Takuno knew that if the Sage of Six Paths truly didn't care about the survival of the Shinobi World, then using it as a threat would be futile.
Fortunately, the Sage of Six Paths naturally cared deeply about the survival of the Shinobi World.
A thousand years ago, it was to protect this land that he joined forces with his younger brother, Hamura, to seal their mother, Kaguya.
This sense of responsibility was a shackle he could not cast off.
Because of this, Takuno dared to step into this place!
He had already accurately predicted that the Sage of Six Paths would not dare to use the power he had accumulated over a thousand years.
The cost was something he couldn't afford.
Even so, Takuno did not slack off in the slightest.
His "Toki-Mayumi" technique was ready to be unleashed.
If the Sage of Six Paths really threw caution to the wind, preferring to go down fighting rather than hand over his power, Takuno was prepared to fight him with everything he had.
If he won, everything would end;
If he was momentarily outmatched, he could calmly use Toki-Mayumi to retreat into the Space-Time Hole and be instantly resurrected on the other side.
This was the biggest bargaining chip in Takuno's hands, the gap between life and death.
He was a living existence, his power gushing like fresh water; even if exhausted, it could be replenished in a very short time.
And the Sage of Six Paths was, after all, just a powerful soul lingering in the world; his chakra was like water without a source—every bit consumed was gone forever, and it would take too long to fully replenish.
This was a war of attrition with a predetermined outcome.
Takuno only needed to rely on the tactics of Toki-Mayumi to strike repeatedly, and the Sage of Six Paths's seemingly vast power would eventually be eaten away bit by bit; defeat was only a matter of time.
Moreover, every encounter was by no means in vain for Takuno.
Personally experiencing and analyzing the profound mysteries of the Six Paths Technique during life-and-death combat was in itself an extremely precious "trophy."
Admittedly, with his own talent and time, Takuno was confident he could independently develop powerful Sage Arts comparable to or even surpassing the Six Paths Technique.
However, time was the most expensive cost.
Instead of spending long years groping in the dark alone, why not directly "borrow" the crystallization of wisdom from this ancestor of creation before him?
Forcing the opponent to perform the Six Paths Technique for his "observation and learning" was undoubtedly the most efficient shortcut.
Therefore, the moment Takuno's figure appeared here, the chess game was already decided.
He had laid out a dead end where, no matter what the Sage of Six Paths chose, the final outcome would inevitably be in his favor.
A living chess player calculating against a dead chess soul—wasn't the victory already within his grasp?
He held the winning hand in this game.
The Sage of Six Paths's gaze fell heavily on Takuno.
The curve at the corner of this human's mouth was so unscrupulous, and his eyes showed an unmasked confidence in controlling the entire situation—a look that said he had him right where he wanted him.
Finally, a long and heavy sigh slowly escaped from the Sage of Six Paths's throat.
Because he understood that Takuno's harsh words had hit the mark.
He, the founder of Ninshu, actually... had no choice at this moment.
Over the long years, for what exactly had he been accumulating every bit of power?
Was it to personally end the thousand-year-old karmic entanglement between Indra and Ashura?
However, it wasn't as if he hadn't tried in the past.
Every intervention, every interference, ended like a stone sinking into the sea; the reincarnations of those two brothers' Chakra remained tightly entwined by the threads of fate, inseparable.
The successors of this generation, Naruto and Sasuke, seemed like they could be the ones to end it all.
But didn't Hashirama and Madara, that pair of legendary rivals, also once shine with the light of hope to end all conflict in a brilliant moment?
But in the end, that light still dimmed, the wheels of fate rolled over, leaving deeper ruts.
He gradually realized that the grievance between Indra and Ashura could not be resolved by the strength of power alone; it was a clash of diametrically opposed ideologies deeply rooted in the depths of their souls.
His power was useless here.
And when he noticed that a power lurking in the shadows of the Shinobi World was deliberately planning to resurrect that forbidden existence, Kaguya...
His original intention for accumulating power quietly shifted.
This power was more for building a final line of defense.
He knew better than anyone that without the power he had accumulated over a millennium as a barrier...
Relying solely on the power of the current Shinobi to seal a terrifying existence like Kaguya again, the possibility of success...
Was so slim it was almost non-existent, infinitely approaching zero!
Once upon a time, he firmly believed this probability was zero.
However, the appearance of Takuno broke his inherent perception.
This "freak" who could not be judged by common sense had actually grown to such a level of strength in the post-Ten-Tails era.
It caused a crack to appear in his "zero probability" thought.
Perhaps, hope wasn't entirely non-existent?
But could a second being with strength like Takuno's and who also loved this Shinobi World appear in this world?
The Sage of Six Paths felt... no.
So now, if he didn't hand over the power he considered his final trump card to Takuno, would this human with power beyond common sense go to stop Kaguya's resurrection?
With the terrifying strength Takuno displayed now, he could completely flee to other unknown planets in the universe to live before the disaster arrived, abandoning the survival of the entire Shinobi World.
And what about himself? This duel with Takuno would inevitably exhaust the power he had accumulated over long years.
Once this power was lost, the entire Shinobi World, a world entrusted with countless hopes, would lose any possibility of struggling.
The future... would no longer exist.
These layers of desperate situations, this unavoidable choice of fate, this heavy weight concerning the survival of the entire Shinobi World...
Finally turned into that deep sigh carrying endless desolation and helplessness.
When Takuno heard this sigh, no more words were needed; he already understood.
The Sage of Six Paths, the founder of Ninshu, had finally made his choice.
Takuno quietly watched the weathered old man before him, his gaze deep, without the slightest hint of urging.
The Sage of Six Paths's gaze also looked back at Takuno with complexity, his eyes intertwined with scrutiny and determination.
After a long time, his low voice sounded: "I hope... my choice today is not digging a grave for the Shinobi World with my own hands, nurturing a disaster that will end everything."
The corners of Takuno's mouth turned up slightly, forming a clear smile.
This sentence was the answer he was waiting for.
He responded in a relaxed yet weighty tone.
"Rest easy, something as boring and profitless as destroying the Shinobi World isn't on my interest list.
Compared to that crude method of draining the pond to catch the fish or a one-off deal," He paused, a hint of playfulness flashing in his eyes.
"What I believe in is a more long-term path of 'sustainable development'."
"I hope so," the Sage of Six Paths nodded slowly, the wrinkles on his face seeming to deepen a bit more.
He didn't ask what this unfamiliar "sustainable development" meant, nor did he make any further pleas or requests.
He knew that Takuno's existence was like an unpredictable torrent; his will and actions were not something any external force could sway or constrain.
Although the new term from the other's mouth gave him a faint, ominous premonition, for now, this seemed like a better choice than completely cutting off the future of the Shinobi World.
Without further hesitation, the Sage of Six Paths slowly raised both hands.
On his palms, two pure and majestic energy marks suddenly condensed into form!
On the left palm, a Sun Mark as fierce as molten gold burned intensely, radiating endless vitality of the utmost Yang;
On the right palm was a silver-white Moon Mark as cold as frost, flowing with the power of ultimate Yin and soft annihilation.
This was the crystallization of his lifelong accumulation, the ultimate manifestation of the Shinobi World's origin.
The supreme profound mystery of Yin-Yang Release!
Takuno's gaze swept sharply over these two familiar marks, perfectly overlapping with the scenes from the "original work" deep in his memory.
He no longer hesitated, stepped forward, and steadily extended his own hands, his palms precisely meeting the Sage of Six Paths's.
In an instant, the two sat facing each other, their bodies floating in mid-air, their clothes fluttering without wind.
They formed a profound picture like "bestowing power through the crown of the head" or "passing on techniques" in martial arts novels.
However, even at this critical moment of power fusion and entrusted trust, the vigilance deep in Takuno's heart did not relax in the slightest.
He quietly accumulated the vast majority of his massive Ocular Power in his left eye.
The ultimate trump card called Toki-Mayumi, its passive trigger mechanism was already on alert, ready to respond to any possible anomaly at any time.
Fortunately, the Sage of Six Paths did not choose to make a move in the middle of the inheritance.
Takuno had no way of judging whether this legendary figure had given up on intervening out of some consideration, or if it was as stated in the "original work" of his memory.
The long-dead Sage of Six Paths's soul was not enough to support him in taking such an action.
These thoughts only flashed through his mind before he stopped caring; at this moment, he had no time for anything else.
All his mind was immersed in the realization of this Yin-Yang Release Power, which could be called the ultimate realm, flowing toward him from the Sage of Six Paths.
In an instant, this mysterious space seemed to have its pause button pressed.
Vast, boundless pure light and deep darkness erupted simultaneously, sweeping through everything in sight like a tide.
They were no longer simple opposites but blended in a profound way, forming the most primal Yin-Yang picture.
And the core source and final destination of all this power were focused without suspense on the two people in the center of the space.
The Sage of Six Paths, and Takuno, who was receiving his gift.
That pure, ultimate radiance without a trace of impurity and the deep shadow that swallowed everything continued for a long time in this frozen space...
Finally, the light and darkness gradually faded, revealing the figures within.
The Sage of Six Paths gazed at Takuno, who still had his eyes closed and was fully immersed in the realization of power, and shook his head slightly with a complex expression.
An indescribable emotion flashed through his eyes.
At this moment, the scales of the Shinobi World's future fate had completely tilted; the final hope was tied to Takuno's subsequent choices.
Takuno did not wake up immediately.
He could, of course, have regained consciousness the moment he received the power, just like Naruto and Sasuke in the "original work" of his memory.
However, to him, that would be no different from wasting a godsend, squandering this once-in-a-thousand-years precious opportunity to directly face a higher level of Yin-Yang Release.
Compared to the two Children of Prophecy, Naruto and Sasuke, Takuno's understanding and control of Yin-Yang Release had already reached an level beyond common sense, one could even say an "overpowered" existence.
The Yin-Yang Release the Sage of Six Paths poured into his body was certainly powerful, but it did not exceed the boundaries of his comprehension.
He could not only clearly perceive the core essence and construction laws of this power but also greedily absorb nutrients from the path of power laid out by the Sage of Six Paths.
He understood, digested, and absorbed it, using it as a foundation to continuously temper and expand his own path of Yin-Yang Release.
This deep realization of ultimate Yin-Yang Release alone made Takuno feel that this trip was well worth it and significantly meaningful.
More importantly, this realization was like a beacon, clearly illuminating his path of training for at least the next year or two.
The path ahead had been clearly laid out for him.
He only needed to follow the steps, walking in the footsteps of the Sage of Six Paths, and his own realm of Yin-Yang Release would eventually rise to a level on par with this founder of Ninshu!
Time passed silently.
The Sage of Six Paths quietly floated in this eternally silent, otherworldly space, gazing at Takuno sitting cross-legged in the void, and did not wake him.
Since he had unreservedly poured the power he had accumulated for a millennium into the other party, what was the harm in letting him immerse himself here for a moment longer to carefully realize the power of this inheritance?
Only, the Sage of Six Paths could not suppress the amazement in his heart.
The talent Takuno displayed far exceeded his estimates.
Relying solely on his own strength, he had actually comprehended the technique of Yin-Yang Release to such a profound level!
He had a premonition.
Given time, this young man's attainment in Yin-Yang Release would surely surpass his own.
The path of Yin-Yang Release was vast and endless.
The reason he was called a "Sage" was simply because he had walked a bit further on this path than the common people of the Shinobi World.
And at this moment, Takuno was catching up at an amazing speed along this great path, his figure already clearly visible.
Surpassing him was truly only a matter of time.
In this space where there was neither the change of sun and moon nor the distinction between day and night, the scale of time was completely blurred.
Finally, Takuno's tightly closed eyes slowly opened.
"Buzz..."
At the very moment he opened his eyes, an irresistible force erupted with him as the center!
The entire space was like a tranquil water surface into which a giant stone had been thrown, suddenly vibrating violently; visible energy ripples spread out in layers like physical objects.
The invisible waves stirred up swept in all directions, making even this eternal void tremble!