Sasuke awoke on his bed, the six-tomoe Rinnegan in his eyes gleaming with an otherworldly light. In the centers of his palms, the marks of Yin and Yang were now etched, pulsing with new power.
"Sasuke, you're awake! You're finally awake—I was so worried about you…!"
At his bedside, Karin's crimson eyes shimmered with tears as she clung tightly to his shoulder.
But Sasuke gently pushed her away.
"…Sasuke?" Karin asked, confused.
"Where's Naruto?" he said, his voice flat.
As Sasuke stepped out into the corridor, he found Sakura leaning against the wall. When he passed her like a stranger, she spoke up, her face expressionless: "You've let a lot of people down lately."
Tap.
Sasuke paused, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"When you attacked Konoha, you nearly killed Karin. She chased after you all the way to the Hidden Rain, even betraying her village's secrets to Kabuto, just to find you."
"When you got into trouble in the Land of Lightning, Naruto used Chiyo's forbidden technique to save your life—he lost fifty years of his own lifespan for you!"
"And while you've been lying here, Itachi went to the Land of Lightning to clean up the mess you left behind. That whole country is in chaos because of you!"
Sasuke's voice was cold. "And what's any of that got to do with you?"
"It doesn't," Sakura answered, unflinching. "But I'm a Hidden Rain ninja now, and since we once knew each other, I'll give you this: No matter what you've done, don't waste everyone's efforts."
A faint, mocking smile tugged at Sasuke's lips. "You're finally starting to act like a real ninja, Sakura. Still, you're as annoying as ever…"
Sizzle—!
Sasuke'sRinnegan locked with Sakura's gaze.
—Tsukuyomi!
A cold iron hand pierced straight through Sakura's chest.
Thud!
She collapsed, heart pounding in shock: That's Tsukuyomi? And it even works on Impure World Reincarnation?!
Sasuke turned away, his voice icy as he walked off: "Karin's issues are her own obsession—they've got nothing to do with me. As for Naruto, if you don't know the truth, keep your mouth shut. I'm going to find him now…"
—
Deep beneath the Hidden Rain, before the Demonic Statue.
Naruto recalled his past life's experience and, through his own insight, awakened the power of Yang!
Then, by understanding the interplay of Yin and Yang, he unraveled the secrets of Yin as well.
Opening his eyes, he looked down at his left palm, where a white sun symbolized Yang, and his right, where a black crescent moon symbolized Yin. A small, knowing smile played at his lips.
Just as he'd always believed: Yin and Yang are, at their core, techniques. With the right elements and enough understanding, anyone with the talent can master them on their own.
And when you master power yourself, it's yours forever—unlike a gift from someone else, which is always temporary.
Naruto stood up. "Now, before I become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, I've gotten everything I possibly can…"
Poof—!
The Demonic Statue vanished in a cloud of white smoke.
To be able to ignore the Crimson Yang Formation and the Kamui space-time barrier, and summon away the Demonic Statue—there was no one else in the current shinobi world who could pull that off.
"Indra must already be making his move. It's time for us to set our plans in motion, too…"
Back on the surface, Naruto immediately summoned the Fourth Hokage and Konan.
"The Demonic Statue has fallen into Indra's hands. His next step will be to revive the Ten-Tails, but he's still missing the most crucial piece: Kurama's chakra. That means Indra will definitely come for us. Personally, I don't want the Hidden Rain to become the battlefield, so…"
Naruto's gaze shifted to Minato, who still held the Yin half of Kurama sealed within him.
A single look between father and son was all it took—they both knew what the other was thinking.
Minato: "You want me to hand myself over?"
Naruto: "That's right. But we can't just hand over Kurama outright—that'd make them suspicious of our motives…"
Minato grinned slyly. "Then how about this: I surrender and pledge my loyalty, offering up my half of Kurama as proof. What do you think?"
Naruto hesitated. "But we're father and son—without a good reason, it won't be convincing…"
Minato continued smoothly, "Just say that what you're doing now goes against my beliefs as Hokage, so we've become enemies."
Naruto replied, "But would betraying Konoha and siding with Indra really fit the Hokage's ideals?"
Minato waved a hand. "What matters is that Indra believes it. Think about it—didn't he rebel against his own father? He might even empathize with me!"
Naruto shot back, "If anything, he'd empathize with me, the son, not you, the dad… But whatever, let's give it a shot. Who turns down free ramen, right? But if we're going to put on a show, let's make it convincing…"
He stepped forward—whoosh!—and a Truth-Seeking Orb morphed into a black rod in his hand. With a swift, clean strike, he shattered Minato's arm.
"Oh?" Hashirama watched Naruto's new form with curiosity. "So this is the new mode born from fusing all the Tailed Beasts' chakra with my Sage Techniques—Six Paths Sage Mode, huh? That power is something else!"
Hiruzen was awestruck. "Those black spheres can change shape at will and erase anything they touch. That's beyond even Ōnoki's Dust Release, which fuses three chakra natures. This must be a fusion of at least four!"
Tobirama's gaze was sharp. "The Fourth's destroyed arm isn't regenerating. That means even the effects of Impure World Reincarnation have been negated. This kind of technique goes far beyond ordinary jutsu—it's the source of all ninjutsu: Yin-Yang Release."
As the three Hokage debated, Minato looked pitiful. "Naruto… you really don't hold back, do you?"
Naruto grinned. "That's what father-son conflict is supposed to look like! Don't worry, I'll fix you up later."
"Sigh…" Minato groaned, face full of woe.
Tobirama teased, "Fourth, you're not really going to defect, are you? I won't let you off if you do!"
Minato replied righteously, "What kind of man do you take me for? I've put up with all kinds of crap since I was a kid—my resilience is way above Hokage level!"
Tobirama muttered, "Even if you brag about it, all I can do is sympathize…"
And with that, Minato went off to "defect."
Naruto continued to analyze the situation. "Once Indra becomes the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, his next move will be to launch the Infinite Tsukuyomi—the ultimate genjutsu, cast on all humanity through the moon…"
"Sure, the Infinite Tsukuyomi can be broken, but the coming battle with Indra will be historic. It's the perfect time to reveal the truth about the Ōtsutsuki to all the world's shinobi. That's why we can't let the ninja fall under its spell…"
He turned to Konan, who stood ready at his side.
"Konan, send word to the Five Great Ninja Villages and every smaller village—tell them everything. If they don't want to fall under the Infinite Tsukuyomi, they need to gather in Amegakure as soon as possible."
Konan nodded. "Understood."
She felt a deep sense of relief—was the truth about Naruto finally about to be revealed to the world?
"Naruto…"
Just then, a cold voice rang out. Everyone turned toward the sound.
Naruto's face lit up. "Sasuke, you're awake!!"
Uchiha Sasuke strode forward, ignoring the Hokage and fixing his gaze on Naruto. "I won't let you resurrect Kaguya!"
Naruto turned to face him, his eyes deep and unreadable. "So you know. That means you've met the Sage of Six Paths, haven't you…"
Sasuke replied, "I know what you're planning, and I know what you've done. Stop this, now!"
Naruto took a long breath, then met Sasuke's gaze head-on. "Then let's settle this at our old place, Sasuke."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
🤔 Want to know what happens next to the characters?
🤫 Eager to explore the untold secrets of this world?
✍️ Ready to read more of my wildest stories?
✨patreon.com/DarkGolds