The Sage of Six Paths!
Why was it always the Sage of Six Paths?
Black Zetsu's heart filled with monstrous fury. The appearance of Sasuke Uchiha, controlling his Susanoo, and Naruto Uzumaki, his whole body glowing with golden light, confirmed that everything Emiya Shirou had said was true.
Because these two sixteen-year-olds clearly possessed Six Paths-level power. Whether it was the Rinnegan in Sasuke's eye or the dense life force radiating from Naruto's body, it all proved one thing: they had received power from the Sage of Six Paths.
After all, Black Zetsu had learned from Shirou that the Sage of Six Paths' chakra still lingered in the world, and that he would surely interfere with Mother Kaguya's revival.
Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha… they were the pieces the Sage had chosen to stop them.
"We have to stop Madara Uchiha!" Naruto immediately shouted, his eyes fixed on Madara high in the sky.
"Amenotejikara…"
A light flashed in Sasuke's Rinnegan. The moment he looked up at Madara, the two of them instantly swapped places.
Madara, who had been flying toward the moon, suddenly found himself where Sasuke had been. His face showed a flicker of shock, surprised by his inexplicable change in location.
"What's going on?" Madara's brow furrowed. He immediately brought his staff up horizontally, blocking Naruto as he rushed toward him.
This kid… he thought. Shouldn't he be dead? I took the Nine-Tails from him.
"Be careful, Madara!" Black Zetsu only had time to warn him. "They have received a gift from the Sage of Six Paths. They now possess power on the same level as you!"
"I know." Madara's eyes tightened, but he showed no panic.
A glint of fighting spirit even appeared on his face. "Perfect timing. I can use them to test the power of the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. I've been wanting to try out this power anyway..."
It was indeed just in time. This was exactly what he wanted.
He had only given up on the idea because of Shirou's urging. Now, these two brats, empowered by the Sage of Six Paths, had arrived at the perfect moment.
"Shirou…" Black Zetsu pleaded, looking toward Emiya Shirou, hoping he would stop Naruto and Sasuke.
"Leave it to me." Shirou nodded calmly, seeming to understand. "Don't worry, I won't let them stop Madara from casting the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
But before that… he had to deal with the approaching Allied Shinobi Forces.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld."
Shirou raised his palm and slammed it on the ground. The entire battlefield instantly turned into a massive swamp. The Allied Shinobi Forces were hit hard; countless ninjas who couldn't react in time were trapped in the thick mud, unable to move.
A jutsu of this scale was simply impossible to defend against or dodge. Even those who reacted quickly found nowhere to jump to. As far as the eye could see, there was only mud. There was no escape.
"Get the others out!" the Fourth Raikage roared, sunk deep in the swamp. He ordered the others trapped with him to act as stepping stones so that the few lucky survivors could advance and attack Shirou.
"Thanks!" Might Guy shouted as he flew up, stepping on the Raikage's head. He then leaped across the heads and shoulders of others, running wildly toward Shirou.
"That guy!" the Fourth Raikage cursed in frustration. Unable to break free from the swamp, he could only roar for the others to hurry.
"Hurry up! No matter what they're trying to do, we must stop them!"
Compared to those caught in the swamp, the reaction speed of Tobirama and Minato Namikaze, who had just arrived, was much faster. The two immediately used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport toward Shirou.
The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, was already flying in the air, unaffected by the Earth Style jutsu. Beside him, the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, controlled his sand to fly as well, even managing to save a few survivors.
The First Hokage, Hashirama, was stronger still. He used his Wood Style to pull himself from the mud and created paths of vines across the swamp, giving the trapped ninjas something to grab onto.
But those who could survive using special abilities were a small minority. Tens of thousands from the Allied Shinobi Forces struggled in the swamp. With a single jutsu, Shirou had nearly captured them all. Or rather… he was just one step away from killing them.
"Shirou…" Black Zetsu emerged from the ground beside him and pleaded on behalf of the ninjas. "Reviving Mother requires a lot of chakra, and you've never been one for needless killing…"
Though its words sounded strange, as if it were a hindrance, Black Zetsu was, in fact, the true architect of this war. Shirou fell silent for a moment. He could sense the tens of thousands of ninjas unable to escape, but he had no choice but to withdraw his hand.
Because someone had already charged forward to attack.
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
Might Guy kicked straight forward. Shirou blocked the first attack with his arm, then smashed his elbow toward Guy's calf, interrupting his second kick.
"Konoha Great Whirlwind!"
Guy twisted his waist, rotating his body in mid-air to kick again. Shirou parried the blow, feeling an immense weight in the Konoha ninja's calf.
"Konoha Strong Whirlwind!" Guy's first two attacks were blocked, but he didn't seem to care. The moment his calf made contact with Shirou's arm, he used the force to pivot, his legs sweeping horizontally like a storm.
He can even use that force?
Shirou felt a gust of wind rush toward his face. Surprised, he leaped into the air and kicked Guy in the chest, sending him flying.
"Storm Style: Lightning Cutter!"
Beams of light curved through the air, shooting towards Shirou. A Truth-Seeking Orb appeared in his palm, transforming into a pitch-black shield to block Kakashi's attack.
The next moment, a flash appeared in Kakashi's eye. His Kamui Mangekyo Sharingan activated, tearing a hole directly through the Truth-Seeking Orb.
The light of the Storm Style shot straight through.
Even Shirou was caught off guard. Kakashi… that man always seemed to be able to hold his own, no matter the level of his opponent.
Just as Shirou waved his hand to clear the dust, two Flying Thunder God kunai flew to his side. Minato and Tobirama appeared simultaneously.
As witnesses to Naruto and Sasuke's return from the brink of death, they had received the intelligence immediately: Emiya Shirou was stronger than the current Madara. Before Naruto and Sasuke could deal with Madara, someone had to hold Shirou off.
They had to do it, even at the cost of their lives. The fate of the entire ninja world was at stake.
A mass of silver lightning appeared in Shirou's hand, instantly turning the two reanimated Hokage into dust.
"Madara's side…" Black Zetsu drilled out of the ground again, reminding Shirou not to get too entangled here.
But it wasn't a question of whether Shirou wanted to be entangled.
"Seventh Gate, Gate of Wonder: Open!"
A powerful chakra aura erupted from Might Guy's body. He pounced toward Shirou again, punching forward and firing a cannon of pure air.
"Daytime Tiger!"
The air cannon formed a giant white tiger that lunged forward to bite down. However, Shirou's speed was no slower than the attack.
He flew into the air, raised his hand, and pressed down. The air in his palm rapidly compressed into a huge hand, forcefully slamming the white tiger into the ground, where it dissipated.
"This…" Guy watched, a look of shock flashing across his face. He hadn't expected the Daytime Tiger, a technique he had spent years developing, to be dealt with so easily. But he showed no sign of discouragement.
Guy watched as Shirou, with another wave of his hand, sent Kakashi and the others flying. The battlefield was now left with only him. A scorching, fiery red steam immediately erupted from his body, fueled by his fighting spirit.
"Eighth Gate, Gate of Death: Open!"
The fiery red steam was his own blood, burning.
"Youth… is meant to be burned at a time like this!"
Might Guy's figure shot forward like a red dragon, kicking at an extreme speed. He moved so fast that he was nothing more than a teleporting red shadow. Shirou's palm reached out, firmly blocking the air current from Guy's charge.
He could feel the space around them distorting.
Everyone on the battlefield was captivated by the figure shrouded in red steam. Everyone could see how powerful Guy was now. Even Madara, fighting in the sky with his Six Paths power, could feel the threat.
"That guy…" Madara raised his hand, throwing a black rod to force Naruto back. He stared down at Guy, a look of amazement in his eyes. "Can a mere mortal body really reach such a level?"
To be blunt, Madara suspected that even he might not survive an attack from the red dragon soaring across the battlefield. Even a Perfect Susanoo would likely be kicked to pieces.
A mere mortal… a taijutsu specialist who practiced the Eight Gates… had, at this moment, suppressed the strongest person on the battlefield, Emiya Shirou.
"Night Guy!"
Might Guy charged straight at Shirou. His body completely transformed into a red dragon as he kicked forward. It seemed no one in the entire ninja world could possibly withstand this attack.
The others realized this, too. Kakashi hurriedly stood up, his Kamui Mangekyo Sharingan fixed on Shirou. If Shirou tried to use a Truth-Seeking Orb to block the attack, he would open a path for his friend.
"Shirou…" Black Zetsu trembled, watching the charging red dragon. Though it wasn't worried Shirou would be defeated, it felt as though any solid object in the world would be crushed under Guy's attack.
"Don't worry. There won't be any accidents."
Shirou's arm moved slowly, bit by bit. The chakra in his body gathered rapidly, and a white mist began to rise from him.
No… it wasn't mist. It was chakra that had become so dense it took on a physical form.
"The Eight Gates Released Formation… a user who opens the Eighth Gate of Death can burn their blood to break through all the body's sealed acupoints. In an instant, they obtain chakra dozens or even hundreds of times greater than the Five Kage. The power unleashed is enough to destroy everything…"
Shirou looked at the red dragon flying toward him. The white mist rising from his own chakra made him look like a deity emerging from the clouds. Not even the powerful air current from the charging red dragon could shake him.
"But…"
Shirou charged toward Might Guy.
This man… he wasn't retreating. He was advancing. He was charging straight toward Might Guy. At this moment, anyone making such a move would be seeking death.
In the instant the red figure flashed by, Shirou's palm extended. In a split second, he grabbed Might Guy's neck.
Amidst the rising white mist, Shirou, like a true dragon-taming god, forcefully slammed the red dragon onto the ground. The earth collapsed, and the entire land trembled.
"It's a pity."
"My chakra…"
"Is now ten thousand times that of the Five Kage."