The red marker indicated the nameless country where Paradise was located.
The entire army carried sufficient military supplies.
They departed in a mighty procession from Sunagakure's training grounds, crossed the vast desert of the Land of Wind in half a day, and after passing the national border, entered the nameless country on the southwestern edge of the shinobi world.
At most, it would take another hour to reach the Valley Road where Paradise lay hidden.
Seeing that the time had come, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki spoke.
"Naruto, I will now grant you the other half of the Six Paths power that I reclaimed from Sasuke."
While running, Naruto Uzumaki closed his eyes.
Buzz!
A black sun-shaped seal—the Six Paths Yin Power—appeared in the center of his right palm.
"This power…"
Hum!
When Naruto opened his eyes again, the Mangekyō Sharingan in both eyes expanded and transformed into Rinnegan.
"The Rinnegan!? What's going on!?"
"The seal I bestowed upon Sasuke also absorbed a portion of Sasuke's chakra—Indra's power."
"But I thought the other condition for awakening the Rinnegan was near-death, Six Paths Grandpa!"
"That's why you're not awakening it yourself, Naruto. You are inheriting my Rinnegan directly."
"First, your Mangekyō possesses Takemikazuchi, the same power as mine."
"Second, you now possess both Asura's and Indra's chakra."
"With these two conditions fulfilled, I can pass my Rinnegan directly to you."
"You have now obtained the complete mechanism of this dōjutsu."
"And there's more…"
Hum!
A crimson Rinne Seal appeared on Naruto's forehead.
"Now that you possess dual Rinnegan, you can also wield the power of the Rinne Seal."
"You'll soon understand what that truly means."
"Try doing whatever comes to mind."
"…Right."
—Takemikazuchi!
Crackle! Crackle!
The chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts within Naruto surged at once.
Each beast's chakra increased from half of its original amount to its complete form.
Using the power of his soul, Naruto instantly restored all of the chakra the beasts had lost.
Boom!
A magnificent golden haori erupted around Naruto's body.
The cloak bore the full emblem of Six Paths Senjutsu, and its flowing hem trailed more than a meter behind him like a radiant carpet.
The Allied Army burst into excited uproar.
"Hey! Look at Lord Hokage's power!"
"I'm not even a sensor-type ninja, but I can tell this is terrifying!"
"This is on a whole different level!"
"He's unbelievably strong!"
"Honestly, after hearing rumors about our enemy, I was nervous…"
"But now? There's nothing to fear!"
"With Naruto leading us, defeat is impossible!"
Gaara thought:
So this is the true power of the Six Paths…
Naruto, with strength like this, you already exist on a completely different plane from the rest of us.
Darui thought:
If you'd possessed this power when you fought Uchiha Jin, then no matter how many tricks Jin's eyes could perform, he wouldn't have stood a chance.
Kurotsuchi grinned inwardly:
Heh, now this will be interesting.
Can Jin still beat him?
Honestly, I've never seen Jin suffer a defeat.
Mei Terumi remained calm.
So this is the confidence Naruto and Hagoromo are relying on.
Strong, certainly.
But compared to Jin in his current state, the gap isn't just large—it's overwhelming.
Even from my non-expert perspective, Jin could probably crush him with one hand.
The real problem is that Jin isn't in Paradise right now.
If things spiral out of control…
I may have to use the parting gift Jin gave me that night at the Sea House.
By myself, it won't be enough.
Fortunately, from what I've observed, Kurotsuchi is likely one of Jin's people as well.
If the two of us use that power together, there might still be hope…
Please don't let it come to that.
We fought side by side through life and death.
Inside Naruto's mind, Hagoromo said with satisfaction:
"Congratulations, Naruto."
"You now possess the complete chakra of the Nine Tailed Beasts, Yin and Yang power, dual Rinnegan, and the Rinne Seal."
"Strictly speaking, you are not the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki."
"But with the full support of the Nine Beasts' wills, your strength rivals mine when I was the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki."
"All the elements of Six Paths power are now complete."
"At this moment, your power is equal to mine in my prime."
"With my soul guiding you and sharing my battle experience, you are now truly the Sage of Six Paths."
In the Hokage power scale, beyond Kage level lay the entry level of Six Paths power.
Past examples included Six Paths Obito, Six Paths Naruto, and Six Paths Sasuke.
Above that was quasi-Six Paths.
One-eyed Six Paths Madara represented that level.
Above quasi-Six Paths was true Six Paths.
Dual-Rinnegan Madara after absorbing the God Tree could rival true Six Paths, but due to inferior experience and judgment, his actual combat ability remained slightly below Hagoromo's.
And now, Naruto had become the sole representative of true Six Paths.
As for the realm beyond true Six Paths…
That was a topic for another day.
Watching Naruto revel in his newfound strength, Hagoromo smiled.
"How does it feel, Naruto?"
Naruto stared at his hands in wonder.
"I feel like I can do almost anything."
He glanced back at the countless shinobi behind him.
Then inspiration struck.
"If I use the Allied Shinobi Technique now…"
"How far can I take it?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Naruto formed seals with four fingers.
Ten radiant golden shadow clones appeared instantly.
They spread out through the army, laying hands on shoulders and sleeves, sharing chakra with the troops.
Heh.
Hagoromo chuckled softly.
To him, Naruto looked like a child showing off a brand-new toy to all his friends.
Naruto…
No matter how powerful you become, your heart remains bound to others.
Like Asura, you grew stronger through bonds.
But unlike Asura, you cannot exist apart from them.
Asura enjoyed a happy childhood.
His connection to others was natural from the beginning.
You are different.
You rose from rejection and hatred to admiration and applause.
Everything you did was driven by the desire to be acknowledged.
Your sense of worth is rooted in the existence of others.
Without them, you would become like a tree without roots.
Even bathed in sunlight, you would eventually wither.
But none of that matters now.
Use the power I've given you however you like.
Even if you waste it, I don't mind.
If it makes you happy.
Sometimes, I truly envy Asura and Indra.
Though they were trapped in karmic conflict and reincarnated again and again, each life allowed them to release a little more of their burden.
Each life offered a new chance to reflect.
Their feud finally ended with you and Sasuke.
They have surely found peace.
But I…
My fear of Mother prevented my soul from ever resting.
For a thousand years, I drifted across this world.
Watching.
Waiting.
Standing still.
To be honest…
I am tired.
I devoted my entire life to preparing for Kaguya's return.
Most of my techniques were created specifically to counter her abilities.
Isshiki and the heavenly demon may each be weaker than Mother in pure power, but their unique techniques and mechanisms make them dangerous in ways I was never meant to handle.
My strength may not be useful against them at all.
Sealing Kaguya once more is the last thing I can do for this world.
Everything else…
I no longer have the strength to carry.
Naruto.
After this battle, the rest will be up to you.
The ten shadow clones vanished in clouds of smoke after completing their task.
Golden chakra flames now blazed around every shinobi in the Allied Army.
Though the chakra manifested only as flickering flames rather than full cloaks, both its quality and quantity far surpassed the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode Naruto had shared during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
"Amazing!"
"This power is incredible!"
"With this chakra, our taijutsu and ninjutsu are on another level!"
"How could we possibly lose!?"
Naruto's spirits soared.
That was the true Six Paths: Allied Shinobi Technique.
As the army rounded a mountain pass, Naruto's expression hardened.
He extended his hand toward the distance.
—Universal Pull!
Whoosh!
White Zetsu Outer Formation Unit No. 18, hidden beneath the ground as a lookout, was forcibly dragged into Naruto's grasp.
The White Zetsu laughed bitterly.
"Heh. So I was discovered."
Naruto's eyes turned cold.
"White Zetsu…"
"So even you—one of the accomplices who helped Madara and Obito cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi—have been taken in by Uchiha Jin."
"I almost doubted myself again."
"But now I know for certain."
"Uchiha Jin is the heavenly demon."
White Zetsu spat back fearlessly.
"Uzumaki Naruto, you idiot."
"Do you have any idea how foolish this is?"
"My final warning to you…"
"Stop now."
"Or everyone will die because of you."
Naruto tightened his grip.
"I never go back on my word."
"That's my ninja way."
"I won't retreat."
"And I won't break my promise."
Crack.
Naruto snapped White Zetsu's neck.
…
Paradise.
The paired Inner Formation Unit No. 18 White Zetsu died the same instant.
Its final report had already reached headquarters.
"I'm about to die!"
"Lord Dark Shadow is away dealing with Isshiki!"
"He won't return in time!"
"Naruto is leading an army here!"
"Hagoromo possesses a summoning contract tied to Paradise's First Gate!"
"Through Naruto, he can open the entrance!"
The command rang out immediately:
"Pass the order!"
"The Hidden Dark Village is now at Level One Battle Readiness!"
After issuing the order, Konan returned to her residence.
She removed the black cloak adorned with red clouds and changed into the plain black robe she had worn in the early days of the Akatsuki.
Then she walked alone to the gates of the Hidden Dark Village.
"So."
"The day has finally come."
She planted Yahiko's old sword upright before her.
In her mind, Yahiko and Nagato stood at her side.
Behind them stood all the original members of Akatsuki who had once devoted themselves to peace in Amegakure.
Together, they stared toward the horizon.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
"When you arrive…"
"I will ask you myself."
"You once promised to bring peace to the Hidden Rain."
"Tell me…"
"Where is that peace now?"
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