Sasuke's right Rinnegan. Forcing the use of Limbo to block the Truth-Seeking Orb attack had been a massive drain, and his left hexagram was bloodshot from high-speed analysis.
The dark clouds of despair once again hung heavily over the heart of every Shinobi witnessing this battle.
Naruto and Sasuke stood within the head of the Majestic Attire: Nine-Tails, their heavy breathing mixed with the burning sensation of excessive chakra consumption.
Before them, Six Paths Obito hovered in the air, nine pitch-black Truth-Seeking Orbs circling him like absolute laws.
Despair, like a cold tide, was about to completely submerge the Allied Forces' last hope.
"If this continues... we will surely lose!" Naruto's golden Kurama Sage Mode eyes burned with an unyielding fire, his voice hoarse but exceptionally firm.
"Hmph, obviously."
Sasuke's right eye, that newly awakened Rinnegan, shimmered with an eerie purple light, while the hexagram Mangekyo in his left eye reflected Obito's near-invincible figure. His cold voice was filled with resolve.
"There's no turning back, Naruto... Let's bet everything on this!"
Without needing another word, a life-or-death understanding was instantly reached between the two.
They simultaneously abandoned all defensive stances and poured out all their remaining strength: Naruto's massive, peerless Kurama Sage Mode chakra, which fused Nine-Tails and Natural Energy...
...and Sasuke's newly awakened chakra, containing Rinnegan Ocular Power and the ultimate Yin Release of the Mangekyo, poured out without reservation!
Their target was the massive purple Blade of Susanoo that the Majestic Attire: Nine-Tails had condensed, currently gripped tightly in the Nine-Tails' giant claws!
Thrum!
An unprecedented energy storm erupted with the Majestic Attire: Nine-Tails at its center.
The golden and purple lights were no longer distinctly separate coils but began a violent fusion!
The blade of that massive Susanoo sword vibrated frantically, letting out a deafening hum.
The dazzling golden light and deep, mysterious purple light were like two roaring energy dragons, spiraling and intertwining around the blade, painting the entire giant sword in a magnificent color that transcended the mundane!
Space distorted around the blade, letting out a groan as it buckled under the weight.
"Aaaaaah!!!" Naruto let out a world-shaking roar, his muscles bulging and his golden chakra cloak burning like the sun.
"Hah!!!" Sasuke also gave a sharp shout, his Rinnegan and Mangekyo glowing to their absolute limit, with blood even starting to seep from the corners of his eyes due to overexertion.
In the next moment, the massive body of the Majestic Attire: Nine-Tails erupted with speed beyond its limits, carrying an aura of indomitable resolve and self-sacrifice.
It swung the Radiant Giant Blade, which carried the lifelong strength and final hopes of both men, down hard toward Six Paths Obito, who looked down indifferently from the sky!
This strike was the manifestation of Naruto's unyielding will and his desire to protect!
This strike was the burning of Sasuke's obsession with revenge and his heart's need to prove himself!
It tore through the air and rent space itself, carrying the resolve to end their destiny as it vowed to completely cleave through the shadow of despair looming over the Shinobi World!
Facing this ultimate strike that could change the very color of heaven and earth, Six Paths Obito's Rinnegan, hidden behind his mask, remained calm and undisturbed.
He didn't even make a move to dodge.
Three pitch-black Truth-Seeking Orbs moved at his command, instantly weaving into an absolute barrier in front of him that flowed with a chaotic luster.
"Futile!"