Gyūki gently set Naruto down on the ground.
"We weren't trying to make things hard for you," he rumbled. "We just needed to see whether your resolve to coexist with us would waver in the face of doubt and rejection."
He offered a slow, approving nod. "Turns out, you're still someone we can trust. Kurama chose well."
Gyūki extended his fist.
"Thank you… truly, thank you all…" Tears welled in Naruto's eyes as he raised his fist to meet Gyūki's. One by one, the other Tailed Beasts reached out, stacking their hands atop Gyūki's.
In unison, they declared, "Go! Do what you have to do!"
—
Outside the Demonic Statue, Naruto opened his eyes and landed lightly from midair.
He now carried the chakra of all the Tailed Beasts—and with it, mastery of Sage Techniques.
The conditions were set, more perfectly than in his previous life.
A golden cloak of chakra enveloped his entire body, black patterns lining the inside. On his back, the circular crest of reincarnation, with nine magatama arranged in formation.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Nine Truth-Seeking Orbs materialized behind Naruto, forming a perfect ring.
He had attained the Six Paths Sage Mode.
[Note: The power the Sage of Six Paths once granted to Naruto and Sasuke was only the "Yin-Yang Forces." Naruto's Six Paths Sage Mode and Sasuke'sRinnegan both awakened naturally when the conditions were met—this is a common point of confusion.]
Admiring the full-body style of his new cloak, Naruto murmured, "This Six Paths Sage Mode feels even more complete than before… Maybe it's because my mastery of Sage Techniques has deepened."
In his previous life, he'd only learned the Sage Mode of Mount Myōboku. But now, like the First Hokage, he could wield Sage energy freely.
"The Sage of Six Paths hasn't appeared like last time… Looks like he has his own agenda. That's fine—our paths have diverged. This time, I'll rely on my own strength."
Cross-legged before the Demonic Statue, Naruto closed his eyes, ready to comprehend the next step on his own.
…
As Naruto gained the Tailed Beasts' recognition and obtained the Six Paths Sage Mode, the deeply unconscious Sasuke was experiencing a transformation of his own.
"…Am I dead?"
Sasuke opened his eyes to the mirror-like surface of a lake, his voice barely a whisper.
"Reincarnate, you are not yet meant to slumber here forever."
An aged voice echoed from behind.
"Who's there?"
Sasuke turned, finding himself face-to-face with a stranger—an old man, suspended above the water, his face deeply lined, his eyes both shining with the Rinnegan, a crimson tomoe-mark on his forehead.
Two horns jutted from his head, coffee-colored hair and a matching goat beard hanging down to his chest. He wore a white robe with six black magatama on the chest, a red spiral on the back, and a grid of nine magatama below.
A black staff hung diagonally across his back, one end locked with a ring, the other a half-open circle—symbols of Yin and Yang. Floating between him and the water were several Truth-Seeking Orbs, arrayed in a ring.
The old man regarded Sasuke with a weathered gaze. "You've learned much about your origins. You should be able to guess who I am, shouldn't you?"
Sasuke studied him for a long moment, then spoke his suspicion aloud. "You're… the Sage of Six Paths?"
The sage nodded. "Correct. I am Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, the one the world calls the Sage of Six Paths."
Sasuke frowned, deep in thought. "I was gravely wounded by Indra, then manipulated by Black Zetsu into using Rinne Rebirth. I should be dead…"
The sage replied, "It was Uzumaki Naruto who saved you, using a different resurrection technique—at the cost of his own life force."
Sasuke's eyes widened. "What… Naruto? How is he?"
The sage smiled gently. "He's still alive. Don't worry."
A long breath escaped Sasuke's lips, relief flooding through him.
The sage's gaze sharpened. "You care deeply about Naruto, don't you?"
Sasuke clenched his fists. "He's the only person I can truly call a friend. He's also the bond I once tried to sever. That's why I hate the idea of being saved by him."
The sage nodded. "You don't need to feel indebted. After all, Naruto also bears responsibility for your predicament."
Sasuke looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"He allowed Indra to be revived by Black Zetsu."
"Naruto? Why would he do that?"
The sage's voice was heavy. "Naruto is the reincarnation of Asura. His childhood was filled with hardship, but he never gave in to despair. He should have been like Asura—full of compassion, blessing the world. I had such high hopes for him…"
"But the Naruto of today is no longer the Naruto you knew."
"…No longer Naruto?"
"He is Naruto who has returned from the future to the present."
"From the future? That's impossible! Do you have any proof?"
The sage shook his head. "No proof, only the facts. It seems the shinobi world's future suffered a catastrophe—everyone perished except Naruto."
Sasuke was left speechless, reeling from the revelation.
Even as doubt gnawed at him, he pressed on. "So why would Naruto revive Indra?"
"He allowed Black Zetsu to revive Indra so that Indra could become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, and then serve as a sacrifice to resurrect Kaguya."
Sasuke's brow furrowed even deeper. "Kaguya… Who is that?"
"My mother. The origin of overwhelming chakra and absolute power—the first god of this world. No shinobi can compare. A thousand years ago, my brother Hamura and I sealed her away at the cost of everything…"
"But now, Naruto seeks to resurrect her."
"I can guess his motive—he wants to borrow her power to face some future threat. But that path is wrong from the very start."
"Naruto's way now is no different from my mother's. Her fate should be his warning—he's lost himself on the endless road of seeking power."
"That's why I've come to you, Sasuke. You are the only one Naruto would risk his life for. If anyone can bring him back, it's you."
Sasuke asked quietly, "What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to persuade Naruto—stop him from reviving my mother."
"And if I can't?"
"Then we have no choice but to seal Naruto, just as I once sealed my mother…"
"…I—" Sasuke clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles whitened.
The sage raised both hands.
"This power… I had intended to divide it equally between you and Naruto at the proper time. But with things as they are, I must entrust it all to you. Sasuke—this time, I leave everything in your hands."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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