Okita lacked talent, and his conviction wasn't the strongest.
Among the sages, he was one of the ordinary ones.
But it was exactly because he was ordinary, and exactly because he was still a sage, that within his ordinariness there remained a lofty pride, and beneath that pride, a steady, patient determination.
What sage who lived to the end of their lifespan could truly be called ordinary? What sage who could face death calmly could truly be said to lack conviction?
Okita was not the strongest, but he was far from weak.
He was not a true genius, yet he was still one of the top sages in the world.
Back then, when Master Genichi opened a path for all sages, when he made the plan for the Earthly Sage Kingdom, Okita saw hope.
And many other sages saw it too.
For "ordinary" ones like Okita, hope would never be abandoned easily. For true powerhouses, opportunities and strength might be easy to obtain.
But for people like them, it was extremely difficult.
Okita would not give up easily, nor would he let himself become an obstacle in the path of other sages.
If death was required, then Okita was willing to become the cornerstone of the Earthly Sage Kingdom, helping his comrades rise higher.
What Master Genichi could do, Okita could also do.
When the sages ascended together, raising the Earthly Sage Kingdom to stand equal with the heavens and look down upon the world, Okita's strength would also be a part of it.
"Asura, let this old man see what you can do!"
The white giant formed by Okita raised its arm and charged upstream.
A dazzling willpower burst forth, and in that moment, Okita completely shattered the restraints of Asura's power on Nagato.
This was hope—the hope that Master Genichi had opened up for these sages.
This world is not short of the strong, not short of great willpower and wisdom, and not short of those who make great sacrifices.
The changes in the ninja world were because of Shanks.
Everyone shouted to take him down, and yet, everyone needed Shanks.
Unfortunately, Shanks was not from Konohagakure, Shanks was not a ninja—so Shanks was the enemy of ninjas.
Unfortunately, Shanks had never met a sage, much less become one—so Shanks was the enemy of sages.
Unfortunately, Shanks had great power but was overly proud, breaking all chains from the very bottom of the world.
Unfortunately… Shanks placed his hopes on everyone—ninjas, civilians, nobles, even sages. To Shanks, they were all the same.
But others couldn't do that.
Nara Shikaku couldn't—he was a ninja, a ninja of the Nara clan.
Master Genichi couldn't—he was a sage, the one on whom so many sages pinned their hopes.
They could all sacrifice themselves, but always for the sake of their own group.
They all deserved respect, to be admired.
But to Nagato… they all deserved to die.
"Then I'll show you!"
Nagato showed no fear.
Not dead? Then keep killing.
Once he chose to act, Nagato had already committed to his path.
Those willing to sacrifice were not only these sages.
Without the will to die for one's own beliefs, how could the world be changed?
"Behind me are not just the oppressed civilians, but also the countless people who have suffered for thousands of years because of you.
The road they cannot see—I will open it for them!!"
The so-called son of the Sage of Six Paths, the so-called world noble, the so-called ninja?
Nagato was none of those!!
He was just an ordinary man who grew up in hardship—a civilian.
The blood in his veins was never more noble than anyone else's.
Behind Nagato, dense runes spread out. With the surge of the Rinnegan's power, he forcibly tore the Ten-Tails' torso out from the void behind him.
Bang!!
The Ten-Tails' tail, filled with overwhelming malice, slammed down, forcing Okita's white giant back again.
The terrifying wills of both sides, strong enough to affect reality itself, clashed and burst out. The malice from the Ten-Tails was completely scattered by their wills, leaving no effect at all.
And Nagato's Sage Chakra was stronger than Okita's. His physical power was also greater than Okita's.
Nagato's will… was even stronger than Okita's!
"Boom!!"
Nagato threw another punch.
A huge vacuum ripple exploded in the sky, the sea surface caved in, and Okita's massive body was smashed straight into the ocean.
"I've broken the chains of the Sage of Six Paths, but… I never represented the Sage of Six Paths."
Six wooden rods formed from the God Tree's branches floated in the air. In just an instant, they were coated in pitch black.
Buzz!!
The air tore apart as massive black rods shot down from the sky. Okita, relying on instinct, quickly dodged while submerged in the ocean.
But his reaction… was too slow.
"Pfft!"
One rod pierced through his chest, and another pierced his thigh.
As expected—failing to dodge such a simple attack was no surprise at all.
He lifted his head, the last trace of will fading from his eyes, while a massive dark shadow from the sky rushed toward him.
"Stronger than I imagined, but…"
Okita never finished his sentence.
"Bang!"
The giant white head was completely shattered, along with the terrifying will inside Okita being crushed instantly.
His final outburst had only been a dying flare, and in that moment, Nagato snuffed it out without mercy.
No holding back, no hesitation—one full-force strike ended Okita's last resistance.
As the white giant faded away, Okita's real body emerged.
The once-powerful body was now in ruins, his head shriveled like it had withered.
Yet at that moment, a faint smile still lingered on Okita's face.
His right hand pointed toward the sky, his unfocused eyes showing the faint shadow of the Earthly Sage Kingdom.
Too bad… too bad that guy's attack was too decisive. Otherwise, he could have become the Earthly Sage Kingdom's jinchuriki.
He could have stalled the enemy a little longer.
But now…
"Descend…"
The sigh came from Okita's already lifeless body.
As his body sank into the sea and was swallowed by the waves, an invisible force slammed down.
Hovering above Okita, Nagato suddenly felt his hair stand on end as an overwhelming sense of danger fell from the sky.
"Damn it!"
Nagato reacted fast, with the Ten Tails' tail already raised to block the sky, but in the next instant—
It shattered!
Without warning, without a sound, the Ten Tails' tail was smashed to pieces.
The will of the Earthly Sage Kingdom, now affecting the real world, struck Nagato, and that immense force instantly pierced through his body.
In that instant, the light faded from Nagato's eyes.
The will of the Celestial Kingdom on Earth, existing apart from the will of the world itself, was a terrifying force that could affect reality.
Nagato had taken a direct hit.
His body was fine, but his mind completely shut down for a moment.
The first person to experience this was Shanks, the second was Orochimaru…
At that moment, Nagato truly felt what power on the same level was like.
In his final moments, Okita used the last of his willpower to force the power of the Celestial Kingdom—originally meant to take him in—onto Nagato instead.
Normally, that would be impossible.
There was one thing Okita hadn't lied about: the Uzumaki clan were legitimate world nobles, and Nagato was also a natural-born sage.
At least in that moment, both the will of the world and the will of the Celestial Kingdom recognized Nagato's status.
Even if the Sage of Six Paths himself returned, he could only acknowledge that Nagato was Ashura, a natural-born sage.
So in that instant, Nagato was forcefully pulled into the Celestial Kingdom.
But Nagato wasn't, and could never be, the guardian of the world nobles—the Jinchuriki of the Celestial Kingdom.
The moment his mind shut down, all of the Ten-Tails' body parts retracted, and the hole behind Nagato vanished.
He simply floated quietly above the battlefield.
The Six Paths puppets were still fighting, and with Nagato's power boosted, their strength had also greatly increased.
With Ashura's power suppressing the sages, the Six Paths puppets could handle many of them on their own.
At this point, even though there were still Devil Fruit users on the battlefield, the fight was completely one-sided, and the Marines' defeat was only a matter of time.
Part of the Marine's remaining sages had already been drawn away by Itachi.
Compared to Nagato, Itachi's presence was even more terrifying.
A Susano'o over a hundred meters tall floated in the sky, its overly magnificent and imposing form and its monstrous size far beyond what normal people could face.
What made him even more different was that, while Itachi still looked ordinary and used his awe-inspiring Genjutsu and Ninjutsu as always,
In truth, Itachi was the one in the Akatsuki who had hidden his true self the deepest.
He and Kisame were the first to come into contact with Zabuza, and Itachi was also the first to encounter Shanks.
Even though it was only an indirect meeting, Itachi had already realized back then how terrifying Shanks was.
Later, he also witnessed Kisame and Zabuza.
So much time had passed, Kisame had improved—how could Itachi not have?
Back in the Land of Wind, Itachi's strength had already risen again, enough for him to negotiate with Jiraiya.
Now, Itachi's power was even greater—you could even say… perfect!
"Sage Art: Heavenly Meteor!"
"Sage Art: Dragon Beard Technique!"
"..."
Even when surrounded and attacked by several sages, Itachi was still completely at ease.
With the Yatagami in Susano'o's left hand, he shattered the meteors crashing down from the sky, the massive explosion echoing above.
At the same time, the Totsuka Blade in the right hand swung out, and the orange-red slash swept down, crushing the sages' attacks.
At that moment, a sage pulled Santai Tsuchikata out of the sea where he had first rushed toward Itachi. His body hadn't fully recovered yet, but he… was still strong enough.
Indra's power hadn't completely suppressed him.
"Okita is dead!!"
"I know…"
Santai Tsuchikata stood up, and his old injuries began acting up again.
He looked up at Itachi in the sky, staying silent for a few seconds.
"I'll hold him off. You guys, run!"
"That thing isn't something you can handle right now."
Forcing himself to stand tall, Santai Tsuchikata steadied himself.
An ordinary sage would have trouble adapting to this kind of overwhelming force, but he… had been tempered through Shanks' training.
"Ryujou, return to Marine Headquarters and tell them Ashura and Indra have appeared in the world."
That earthy yellow power flared up again. At this moment, Santai Tsuchikata officially took command.
Ashura… Indra…
The power of the Sage of Six Paths had returned!!
"Wait for me… wait for me to come back!!"
The sage named Ryujou gave Santai Tsuchikata a deep look before flying high into the sky.
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