Naruto had long grown accustomed to using his left hand as his dominant one, so this time, he extended his left hand.
Sasuke, likewise, had become used to his right hand, so he extended his right.
The Sage of Six Paths pressed his palms against theirs, yet he did not immediately begin transferring power.
His gaze first turned to Naruto. "Naruto, just as before, I will grant you the Six Paths Yang power. In addition…"
"Your Mangekyō Sharingan possesses two distinct abilities. Your left eye converts soul into chakra, while your right eye converts chakra into soul."
"With the infusion of Six Paths power, you will be permanently free from the risk of blindness. Your ocular power will also reach its peak—just like Obito once did."
Naruto blinked in surprise. "Whoa? You've already figured out my eye abilities!?"
"Of course."
"Naruto, at the brink of death, driven by your attachment to the tailed beasts, you unconsciously activated your left eye's ability—Futsunomitama. Using the remnants of their chakra as a catalyst, you expanded it with a portion of your own soul."
"However… with your level of power at the time, it was nothing more than a flicker of firefly light."
"Now, I will give you something more."
The Sage glanced aside.
Whoosh!
A circular formation appeared. Yang Kurama, along with eight tomoe-shaped flames, manifested at its nodes.
"Next, I will use my own soul as the medium to activate your left eye's Futsunomitama!"
The eight tomoe flames rapidly expanded, taking form in an instant—each becoming the shape of a tailed beast!
The Sage's body visibly grew more transparent.
"This… is my limit in my current state. Each of them has recovered to half of their original form."
Sasuke observed silently.
So this is Futsunomitama… Even chakra imbued with will, like the tailed beasts, can be reconstructed. A true equivalent exchange of the soul… Then the right eye's ability—to convert chakra into soul—could it grant a soul to external things?
The Sage spoke weakly, "With this… Naruto, you now possess half of each tailed beast's power, including Kurama. This surpasses even what you once had."
"And as long as a tailed beast retains half its power, its existence remains complete. Even if chakra is depleted, it will naturally recover."
"You no longer need to worry about this power running dry."
Naruto turned around, his voice trembling with emotion.
"Shukaku… Matatabi… Isobu… Son Gokū… Kokuō… Saiken… Chōmei… Gyūki… Kurama!"
"Mm!"
"You look lively!"
"That's great!"
"We finally made it through!"
"No need to worry about Uchiha Akira anymore!"
The tailed beasts greeted him warmly.
Tears streamed down Naruto's face as he looked at the Sage. "This is amazing… Thank you, Sage. Thank you for bringing them back to me like this… Thank you for using your own soul to restore their power!"
"You need not thank me," the Sage said gently. "After all, they are beings I created with my own hands… like my children."
Then his tone shifted slightly.
"However, aside from Kurama, the others within you are merely patches I've forcibly applied. As for their true bodies… you know where they are, don't you?"
Sasuke remained silent.
Naruto clenched his fists. "Yeah… I know. Along with the other half of Kurama… they've all been sealed inside the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path by Uchiha Akira!"
Wiping his tears, Naruto's eyes hardened with resolve. "One day… I'll free their real bodies from that statue!"
Sasuke said nothing.
The Sage nodded in satisfaction.
Naruto… still true to himself. This is the child of prophecy Gamamaru spoke of.
"Naruto, you may not have realized it, but during your battle with Uchiha Akira, you briefly manifested the facial markings of Asura's Sage Mode. That was due to the deep awakening of the Hashirama cells in your right arm."
"I have now fully awakened that power. It will harmonize with your newly regained Six Paths Sage Mode."
"From this day forward… you will be able to use Asura's Wood Release."
"Use this power… to protect your shinobi world."
Naruto's eyes brimmed with gratitude. "I won't let today happen again! No matter if it's Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, Uchiha Akira, or anyone else… I won't let them hurt the people I care about ever again!"
"Good." The Sage nodded approvingly, then turned to Sasuke. His expression grew serious.
"Sasuke… do you have nothing to say?"
Sasuke understood perfectly.
So you're using the distribution of power to pressure me.
My earlier stance didn't deter you. Now you're playing your hand.
Even sacrificing part of your own soul… You know Naruto can't resist this kind of emotional appeal.
You're serious about this… Your bottom line is Kaguya. You absolutely won't tolerate her return.
Back then, you tolerated my rebellion because you knew I would still cooperate with Naruto to seal her. But now… I've openly challenged that line.
And now you're asserting control.
You know better than anyone… I need this power right now.
This is our last chance to stand again.
Sasuke exhaled slowly.
"Sage… have you ever considered that Kaguya's fears might be real?"
"What are you implying?" the Sage asked.
"I'm just considering the worst-case scenario. What if… there truly exist Ōtsutsuki far more terrifying than Kaguya at her peak?"
"And if one day, they descend upon this world… how will we face them?"
The Sage's gaze sharpened.
This sounds like caution… but in truth, he's still defending Akira—and Kaguya.
"No matter how powerful the enemies beyond may be," the Sage said firmly, "that is not a justification to revive my mother at any cost."
Sigh… no reasoning with him.
Sasuke had already made up his mind.
Then I'll take another path.
Just like Naruto's Nine-Tails… my Rinnegan… these are ours. He can't take them back.
What he grants… are techniques.
And techniques… can be learned and made one's own.
First, stabilize the situation. Accept the power. Then, decipher its essence and make it mine.
It won't be easy… but I have to try.
And I need time—to understand who Uchiha Akira really is.
Sasuke let out a quiet sigh and spoke in a calmer tone.
"Sage… perhaps you're right. I'll agree to deal with Kaguya and Akira."
"But we need time… to settle things in the village first."
Naruto let out a breath of relief.
For a second, I thought Sasuke was going to go back to his old self…
But of course… he's not that person anymore.
The Sage nodded thoughtfully. "That is reasonable. The Will of Fire aligns with the ideals of Ninshū. I too wish to see Konoha take root once more."
"I will give you… one day. That should be sufficient, correct?"
One day… huh.
"…That's fine," Sasuke replied calmly.
At last, the Sage smiled in satisfaction.
"Sasuke, I will grant you the Six Paths Yin power once more. In addition…"
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