At this moment, the gazes of every ninja on the battlefield converged on the same spot, all wearing expressions of utter horror.
A colossal divine tree surged upward, its massive trunk seemingly filling the entire battlefield. Its tangled roots spread out like a net, covering the ground for miles, while its main body stretched high into the heavens, piercing through the drifting clouds as if reaching for the stars.
This sacred tree appeared to connect heaven and earth, standing as the single, central pillar supporting the entire world.
Slowly, at the very top of the towering trunk, a gigantic flower bud began to bloom. Once it had absorbed all the chakra in existence, this bud would bear the fruit of the Divine Tree—the source of all chakra.
"'The true form of the Ten-Tails… the Divine Tree itself…'"
Kaoru floated calmly in the sky, his scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan shimmering with complex light. As he watched the massive tree connect the heavens and the earth, casting its shadow over the entire world, a flicker of genuine shock flashed deep within his eyes.
"'It looks like… he's finally going to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi…'" His gaze shifted toward Madara, who was soaring higher and higher into the sky. Kaoru had already guessed his plan.
The technique God: Nativity of a World of Trees was meant to be used in conjunction with the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Once activated, the tree would spread across the globe, using its life-absorbing power to bind anyone caught in the genjutsu.
Trapped within an eternal dream, people would slowly have their chakra drained, their bodies eventually transforming into White Zetsu.
If successful, all the chakra in the world would gather in one place once more, and a new Chakra Fruit would be born—signaling the end of the world. It was, without a doubt, the most wide-reaching and devastating technique in the history of the ninja world.
Somewhere in the shadows, it felt as though an invisible force was guiding the flow of destiny.
"'Kaoru Uchiha… together with everyone else, lose yourself forever in sweet dreams…!'"
Just as Kaoru prepared to move, Madara shouted and accelerated higher, drawing closer to the moon. Meanwhile, hidden deep within the fissures of the earth, Black Zetsu's dark face twisted into a strange, knowing smile.
Elsewhere, Naruto—who had seemingly died after the Nine-Tails was extracted from him and was carried away by Tsunade for protection—suddenly opened his eyes!
He flipped nimbly back onto his feet and, before anyone could even react, vanished from his spot, reappearing instantly at the center of the battlefield, directly beneath Madara!
"'Madara Uchiha… The Old Man of the Six Paths just told me everything…!'" Naruto stood firmly on the ground, his bright blue eyes shining with a profound light completely different from before. He looked up calmly at Madara floating high above. "'I will stop you! I absolutely won't let the world fall into your so-called eternal peace!!!'"
"'So… it's finally happening…'" Kaoru murmured softly, looking down at Naruto. He could clearly sense the earth-shaking changes within the young ninja.
"'So… it's finally happening…'" Kaoru watched Naruto from above. He could feel that the chakra flowing within him was entirely different from before—it felt unfamiliar, almost as if it belonged to someone else. Kaoru knew exactly what this meant: this was the chakra of Asura, the son of the Sage of Six Paths.
Naruto, who should have died, had been forcibly brought back to life by the Sage himself…
"'And look at his right hand…'"
Kaoru's Mangekyō Sharingan swirled with deep light. Through his enhanced vision, he could clearly see the marking on Naruto's right palm—a symbol of the sun, radiating a warm, brilliant golden energy.
"'The Yang Release chakra of the Six Paths…'"
"'I wonder… after all the changes I've made to the plot… has Sasuke also met the Sage of Six Paths in the spiritual world?'" Kaoru frowned slightly, deep in thought as he looked down at Naruto.
In this world, the Sage of Six Paths was revered as an unsurpassable myth. In the original history, Naruto and Sasuke received power because of the residual chakra the Sage left behind. But Kaoru had always been skeptical about that explanation.
After all, simply leaving behind traces of spiritual energy shouldn't have been enough to grant them the power of Yin and Yang Release, let alone perform feats like dissolving the Impure World Reincarnation, summoning souls from the Pure Land, or even dispelling the Infinite Tsukuyomi cast by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. Even for the Sage himself, this went far beyond what just lingering energy could achieve.
Think about it: It took Black Zetsu over a hundred years of meticulous planning just to revive Kaguya, who had been sealed by the Sage and his brother. Yet the Sage's consciousness could appear effortlessly inside Naruto and Sasuke's minds, wielding immense power whenever he wished? It all seemed suspicious…
It was almost as if a pair of invisible eyes was silently watching everything that happened in this world.
High in the sky, Madara—now incredibly close to the moon—also sensed the changes happening below. He looked down through his Rinnegan and saw Naruto gazing back up at him.
"'That Nine-Tails Jinchūriki… How is this possible? The beast was extracted, he should be dead…'"
Madara raised an eyebrow in surprise. He could clearly tell that Naruto's aura had undergone a massive transformation.
"'And… he feels completely different from before…'"
"'Madara Uchiha, as long as I'm here, your plan for the Infinite Tsukuyomi will never succeed!'" Naruto shouted up toward the heavens.
Hearing Naruto's confident declaration, Madara's face twisted into a look of disdain. His Rinnegan glowed eerily as he sneered, "'I don't know what kind of trick you pulled… but a little brat like you will never change a thing…!'"
As he spoke, Madara's gaze drifted sideways, locking onto Kaoru floating nearby.
It's only this guy…
…who is my true obstacle.
"'Naruto…'"
Completely unfazed by Madara's wary glances, Kaoru floated calmly in the air. He looked down at Naruto with his scarlet eyes, his voice steady and indifferent. "'Did you meet the Sage of Six Paths in the spiritual realm just now?'"
"'Huh? How did you know?!'" Naruto blurted out in shock. His bright face was filled with astonishment. It was true—after dying from the extraction, he had met the Sage within his consciousness and was granted the power of Yang Release and Six Paths Senjutsu.
Suddenly, as if remembering something important, Naruto's blue eyes widened, and he stared intently at Kaoru.
"'Wait a minute…'"
"'Back in the spiritual world… The Old Man actually mentioned you…!'"
Naruto's words hit Kaoru like a bombshell.
"'He… mentioned me?'" Kaoru frowned in disbelief. Could it be that the Sage of Six Paths was actually paying attention to me?
"'Yeah… He said you are a very… special existence…'" Naruto scratched the back of his head in confusion. "'He also said… that the original course of history should never have produced a shinobi like you… or something like that…'"
"'Honestly, I didn't really understand what he meant…'" Even after meeting the legendary Sage and inheriting his immense power, Naruto was still the same straightforward and simple-minded boy he always was.
"'But…'" Naruto's expression suddenly turned serious. "'He also told me… that you harbor great ambitions. He hopes that, for the sake of world peace… you will tone it down a bit…!'"
"'I harbor great ambitions… and I should tone it down?'"
Kaoru was stunned for a brief moment before a mocking smile spread across his face.
I knew it…
So the Sage has been spying on this world all along…
But to think he would warn him like this… Did he already see through Kaoru's ultimate goal to unify the world?
Even so, Kaoru had no intention of stopping. In his view, true peace could only be achieved through absolute unity and order.
He was simply walking his own path to bring about that peace, and no one's words would shake his resolve—not even the Sage of Six Paths.
"'And so, Kaoru… If your actions ever threaten the shinobi world… I will stop you too!'" Naruto's eyes blazed with determination, his voice ringing loud and clear.
"'So the Sage really did plant ideas in his head… Now the kid is looking at me like I'm the bad guy…'" Kaoru sighed inwardly, shaking his head with a wry smile.
"'Hmph…'"
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