"You… you're not dead?!"
Black Zetsu stared at the Sage of Six Paths, shocked beyond words.
It had always believed it was cautious enough, yet now it discovered someone even more cautious than itself.
A full thousand years had passed, and in all that time, it never caught a single trace of the Sage of Six Paths.
Black Zetsu couldn't help feeling despair.
The Sage of Six Paths had hidden himself away! Surely, it was because of Kaguya Otsutsuki.
But his goal was to stop anyone from freeing her.
"What's your relationship with her?"
The Sage of Six Paths sized up Black Zetsu, asking calmly.
He already had his suspicions.
Black Zetsu clearly wasn't a normal human.
Most likely, it was created by someone.
Either Kaguya herself made it, or she used some means to bring it into existence.
"…"
Black Zetsu stayed silent.
It had only one thought right now: run.
Because it could not possibly defeat the Sage of Six Paths.
But it couldn't just flee outright, someone had to distract him first.
And Sasuke together with Shinho were undoubtedly the best candidates for that.
"Lord Hokage," Black Zetsu steadied itself and said, "if you want to accomplish your goal, then you'll have to take him down first."
That was its honest belief, but also a way to shift hatred.
Let Shinho and the Sage of Six Paths fight it out.
If their side won, great.
But if defeat seemed likely, it could slip away at just the right moment.
The Sage of Six Paths frowned slightly.
Black Zetsu was indeed something to be curious about, but more pressing still were Sasuke and Shinho.
"Do you have any idea what unleashing Kaguya Otsutsuki could mean?"
The Sage of Six Paths asked gravely.
"Kaguya Otsutsuki? Who's that?"
Sasuke, gripping the Six Paths Staff, looked skeptical. "Is she really that strong?"
"She's far from ordinary."
The Sage of Six Paths shook his head.
At this point, he noticed that Sasuke, the reincarnation of Indra's chakra, was completely in the dark.
As expected, the key figure must be Shinho.
"You're the Sage of Six Paths, I'm the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, plus we have Shinho. We can't beat her?"
Sasuke's face showed his confusion.
The Sage of Six Paths paused.
Thinking about it carefully, that combination might indeed have some chance of winning.
"Young one, if you fail, the entire Shinobi World will be buried with you, do you understand?"
Right then, an ancient voice resounded.
It was the Great Toad Sage.
"No matter what, we cannot allow Kaguya to be set free."
Letting go of all other considerations, the Sage of Six Paths steeled himself.
Aside from the Great Toad Sage's warning, he also believed that defeating Shinho would be simpler than taking on Kaguya.
"Sasuke, you carry Indra's chakra. I hope you'll stand on the side of the Shinobi World."
The Sage of Six Paths continued.
"I'm not anyone's reincarnation."
Sasuke said, his face expressionless. "I'm a ninja of the Uchiha clan."
The Sage of Six Paths could hear the rejection in Sasuke's words.
That was only natural.
After all, they'd met only once.
Just because of some talk about reincarnation wasn't enough to make Sasuke abandon the Uchiha.
"Shinho Aburame…"
The Sage of Six Paths turned to Shinho, who stood there calmly, as if none of this concerned him.
From the start, Shinho had been at ease, letting Sasuke and the Sage of Six Paths speak.
"It's an honor to meet the legendary Sage of Six Paths," Shinho said with a light smile.
He had been observing the Sage of Six Paths closely just moments before.
Indeed, this was a pure chakra entity, much like the Tailed Beasts.
Chakra truly was remarkable.
"Once Kaguya Otsutsuki is released, she'll harvest the entire Shinobi World. At that point, everyone will become her nourishment."
The Sage of Six Paths paused for a moment, then added, "You're already the supreme power in the Shinobi World. There's no need to take such a risk."
"Hagoromo, are you still clinging to hope for him?"
The Great Toad Sage quickly cut in, its tone urgent.
From its perspective, a clash between the Sage of Six Paths and Shinho would be ideal, this way, the prophecy might be broken.
"Enough talk."
Shinho paid no mind to the Great Toad Sage's attempt to sow discord.
In his eyes, that toad was already marked for death.
"You're determined?"
The Sage of Six Paths' expression grew grim.
Chakra surged around him, radiating a mighty pressure.
Sasuke's heart pounded.
Even though he was now the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, he could still feel the oppressive force of this power.
"Let's begin."
Shinho glanced at Sasuke and said, "Sasuke, stand down."
As for Black Zetsu, it had already slunk away without needing a reminder.
The Great Toad Sage let out a sigh of relief.
Although the Sage of Six Paths no longer had a physical body, most of his original power remained.
Taking down Shinho shouldn't be too much of an issue, at least, that's what the Great Toad Sage told itself while backing away.
"You have no idea how powerful she really is," the Sage of Six Paths warned. "Kaguya's strength surpasses mine. So be it, allow me to bring you to your senses."
Black Truth-Seeking Orbs appeared around him, nine in total, howling forth.
An overwhelming aura swept out, bending space and distorting light and temperature. The atmosphere became almost unbearable.
Sasuke reflexively tightened his grip on his Six Paths Staff.
He, too, possessed Truth-Seeking Orbs after becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, but he sensed that his own couldn't compare to the Sage of Six Paths'.
Dark Arrow Immortal Gu!
Shinho remained where he stood, pouring Immortal Essense into his Immortal Gu.
Three dark arrow-like projectiles shot forth as streaks of black light, slamming into the Truth-Seeking Orbs in the blink of an eye.
Boom!
The air seemed to freeze for an instant.
In the next second, a massive shockwave erupted, ripping outward in all directions. The ground cracked, then was pulverized.
Clouds of dust swallowed everything in sight.
The Great Toad Sage instinctively covered its ears, eyes wide at the earth-shattering scene, suddenly grateful it had gone off to seek the White Snake Sage earlier instead of challenging Shinho head-on.
How on earth could he be this strong?
The Sage of Six Paths felt much the same.
A fierce wind whipped his hair and robes backward.
Gaze fixed on Shinho, who stood motionless, he wore a solemn expression.
Truth-Seeking Orbs have a power that transcends even advanced bloodline limits.
To block them, one would need a force of equal measure.
Could it be that Shinho already stands on the same level as me?
But that seems impossible.
Not long ago, even his Six-Armed heavenly Zombie King form wasn't on my level.
But now, just in his normal state, he's achieved such power?
This growth is too fast!! it hasn't even been a year!
"What exactly is that power you're using?"
The Sage of Six Paths demanded.
As the forefather of all ninja, he knew chakra better than anyone.
He'd been uncertain before when observing from the Pure Land, but now he could confirm: this was definitely not chakra.
Heavenly Cascade of Light
Shinho's response was swift and direct.
He activated the three gu's all at once, combining them into a Rank 5 killer move.
To bolster its might, he also invoked his Immortal Gu, Strength Gu, pushing the attack to a level close to Rank 6 in power.
A brilliant glow streaked across the sky. An endless river of light descended from above, enveloping the Sage of Six Paths in its radiance.
Boundless beams of light and heat rained down like countless blades, stabbing toward him.
Even though he lacked a physical body, the Sage of Six Paths still sensed a looming crisis bearing down on him.
What terrifying power!
His eyes narrowed, the Rinnegan flaring.
An invisible wave of force roiled out, a massive repulsive blast pushing back against the river of light.
In an instant, the two forces deadlocked.
From a distance, the Sage of Six Paths looked like a lone boat in a violent sea.
The Great Toad Sage reflexively backed up several steps.
By now, it was certain that Shinho had power on par with the Sage of Six Paths.
Not since Kaguya Otsutsuki had the Great Toad Sage felt such an impending sense of doom.
If the Sage of Six Paths were to fail here, Mount Myoboku would inevitably face destruction.
But it had no chance to intervene as there was nothing it could do but watch.
"What… What is happening?!"
Black Zetsu was utterly stunned.
It knew Shinho was strong, but it had assumed he was still within the realm of ordinary shinobi.
Now, here he was, fighting the Sage of Six Paths head-on without losing ground?
Ridiculous!
Could he actually challenge Kaguya Otsutsuki?
Crack!
The river of light shattered.
A tidal wave of Immortal Essense stormed toward the Sage of Six Paths.
He reacted immediately, surging his chakra to skyrocket upward, narrowly dodging Shinho's strike by flying into the air.
But he had no time to breathe. Suddenly, his pupils contracted as the earth below trembled.
A colossal mass of land heaved skyward, forming a towering mountain that slammed straight toward him.
This was Shinho's Rank Six Immortal Gu, Pulling Mountain Gu.
At that very moment, three streaks of light burst out from within the mountain's path: the Great Toad Sage, Sasuke, and Black Zetsu.
All three had been caught off guard by the sudden upheaval.
Especially the Great Toad Sage, its strength couldn't compare to that of the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, and for a moment, it feared that Shinho was intentionally trying to kill it.
The scare almost made its soul fly out of its body.
Very soon, though, it realized it was merely collateral damage.
So this is what they mean by a clash of gods and the helpless mortals caught in between…
The Sage of Six Paths took a quick glance at the enormous mountain.
It was so massive he couldn't see its edges.
Not even Truth-Seeking Orbs could blast it away in a single shot.
Drawing in a deep breath, he found himself in a tough spot. If he wanted to break through this, he'd have to get serious.
Susano'o!
Facing the oncoming mountain, the Sage of Six Paths unleashed a torrent of chakra.
Centered on him, dazzling blue light surged skyward like a new sun.
In an instant, an enormous armored warrior materialized, piercing the clouds.
It wore intricate armor, had a pair of wings flaring from its back, and raised both hands high.
Gripping twin blades, the colossus swung them down at the mountain.