Emiya Shirou wasn't wrong. The Sage of Six Paths could, in fact, descend at any time.
After Minato Namikaze left with Naruto Uzumaki, he implanted the Nine-Tails from his own body into his son's. He then furrowed his brow, waiting for Naruto to wake up.
But… a long time passed with no news.
When Sasuke Uchiha arrived, he looked at the dying Naruto and stood beside Minato, asking about the outcome.
"It's not working?" Sasuke's expression grew dark.
"..."
Minato slowly lowered his head. In this world, there was nothing more painful for a father than being unable to save his son, watching him die right before his eyes.
But Minato was truly powerless.
"Actually…"
Tobirama Senju's figure appeared beside them, his voice unexpectedly calm. "There is another way to save this child…"
"What is it?" Minato and Sasuke turned their heads at the same time.
"You must cross the border of life and death and ask the Sage of Six Paths to intervene…" Tobirama's eyes were fixed on the unconscious Naruto as he spoke in a low voice, sharing the knowledge he had obtained from Emiya Shirou. "Whether it's to save this child or to save the world, our only hope is that legendary god…"
This was also the reason Tobirama had left the battlefield. He was more rational than anyone and had already seen that the Allied Shinobi Forces were no match for Madara Uchiha, let alone the even more powerful Emiya Shirou behind him.
A god-like being like Emiya Shirou… only a legendary god like the Sage of Six Paths could resolve this crisis.
"Back then," Tobirama continued, "in order to heal my brother's injuries, Emiya Shirou offered a method that could make a person's soul linger on the edge of life and death. If a soul could appear in that space between the living world and the Pure Land, it would be able to meet the legendary Sage of Six Paths…"
"..."
Tobirama recounted the story, revealing the truth that the Sage still existed. He also mentioned that his brother had indeed met the Sage in the past.
"The Sage of Six Paths?" Sasuke furrowed his brow.
"It requires someone who does not fear death… and at the same time, they must have a great, lingering attachment at the moment they die…"
This whole act sounded no different from persuading someone to commit suicide. It felt like it offered only the slimmest of hopes.
After all, hearing it from Tobirama, the legend of meeting the Sage sounded as far-fetched as praying to the gods for a miracle. Usually, that sort of thing was just for psychological comfort.
But now, Tobirama was presenting this old comfort story as a top-secret truth.
"Then I will go and ask the Sage of Six Paths…" Minato said, bringing his fingers together.
"Fourth Hokage, you are already dead…" Tobirama shook his head, looking a bit helpless. "According to my speculation, your soul had already returned to the Pure Land before our Impure World Reincarnation was released last time. You may not have the chance to go to that borderland."
"Because… I have also tried it," Tobirama said, speaking of an experiment he ran during his last reincarnation. "But my soul did not linger on the edge of life and death. It returned directly to the Pure Land…"
As he spoke, Tobirama's gaze fell on Sasuke Uchiha, the only living person among them. Only the living, perhaps, had any hope of seeing the Sage.
"..."
The corner of Sasuke's mouth twitched.
Although for him, there wasn't much difference between living and dying at this point, being persuaded to commit suicide was still… unexpected.
However, if he could really meet the Sage of Six Paths and save Naruto, then taking the risk of actually dying seemed like a normal thing to do.
After all… back in Team 7… Sasuke remembered being on missions and feeling truly willing to give his life to protect Naruto.
And that guy… he would have done the same for him.
He felt that way even before he got his revenge. And now?
His revenge seemed to be complete, and he knew the truth about his brother killing their clan. Living didn't seem to have much meaning anymore, did it?
"I'll go."
A ball of lightning appeared at Sasuke's fingertips. He glanced down at Naruto, then looked back at Tobirama. "I hope what you said is true…"
"Sasuke!" Minato quickly tried to stop the boy. He would not hesitate to sacrifice himself to save his son, but he couldn't let his son's friend die for him.
"It doesn't matter anymore," Sasuke chuckled lightly, as if he'd seen through everything. "If this guy were in this situation, with his personality, he would definitely do the same."
Yes, he definitely would. Sasuke knew his friend Naruto all too well.
Although this whole plan sounded absurd, Naruto never cared about his own life and always threw himself desperately into everything.
"Don't have that mentality…" Tobirama's voice became serious as he warned Sasuke. "You look like you're calmly accepting death without any regrets. If you do that, your soul will go straight to the Pure Land, and you won't be able to linger on the edge of life and death."
"Before you die… you must have a great lingering attachment."
"Only that attachment can force your soul not to enter the Pure Land."
"..."
Sasuke's eyes twitched. Wait… does that mean he couldn't even die in peace?
Was this Second Hokage really telling the truth?
Sasuke couldn't help but think about the Second Hokage's reputation.
After all, every crisis the ninja world was facing right now was, bluntly, his fault. If he hadn't created the Impure World Reincarnation, if he hadn't reanimated Emiya Shirou, none of this would be happening.
"A lingering attachment…"
Sasuke closed his eyes, recalling memories for a moment. Then, his hand suddenly shot forward, and the lightning-covered palm instantly pierced his own heart.
"..."
Minato rushed to support his body, carefully laying Naruto's friend, the boy willing to die for his son, on the ground.
Now… all they could do was wait.