In the next moment, the once-dim sky lit up with surging white lightning. Its might was no less than the Flame Release: Undying Phoenix from earlier, perhaps even greater.
But that Phoenix had only barely reached the Six Paths tier by having Natsuro's entire Spiritual Shadow Clone pour everything into it as a final attack.
Now, however, he summoned this thunderous might so casually, without even making hand seals.
The use of hand seals was originally a simplification of ninjutsu. But for someone like Natsuro, who had now reached the fundamental understanding of the root of all ninjutsu, hand seals were meaningless.
Unless... he was tapping into a power even greater, but such power was still beyond his current reach and he hadn't had the time to explore it yet.
As Natsuro contemplated this, Six Paths Madara gazed up grimly at the lightning in the sky. Night had already fallen, yet the blinding radiance of the lightning lit up the entire world.
Lightning surged. Thunder roared.
In Madara's eyes, this Kirin surpassed even the earlier Phoenix in power.
But so what?
A sharp grin spread across Madara's face. If he could slay the Phoenix with just four Limbo clones, then in his current full-strength state, he would absolutely be able to bring down this lightning Kirin.
Without hesitation, five towering Perfect Susanoo rose up around Madara.
Natsuro looked at the five Susanoo and shook his head. Even with his Sage Arts now at the Six Paths level, expecting a single lightning Kirin to fight five Perfect Susanoo was just unrealistic.
"But… you're not the only one who can strike with five attacks." Natsuro's voice echoed by Madara's ear, halting the energy Madara had begun to focus into his blade.
Madara froze.
Half the earth had suddenly transformed into boiling lava, visibly bubbling and erupting.
Madara remembered, he'd seen this once before, while he was still under Edo Tensei. And now… it was back again.
The lava flowed inward and coalesced, forming a magma sphere, as if it were nurturing something.
Madara could feel the overwhelming power within, but it wasn't over.
The other half of the battlefield was now flooded with surging water, and within that torrent, another terrifying force was being born.
At the same time, the winds in the air began to swirl, gathering into something ominous and immense.
"This is… this is…" Madara's eyes widened. A memory surfaced, a familiar image flashing through his mind.
"Tenpenchii (Heaven and Earth Reversal)!"
He cried out in disbelief.
"Congratulations. You guessed it," Natsuro replied with a smile.
Madara now understood why Natsuro hadn't pursued him back then, it was because the Ten Tail's Tenpenchii had helped him awaken an even higher level of power.
Natsuro looked over everything now. It was his first time using this ability, but he moved with absolute familiarity, because it was his power. This was the power known as…
The Six Paths Sage Art.
"Sage Art ~ Lightning Release: Kirin!"
With Natsuro's words, the storm of lightning finally condensed into form. A thunderous Kirin stood tall in the sky, roaring with might.
It was a majestic creature, body like a colossal stag, dragon-like head with antlers, covered in shimmering scales, and a dragon's tail. It radiated mystique and regal authority.
Lightning crackled around it, threatening to annihilate the world at any moment.
"Sage Art ~ Fire Release: Vermilion Bird!"
Perhaps for symmetry's sake, Natsuro renamed the technique slightly. But as the blazing bird burst from its molten sphere, spreading its wings with a piercing cry, the sheer heat warped space itself.
It had the sharp eyes and beak of a hawk, a proud and muscular posture, its entire body engulfed in eternal crimson flames.
The firebird glared at Madara with unmistakable fury, clearly remembering who had slain it before.
But Natsuro didn't stop there.
"Sage Art ~ Water Release: Azure Dragon!"
A mighty dragon's roar echoed from the flood below.
From the surging waters rose a five-clawed Chinese-style Azure Dragon, soaring through the sky. Its body resembled a serpent, with dragon whiskers, antler-like horns, and overwhelming majesty.
Even the White Snake Sage, who was busy protecting the Allied Forces from the flood and fire, froze at the sight. His serpent eyes burned with desire, which was such an uncharacteristic warmth for a cold-blooded being.
In that moment, the White Snake Sage saw a new path of evolution. That Azure Dragon was perfection... elegant, noble, and utterly commanding.
Whatever the White Snake Sage was thinking, Natsuro paid no attention.
"Sage Art ~ Earth Release: Black Tortoise!"
The ground trembled violently.
Something massive was burrowing its way out from beneath the battlefield.
Moments later, a gigantic beast with the body of a tortoise and the tail of a serpent erupted from underground, roaring as it rested upon the land.
And finally, Natsuro's voice echoed once more.
"Sage Art ~ Wind Release: White Tiger!"
In the blink of an eye, a monstrous cyclone appeared, devouring all the wind in the area.
A blinding white light emerged from the storm's heart, it was a snow-white tiger, suspended midair, seemingly riding the wind itself.
Its fur was pristine and flawless, with five claws on each paw and piercing, sharp eyes. Even standing still, it radiated an aura of cold-blooded death.
Its roar cut through the skies, a thunderous tiger's cry that echoed through the heavens. Around it, the invisible winds howled like blades, even slicing through space itself.
With all five beasts summoned, Natsuro chuckled, his voice whispering at Madara's ear, "This… is the Six Paths Sage Art."
"Six Paths… Sage Art? A Sage Art at the Six Paths level?" Madara stared at the five massive creatures... the Kirin above, the Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Azure Dragon around him, and the Black Tortoise rooted below.
His face was filled with disbelief.
This had already surpassed the scope of ordinary ninjutsu. These beings didn't just look powerful, they appeared to have the same life-force as the Tailed Beasts themselves.
Could the Six Paths power really create such entities?
If Natsuro could do this… could he?
Madara tried to sense his own strength, but there was no time to ponder.
Because Natsuro's voice rang out again, "Now it's five-on-five. I'd say that's fair, wouldn't you?"
Fair?
You call this fair?!
Madara was dumbfounded.
You summoned five mythical beasts as external support, while my five Susanoo are part of my own technique, how is that the same?!
He wanted to complain, but… he couldn't.
Because these beasts had been conjured by Natsuro alone, they were his power.
Madara took a deep breath, a trace of uncertainty in his eyes.
He could probably deal with the Lightning Kirin alone. Even the Fire Phoenix might be manageable.
But this?
Five Six Paths-tier divine beasts?
There's no such thing as true fairness in the world.
As soon as they solidified, the five beasts attacked in unison.
The sky cracked open as endless thunder descended with the Kirin's roar.
A sea of fire surged as the Vermilion Bird shrieked, scorching everything in its path.
On the ground, with the Black Tortoise's thunderous stomp, mountain-sized earth spikes erupted from the land.
Countless wind blades surged from beneath the White Tiger's claws, slicing through space as they slashed toward Six Paths Madara.
A dragon's roar echoed through the heavens as a torrential flood crashed down like a heavenly river pouring from the sky.
Facing the simultaneous assault of the five divine beasts, Madara abandoned the idea of concentrating his power on a single target.
He had considered taking one out quickly to fight them one by one, but his earlier clash with the Undying Phoenix had taught him otherwise.
There was no way he could defeat even one of them in a short amount of time. So the strategy of focusing his full power on a single target, was abandoned.
Instead, each of Madara's five Perfect Susanoo engaged one of the divine beasts head-on.
Meanwhile, Natsuro remained on the sidelines, merely observing.
As Madara had already sensed, these creations were no longer mere ninjutsu. They had taken on a form akin to living beings, much like the Tailed Beasts.
Of course, they still lagged behind real Tailed Beasts.
They lacked true intellect, as he hadn't yet reached the level of creating true sentient life.
These five divine beasts were constructs formed from Yin-Yang Release, combined with Natsuro's mastery of Six Paths Sage Arts of each chakra nature.
They could fight autonomously and manipulate their respective chakra nature sage arts in battle.
At this moment, Natsuro watched with a satisfied smile, four of the divine beasts held the upper hand, with only the Lightning Kirin being pressured by Madara's main body.
Their performance was within his expectations.
After all, chakra was still the dominant force in this world. These creatures had not yet reached their perfect form.
But…
If the world's chakra were to be converted into natural energy…
Then the power of these memory-born divine beasts, Natsuro's creations, would be amplified tremendously.
Natsuro's eyes glinted as he looked toward Madara. That thought… might not be impossible.
In fact, allowing the Fourth Great Ninja War to unfold might have always been part of that plan.
Now, everything was progressing step by step, exactly as he intended.
Sometimes, he grew impatient, yearning to advance to the next stage.
But…
His discipline reminded him: patience is key, and to take it step by step... and in this rare moment, he ought to enjoy the process.
Meanwhile, although Madara held the advantage against the Kirin, his mood was anything but pleasant.
Because all four of his Limbo clones were being overwhelmed.
They were faring worse than the main body, and at this rate, they would soon be defeated, leaving all five beasts to descend upon him for the final strike.
If things continued like this… defeat was inevitable.
With a deep breath, Madara recalled all four Limbo shadows, causing their Susanoo to vanish.
Then, from behind him, five of the nine Truth-Seeking Orbs suddenly detached and floated toward the five divine beasts.
The remaining four orbs compressed into a black sphere, forming a defensive cocoon around Madara.
"This move again?" Natsuro muttered, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.
Still, this turtle-shell suicide blast tactic, while unflattering, was exceptionally effective.
No living thing could survive a direct hit from a Truth-Seeking Orb's detonation.
Not even Kaguya Ōtsutsuki herself could tank it, the power of All-Creation within the orbs erased anything not made from Truth-Seeking matter.
Even Natsuro, as dismissive as he was, summoned several orbs of his own to shield himself.
He wasn't foolish enough to take it head-on.
Soon, the five orbs reached their targets, glowing with blinding intensity...
BOOM!
All five orbs exploded simultaneously.
This wasn't just a detonation, it was a calamity.
Heaven and earth vanished in the blinding destruction.
The sky and ground, light and darkness, all were consumed, as if by an endless black hole.
Fortunately, the Allied Shinobi Forces were far enough away to avoid the blast radius.
If they hadn't been, not even the three great sages could have saved them.
The five divine beasts, of course, were obliterated by the explosion... even they couldn't survive five Truth-Seeking Orb detonations.
The explosion lasted a long, long time before it finally subsided.
Natsuro looked out over the devastation and then at the scattered remains of his beasts.
Their residual power condensed into glowing beads that floated back into his hands, ready for summoning once more.
"You've done well enough," Natsuro said softly.
Their strength, now confirmed through combat with Six Paths Madara, was more than sufficient.
In fact, if he had ordered them to go all-out, their ultimate attacks could've surpassed even the Undying Phoenix. But he hadn't let them use that power.
He then turned his attention to Madara, emerging from the Truth-Seeking shell.
Madara's Rinnegan eyes gleamed.
A moment later, dozens of black spheres, like miniature black holes, materialized in his hand.
With a swift motion, he hurled them skyward... Then he formed a single-handed seal.
"Prepare for a grand meteor shower, Sixth Hokage…
Planetary Devastation!!"
If you want to read more...
Check out the patreon and get 55 chapters in advance -> SaintXI
Next Chapter: The Dimensional Blade That Severes All