Chapter 316
Terrifying Yin Release chakra surged out from Black Zetsu's body like a black tide, completely drowning Uchiha Douhuan! It invaded his flesh, his meridians, and his soul from every opening! The Truth-Seeking Orbs floating behind his back trembled violently, then, one after another, they grew dim and shattered!
Uchiha Douhuan's powerful, just-peaked Six Paths-level aura rapidly declined like a deflating balloon. His body began to melt and deform at a speed visible to the naked eye, being swallowed and covered by that constantly expanding, pitch-black, ominous substance...
In the end, Uchiha Douhuan's figure completely disappeared into that mass of writhing black substance which had expanded to its limit.
That mass slowly floated into the air, like a giant, beating black heart.
Then, it began to contract, to sculpt...
Endless white long hair spread out like a waterfall...
Pale skin, and on the forehead, a unique Rinne Sharingan slowly opened...
Two horns pierced the void from the top of the head...
A pair of Byakugan, pure to the extreme, yet also indifferent to the extreme, slowly scanned this desolate world...
A pressure far more ancient, far more terrifying, and far more despairing than Uchiha Madara's, or even the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki's, as if the God of Creation had descended, or the Demon of Destruction had awakened, descended upon the entire world with a boom!
The Progenitor of Chakra, the Rabbit Goddess, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya—
At this point, was truly revived!
She floated in the air, expressionlessly "looking" at this world that she had once ruled and had been sealed away from for thousands of years. As far as her eyes could see, there were only countless hanging white cocoons, like fruits, and that God Tree that pierced through heaven and earth, frantically absorbing the chakra of all those trapped.
Black Zetsu, like the most loyal pet, wrapped around her sleeve, letting out a satisfied whisper: "Welcome back... Mother..."
Kaguya slowly raised her hand, feeling the truly complete power within her body, which was constantly growing due to the Infinite Tsukuyomi. With her ethereal and cold voice, she spoke the first words since her return:
"My... chakra..."
"Finally... it has all returned..."
However, in this silent world, no one responded. Only the branches and leaves of the God Tree swayed silently, drawing nourishment from the entire world.
However, this feeling of "godhood" in control of everything only lasted for less than a breath in Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's heart.
In the next moment, her vast perception, like the most precise radar, swept across this land that had just been enveloped by the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Just at the edge of this domain covered by the God Tree's power, an extremely subtle, yet like a maggot clinging to bone, familiar-to-the-point-of-making-her-soul-tremble aura, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, suddenly broke her immersion!
"Ugh—!" Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's massive body trembled violently. Those pure and cold Byakugan instantly contracted, revealing an disbelief and a bone-deep fear! The chakra around her body even fell into a momentary disorder because of this.
"No... impossible!" Her ethereal voice for the first time carried an obvious tremor, even a hint of shrillness. "He... he should have been completely annihilated long ago! Back then, I clearly... clearly sacrificed him to the God Tree! He should have been completely devoured!"
That piece of the past, which she had buried in the deepest part of her memory and regarded as the greatest taboo and sin, rushed back like a tide—that meticulously planned betrayal, that sneak attack that had condensed all her power... She was sure that she had completely erased that terrifying existence!
Black Zetsu, wrapped around her sleeve, also clearly sensed his mother's sudden, extreme fear. Its twisted body also tensed up, and it hurriedly urged in a sharp voice: "Mother! It's him! He's really still alive! Quick! While the Infinite Tsukuyomi has just started and the God Tree's power is at its peak, immediately harvest all the chakra of this planet and condense it into a fruit! Then we'll immediately leave this place and escape to another planet! As long as we have the complete fruit, even if it's him..."
Black Zetsu's words were filled with anxiety and panic, as if the approaching existence was their absolute natural enemy that they could not fight against.
However, it was already too late.
Just as Black Zetsu's voice fell, the space in front of them tore apart like a broken mirror without a sound! A pitch-black, ominous space-time wormhole suddenly formed.
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's slender, pale figure slowly paced out from the wormhole. He still bore the injuries from the previous battle, but he looked even more dangerous. His pair of icy eyes, like eternal ice, instantly locked onto the panicked Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
"Ōtsutsuki Kaguya..." Isshiki's voice was low and flat, with no discernible emotional fluctuation, as if he were just stating a fact. But beneath this extreme calm, there was a surging anger and absolute majesty. "What a surprise. I never thought that at the end of this farce of a struggle between lower creatures, it would be you... who had the last laugh."
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was as if frozen by an invisible ice, her body stiffly, bit by bit, turning her head. She saw Ōtsutsuki Isshiki just quietly floating in the air, watching her expressionlessly. That gaze was exactly the same as the gaze he used when she served him as a "guardian" thousands of years ago, when he was examining an unqualified "Dan"! Calm, yet containing the absolute power and indifference to give life or death.
"I... Isshiki... sama..." Kaguya's voice was extremely dry, carrying a tremor that she herself could not control. Thousands of years of sealing and scheming seemed to have been beaten back to their original form at this moment. That fear from the suppression of bloodline and rank, like the heaviest shackles, instantly locked onto her newly revived soul.
"Ōtsutsuki Kaguya," Isshiki slowly, step by step, approached. His speed was not fast, yet it brought an indescribable, immense pressure to Kaguya and her son. "Do you know your crime?"
With every step he took, the air around Kaguya seemed to solidify a bit more.
"As a 'guardian,' to betray and sneak-attack your superior, to steal the Chakra Fruit that should have been turned over to the clan..." Isshiki's voice was still calm, yet it was like the hammer of final judgment, pounding on Kaguya's heart. "According to the highest iron law of the Ōtsutsuki clan, what awaits you... you should be very clear."
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya trembled even more severely. She looked at the approaching Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, just like the lowest-level herbivore seeing the absolute predator at the top of the food chain. Immense fear almost drowned her sanity, making it extremely difficult for her to even move a finger. Black Zetsu writhed frantically on her sleeve, but it could not bring her the slightest sense of security.
Isshiki got closer and closer, already within absolute attack range. He didn't even have any defensive or guarded posture, as if he was certain that Kaguya would never dare to resist.
However, just as Ōtsutsuki Isshiki was about to reach out his hand, seemingly to carry out that "clan law"—
A sudden change occurred!
Extreme fear, sometimes, can give birth to extreme madness!
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's beautiful face, which was originally filled with fear and stiffness, suddenly twisted! In those pure white eyes, a hysterical, all-or-nothing fierce light suddenly burst forth!
"Ahhhhh—!!!"
She let out a sharp cry that was no longer fear, but a roar filled with despair!
"All-Killing Ash Bones!"
Several gray bone spikes, containing the power of absolute annihilation, without any warning, at a speed surpassing vision, shot out from her palms, stabbing straight at the face and chest of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, who was almost right in front of her!
At the same time!
"Rabbit Hair Needle!" Her head of white hair instantly hardened and grew, like countless deadly sharp needles, covering Isshiki's entire body like a storm, aiming for all his vital points!
"Yomotsu Hirasaka!" She even disregarded everything and forcibly opened a black spatial portal at such a close distance, not to escape, but to completely disrupt the space that Isshiki might use to dodge!
When she did not act, she held back. But when she acted, it was her trump card, a fatal killing move that condensed her vast chakra! Without any reservation! Caught completely off guard!
She knew very well how terrifying Isshiki was. She knew very well that once he seized the opportunity, she would never have a chance to turn things around! The fear that had accumulated for thousands of years, at this moment, transformed into the most frenzied counter-attack!
The distance was too close! Kaguya's outburst was too sudden!
The All-Killing Ash Bones, containing the aura of absolute annihilation, were already before his eyes! The threat of death stabbed at his brow like the point of an ice-cold needle!
In the nick of time, Isshiki displayed the terrifying strength of a main family elite. His body, in a way that completely defied the laws of physics, twisted to its limit within a very small range, dodging this blow.
Swish! Swish!
Despite his extremely fast reaction, two of the All-Killing Ash Bones, which should have pierced his heart and head, grazed dangerously past his shoulder blade and cheek! The parts of his clothes and skin that were grazed instantly turned to ash, leaving two shocking, continuously spreading marks of annihilation!
At the same time, the torrential "Rabbit Hair Needle" and the chaotic "Yomotsu Hirasaka" space portal also swept over, further interfering with his movements and perception.
"Hmph!" Isshiki let out a muffled grunt mixed with pain and fury. Kaguya's desperate surprise attack had indeed made him suffer a loss, and it also completely ignited his suppressed anger.
"Ōtsutsuki Kaguya! You are seeking death!" Isshiki completely dropped his posture of judgment. A bone-chilling killing intent erupted like a tangible substance! He no longer held back, clapping his hands together!
"Daikokuten: Divine Punishment!"
Burning meteorites, on an even larger scale and with more condensed energy than when dealing with Madara, rained down from the suddenly ripped-open alternate dimension like a heavenly punishment, their target aimed straight at Kaguya! At the same time, he himself transformed into an afterimage, ignoring the injuries on his body, a huge Yin-Yang Release Black Rod condensed in his hand, stabbing towards Kaguya's vital points from a tricky angle!
Kaguya, upon seeing Isshiki was injured, the fear that had been suppressed in her heart for thousands of years seemed to find an outlet, and was temporarily overwhelmed by a twisted madness. She shrieked, her white hair dancing wildly, controlling the surrounding ice and snow space, while at the same time, brandishing her All-Killing Ash Bones to meet the attack!
"Don't even think about controlling me again!!"
The two fought from the ground to the sky. Every collision made space tremble and the laws wail. Ice and snow were vaporized, the earth was torn apart and reshaped. The brilliance of the Infinite Tsukuyomi seemed to dim under the fierce battle of these two true Ōtsutsuki main family powerhouses. Black Zetsu clung tightly to Kaguya, continuously providing her with support and reminders, helping her to barely withstand Isshiki's seasoned and ferocious offensive.
Kaguya, relying on her vast chakra reserves and her desperate madness, temporarily withstood Isshiki's attacks, but she was still at a disadvantage. Isshiki's application of power and his understanding of combat, although not as good as that of an old ninja like Uchiha Madara who had fought between life and death since he was young, was still far more exquisite and efficient than hers. Defeat seemed to be only a matter of time.
Just as this stalemate continued, and the entire world trembled in the war between these two alien gods—
In that strange space between reality and the Pure Land, the Sage of Six Paths, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's, narrative had come to an end. Although Naruto and Sasuke did not entirely agree with the fatalistic tone of that thousand-year-old tale, they clearly felt the sincere will of this progenitor sage before them to protect the world, as well as the heavy responsibility he was about to entrust.
"The grudges of the past may be difficult to judge," the Sage of Six Paths' old and majestic voice echoed. "But the crisis before us needs your power to stop it. Mother's power has already revived, and the enemy from beyond the heavens has also made his move. If they are left unchecked, the entire world's chakra, and indeed all life, will be completely swallowed by the God Tree and turned into nothingness."
He slowly raised his hands. Two distinct yet complementary source powers began to condense in his palms.
One was hot, vigorous, filled with endless life force, as warm and dazzling as the sun—that was the Yang Power.
One was deep, quiet, containing the power of creation, as mysterious and profound as the night—that was the Yin Power.
"Naruto, Sasuke," the Sage of Six Paths' gaze fell on the two of them respectively. "Accept this power. Just as you said, this is not the fate of Asura and Indra, but the responsibility and choice that you—Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke—as the last hope of the current ninja world, must bear."
He did not force them, but merely gave them the choice.
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a look. Without any hesitation, they both nodded heavily at the same time.
"In order to protect everyone, I need power!" Naruto's eyes were firm.
"In order to sever this absurd cycle, I need power," Sasuke's tone was resolute.
The Sage of Six Paths nodded with relief and infused the two powers into the souls of Naruto and Sasuke respectively.
Weng—!
A powerful energy instantly filled their soul bodies! Naruto's whole body erupted with a brilliant golden light. The prototype of the Truth-Seeking Orbs faintly appeared behind him, and the vast life energy even filled this conscious space with vitality.
Sasuke, on the other hand, was enveloped in a purple chakra brilliance. A mysterious moon mark appeared in the palm of his left hand. The tomoe in his right eye's Eternal Eye began to spin rapidly, transforming into a Rinnegan with six tomoe, his pupils flashing as if they could see through all mysteries.
At the same time, in a special space, Uchiha Douhuan's soul suddenly opened its eyes.
"So this is the essence of Yin-Yang Release? The final step to enter that realm... I understand how to walk it now."
(End of chapter)