On the ravaged coastline, Shinji sat quietly, closing his eyes to rest his mind.
The battle in the Sixth Ring World had taken a massive toll on him. He had essentially pushed himself to his absolute limit. At his current realm, exhaustion was not easily recovered; though he appeared unbothered on the surface, the truth was that he had yet to return to his peak state.
In particular, purging the pollution from the Plague Hegemon had consumed a vast amount of chakra—a loss that still made his heart ache when he thought about it.
In the distance.
Naruto still found it hard to believe that Shinji was "A," the leader of Akatsuki. He circled Sasuke, asking, "How is this possible? How could Shinji be the leader of Akatsuki?"
Sasuke replied casually, "Why wouldn't it be possible?"
"But that's Shinji!" Naruto exclaimed. "The Shinji who went to school with us and ate BBQ with us!"
Sasuke looked a bit speechless. "Do you think everyone is as simple-minded as you? Stop trying to measure others with that idiotic brain of yours."
He paused, then looked toward Shinji, his tone shifting. "I consider myself a genius, but compared to Shinji, I am merely a mediocre fellow. Naruto, the Shinji you know was just an illusion he chose to show the world."
"An illusion?" Naruto was puzzled.
Sasuke continued, "The real him is a brilliant individual beyond your wildest imagination. In his presence, the so-called 'geniuses' of the Ninja Academy—no, the entire village—instantly lose their luster. You and I are no exception."
Naruto muttered under his breath, "I wasn't doubting Shinji's talent! I just can't wrap my head around how he became the leader of Akatsuki. He doesn't seem like the type to be a big villain."
"Villain?" Sasuke glared at Naruto and snorted coldly. "Foolish guy. You know nothing. You don't understand what Shinji and I are facing. Those bastards in the village wished for the Uchiha clan to be extinct. If we hadn't established Akatsuki, we would have had no way to resist!"
"True, some people in the village are indeed bastards!" Menma nodded in agreement. On this issue, he was on the same side as Sasuke. Naruto had been marginalized and cold-shouldered by many in the village during his childhood; as Naruto's dark side, Menma remembered those experiences vividly.
Naruto argued, "But because your Akatsuki started a war, so many people died!"
Sasuke didn't waver for a second. "Those were necessary sacrifices."
"But those were human lives!" Naruto countered. "There were even friends and elders from the village among them! Sasuke, think about it—if the victims were your own family, could you bear it?"
Sasuke replied, "Forget my family—if I were the one required to be sacrificed, I wouldn't hesitate for a moment."
"You..." Naruto froze.
Sasuke went on, "Put away your cheap sympathy. What do you think the truth of this world is? It is the strong plundering the weak. What we must do is ensure we don't become the weak—the prey to be plundered. That's all. As for reasoning, people only listen to your logic after you've become strong enough."
Sasuke had witnessed the destruction of the Demon Slayer World. He knew perfectly well that if Shinji failed against the Hegemon of Terror, the shinobi world would inevitably follow suit and be utterly destroyed. In this context, any sacrifice that allowed Shinji to become stronger was, in his eyes, worth it—even necessary.
Seeing Naruto's bewilderment, Sasuke said coldly, "You'd better pray we can successfully advance to the Six Paths Level this time. Otherwise, when the disaster truly arrives, we might not even have the qualification to help."
Naruto and Menma asked in unison, "Disaster? What disaster?"
Sasuke knew Shinji viewed Naruto as combat power against the Hegemons, so he briefly revealed the details concerning the Hegemon of Terror's invasion.
Learning of the Hegemon's existence left Naruto dazed, while Menma instantly connected the dots between the "Upper Moon" demons that had stirred up the world, the fake Uchiha Itachi, and everything else.
Menma gasped in realization, "So those Upper Moons and the fake Itachi were all the work of the Hegemon of Terror?"
"Yes," Sasuke nodded.
Naruto asked, "Sasuke, is this Hegemon of Terror really that powerful?"
Menma added, "Shinji is already so strong. Can't he deal with this Hegemon alone?"
Sasuke shook his head. "The opponent is a being capable of swallowing an entire world in one bite. Shinji's power alone isn't enough to face it. That's why he needs our help."
Naruto rolled up his sleeves. "Understood! If that Hegemon really dares to barge into our world, I'll definitely give him a piece of my mind!"
Sasuke glanced at Naruto with disdain. "As we are now, neither of us even has the qualification to look the Hegemon in the eye."
"Uh..." Naruto's excitement instantly deflated.
As they spoke, Sasuke fell into a somber silence. He had always wanted to prove his strength within the organization, but he had to admit that Toneri, Karin, Hikari, and Shion were currently stronger than him.
Toneri and Shion were out of the question—one was an Otsutsuki with a giant Tenseigan, the other was a Complete Shrine Maiden; their "hardware" was simply superior. As for Karin and Hikari, their physical hardware was similar to his—the Six-Tomoe Rinnegan configuration.
However, the difference was that Karin and Hikari had both accepted Shinji's Karma and had truly stepped into the Six Paths Level realm. Even if it was only temporary, the understanding and application of chakra are completely different between those who have experienced that realm and those who haven't. In their subsequent spars, both Karin and Hikari could essentially crush Sasuke with ease. This bothered him immensely.
Therefore, he knew his chance to advance likely rested with the Sage of Six Paths. While he looked composed on the surface, he was actually more anxious than the confused Naruto.
Suddenly, a figure appeared by the sea.
Sasuke, Naruto, and Menma all looked over to find an elderly man in white robes, floating cross-legged in the air.
"The Sage of Six Paths!?" they exclaimed in shock.
They had never seen him before, but seeing the tin staff and the nine Truth-Seeking Balls floating behind him, they instantly guessed his identity.
Shinji, who had been resting his eyes, slowly opened them. "Sage of Six Paths, you were finally willing to show yourself."
As he observed Shinji, the Sage asked, "What business do you have with this old man?"