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"Rabbit hair needles!" Her long white hair instantly hardened and grew, like countless deadly needles, covering all the acupoints on Yi Shi's body like a storm!

"Yomi Hirasaka!" She even forcibly opened a black spatial portal at such close range, not to escape, but to completely disrupt the space where Isshiki could possibly dodge!

She doesn't strike unless she's absolutely certain, but when she does, it's her trump card, a deadly move imbued with immense chakra! Completely unrestrained! Caught completely off guard!

She knew all too well how terrifying Yi Shi was, and she knew that once he seized an opportunity, she would never be able to turn the tables! The fear that had accumulated over thousands of years transformed into the most frenzied counterattack at this moment!

The distance was too close! Kaguya's outburst was too sudden!

The All-Killing Ash Bones, containing absolute destructive power, are already upon us!

The aura of "Sharing the Ash Bones" that could annihilate everything was already upon him, and the threat of death pierced his brow like a cold needle!

At the critical moment, he displayed his terrifying strength as an elite member of his clan. His body twisted to the limit within a very small range, completely defying the laws of physics, and he dodged the attack.

laugh!laugh!

Despite his lightning-fast reflexes, the two co-killing ash bones, meant to pierce his heart and skull, still narrowly grazed his shoulder blades and cheeks! The areas grazed instantly turned to ash, leaving two shocking, ever-spreading trails of annihilation!

At the same time, a torrential downpour of "rabbit hair needles" and a chaotic "Yomi Hirasaka" spatial gate swept in, further interfering with his actions and perception.

"Hmph!" Ichishiki let out a muffled groan, a mixture of pain and rage. Kaguya's desperate attack had indeed taken its toll on him, and had completely ignited his suppressed fury.

"Kaguya Otsutsuki! You're asking for death!" Isshiki completely abandoned his judgmental stance, and his chilling killing intent erupted as if it were tangible! He no longer held back, and clapped his hands together!

"Mahakala - Divine Punishment!"

A burning meteor, larger and more concentrated in energy than the one used against Madara, crashed down from the suddenly opened portal to another dimension like divine punishment, its target Kaguya! At the same time, he himself transformed into a blur, ignoring his injuries, and conjured a massive Yin-Yang Release black rod in his hand, thrusting it at Kaguya's vitals at a tricky angle!

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was injured with each strike, and the fear that had been building up in her heart for thousands of years seemed to find an outlet, temporarily suppressed by a twisted madness. She screamed, her white hair dancing wildly, manipulating the surrounding icy space, and at the same time wielding the All-Killing Ash Bones to meet the attack!

"Don't even think about controlling me anymore!!"

The two fought from the ground to the sky, each collision causing the space to tremble and the laws of nature to groan. Ice and snow evaporated, the earth was torn apart and reshaped, and even the brilliance of the Infinite Tsukuyomi seemed to dim under the fierce battle of these two true powerhouses of the Otsutsuki clan. Black Zetsu clung tightly to Kaguya, constantly providing her with support and guidance, helping her barely withstand Isshiki's seasoned and ferocious attacks.

Kaguya temporarily withstood Isshiki's attacks thanks to her massive chakra reserves and relentless frenzy, but she was still at a disadvantage. While Isshiki's use of power and understanding of combat couldn't compare to that of a seasoned ninja like Madara Uchiha, who had fought on the brink of death since childhood, it was far more refined and efficient. Defeat seemed to be only a matter of time.

Just as the conflict reached a stalemate, and the entire world trembled in fear over the war between these two alien deities—

In that strange space between reality and the Pure Land, the narration of the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, has come to an end. Although Naruto and Sasuke do not entirely agree with the fatalistic view from a thousand years ago, they clearly feel the sincere desire of the ancestral sage to protect the world and the heavy responsibility that is about to be entrusted to them.

"Past grudges and entanglements may be difficult to judge," the Sage of Six Paths' aged yet majestic voice echoed, "but the current crisis requires your strength to stop it. The power of the Mother has been revived, and the enemies from beyond the heavens have also made their move. If left unchecked, the chakra of the entire world, and even all life, will be completely devoured by the Divine Tree and reduced to nothingness."

He slowly raised his hands, and two completely different yet complementary primal forces began to gather in his palms.

A fiery, vigorous, and endlessly life-giving energy, as warm and dazzling as the sun—that was the power of Yang.

A deep, tranquil, and creative force, as mysterious and profound as the night—that is the power of Yin.

"Naruto, Sasuke." The Sage of Six Paths' gaze fell on the two of them. "Accept this power. Just as you said, this is not the destiny of Ashura and Indra, but the responsibility and choice that you—Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha—must bear as the last hope of the ninja world today."

He didn't force them; he simply gave them the choice.

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance, and without any hesitation, nodded emphatically at the same time.

"I need power to protect everyone!" Naruto's eyes were resolute.

"To break this absurd cycle, I need power," Sasuke said resolutely.

The Sage of Six Paths nodded with satisfaction and infused the two powers into the souls of Naruto and Sasuke respectively.

Om-!

A powerful energy instantly filled their souls! Naruto's body erupted with brilliant golden light, and the outline of the Truth-Seeking Balls faintly appeared behind him. The enormous life energy even filled this space of consciousness with vitality.

Sasuke was enveloped in purple chakra light, a mysterious moon mark appeared on the palm of his left hand, and the tomoe of his right eye began to spin rapidly, transforming into a Rinnegan with six tomoe, its light flashing as if it could see through all mysteries.

At the same time, in a special space, Uchiha Touko's soul suddenly opened its eyes.

"So this is the essence of Yin-Yang Escape? I understand how to take the final step into that realm."

Chapter 319 Balance

In the real world, on that battlefield shrouded in the deathly silence of Infinite Tsukuyomi and countless white cocoons.

Naruto and Sasuke's lifeless bodies erupted with unprecedentedly powerful chakra fluctuations almost simultaneously!

"Uh..." Naruto opened his eyes first, and deep within his azure eyes, a golden sun pattern seemed to flash. He sat up abruptly, feeling the immense yet effortlessly powerful new energy within his body, and the six black Truth-Seeking Balls floating side by side in front of his chest.

"Is this... the power of the Sage of Six Paths?" He clenched his fist, feeling as if the whole world had changed.

On the other side, Sasuke slowly stood up, feeling the "Six Paths: Planetary Devastation" mark on his left palm, which contained the power of all things in the universe, and the power in his right eye that seemed to see through the essence of everything. He calmly surveyed the hellish scene around him, his gaze finally locking onto the terrifying energy explosion center in the distance—the battlefield between Kaguya Otsutsuki and Isshiki Otsutsuki.

“No time for sentimentality, you bottom-of-the-barrel guy,” Sasuke said in a deep voice. “The battle is still going on, and… it’s getting worse, I can’t sense Master’s chakra anymore.”

"Ah! I know!" Naruto immediately realized, his senses becoming incredibly sharp with the help of Yang energy. "We have to save Thick-Eyebrowed Teacher first!"

The two figures flashed and instantly appeared next to Might Guy, whose life force was as weak as a candle in the wind, and who had been placed inside the barrier by Uchiha Touko in advance.

“Such a serious injury…” Naruto gasped as he looked at Guy’s almost broken body, but without hesitation, he immediately placed the hand containing the ultimate yang energy on Guy’s chest.

An extremely rich and vibrant power surged into Kai's body! Wherever the Yang power passed, the completely collapsed meridians were forcibly reconnected and reshaped, the shattered bones began to heal, and the depleted life force, like parched land irrigated by sweet rain, revived at an astonishing speed!

At that moment, Sasuke also saw a small scroll next to Might Guy's body. After unrolling it, Sasuke frowned slightly. The sealing technique on the scroll was clearly the work of their teacher, Uchiha Tokō.

Sasuke channeled his chakra, and after breaking the seal on the scroll, a line of text appeared: "Don't worry about me, I'm fine. You guys just need to hold them off."

"A message from the teacher?" Naruto looked at Sasuke after stabilizing Might Guy's injuries.

"Yes, the teacher must be planning something. We should just do as he says."

Just then, a streak of azure light descended from the sky and landed steadily beside the three. It was Hyuga Neji! Three Truth-Seeking Balls surrounded him, and his azure Tenseigan shone brightly. Just now, it was through the power of the Tenseigan and his own will that he had forcibly blocked the light of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, becoming one of the very few lucky ones who were not affected.

"Naruto, Sasuke." Neji's voice was tinged with weariness, but even more so with gravity. "You've finally woken up. The situation is extremely critical. After defeating Madara Uchiha, our teacher activated the Infinite Tsukuyomi, but then it seems he was swallowed up by something. Now, two even more terrifying enemies have appeared, and they are engaged in a fierce battle!"

"Neji!" Naruto was overjoyed to see his friend unharmed, but his words immediately brought him back to reality. "Two enemies? Besides Kaguya Otsutsuki, whom the Sage of Six Paths mentioned, who else could it be?"

“It’s that guy called Isshiki from before, he’s back too!” Neji said quickly. “Moreover, the power they’re radiating… is terrifying. Even the aftershocks are difficult to approach.”

Sasuke gazed into the distance at the battlefield, which resembled a clash of natural disasters, his voice icy: "There's no time to hesitate. No matter who the enemy is, or how many there are, we must stop them."

“That’s right!” Naruto nodded emphatically, and the golden chakra cloak reappeared, but it was more solid and powerful than the previous Nine-Tails Mode, with Truth-Seeking Balls neatly arranged behind him.

Neji's Tenseigan locked onto its target, and the Truth-Seeking Balls were ready to be unleashed.

Sasuke's Rinnegan flashed, and the coordinates of Amenotejikara were already preset.

"Let's go!" Sasuke shouted in a low voice.

The next moment, three figures—Naruto who obtained the Six Paths Yang Power, Sasuke who obtained the Six Paths Yin Power, and Neji who survived thanks to the Tenseigan—transformed into three streams of light of different colors but equally powerful, and rushed towards the center of the battlefield without hesitation!

Their arrival instantly shattered the balance of the two's deadly battle. Kaguya and Isshiki retreated almost simultaneously, their cold gazes sweeping over the uninvited guests. A terrifying pressure descended as if it were a physical force, but Naruto and Sasuke, who had obtained the power of the Six Paths, and Neji, who possessed the Tenseigan, managed to withstand this pressure and formed a brief standoff with them.

At the heart of the battlefield, turbulent energy currents raged, the earth cracked, and space distorted. The three forces each occupied a corner, creating an extremely delicate and dangerous balance.

Otsutsuki Isshiki hovered in the air, his face terribly gloomy. He was about to suppress and carry out the family discipline to deal with Kaguya, but he was interrupted by this group of "ants" that kept popping up one after another. In particular, these three ants had stolen the power from their clan.

Kaguya Otsutsuki appeared somewhat bewildered. She had just calmed down slightly from her frenzied outburst, and the pressure on Isshiki had lessened somewhat, but the three newcomers also exuded a formidable power. Furthermore, the Yin-Yang power and the Tenseigan chakra emanating from them made her feel a deep-seated apprehension stemming from her bloodline.

In that tense, silent moment, Black Zetsu, whose sleeve was wrapped around Kaguya's arm, suddenly spoke in a high-pitched, chilling voice, his cunning eyes darting around, his target Naruto and Sasuke:

"Mother! Look! Those are the two sons of that rebellious Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, Ashura and Indra, the reincarnations of their chakra! According to seniority, they should call you Grandma," Black Zetsu's voice carried a deliberate incitement, "They inherited the power of the Sage of Six Paths and are the greatest threat besides Isshiki! But... they are also that bastard Isshiki's enemy!"

Black Zetsu cleverly changed the subject, attempting to seduce her: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend! Mother, why don't we join forces with them? Let's eliminate Isshiki, this major threat! He is the greatest threat to us, mother and son! Once we've dealt with him, no one in this world can stop you from recovering all your chakra!"

It then looked at Naruto and Sasuke, its voice full of temptation: "Ashura, Indra! Are you going to just stand by and watch this outsider destroy your world? He's different from Mother; he only wants to plunder and destroy this world! Cooperate with us, defeat him first! Then we can talk about other things!"

Kaguya Otsutsuki seemed to be swayed by Black Zetsu's words. Her pure Byakugan swept over Naruto and Sasuke. Although she didn't speak, the hostility around her seemed to have lessened slightly, and it was more like a scrutiny and a wait-and-see attitude.

Naruto frowned, and Kurama inside him was frantically reminding him not to believe Black Zetsu's lies. He instinctively wanted to refuse and prepare to punch Isshiki away along with him.

However, just as Naruto was about to speak, Sasuke stepped forward and blocked his way.

Sasuke's Rinnegan calmly swept over the menacing Ichishi, then glanced at Kaguya and her son, who were trying to win them over. His mind flashed back to the teachings of his teacher, Uchiha Touko:

"Sasuke, a true strongman not only knows how to wield power, but also how to exploit situations. When multiple factions are locked in battle, and friend and foe are indistinguishable, the most foolish thing to do is to immediately choose sides and become the target of everyone's attacks. The most brilliant strategy is to become that 'variable,' making all forces hesitant to act because of you, thereby... controlling the balance and profiting from the chaos."

In an instant, Sasuke made his decision.

He didn't directly respond to Black Zetsu's offer of a handout, but instead turned his gaze first to Isshiki Otsutsuki, who was under the most pressure and looked the worst. His tone was calm, yet carried a subtle hint of provocation:

“Otsutsuki Isshiki, it seems you’re in a bad situation. These two ‘traitors’ seem to want to team up with us to get rid of you first.” He deliberately pointed out Isshiki’s predicament.

With a cold, sweeping gaze, he glanced at Sasuke and sneered, "Hmph, you lowly creature, do you dare to negotiate with me? Even if you join forces, the outcome won't change." Despite his words, the chakra gathering around him revealed that he was not without scruples.

Otsutsuki Isshiki and Kaguya locked eyes, and then resumed their attacks.

The black cube and the All-Killing Ash Bones roared towards their opponent. At this moment, both Isshiki Otsutsuki and Kaguya Otsutsuki, reminded by Black Zetsu, wanted to end the battle as soon as possible so as not to let Sasuke and the others affect the overall situation.

The next moment, Sasuke's Rinnegan flashed, and he made a move that surprised everyone!

He didn't attack either side, but suddenly raised his hand!

"Heavenly Hand Power!"

In an instant, the positions of the giant black cube that Otsutsuki Isshiki had just released, which was about to smash into Kaguya, and the All-Killing Ash Bones that Kaguya had silently shot towards Isshiki's back suddenly switched!

boom!

click!

The black cube crashed into empty space, while the All-Killing Ash Bones narrowly missed Isshiki!

This seemingly unsuccessful attack instantly made Kaguya and Isshiki's expressions even more unpleasant!

"Boy! You're asking for death!" For the first time, a chilling gaze was fixed entirely on Sasuke, filled with killing intent.

“Indra’s reincarnation…you!” Kaguya also uttered an angry low groan.

Sasuke, however, remained unfazed by their anger. He hovered in the air, calmly controlling the rhythm of the battle: "Want our help? Sure. Show some 'sincerity.' For example... first, tell us how to completely kill the other? Or, demonstrate which of you is more valuable to us for temporary use?"

His words were extremely cunning. While seemingly setting conditions, they were actually a provocation and delaying tactic, passing the buck back to both sides and implying that they would have to pay a price or expose each other's secrets in order to win them over.

Naruto immediately understood and loudly echoed, "Yes! That's right! We won't help you without something in return." His words were incredibly straightforward, which was exactly in line with his usual style, and added a touch of irony.

Neji silently deployed Truth-Seeking Balls for defense, perfectly complementing Sasuke's strategy.

Black Zetsu was so angry it almost vomited blood. It never expected that this reincarnation of Indra would be so cunning and difficult to deal with! What on earth did that damned Uchiha Touko teach this kid?

Black Zetsu immediately retorted in a shrill voice: "You—!"

Kaguya's eyes turned cold once again.

Sasuke, however, stopped looking at them and instead locked his Rinnegan back onto Isshiki Otsutsuki, as if assessing the bargaining chips on both sides. His stance was clear: We do want to stop you both from destroying the world, but we will not be easily used as pawns by either side. We have our own power and judgment.

At this moment, the situation became extremely delicate.