However, the Sage of Six Paths does not fall under Haori's defined category of "basic," or rather, no matter the classification, the Sage of
However, the Sage of Six Paths does not fall under Haori's defined category of "basic," or rather, no matter the classification, the Sage of Six Paths is always the most exceptional one. Haori focuses on switching up the rhythm in battle, but honestly, with his current strength, there aren't many enemies left worth doing that for.
That's not an exaggeration-some protagonists have saved the world by age 16, and Haori is already in his twenties, yet he's still being overwhelmed by a twice-nerfed version of the world boss.
No matter what, the Sage of Six Paths commands Haori's utmost respect.
Yet, facing Haori's powerful strike that could pierce through almost anyone, the Sage of Six Paths remains completely still-not because he fears the attack or is already dead, but because he knows Haori's strike simply cannot land.
Looking across the entire shinobi world, who has the strongest individual defense? It's hard to say definitively, but it's undeniable that the Sage of Six Paths' defense is nearly impenetrable.
Besides the Shinra Tensei, he also has the Nine Truth-Seeking Orbs... the Gudōdama.
At this moment, a dark, curved surface materializes in front of Haori, unsurprisingly blocking his strike. Even lightning cannot disperse on the surface of the Gudōdama, a specially composed substance.
Apart from his usual staff, the Sage of Six Paths has nine Gudōdama spheres around him, and the one blocking Haori's attack is just one of them. These orbs are versatile tools capable of offense, defense, and support.
Unlike the one-time-use Gudōdama generated unconsciously by some of the Ten Tails' jinchūriki under certain conditions, the Sage of Six Paths'-or more precisely, the Ōtsutsuki brothers'-Gudōdama are fundamentally different.
Other Gudōdama shatter once broken and cannot be reused, but the Sage of Six Paths' orbs can be used repeatedly.
As for his Sage Staff... in reality, during his battle with the Ten Tails, he was wielding both a staff and a sword.
Haori seized the interval after the Shinra Tensei to rush close to the Sage of Six Paths, who immediately responded with a defense of one orb and an offense of eight.
Thanks to the rapid piercing attacks caused by the Gudōdama's shape-shifting, Haori's body alone cannot defend against it.
But Haori does not panic. The moment the Gudōdama transforms into black spikes, time seems to slow dramatically...
Haori's right hand's sword strike is not withdrawn, while his left arm bends at the elbow to its limit, palm facing upward, fingers curling into a fist. Then, a punch packed with immense power drives straight forward, and when less than ten centimeters from the Gudōdama barrier, his speed, strength, and momentum double again.
"Thud!"
Haori's terrifying strike, containing all his strength, fails to break the Gudōdama barrier, but the trembling causes a bell-like ringing that spreads far and wide.
Finally, the Sage of Six Paths moves.
No, more precisely, he is pushed back.
In the face of Haori's serious punch, the Sage of Six Paths and the Gudōdama around him quickly recoil.
The offensive thrusts formed by the Gudōdama pierce the water, disappearing as a threat to Haori.
But... Haori, be careful with your wrist when you use so much force!
Since the strike had some effect, Haori pressed forward.
By the time he reached the Sage of Six Paths, his right hand already held a chakra blade, and he swiftly maneuvered around the front to the Sage's side.
Then, the chakra blade stabbed down!
His intention was to bypass the Gudōdama's defensive barrier, but such a simple breakthrough was ineffective, and the Sage of Six Paths made no move. The barrier moved autonomously and blocked Haori's strike again.
Haori expected this and did not stop his assault. He turned his body, letting the chakra blade's tip scrape the orb's surface while his left hand's Iron Sand Sword strike arrived simultaneously.
"Clang!" The clash of metal and iron rang out.
Then, the lightning patterns on Haori's body vanished, replaced by more intense lightning illuminating him and the surrounding area. A faint buzzing sound began, quickly drowned out by the harsh cutting noise of sparks flying.
The Gudōdama cannot be pierced or cut, but Haori still has his chainsaw.
However, this time he was truly surprised.
The extreme destructive power from the Iron Sand Sword's overclocked cutting seemed nullified-it still could not damage the Gudōdama barrier.
What the heck is this?
This is a phenomenon difficult to explain physically. The Iron Sand Sword, which theoretically cuts through anything, cannot break the Gudōdama's defense.
Strange indeed.
Haori had no time to figure out the principle. He pressed his wrist forward, and at the same time, the seal on his forehead began to spread.
He dispelled the third stage of Chidori Style and, after activating the second stage, entered Sage Mode again!
With the overflow of senjutsu chakra, the Sage Mode mask appeared on Haori's face.
Inside was Sage Mode, outside lightning surrounded him, and on the surface, Haori's presence soared once more.
Senjutsu chakra mixed into the Iron Sand Sword.
This time, under the combined effect of the "Electrifier" and Sage Mode, the Gudōdama barrier-sticky like taffy, both resilient and sturdy-was finally sliced inch by inch.
Haori raised an eyebrow. So this works?
He had no prior info that senjutsu chakra could counter the Gudōdama. He switched to Sage Mode merely to boost his output.
In other words, this was a lucky break.
But with Haori's intelligence, he immediately realized it was the natural energy mixed into the senjutsu chakra that was at work.
So... things just got a lot simpler?
The Gudōdama barrier split in two, and Haori's chakra blade stabbed at the Sage of Six Paths again.
Meeting Haori's sword technique was the Sage Staff's block.
Having barely broken through the final defense and launched this strike, Haori knew it was time to retreat-he had to fall back.
Because he sensed the Shinra Tensei cooldown was over.
Sure enough, the moment Haori stepped back, the water beneath him pressed down inch by inch with tremendous force, almost chasing Haori's retreating steps desperately.
When Haori finally stopped, the sea surface before him had been depressed into a hemispherical space with a 200-meter radius.
Of course, the Shinra Tensei's force is spherical, but the upper half is hard to see visually.
"Rinnegan's power is more than this. Why only use this ability?"
From beyond the Shinra Tensei's range, Haori asked the Sage of Six Paths.
Compared to Pain, the Sage of Six Paths is only using the power of the Deva Path now. The Rinnegan's power cannot be limited to this, especially not the Sage of Six Paths' Rinnegan.
"As you said, I am now merely a chakra-based consciousness. I cannot fully retain my living abilities, and the Rinnegan's power can only be partially used," the Sage of Six Paths replied.
Not just the Rinnegan, but his overall strength is similarly diminished. If the Sage of Six Paths at his prime as the Ten Tails' jinchūriki is 1, then his posthumous chakra consciousness is less than half, and the version fighting Haori now, with highly dispersed chakra, is about a quarter.
In reality, only a fool would openly reveal such information to an enemy without hesitation, but Haori's opponent is the Sage of Six Paths.
The Sage does not lie-not out of pride, but because, even if revealing the truth puts him at a huge disadvantage, he will speak honestly. There is no complex reason-it's simply because... he is the Sage of Six Paths.
However, the Sage does not understand what Haori is doing now... He knows Sage Mode well, but this combination of lightning and senjutsu is not a system he created.
No matter how powerful the Sage is, he cannot think outside the worldview's framework, so he does not understand what Haori's lightning-like but chakra-unresponsive technique is, nor does he know how much effort Haori put in, even breaking his wrist multiple times, to use his ability alongside chakra.
Regardless, the Sage of Six Paths finally stopped sitting calmly in a lotus position, hovering.
The Shinra Tensei's water depression smooths out, the Gudōdama piercing the water return behind him, and the Sage's feet touch the water's surface.
Haori holds his breath, sheathing his chakra blade and passing the Iron Sand Sword to his right hand... This is not relaxation; on the contrary, he is more cautious.
The Sage of Six Paths seems ready to get serious... and then he moves, flying swiftly toward Haori.
The streaks left behind look like someone strapped two jet engines to his back, but that's not all-just as he nears Haori, he suddenly accelerates again!
At this moment, Haori's eyes nearly pop out-not because he doesn't understand what the Sage is doing, but because he understands it too well and is shocked!
The Sage of Six Paths, founder of the shinobi tradition and spreader of chakra cultivation to the world, now displays abilities beyond bloodline limits.
Understanding, analyzing, reconstructing-just like the little alchemist Ed.
Understanding, analyzing, learning, and then using-that is the Sage of Six Paths, the Ōtsutsuki.
A lightning pattern appears on the Sage of Six Paths' face. Though different from Haori's, it is very similar.
This means Haori's technique has been copied. The Sage of Six Paths glanced at Haori's third-stage Chidori Style, then used it himself.
Come on, have some mercy-Haori put so much effort into creating this technique, and now it's taken.
But there is a common saying that fits perfectly with the Sage of Six Paths:
"One is all, all is one."
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