With Naruto and Sasuke joined in battle alongside Funan, Kaguya saw something under immense pressure.
In just a few short rounds, she was wounded again.
"Mother!"
Black Zetsu cried out.
"I know!"
Kaguya replied in a low growl.
[Buzz!]
The space around them shifted.
The Pure Land had now transformed—
—into a Gravity Dimension.
The sudden spike in weight instantly crushed Naruto and Sasuke to the ground.
Only the Sage of Six Paths and Funan were able to block it—they had been prepared in advance.
Funan, in particular, even hurled a Tailed Beast Bomb at Kaguya.
Just as she was about to launch an All-Killing Ash Bone, the blast sent her flying.
"You…"
Kaguya was momentarily stunned—her Gravity Dimension had no effect on Funan. She turned to glare coldly at the Sage.
The Sage remained silent.
That wasn't me.
I have no idea how Uchiha Funan knows about your spatial secrets.
Wait a minute—
Could Funan possibly know all of Mother's dimensional secrets?
If that were the case, then what about his secrets?
The Sage's expression turned serious.
The reason he had been holding back this entire time was precisely to keep his own power hidden.
Before confronting Uchiha Funan, he would not reveal his hand.
But—
What if Funan had already seen through him?
The Sage didn't know.
He only knew one thing—Uchiha Funan was like a walking enigma. Every inch of him was shrouded in mystery.
That was exactly why he had resolved to eliminate Funan.
In this Shinobi World, no one but him was allowed to harbor that many secrets.
Funan raised both hands, and a massive Tailed Beast Bomb formed between his palms.
"Take this!"
With a thunderous roar, the enormous sphere shot straight toward Kaguya.
"Hmph."
Kaguya snorted coldly. The very next second, space twisted once more—
Glacier Dimension.
"Sasuke, use Amaterasu!"
Funan quickly formed hand seals as he barked out the command.
"Got it!"
Sasuke nodded reflexively, locking his gaze onto Kaguya.
"Amaterasu!"
[Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!]
Kaguya dodged continuously.
Two bones emerged from the palms of her hands once more.
All-Killing Ash Bones!
[Shing!]
The Sage furrowed his brows deeply.
Why are you attacking me now?
We're all fighting here—why am I a target too?
Mother, do you really hate me that much?
A wave of intense blood-red fire erupted from Funan's mouth.
The sheer heat made even the Sage's face darken.
For people at their level, ordinary Fire Release or Water Release techniques no longer had much effect.
But—
Funan's attack was on a whole different level.
At the very least, the Sage's expression had grown noticeably darker.
With no other option, Kaguya shifted the battlefield once more.
Magma Dimension.
"Whoa!"
Naruto let out a scream as he plummeted downward.
Funan glanced his way but didn't intervene.
As expected—
Naruto quickly recovered, hovering in midair. He extended a giant chakra arm, formed from Tailed Beast Chakra, and caught Sasuke.
Seeing this, Kaguya could only sigh inwardly and once again shifted the battlefield—
Desert Dimension.
Amid endless swirling sand and dust—
Kaguya, the Sage of Six Paths, and Funan stood in a tense standoff.
The two youngsters had moved behind Funan, standing with him as they faced off against the two strange figures before them.
Especially that semi-transparent one—
Just looking at him gave them a strange feeling.
A sense of familiarity…
But also discomfort.
They exchanged glances—each seeing the confusion mirrored in the other's eyes.
Funan turned his head toward the Sage and said, "Hagoromo, still not making a move?"
The Sage's face darkened.
"Uchiha Funan, spare me your games. You and I have nothing to do with each other."
Funan gave him a curious look.
"At this point, do those words still mean anything? We're already in a head-on clash with Kaguya. I said it earlier—none of the plans matter anymore."
"I…"
Seeing the strange look on Funan's face, hearing that utterly matter-of-fact tone, the Sage of Six Paths felt like coughing up blood.
And that wasn't the end of it.
Kaguya turned to stare at the Sage coldly after hearing those words.
Which only made him feel more helpless.
Seriously? Is this never going to end?
Someone says something and you just believe it? No wonder you got sealed away for thousands of years!
Fine!
If that's what you want to believe, then go ahead!
Either way, I've made up my mind—
I'll seal you away again first!
[Swish!]
Without hesitation, the Sage lunged forward again, his Truth-Seeking Orbs flowing along his staff like liquid.
The two clashed once more.
This time, Funan didn't intervene. Instead, he watched with interest from the sidelines.
"Funan-aniki!"
Naruto suddenly asked, "Who are those two?"
"She's the Rabbit Goddess—Ōtsutsuki Kaguya," Funan replied, pointing to Kaguya. "You should recognize her. She's also the mother of the Sage of Six Paths."
"The Sage of Six Paths?"
"Yeah." Funan then pointed to the floating figure. "That guy right there is the Sage of Six Paths."
Naruto and Sasuke: "…"
"We've met him before."
After a brief silence, Sasuke admitted, "He gave us power."
"I know," Funan said casually. "But what I want you two to understand is—neither of those two are good people. Strictly speaking, the Rabbit Goddess didn't even get a chance to stir up trouble. She was sealed away by her own son—the Sage of Six Paths."
"And what about the Sage?" Naruto asked curiously. "Didn't you say he saved the Shinobi World, Funan-aniki?"
"Yeah. He sealed his own mother and saved the Shinobi World—because she was planning to turn all living beings into White Zetsu," Funan explained. "So before she could put her plan into action, he sealed her away."
"As for why I say the Sage isn't a good person…"
Funan let out a cold laugh.
"Naruto, Sasuke—your powers came almost entirely from the Sage of Six Paths. So tell me: someone with power like that, over all these centuries—was he really powerless to stop the endless wars in the Shinobi World?"
"Uh…"
The two youngsters froze.
"And another thing," Funan continued coldly, "I unified the Shinobi World. I stopped the wars from escalating further. But he's the one trying to kill me."
"Why's that?" Naruto asked, baffled.
"It probably has something to do with souls," Funan said calmly. "Word is, the Sage has spent thousands of years in the Pure Land quietly collecting souls. War means more deaths. More deaths mean more souls entering the Pure Land."
"…"
Naruto and Sasuke were dumbfounded.
Especially Sasuke. He wasn't as naïve as Naruto, and he immediately picked up on the implication.
Kaguya hadn't done anything yet when she was sealed…
So how exactly did the Sage of Six Paths 'save' the world?
"Forget it," Funan muttered with a cold smirk. "Doesn't matter anymore—they're both my enemies now. I'll take them out, then slowly build up power and prepare to deal with the Ōtsutsuki clan."
The battle between Kaguya and the Sage was still raging.
"Funan-aniki, are we just going to stand here and watch?" Naruto couldn't help asking.
"What's the rush?" Funan replied indifferently. "Let them fight it out first. They're both thousands of years old. Who knows how many hidden cards they still have?"
"Oh…"
"Uchiha Funan!"
Just as Funan was about to sit back and enjoy the show, Kaguya's voice suddenly reached his ears.
"Hm?"
Funan paused, the corner of his lips curling into a faint, ambiguous smile.
"I know," Kaguya's voice continued, "you and Hagoromo have no connection whatsoever."
"So help me take him down."
Funan didn't reply.
He had no idea how Kaguya was transmitting her voice to him directly—
And besides, he had a few things he needed to consider.
This devious woman… did she see through things from the start?
So she's been putting on an act too?
Kaguya's voice came again: "I can't beat Hagoromo. I'm certain of that. But if you help me—together, we can defeat him. After that, the Shinobi World will be yours."
"Pfft."
Funan gave a cold chuckle and said, "Sounds like a sweet dream."
"What?"
Naruto blinked, confused.
But Funan couldn't be bothered to explain.
"Hagoromo is stronger than I am," Kaguya emphasized. "So why not team up with me to take him down first, then settle things between the two of us afterward?"
"No thanks," Funan replied with a cheerful smile. "You two seem to be having a great time fighting. Just keep it up. Once one of you wins, I'll take on the survivor."
"Uchiha Funan!"
Kaguya's voice now carried a hint of desperation and frustration.
But Funan just grinned widely and shouted, "Alright, I get it!"
With that—
He charged forward.
And the one he attacked—was the Sage of Six Paths.
"Did you two strike a deal?"
Kaguya was stunned.
You were hesitating just a moment ago, and now you're already fighting him?
With that thought in mind, she was about to join the fray when a sudden chill crept over her heart.
Danger?
Where's it coming from?
Kaguya looked up at the two of them, only to realize—
Funan, even while fighting Hagoromo, kept glancing in her direction from time to time.
At this moment, she wasn't sure if it was just her imagination—
But somehow, the Sage's fighting felt weaker than before.
Could it be…
These two are plotting something again?!
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