Shinho loosened his grip on Black Zetsu, nodding in satisfaction.
He was quite pleased that the Great Toad Sage could at least die having contributed a Rank Seven Immortal Gu, the Beast Enslavement Gu.
Now that Black Zetsu was under his control, releasing Kaguya Otsutsuki was only a matter of a few words.
Most importantly, there were no more restraints.
…
"Are you that familiar with….it?"
The Sage of Six Paths watched the entire process, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.
First, there was the space lockdown, then an instant mind-control on Black Zetsu.
Both techniques left him baffled.
The Sage of Six Paths at best wielded the power of a Rank Six, but Strength Gu and Beast Enslavement Gu were both Rank Seven.
"In a sense, it's like your younger brother."
Shinho smiled.
"My younger brother?"
The Sage of Six Paths was momentarily taken aback, then realized what he meant. "It was created by Kaguya?"
Back then, he and Hamura Otsutsuki had exhausted every possible means to seal Kaguya, but it turned out she had still found a loophole.
If not for Shinho, he might only have learned the truth at the very last moment.
Indeed, that was exactly how things went in the original timeline, when the Sage of Six Paths discovered Black Zetsu's existence, it was already at the moment Kaguya had been resurrected.
If he had known sooner, he would never have allowed it to stir up so much trouble.
"That's right," Shinho nodded. "It should be called Black Zetsu, lurking in the shinobi world all this time, purely to rescue its mother."
"How do you know all this?"
The Sage of Six Paths frowned, his voice full of confusion.
Could it be that Shinho had lived for over a thousand years?
Was he present at the scene of that battle?
Aside from that, there seemed to be no other explanation.
"There's no need for you to know."
Shinho smiled faintly.
"…"
The Sage of Six Paths paused, wanting to say something but ultimately remained silent.
Power decides all in the ninja world .
The loser had no right to speak.
Besides, thinking it through, if Shinho really could deal with Kaguya, then there was nothing more for the Sage of Six Paths to worry about.
The entire shinobi world would find true peace at last.
"What do you think about my earlier proposal?"
Shinho narrowed his eyes.
Even now, the Sage of Six Paths' achievement had not been triggered, and Shinho suspected it had something to do with this arrangement.
In fact, their battle was not truly over yet.
For instance, the Sage of Six Paths had never used the sealing jutsu meant for Kaguya, Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei.
It was possible that he alone could not perform it and might need Hamura's help.
"I accept."
The Sage of Six Paths took a deep breath.
To be honest, he had considered this method long ago.
If Kaguya broke free one day, how could he fight her alone?
Hamura was already dead; there was no way he could win by himself.
The best approach was to enlist the help of Indra and Ashura.
By granting them Six Paths chakra, they could surpass even his own power.
That, indeed, was the solution presented in the original story.
"Shall we begin now?"
Shinho glanced at the Sage of Six Paths.
After their battle, he was clearly much weaker.
"We can," the Sage of Six Paths replied. "But once Sasuke and Naruto receive that power, they'll need a few days to adapt to it."
He was worried Shinho might rush to resurrect Kaguya and end up failing.
If Sasuke and Naruto got used to their newfound power first, their chances would be higher.
"I'll leave it to you," Shinho said casually.
"…"
The Sage of Six Paths was taken aback, surprised at how much trust Shinho was showing in him.
Wasn't he concerned that the he might influence Sasuke and Naruto?
But soon he understood, this was the confidence that came from true strength.
"Black Zetsu," Shinho suddenly recalled something. "How do we resurrect Kaguya Otsutsuki without harming Sasuke?"
"Use White Zetsu in his place. Make it the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki."
Black Zetsu replied woodenly.
Shinho turned his gaze to the unconscious White Zetsu.
Channeling his Immortal Essense, he once again activated Beast Enslavement Gu.
A faint connection arose in his mind.
Shinho exhaled in relief, he had worried the Beast Enslavement Gu might fail because White Zetsu had once been human a thousand years ago.
After the effects of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, however, White Zetsu was no longer classified as human.
With that clarified, everything else became simpler.
With the Sage of Six Paths here, he could directly extract the Ten-Tails from Sasuke and transfer it into White Zetsu.
Extracting a Tailed Beast from its host normally results in the Jinchuriki's death, but such a thing clearly wouldn't happen here.
Konoha had already researched a workaround, and in addition, the Sage of Six Paths himself had once been the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki and then separated the beast into the nine Tailed Beasts.
The only one feeling a bit sour was Sasuke.
He had just become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki and hadn't even had time to enjoy it before being reverted to normal.
Still, it wasn't as though he gained nothing out of it, after all, the Sage of Six Paths was going to share his power.
When the replacement Jinchuriki process was done, Shinho brought Naruto over.
"What happened here?"
Naruto looked out at the pockmarked wasteland, confused.
"I'll explain in a moment."
Shinho turned to the Sage of Six Paths. "Let's start."
"…?"
Naruto was even more puzzled.
Had something major happened behind his back?
But given Shinho's previous statement, Naruto swallowed his questions for now.
He sized up the old man standing before him.
Naruto murmured a short exclamation as he could feel a tremendous presence.
The next instant, he heard a familiar voice in his mind.
"It's the old man! How can this be?"
Kurama's voice brimmed with disbelief.
"Old man?"
Naruto froze for a second.
Kurama had mentioned this 'old man' a few times in the past.
"You're the Sage of Six Paths?"
Naruto blurted out.
"That's me," the Sage of Six Paths replied, his gaze shifting to Naruto's abdomen. "Kurama… it's been a long time."
"Old man, you're still alive?"
Kurama's tone was full of excitement. "Where have you been all these years?"
Toward the end, a hint of grievance crept into its voice.
Back when the Ten-Tails was divided, Kurama had received the most attention from the Sage of Six Paths.
But once the Sage passed, Kurama's life took a miserable turn.
It was locked inside human hosts, losing its freedom.
If the Sage of Six Paths had remained, things would never have gone that way.
"I wouldn't call it being alive," the Sage of Six Paths shook his head. "When I died, my consciousness stayed in the Pure Land."
Kurama's eyes narrowed; only now did it notice how different his body really was.
The body was purely made up of chakra.
The Sage of Six Paths glanced at Shinho. "Let's save the catching-up for later," he said.
"We can talk after this is over."
He walked up to Naruto, raising his hand.
"I'll pass on to you the power of Yang," the Sage of Six Paths said solemnly. "Once you gather a portion of chakra from each of the nine Tailed Beasts, you'll be able to use Six Paths Senjutsu."
Naruto was dumbfounded.
The power of Yang? Six Paths Senjutsu? What was all that supposed to mean?
The Sage of Six Paths didn't explain further. A warm surge of chakra flowed into Naruto's body.
Naruto's entire body trembled, and he stood there in a daze.
Off to the side, Sasuke instinctively activated his Rinnegan.
Through his vision, Naruto's body seemed brimming with vitality and life force.
Sasuke realized the nature of his own eye was the complete opposite of Naruto's Yang power.
Shinho raised an eyebrow.
The Sage of Six Paths wasn't distributing these abilities randomly; he was teaching them in a way that best fit each person.
Naruto, who carried Kurama and was Ashura's reincarnation, was clearly suited to inherit the power of Yang.
Without question, this was the origin of the "Six Paths Sage Mode" from the original storyline.
Not only could Naruto combine Sage Mode and Nine Tails Mode, but he could also wield Six Paths Senjutsu and Yin–Yang Release, like the Truth-Seeking Orbs.
And like in the original, even do things like, using Yin–Yang Release to save Might Guy after he opened the Eight Gates, or creating a new eye for Kakashi Hatake.
"It's your turn, Sasuke," the Sage of Six Paths said, looking toward him.
Naruto was still focused on absorbing his new power.
"Thank you," Sasuke said, exhaling a long breath.
"I'll pass on to you the power of Yin."
The Sage of Six Paths raised his hand.
Sasuke had guessed as much.
He'd noticed long ago that he and Naruto were like Yin and Yang, polar opposites.
No wonder he could never quite feel at ease around Naruto. Maybe this was the reason.
Suddenly, a distinctly dark force poured into Sasuke's body.
Unlike Naruto, Sasuke felt a change happening to his Rinnegan.
But it was only in his left eye.
His left eye glowed with a purple light, and six tomoe emerged around the concentric rings.
The six-tomoe Rinnegan, the same pattern the Ten-Tails once had, held tremendous power.
In the original story, he and Naruto fought at the Valley of the End and ended in a draw, indicating the Sage of Six Paths had been entirely fair to both sides.
Shinho narrowed his eyes. In his vision, two lines of text appeared, and he couldn't help looking intrigued.
At last, an achievement had been triggered, likely one that would come with a major reward.
Aside from defeating Kaguya Otsutsuki herself, this was probably the most significant achievement possible in the shinobi world.
..
[Achievement "All Things Under Heaven" Unlocked. Reward: Ancient Sword Dragon Transformation]
[Ancient Sword Dragon Transformation: A Dao of Transformation killer move from the Immortal Dao, allowing the user to morph into an ancient sword dragon, wielding the might of Rank Seven.]
..
Shinho was momentarily stunned.
A killer move granted straight away? That was beyond his expectations.
In obtaining Ancient Sword Dragon Transformation, he had effectively acquired several Gu in a single go.
The core Gu for Ancient Sword Dragon Transformation numbered four:
Two Rank Six Immortal Gu, Dragon Strength Immortal Gu and Change Form Immortal Gu,
and two Rank Seven Immortal Gu, Dragon Breath Immortal Gu and Dragon Scales Immortal Gu.
As their names suggested, these Gu let him truly assume the form of an ancient sword dragon.
Shinho took a slow breath.
With Ancient Sword Dragon Transformation, plus his earlier Myriad Self First Form: Giant Hand Imprint, he felt even more confident facing Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Especially given that this new killer move would let him reach a temporary Rank Seven Gu Immortal level.
Judging by the Sage of Six Paths' own level, even Kaguya couldn't be beyond the scope of a Rank Seven Gu Immortal.
If she were truly on a much higher plane, she wouldn't have been defeated by Naruto and Sasuke in the original story.
Moreover, Kaguya had a fatal flaw: she lacked actual combat experience and couldn't fully wield her vast strength.
When Shinho's thoughts returned to the present, the Sage of Six Paths had finished bestowing power.
He now seemed even more faded than before, his aura faint and indistinct, like he might vanish at any moment.
He won't just disappear on the spot, right? Shinho wondered briefly.
In all honesty, the Sage of Six Paths didn't deserve criticism. He'd done his utmost for the shinobi world.
With a wave of his hand, Shinho sent a pulse of Immortal Essense into the Sage of Six Paths' body, stabilizing him.
"Thank you," the Sage of Six Paths said, surprised.
"No need to thank me." Shinho smiled. "If you disappeared, there'd be no one left to guide Sasuke and Naruto."
Right then, the sound of rushing wind approached.
A group of shinobi arrived from the City of Fire, led by Tsunade herself.
Though Shinho had given them some warning, the sheer shockwaves of the battle were too horrifying not to investigate.
The scene left them all dumbstruck.
The formerly level plains were now riddled with craters, resembling the surface of the moon.
Lingering chakra hung in the air, just the aftershock was enough to make them tremble.
"Are you okay?"
Tsunade landed, grabbed hold of Shinho's hand, and looked him over carefully.
"I'm fine," Shinho said, shaking his head. Then, turning to everyone, he added, "Let's not disturb Sasuke and Naruto right now."
"What's going on with them?"
Tsunade's expression turned serious.
A powerful, almost overwhelming presence seemed to emanate from the two young men.
"It's a stroke of great fortune," Shinho explained briefly.
Tsunade stood there wide-eyed, her mind buzzing.
The legendary Sage of Six Paths, here in the present day?
Was this even the same shinobi world she knew?
And the biggest shock was that Shinho had actually defeated the Sage of Six Paths. It sounded absurd.
Several seconds passed before Tsunade could take in the enormity of it all.
"You should head back," Shinho told the spectators. "Mabui, have our people clean up the battlefield."
"Yes!"
They answered in unison.
In reality, "cleaning up" mostly meant restoring the terrain, a task easily handled by skilled Earth Release users.
After a few more minutes, Sasuke and Naruto awoke from their trance.
Sensing the changes in their bodies, both looked delighted.
Their powers had soared dramatically.
"Thank you, Sage of Six Paths!"
Naruto said enthusiastically.
The Sage of Six Paths smiled kindly at him.
Sasuke, off to the side, twitched the corner of his mouth. He more or less understood the Sage's mindset.
Naruto was like a son to him. In a sense, Sasuke was as well. Otherwise, there'd be no reason to help them in such a big way.
"All right, let's go," Shinho said, interrupting their rather fatherly reunion.
Tsunade instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but Shinho held on tight.
"Everyone already knows, why act shy now?" Shinho teased, his grip firm.
"…"
Tsunade rolled her eyes at him, but didn't protest any further.
Naruto, for his part, was too busy peppering the Sage of Six Paths with questions, Kurama chiming in as well.
Sasuke mostly just listened quietly and pieced together the whole story.
Together, they returned to the City of Fire.
Arrangements for the Sage of Six Paths' accommodations were handled by Sasuke.
There was no need for Shinho to get involved, especially since everything that happened within the domain of Shinho's Territory Immortal Gu would be known to him anyway.
After that, Shinho and Tsunade headed home.