Crack! Crack! Crack!
The black-and-gold Rasenshuriken tore through the countless fists of the Thousand-Armed Buddha like dry leaves, crashing directly into the massive statue itself.
Boom!!!
The explosion swallowed the entire Buddha. Waves of fire spread outward, engulfing the island completely.
Then—
Silence.
The island was gone.
Naruto stood atop the ocean surface. The figure of the Edo First Hokage did not reappear.
The horizon began to pale with the first light of dawn.
A black space-time portal opened.
Sasuke stepped out onto the sea behind Naruto.
Naruto spoke heavily, without turning around. "It was Orochimaru. He took Kakashi-sensei… and said he's going after Granny Tsunade and the other former Kage…"
"…I see." Sasuke's voice remained calm. "So what's your plan? It's almost time for our meeting with the Sage of Six Paths. Do we head for Hidden Yin… or focus on rescuing Kakashi and stopping Orochimaru first?"
Naruto clenched his fists, his voice faltering. "I… I… I'm thinking…"
Suddenly—
The golden flames at the edge of Naruto's chakra cloak gathered into a flickering torch. Within its distorted light, the semi-corporeal form of the Sage of Six Paths manifested, floating in the air.
He spoke decisively, cutting in. "That's obvious. Our priority is to stop my mother, Kaguya, and her accomplice, Uchiha Akira!"
Sasuke frowned deeply.
It wasn't the words that troubled him—
It was the fact that the Sage could manifest directly like this.
Just Naruto's naturally dispersed chakra was enough to form a semi-physical projection.
Back then, the Sage had needed the severed half of Six Paths Madara's body to achieve something similar.
Had Naruto's Six Paths power reached such a level…?
Or had the Sage retained something more?
Sasuke spoke coldly, "So you're saying… the lives of Hatake Kakashi and Tsunade don't matter?"
"Of course not," the Sage replied. "But everything has priorities. My mother, Kaguya, poses a far greater threat—far greater potential casualties."
"But she hasn't caused any damage yet! Kakashi and the others are already in danger!"
Before Sasuke could continue, Naruto spoke—
And his answer caught Sasuke completely off guard.
"Sasuke… I agree with the Sage. We should deal with Kaguya first."
…That's not like him.
Naruto would never abandon comrades in immediate danger. Sasuke was certain of that.
He remained calm. "Your reason?"
Naruto's expression hardened. "Kakashi-sensei… isn't in immediate danger. Or at least, not right now. I have a basis for saying that."
"…Go on."
Naruto clenched his fists tighter. "There's something I didn't realize at first. Orochimaru's words threw me off… but after he left, while fighting the First Hokage, I started to understand."
"What?"
Naruto said firmly, "From beginning to end… I never sensed any real killing intent from Orochimaru."
…So he noticed.
Naruto continued carefully, "This might sound arrogant, but at Orochimaru's level, it's impossible for him to completely hide malicious intent from me. If he truly meant harm, I would have sensed it."
"So after thinking it through, there's only one possibility."
"He has a reason. Something unavoidable."
"At the very least… I'm certain Kakashi-sensei won't be killed by him."
Sasuke sighed inwardly.
So the flaw was exposed through Naruto's enhanced perception.
It couldn't be helped.
If Naruto kept blaming Uchiha Akira for everything, Orochimaru had to step forward and take responsibility.
Otherwise, Naruto would have even more justification to attack Hidden Yin.
Sasuke felt conflicted.
Relieved that Naruto had grown stronger—
But frustrated that the Sage's influence hadn't been completely shut down.
The Sage smiled in satisfaction. "Then it seems there's no disagreement."
"Who said that?" Sasuke replied calmly.
Since subtle tactics wouldn't work—
He would go straight at it.
"While we're heading to Peach Paradise to confront Kaguya and Uchiha Akira… what if Jigen—Isshiki—and the Kara organization attack the village in our absence?"
"Sage of Six Paths, answer me honestly. Is that possibility real?"
The Sage fell silent.
Sasuke pressed, "Does that possibility exist? Answer me."
"…Perhaps," the Sage admitted reluctantly.
"And if it happens?" Sasuke continued. "Do you have any contingency plan?"
"…No."
"Then that's a problem," Sasuke said evenly. "Naruto just swore in front of everyone that Isshiki would never threaten them again."
"As Hokage, he made that promise. And as the shadow supporting Konoha, I share that responsibility."
Naruto said nothing this time.
His silence was agreement.
Sasuke looked up at the Sage. "So I'll repeat myself. We deal with Jigen and Isshiki first. Then we deal with Kaguya and Akira."
The Sage countered, "And can you guarantee when Isshiki will act? What if he waits three years? Five years? Will you sit idle all that time?"
"By then, my mother may have already consumed all the chakra on this land. Billions could die."
"Do those innocent people deserve that risk?"
Sasuke's gaze sharpened.
So that's where you're taking this…
Then I won't hold back anymore.
"Who said we have to wait for Isshiki to come to us?"
Naruto and the Sage both looked at him in surprise.
Sasuke continued, "When Kawaki's airship crashed, Konohamaru recovered a black data box. Among the data… was a set of spatial coordinates."
"I suspected back then that it pointed to Kara's base."
"But my Rinnegan was too drained to open a portal and verify it."
"Now… that's no longer an issue."
Naruto's eyes widened. "Sasuke… you mean…"
"That's right. I'll investigate that location."
"If it is Kara's base—"
"We strike first."
Sasuke glanced sideways at the Sage. "That should be acceptable, right?"
The Sage stroked his beard, thinking for a long moment.
Finally, he nodded.
"…Very well. That does sound like a practical solution. If we can eliminate Isshiki along the way, all the better."
"But let me make one thing clear."
"If you encounter Isshiki… avoid using Six Paths power if possible."
"Save as much strength as you can… for facing my mother, Kaguya—and Uchiha Akira."
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