Act One
— Super: Quicksand Waterfall Flow!
Clad in the golden Six Paths cloak personally bestowed by Naruto, Gaara had stepped from the level of a Kage into the realm beyond the super-Kage threshold.
He manipulated a colossal sea of sand, sending it roaring toward Kurotsuchi atop the earthen wall.
"Hehe~! Come catch me!"
Kurotsuchi giggled as she darted around, weaving through the sandstorm with carefree agility.
"You can't catch me~ can't catch me~"
Gaara rose into the air atop a platform of sand.
His face was calm, but his hands moved like a conductor's baton.
The vast sea of sand surged and folded with every motion, nearly sealing off every avenue of escape.
"I-I'm doomed!"
— Super: Sand Monster Arms!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dozens of gigantic sand hands rose from the desert, blotting out the sky as they descended upon the cornered Kurotsuchi.
"Just kidding~"
Without missing a beat, Kurotsuchi calmly formed hand seals.
— Six Paths: Non-Contact Super Added-Weight Rock Technique!
Buzz!
The sea of sand was suddenly burdened with a weight far beyond Gaara's control.
It froze in place, then collapsed with a thunderous crash.
"Time to scoot~"
Kurotsuchi had already targeted the single opening and slipped through.
RUMBLE!
The weighted sand slammed into the earthen wall, its tremendous mass crushing nearly half of the fortified structure.
Kurotsuchi floated lightly into the air, as weightless as a feather.
Though the Six Paths: Twin Blossom Reverse Flow technique already granted flight, she still used Light-Weight Rock Technique.
Because Kurotsuchi always had a reason.
— Six Paths: Featherweight Body Flicker!
Whoosh!
She shot forward in an instant, appearing directly before Gaara.
— Six Paths: Super Added-Weight Adamantine Rock Fist!
Crack!
A glittering diamond gauntlet formed over her right fist.
At the moment of impact, she switched to Super Added-Weight Rock Technique, raising the destructive force to inhuman levels.
Bang!
Gaara's automatic sand shield was punched through as though it were tofu.
The sand armor on his skin crumbled like a flimsy plastic bag.
Boom!
Gaara was blasted downward, slicing through the air with sonic ripples before smashing deep into the earth.
— Six Paths: Water Horn Stone Lime Condensation!
Crash!
A flood of water mixed with quicklime from Lava Release, hardening into cement that sealed Gaara in place.
Kurotsuchi descended vertically, her high heel stepping onto his cement-covered abdomen.
— Six Paths: Leg Rock Spear!
Crunch!
A sharp stone spike erupted from the sole of her boot and pierced into his stomach.
"Gah!"
Gaara coughed up blood as the golden Six Paths cloak around him dissipated.
She had deliberately avoided his heart and head.
That was Kurotsuchi's final act of mercy.
Gaara's fading eyes drifted toward the colossal blue figure taking shape in the distance, and the countless tiny figures gathered below it.
"Naruto… I did my best."
"Everyone… I'm sorry."
"I dragged you all into this…"
By now, Gaara could no longer deny the truth.
There had never been any real meaning in assembling the Allied Shinobi Forces.
Naruto, intoxicated by prophecy, had summoned the alliance only to reenact the words of that prophecy and cast a Six Paths version of the Ninja Alliance Technique that was little more than a joke.
And Gaara knew with certainty that the true power of the Hidden Shadow Village had yet to emerge.
After this war…
Sunagakure might well cease to exist.
If you had only asked me alone for help, I would have gladly given my life.
The final image to flash through his mind before unconsciousness claimed him was of the young Naruto standing before him, stubborn and unyielding.
If only life could remain as it was when we first met.
A tear slid down his cheek as his eyes closed.
Goodbye… my Naruto.
Act Two
Darui, empowered by the golden Six Paths cloak granted by Naruto, had likewise crossed into a level he had never dreamed of reaching.
As expected of the man once regarded as the right-hand of the Fourth Raikage and said to rival Kakashi Hatake.
He immediately combined the Six Paths cloak with his Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
His body flicker speed now surpassed even the Fourth Raikage he had long admired.
His broad blade flashed with golden lightning as he unleashed a relentless storm of sword strikes against Mei Terumī.
At the same time, the Black Panther technique taught to him by the Third Raikage took shape.
Six autonomous black lightning panthers joined the assault, coordinating with his swordsmanship.
Speed was truth.
Even Mei dared not be careless before such a thunderous offensive.
Wrapped in the black Six Paths cloak of Twin Blossom Reverse Flow, she performed a technique she had once never imagined possible:
Lava Release Shadow Clone Technique.
Twenty-five clones appeared.
Each possessed strength equivalent to Mei's former full power and retained both Water Release and Lava Release.
Under Darui and the Black Panthers' assault, six clones had already been destroyed.
Slash!
Darui cut down the seventh clone, but the acid it released upon dispersing dissolved the Black Panther that had pinned it.
Whoosh!
He leapt aside to avoid the descending torrent of Corrosive Mist, only to find three clones closing in on him in a suicide attack.
"At this rate, this will never end!"
He swept them back with one hand while forming seals with the other.
A blue sphere of light formed in his palm and was thrown skyward.
It expanded into a glowing orb five meters across.
Countless laser-like blue beams rained down.
— Storm Release Secret Art: Detached Severe Thunderstorm!
Storm Release, the fusion of Water and Lightning, was either flowing lightning or electrified water.
Its attacks locked onto targets.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
The blue beams struck clone after clone, dissolving them into puddles of acid.
Whoosh!
Only one Mei remained.
She danced gracefully between the pursuing beams.
Darui rested his sword on his shoulder, eyes narrowing.
"That should be the real one."
The remaining Black Panthers lunged.
— Body Flicker: Rising Water Dragon!
Mei smiled.
The instant she landed, a burst of water launched her upward.
She flipped and landed atop the earthen wall, gripping the edge with one hand.
Her reddish-brown hair billowed like the branches of a pine tree.
Her face was elegant and fierce.
Shoom!
A stream of Severing Wave erupted from her lips.
It sliced through all five Black Panthers and then continued upward, cutting apart the Storm Release orb.
Darui stood beside the scar it left in the earth, staring at the half of his broken blade.
His expression darkened.
Mei asked calmly,
"Will you stop, Raikage?"
Darui looked toward the gigantic blue figure towering into the heavens.
At this point… how could he stop?
"I'll trust you to the end, Naruto…"
Mei didn't hear his murmur, but she saw the determination in his eyes.
"How unfortunate."
She formed another seal.
Bubble… bubble…
White matter suddenly emerged from Darui's body, writhing as it formed a featureless version of Mei.
Darui's eyes widened.
"What is this!?"
Mei replied,
"I developed this Six Paths: Boiling Spore Technique based on the White Zetsu spore parasitism technique."
"Any direct contact with my palm plants the spores."
"I can then stimulate them with chakra."
"Boil Release generated at point-blank range is lethal, even without an enclosed space."
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
The spore-Mei melted, releasing highly corrosive, superheated mist.
Darui's golden cloak and Lightning Release armor were instantly dissolved.
"AAAAAHHHHH!!"
His flesh was scorched and corroded.
Rolling his eyes, he collapsed into a pool of blood.
Mei released the technique.
She had carefully calculated the amount of chakra in the spores—enough to completely incapacitate Darui, but not kill him.
This was the gap between the Six Paths and the super-Kage realm.
Both battles ended almost simultaneously.
Mei and Kurotsuchi regrouped atop the shattered earthen wall.
Before them stood the towering blue giant.
Mei stared solemnly.
"So that is Six Paths Susanoo…"
Kurotsuchi sighed.
"It's several times larger than Jin's."
Mei considered for a moment, then formed a seal.
"Release."
The black Six Paths cloak around her vanished.
Kurotsuchi blinked.
"Huh? Why cancel it?"
Mei answered,
"At this point, we can't interfere any further."
"We should conserve Jin's chakra."
"He'll likely have stronger enemies to face."
"Fair enough."
Kurotsuchi dispelled her own cloak.
A moment later, Konan did the same.
That was enough.
The Kazekage and Raikage were down.
If the remaining shinobi ceased resisting, they would be treated as prisoners.
Act Three
Naruto Uzumaki stood a thousand meters in the sky, looking down upon the world.
His severed left arm had already regenerated.
"So this is what it felt like when the Sage of Six Paths used this power…"
In his heart, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki recalled ancient memories.
"Exactly."
"This is the true power capable of rivaling the Ten-Tails."
"Six Paths Susanoo."
Naruto gazed at the countless figures below, each no larger than ants.
His heart surged with ambition.
"If I can combine this with the Ninja Alliance Technique…"
"Then it'll be perfect."
Hagoromo fell silent.
Then Naruto smiled.
"I've already figured out how."
He brought his palms together.
Whoosh!
The Six Paths Susanoo spread enormous pale-blue wings that blotted out the sky.
WHOOOOSH!
Suddenly, fierce winds rose.
On the ground, every shinobi still cloaked in golden chakra was pulled upward by an irresistible force.
"What now?!"
"Is he serious?!"
Naruto smiled in pure exhilaration.
"It works on the same principle as Chibaku Tensei."
"Because the chakra I gave everyone serves as an anchor, I can pull them onto the wings of Six Paths Susanoo!"
"This way, not only can I protect everyone from slaughter…"
"I can lead them all into the skies and fight together!"
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