—Daikokuten!
Isshiki's Kokugan locked onto Sasuke. Black rods shot forth at terrifying speed!
In the next instant, Isshiki's pupils shrank.
"Clack! Clack! Clack!"
He raised his hand and caught the three rods flying toward him, his expression turning uncertain.
He had almost been struck by his own attack!
Without a doubt—it was Sasuke's right eye at work!
"Just like when I tried to ambush him in a shrunken state… the rods from Daikokuten were returned along the exact same path, at the same speed."
"That wasn't reflection through force fields or barriers."
"If it were simple rebound, the rods would have shattered instantly under opposing forces."
Crack!
Isshiki crushed the rods in his hand.
Uchiha Sasuke… could it be that your right eye's ability is—
"Sasuke…" Naruto's voice trembled. He hadn't been able to see or sense those rods at all. If Isshiki had targeted him instead…
He imagined the black rods exploding inside flesh and blood—the sheer brutality of it made his skin crawl.
"Sasuke… y-you can see those rods?"
"No. I can't see them at all."
"Then… how did you do that!?"
Sasuke raised his hand, fingers sliding through his bangs to cover his right eye slightly. "If my right eye didn't possess this ability… I wouldn't be standing here unharmed."
Uchiha Sasuke's right Rinnegan—its ability allowed him to manipulate vectors.
A vector, in simple terms, is the direction of motion of matter and energy.
Amenotejikara had two modes: passive and active. Passive focused on defense, active on offense.
What Sasuke just used was the passive mode.
Once activated, any object entering within thirty centimeters of him would be instantly redirected—its direction reversed, sending it back along its original path.
Yes—it was reflection, not rebound.
It didn't matter how fast or powerful the attack was. The direction was altered instantly, without delay.
As long as the passive defense remained active, no attack with a defined trajectory could hit Sasuke.
Unless it was something without a trajectory—like Amaterasu, which manifests directly on the target.
Unfortunately for Isshiki… he didn't possess such an ability.
"A reflection-type dōjutsu…" Isshiki's gaze turned cold. "But every dōjutsu has its limits! I refuse to believe it can be sustained indefinitely!"
—Daikokuten!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Isshiki's hands blurred as he continuously caught the reflected rods while launching new ones at Sasuke without pause.
He intended to overwhelm Sasuke—force his dōjutsu to its limit through relentless pressure!
Three seconds. Five seconds. Seven seconds.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
Seven seconds—that was the limit of the passive reflection from the moment it activated.
If relying solely on his own ocular power, he would fail at this point.
But—
On Sasuke's forehead was the Rinnegan Seal developed by the Sage of Six Paths. It stored excess ocular power over time, like a Byakugō Seal—but for Rinnegan energy.
Useless, Isshiki. This seal contains the Sage's accumulated power. Once my own reaches its limit, the seal takes over.
As long as the stored power lasts… the passive reflection can continue indefinitely.
"Naruto trembled. "Sasuke… can your eye hold out!?"
"It can. But he'll switch targets eventually. Instead of worrying about me… think about how to deal with Daikokuten."
"I… I have no way to deal with it!"
Within Naruto's mind, the Sage's voice echoed.
"Naruto, why are you panicking? Isshiki isn't that strong."
"…Huh? Not strong?"
"Compared to my mother after consuming the Chakra Fruit… he's nothing."
"You're comparing him to Kaguya!? We could seal her! We can't do anything to him! I can't even deal with those rods he fires!"
"Naruto, listen carefully. While Isshiki is still focused on Sasuke, use your right eye—Futsunomitama—to give your Truth-Seeking Orbs a soul."
"Give them a soul!? That might help resist shrinking, but what about Daikokuten!?"
"How do you know it won't work? Have you tried? Trust me—you'll be surprised."
Through the connection of Yin-Yang power, Sasuke could also hear the Sage's words.
His eyes narrowed.
So… that's your plan, Sage.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Ten seconds. Twenty seconds.
Thirty full seconds!
The barrage continued relentlessly. Isshiki's hands moved so fast they became afterimages—
Until—
Slash!
One stray rod slipped through and grazed Isshiki's cheek, leaving a thin line of blood.
He stopped.
"…Damn it."
His expression darkened.
Uchiha Sasuke's dōjutsu… it's abnormal. Did Kaguya's son interfere?
After all, the only thing truly remarkable about that man is his creativity—he even devised techniques to seal Kaguya and the Ten-Tails.
Talents like that are rare, even among my clan.
No choice… I'll target the weaker one.
Isshiki's Kokugan shifted—
Locking onto Naruto.
—Daikokuten!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
But the moment he targeted Naruto—
The Truth-Seeking Orbs moved on their own, forming a complete defensive barrier around him!
"What—!? They're moving on their own! I didn't even think about it!"
The Sage explained, "Once imbued with a soul through Futsunomitama, Truth-Seeking Orbs become Spirit Orbs. They can autonomously detect danger and protect you."
"And their response speed… far exceeds your imagination."
Crack! Crack! Crack!
"They can't hold! The orbs are breaking!"
"Stay calm. Use your left eye—convert your soul into new orbs, just like you did with Tailed Beast chakra!"
Futsunomitama: the left eye converts soul into chakra; the right eye converts chakra into soul.
"Even Truth-Seeking Orbs can be converted!?"
"Yes. That's the advantage of soul substitution. Any chakra construct compatible with you can be given a soul—or recreated using your soul."
"And your own soul consumption can be replenished using chakra. In this form… you have more chakra than you'll ever need."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Naruto immediately acted. New orbs formed behind him, each infused with a soul, reinforcing the barrier.
At the same time, his chakra cloak burned brightly, converting into soul energy to replenish what he consumed.
Sasuke finally spoke bluntly. "Sage… earlier when you helped Naruto restore Tailed Beast chakra, I suspected something. Why are you so familiar with this ability?"
…So he figured it out.
The Sage replied, "Futsunomitama… is actually my Rinnegan's ability."
"What!? Your ability!?" Naruto was stunned.
Sasuke nodded slightly. "As expected. You no longer even have a physical body, yet you can still carry Truth-Seeking Orbs in spirit form. That alone was suspicious."
"That's right," the Sage admitted. "The only ones who can freely create Truth-Seeking Orbs are my mother—with her Truth-Seeking mastery—and me, through Futsunomitama."
"Of course, Naruto's Mangekyō version is incomplete. It cannot handle chakra with Tailed Beast or Yin-Yang properties."
Sasuke pressed, "Then how is Naruto doing it?"
…You really won't let this go, Sasuke.
Very well.
"There's a reason I chose to reside within Naruto's body instead of yours."
"While my soul resides in him… his Futsunomitama operates at the level of my Rinnegan."
…So that's it.
Sasuke instantly connected the dots.
Yin-Yang power. The Rinnegan Seal. Even the Truth-Seeking Orbs turned into the Ame-no-Nuboko sword.
The Sage appeared to have exhausted everything—but they had overlooked one thing.
Even as a soul, he still possessed his Rinnegan.
With Naruto's chakra as a source, he could sustain himself indefinitely.
That was why he could manifest physically from Naruto's chakra alone.
Sensing Sasuke's thoughts, the Sage added, "Sasuke, I entrusted everything to Naruto not out of favoritism—but to maximize this ability's effectiveness."
Sasuke replied sincerely, "It doesn't matter. As long as we can save the world…"
But inside, the Sage was far less composed than he appeared.
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki… he's stronger than I anticipated.
If not for Naruto and Sasuke's eyes forming a natural counter to his abilities… this battle would be far more uncertain.
And my mother…
Even without consuming the Chakra Fruit, she nearly killed Isshiki.
That only reminds me once again—
How terrifying she truly is.
"Naruto. Sasuke. Finish Isshiki… then go and defeat my mother, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."
Enjoyed these chapters? Access 60+ ahead avanced chapters and exclusive content by visiting my Patreon. https://patreon.com/WillOFD129?