"W-What?!"
Chinatsu twisted her head at an almost impossible angle as she witnessed the unbelievable scene before her.
She had trusted Naruto and Sasuke to protect themselves, but...
What the hell was that?
They had actually kicked Kinshiki in the head!
Were these two cheating?!
In a sense...
They really were.
And it had all happened so suddenly that even Naruto and Sasuke themselves had been completely bewildered.
Just one minute before the four intruders attacked the Uchiha compound, Naruto and Sasuke had each been meditating in their own rooms.
Without any warning, both suddenly felt an irresistible wave of drowsiness wash over them.
Thud!
They collapsed onto the floor almost simultaneously, as though they had been drugged, and instantly fell into a deep sleep.
When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves standing in an endless white world.
Naruto blinked.
"What are you doing here?"
Sasuke frowned.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
The first thing they saw upon awakening was each other.
Because they were standing so close together, they instinctively took several steps back before carefully observing their surroundings.
"...Am I dreaming?"
Naruto scratched his head in confusion.
"That shouldn't be possible. If I were dreaming, chinatsu-neechan should be here too. There's no way I'd only dream about Sasuke."
Across from him, Sasuke was thinking almost exactly the same thing.
"Only Naruto...?"
He frowned slightly.
"If Naruto appeared, then Chinatsu-neechan should also be here. There's no way I'd dream about Naruto without her."
The two had spent countless days together.
They had even appeared in each other's dreams before.
But never like this.
A completely empty world...
Containing only the two of them.
"This isn't a dream."
The thought surfaced in both of their minds almost simultaneously.
Unlike Chinatsu, who had needed time to understand the nature of the deep spiritual world, Naruto and Sasuke immediately began testing their surroundings.
They even considered the possibility that they had fallen under an illusion.
"Something must've happened!" Naruto said seriously.
"We have to get out of here!"
"Easy for you to say."
Sasuke clicked his tongue.
"How are we supposed to leave? You're terrible at dispelling genjutsu."
He narrowed his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
"But even I can't break whatever this is."
"My Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan shouldn't be trapped by an ordinary genjutsu."
His brows furrowed.
Just what kind of technique was this?
"This is not a genjutsu."
An elderly voice suddenly echoed through the empty world.
"Nor is it a dream."
The two immediately turned toward the source of the voice.
An elderly man slowly approached.
He wore a flowing white robe decorated with black magatama. Two horns protruded from his head, and a wooden staff rested in one hand.
Although neither Naruto nor Sasuke had ever met him before...
For some reason...
They felt an indescribable sense of familiarity.
"Mister..."
Naruto scratched his head.
"Who are you?"
Sasuke remained silent, his gaze filled with vigilance.
"My name is Hagoromo."
"I am the founder of Ninshū."
"I am also known as..."
"The Sage of Six Paths."
The moment those words were spoken, both Naruto and Sasuke's eyes widened.
The Sage of Six Paths...
Every ninja knew that name.
Even ordinary civilians had heard the legend of the man revered as the ancestor of ninjutsu.
More importantly...
They had heard Chinatsu mention him several times before.
"The Sage of Six Paths..."
Naruto gasped.
"You're... still alive?"
The old man smiled gently and shook his head.
"No."
"I have long since died."
As if reading their thoughts directly, Hagoromo continued calmly,
"What stands before you now is merely the remnant of my chakra and will."
His Rinnegan quietly observed the two young men before him.
After all...
The chakra of his two sons still flowed within them.
Ashura...
And Indra.
Because of the lingering bond between his two sons, even after their deaths, the chakra of Indra and Asura continued to reincarnate throughout history.
The previous reincarnations were Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.
The current reincarnations were Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha.
Looking at Naruto and Sasuke before him, the Sage of Six Paths couldn't help but sigh with mixed emotions.
His two sons had fought each other throughout their lives, and even after their chakra continued to reincarnate, the conflict between them had never truly ended.
He had long believed this endless cycle of hatred would continue forever.
Yet...
It had been broken much sooner than he had expected.
And the one who broke it...
Was Chinatsu.
At first, Hagoromo had believed the girl from another world would become an unpredictable variable—perhaps even a calamity for the ninja world.
Instead...
She had become its greatest blessing.
Unfortunately...
That very blessing was now facing the greatest crisis of her life.
Although the Sage of Six Paths wished he had more time to speak with Naruto and Sasuke, this was clearly not the moment.
Raising one hand, he gently waved it through the air.
Ripples spread across the white space.
Moments later, a massive screen materialized before them, displaying the events unfolding in the real world.
On the screen...
Chinatsu was battling two Ōtsutsuki.
"chinatsu-nee!"
"Nee-san!"
Naruto and Sasuke cried out simultaneously.
Their excitement lasted only an instant before their expressions darkened.
Chinatsu wasn't overwhelming her opponents.
She was being held back by both Momoshiki and Kinshiki at the same time.
Watching Momoshiki's black staff repeatedly collide with Chinatsu's body, Sasuke's face turned icy cold.
His fists clenched so tightly that his nails nearly pierced his palms.
"Sage of Six Paths..."
He forced the words through gritted teeth.
"Who exactly are they?"
Hagoromo quietly watched the battle on the screen before answering.
"They are members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan."
"Powerful beings who descended from beyond this world."
"Your sister has already reached the pinnacle of the shinobi world."
"But the Ōtsutsuki possess power that surpasses ordinary shinobi, along with abilities that even I cannot completely predict."
"If she continues fighting both of them alone..."
"...without resorting to techniques that endanger her own life..."
"...victory will be extremely difficult."
His tone remained calm, but every word weighed heavily upon Naruto and Sasuke.
Cold sweat slowly formed on their foreheads.
Even they could understand the situation.
Although the battle appeared evenly matched...
Momoshiki and Kinshiki had yet to reveal their full strength.
If they truly coordinated their attacks...
Chinatsu would be placed in unimaginable danger.
Sasuke suddenly looked toward Hagoromo.
His eyes burned with determination.
"You didn't bring us here just to watch this happen..."
"...did you?"
His voice became firm.
"If there's anything you can do..."
"Then help us."
Naruto stepped forward without hesitation.
His expression carried the same determination.
"We can't just stand here while chinatsu-nee fights alone."
"Even if you don't help us..."
"We'll still fight those two."
"Even if it costs us our lives."
Seeing the resolve in their eyes, Hagoromo slowly smiled.
He nodded once.
"I still possess a portion of my chakra."
"It is time for me to entrust it to the two of you."
"Go..."
"And fight alongside your sister."
The Sage of Six Paths gently placed one hand on Naruto's head and the other on Sasuke's.
At that instant...
The chakra of Asura resonated with Naruto.
The chakra of Indra resonated with Sasuke.
The remaining Six Paths Chakra that Hagoromo had preserved awakened within them.
The Sage of Six Paths' final gift...
Had been passed on.
---
In the real world.
Naruto and Sasuke landed steadily after kicking Kinshiki away.
Dust billowed around them as they stood shoulder to shoulder, their eyes locked firmly onto the two Ōtsutsuki standing before them.
Naruto clenched his fist.
Sasuke slowly drew his sword.
Without the slightest hesitation, they stepped forward together.
"We'll protect chinatsu-nee!"
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