BOOM!
A terrifying explosion echoed from where the Truth-Seeking Ball had fallen.
The entire earth shook violently, as if a magnitude nine earthquake had just occurred.
A terrifying energy spread outwards, and a pure energy storm tore at the surroundings.
In that instant, the dense forest around the area was completely cleared, and the ground itself was flattened into a plain.
The Truth-Seeking Ball may have been small, but its power was immense; once it detonated, it could easily annihilate an entire forest.
In a sense, it could be compared to a Tailed Beast Ball, but the Truth-Seeking Ball was on a much higher level.
Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi, who had already managed to escape a considerable distance, also felt the massive tremor from afar.
Kabuto stared dumbfounded at the towering column of smoke rising in the distance, unable to help but swallow hard.
Thank goodness Orochimaru-dama had forcibly taken them away; otherwise, the power of that explosion, even if it didn't kill them, would have been enough to grievously injure him and Orochimaru-dama.
Orochimaru's eyes flashed as he glanced in the direction of the explosion before turning his head and continuing to flee into the distance.
Although he was incredibly curious about what had happened at the epicenter of the blast, Orochimaru didn't dare to approach and spy on a battle of that caliber right now.
It wasn't just Orochimaru and Kabuto who felt it; even the distant village of Konoha could feel a distinct tremor.
However, with Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the other high-ranking shinobi of Konoha present, the village did not fall into chaos.
Still, worry would occasionally flash across the faces of Tsunade and the others.
At the center of the battle, a massive crater appeared in Asura's line of sight not far ahead.
The crater was pitch-black, and its edges were littered with layers of black, scorched particles mixed into the soil.
These scorched particles were clearly the result of the surrounding earth being compressed to an extreme degree by the immense energy of the Truth-Seeking Ball's explosion.
A gust of wind whistled from within the crater, and the black Truth-Seeking Ball shot out, flying back to Asura's side.
"Turned to ash, just like that?" Asura glanced at the crater, his expressionless voice flat.
He then turned his gaze elsewhere.
"So, it seems I'm the only one who was revived this time. Or perhaps this was an accident due to some unforeseen circumstance."
Asura's eyes gleamed with a profound light as he spoke to himself.
The only thing that made Asura feel regret was that this revival was not part of their plan.
The preparations made over the past thousand years had not been for this kind of accident.
Crack!
An extremely faint sound came from the giant crater before him.
Although the sound was minuscule, Asura heard it the moment it rang out.
Asura froze for a second, a flicker of surprise flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by an intrigued look.
The energy from the Truth-Seeking Ball's attack had not only blasted out a crater but also hardened the surrounding walls and ground due to the intense heat generated in an instant.
On a hardened wall within the crater, a tiny crack suddenly appeared.
In the blink of an eye, this crack spread across the entire surface.
Accompanied by a series of sharp cracking sounds, a pair of hands directly burst out from the solid wall.
"Cough! Cough!" Yuto couldn't help but let out two light coughs as he awkwardly propelled himself out of the wall.
Although Yuto hadn't suffered any serious injuries, it was the first time he had ever encountered an attack that he had barely been able to withstand.
The power unleashed by the Truth-Seeking Ball was indeed beyond Yuto's imagination; he realized he had somewhat underestimated the terror of the Six Paths Power.
The reason Yuto hadn't been severely injured was not only because he blocked the attack with Sage Jutsu and had Kuro-ou absorb some of the energy, but the true reason was that Asura's Truth-Seeking Ball attack had missed.
That's right, it had missed!
Although he found it hard to believe, Yuto was certain that at the very moment the Truth-Seeking Ball was about to hit him, it suddenly changed its trajectory and landed beside him.
The force of the Truth-Seeking Ball's explosion was still enormous, but Yuto could withstand it.
However, if he had been directly hit, even he would not have been able to defend against that blow.
And as for whether that blow was intentional on Asura's part, it was obviously impossible!
Yuto's eyes flickered slightly, and a grim and solemn expression appeared on his face.
Damn it! I almost fell for it!
The moment Asura had spoken his name, Yuto had become wary.
The one thing he hadn't expected, however, was for Asura to attack without any warning.
This was why Yuto's expression was so grim.
Because Yuto realized he had overlooked one thing: Asura's personality.
If the one who had just appeared had been Indra instead, Yuto would have already vanished from the spot the moment the name was mentioned.
But because it was Asura, Yuto had only been on his guard, so when Asura attacked without warning, he hadn't had time to dodge.
The Truth-Seeking Ball's attack, while terrifying, also had a weakness, or rather, a limitation.
Its range was only about 70 meters.
Of course, this number might vary slightly depending on the user's power, but the difference wouldn't be too great.
A distance of 70 meters might not seem short, but for a powerhouse like Yuto, he could cover that distance in the blink of an eye.
Asura or Indra, it didn't matter!
The judgment of their characters as "good" or "bad" wasn't defined by the world's view of them.
After all, these were people from a thousand years ago; even if there were records of them, they would have long been lost to the annals of history.
All definitions of their good and evil in the original story were just what the Sage of the Six Paths himself had said.
Whatever the past was according to the Sage of the Six Paths was how it was, because no one knew what truly happened back then, and no one dared to refute an existence like the Sage of the Six Paths.
As for whether it was true or not, perhaps no one but themselves would ever know!
Of course, this wasn't to say that Indra's personality was better than Asura's.
From Asura's immediate attack just now, it was likely that Indra's personality was even more malicious.
At that thought, a chill ran down Yuto's spine.
This shinobi world might not be as simple as it was in the original story.
Otsutsuki Kaguya, Otsutsuki Hagoromo, Otsutsuki Urashiki, and even Indra and Asura.
Although all of these individuals, aside from Otsutsuki Kaguya who was sealed away, had died thousands of years ago, the world's trajectory seemed to be continuously guided by them, heading in a certain direction.
The most suspicious part was the unending cycle of reincarnation and conflict between Asura and Indra that had lasted for millennia.
Was it really all just for the sake of so-called beliefs and peace?
Whether others believed it or not, Yuto didn't know, but deep down, he didn't believe it for a second.
Yuto's expression stiffened.
He slowly lifted his head and looked at the pair of eyes outside the crater that were fixed on him, and a chill crept into his heart.
If you're enjoying this story, consider supporting on Patreon. You'll get 30 advance chapters immediately, plus monthly updates and bonus content. Every subscription keeps the chapters coming.
Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44
Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44