"Two against one, isn't that a bit unfair?"
Uchiha Izuna, with a faint smile on his face, spoke half-jokingly to Naruto and Sasuke in front of him.
"Hmph, there's no such thing as fairness or unfairness on the battlefield."
Sasuke, with his Six Tomoe Rinnegan glowing, said coldly while standing beside Six Paths Naruto, facing Uchiha Izuna.
"Is that so?" Izuna smiled meaningfully.
"Sasuke, don't be careless. Keep a safe distance from him," Naruto warned, eyes wary.
Tobirama's strange death still haunted them. Though they didn't yet understand the true nature of the technique [Xue Qifei], both Naruto and Sasuke maintained a careful fifty-meter distance from Uchiha Izuna.
"Ha!"
Uchiha Izuna let out a cold laugh. Then—
Whoosh—
His eyes slowly transformed. The Sharingan in his sockets evolved into Rinnegan, their lavender glow growing more intense.
Naruto and Sasuke immediately grew more alert.
"Naruto, get ready to act," Sasuke muttered. He prepared to use his Rinnegan technique, [Heavenly Hand Power], to pull Izuna toward them and strike simultaneously with Naruto.
But—
"Rinnegan… Aokigan!!"
Izuna activated his unique eye technique first.
Hiss—
His Rinnegan eyes mirrored the figures of Naruto and Sasuke. Slowly, two glowing green energy orbs emerged from a ripple in space.
"What is that...?" Naruto muttered.
Behind him, the temporarily evacuated Allied Shinobi Forces also watched in confusion and awe.
Sasuke activated his Sharingan and Rinnegan to analyze the energy orbs but could discern nothing immediately.
Then—
Whoosh—!
The energy orbs transformed into two humanoid figures.
"This..."
Gasps of shock rang out.
Standing before them were two exact replicas: one of Sasuke with the Rinnegan, and the other of Naruto in his Six Paths form.
"What technique is this...?" Tsunade muttered from the rear lines, eyes narrowing.
"That's fair!" Izuna declared with pride. His Rinnegan pulsed with eerie light.
"Naruto..." Sasuke said in disbelief as he stared at the copy of himself.
Naruto clenched his fists. "They're just copies, Sasuke! Let's take them down!"
A Magnet Style Rasengan began to form in his palm.
At the same time, Sasuke conjured his Black Chidori, the power of Yin channeling through his arm.
Swish!
Sasuke activated [Heavenly Hand Power], instantly switching [Aoki-tai Naruto] to their position.
"Now, Naruto!"
"Right!"
Sasuke's Chidori and Naruto's Rasengan struck simultaneously.
But—
Shua—
The real Naruto vanished.
Clang!!
A Truth-Seeking Ball black staff appeared in [Aoki-tai Naruto]'s hand, blocking Sasuke's Chidori at the last second.
On the other side—
Clang!!
Naruto had switched places and now countered [Aoki-tai Sasuke]'s Black Chidori with his Rasengan.
"How…?"
Naruto and Sasuke were both stunned.
Even the surrounding shinobi were dumbfounded.
The [Aoki-tai] versions had identical powers. The Truth-Seeking Balls, the Sky Hand Power, Magnet Style Rasengan, Black Chidori—they replicated everything.
Even more terrifying: when Sasuke used [Heavenly Hand Power] to switch [Aoki Naruto] in, [Aoki Sasuke] used the same technique and swapped the real Naruto away.
"Damn it!"
Naruto glared at the fake Sasuke.
Suddenly—
"Xue Qifei!!"
Zheng—!
Now within thirty meters of Izuna, Naruto felt it.
The eye technique of [Mangekyō Sharingan] activated.
And just like Tobirama before him, Naruto's body went rigid.
His blood froze.
His body felt like ice.
An invisible cage seized him.
Though his Six Paths power prevented death, Naruto was immobilized completely.
[Aoki-tai Sasuke] didn't hesitate. Chidori surged again. He dashed forward, aiming for Naruto's chest.
At the last moment—
Shua—
Sasuke teleported using [Heavenly Hand Power], rescuing Naruto.
But—
Shua—
[Aoki Sasuke] appeared exactly where Sasuke had been moments ago, surging toward them with his Chidori.
Because Sasuke was carrying Naruto, he couldn't move fast enough to evade.
Zzzzzap—!
A deadly blow was imminent.
Suddenly—
"Dust Release: Original World Separation Technique!!"
Ohnoki, now empowered with Six Paths chakra, launched a counterattack.
The enormous energy blast forced [Aoki Naruto] and [Aoki Sasuke] to retreat.
Almost at the same time:
Swish!
Namikaze Minato appeared with [Flying Thunder God], whisking Naruto and Sasuke back to the Allied Forces' rear lines.
Tsunade rushed over, healing Naruto immediately.
Sasuke, gasping, stared at Izuna across the field.
His heart pounded with unease.
That man—who looked so much like him—possessed techniques beyond anything he had imagined.
Of all the foes they had fought—
Madara, Kaguya, even the Ōtsutsuki brothers—
None were as unpredictable, strange, or terrifying as:
Uchiha Izuna.
He had powers that could replicate their every move. Powers that disrupted the laws of strategy and reaction.
And now... the tide of battle was beginning to shift in his favor.
In the shadows, Leo stood on a shattered cliff, watching with arms crossed and a smirk tugging at his lips.
"Looks like the real game has finally begun."