"Hmm?!"
As the storm of furious winds and lightning began to subside, Sōmi sensed an incredibly powerful presence.
"So, it's true…"
"That Six Paths Sage…"
Sōmi murmured softly, but in the next moment, a fierce battle intent ignited in his eyes.
With Sōmi's current strength, even if the Sage of Six Paths himself were to appear, he would face him without fear!
This realization only deepened Sōmi's disdain for the Sage of Six Paths.
That selfish and incompetent man…
Despite possessing absolute power, he failed to ensure peace in the mortal world and instead placed his hopes on his sons.
He hid in the Pure Land, meddling with underhanded schemes, ensuring the shinobi world remained trapped in endless cycles of conflict and chaos centered around his two sons.
Such actions were nothing more than the selfish perpetuation of a "family dynasty."
And yet, he couldn't even discern the true nature of his two sons. Ashura was overly naive and kind, while Indra was excessively aggressive and unstable. Neither possessed even the basic qualities of a true leader, let alone the capacity to shoulder such responsibility.
Yet the Sage of Six Paths still pinned his hopes on these two unworthy heirs.
"Those unfit for their roles will inevitably bring disaster."
"And when virtue does not match power, calamity is sure to follow."
After attaining Six Paths-level power, Sōmi's first thought was to permanently seal the souls of Ashura and Indra. Then, he would find a way to drag the Sage of Six Paths out of the Pure Land and deal with him once and for all!
As for Kaguya Ōtsutsuki…
That was a matter for another time.
Under the massive octagonal Crimson Sun Formation, what was once Konohagakure could no longer even be called ruins.
The charred, uneven forest of burning vines had completely vanished, leaving only a vast desert of yellow sand.
Scattered across this desolate sea of sand were uneven, pitch-black craters, stark reminders that the devastation was no illusion.
Crack... Crack...
A peculiar structure surrounded by dark brown earthen walls began to fracture.
The walls were unusual, as they were adorned with carvings of dog heads.
When the earthen structure finally collapsed, its interior was revealed.
A massive slug lay within.
Inside the slug's body, several Konoha shinobi were sheltered.
A woman with long, pale yellow hair tied into a large ponytail, wearing a tea-green cloak with black trim and a loose, sleeveless kimono-like top underneath, pressed her fair hands against Kakashi's back. A soft green glow radiated from her palms.
At a glance, most men would find their attention drawn to the deep cleavage on her chest—her "boundless compassion" was enough to dominate the entire shinobi world.
Strange black markings coiled around her face and arms.
"Huff... Huff..."
Kakashi, whose face was half-covered by a cloth and whose left eye was concealed by a bandage, was panting heavily.
Even with Tsunade's extraordinary healing abilities, surviving the earlier "catastrophe" was nothing short of miraculous.
The slug regurgitated the remaining Konoha shinobi one by one with wet, squelching sounds. Their bodies were coated in sticky, white fluid.
However, their numbers were pitifully few. Apart from Tsunade, Kakashi, Minato Namikaze, the Third Hokage, and Yamato, no one else remained.
Tsunade and the others had survived only because they had happened to gather together and managed to carve out a narrow path to survival through their combined efforts.
Minato's Chakra cloak had long since dissipated. His forehead was drenched in sweat, and his face was pale, clearly showing signs of severe Chakra exhaustion.
It was evident that the Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder technique played a significant role in their survival.
Beyond these few survivors, there was no one left alive in Konohagakure…
As for Danzo's arm full of Sharingan, Sōmi had specifically targeted it, erasing it completely with ease.
However, both Sōmi and Madara's attention was now entirely focused on the young man standing before them.
This young man wore a golden Chakra cloak, with a black bodysuit underneath. A golden circle glowed on his abdomen, and magatama patterns adorned his collar. He held two black short staffs in his hands, and most astonishingly, nine round Truth-Seeking Orbs floated behind him.
It was none other than Naruto, who had entered Six Paths Sage Mode!
Moreover, it seemed that due to Sasuke's death, the Sage of Six Paths had transferred both Yin and Yang powers entirely to Naruto.
Madara's expression was filled with disbelief.
He had already struggled to comprehend Sōmi's entry into Six Paths Mode, and now this brat from Konohagakure, who specialized in Wood Release, inexplicably possessed Six Paths-level power as well…
Did this mean that, among those present, Uchiha Madara was now the weakest?!
For someone as prideful as Madara, this was utterly unacceptable!
"You two…"
"You destroyed my village and my comrades…"
"I will make you pay for this!"
Naruto, his anger boiling over after sensing the state of the village, clenched his teeth and shouted furiously.
However, as Sōmi carefully observed Naruto's aura, the battle intent in his eyes began to fade.
Because he realized that even though Naruto had entered Six Paths Mode, his strength was far from overwhelming.
The reason was simple: this Naruto was slightly younger than the one in the original timeline. Most importantly, while Naruto's eyes glowed with a golden light, his pupils were not cross-shaped.
This indicated that Naruto had not even mastered Sage Mode.
Without sufficient experience and refinement, even with the Sage of Six Paths' "power transfer," Naruto was like a child wielding a sledgehammer—capable of intimidating ordinary foes but ultimately lacking substance.
"Heh!"
"If you think you can, then go ahead and try…"
Sōmi chuckled coldly, his tone filled with disdain.
"Ah!"
Suddenly—
A low growl erupted from behind Naruto. A green figure leapt high into the air and hurled itself toward Sōmi.
Her chest heaved violently, and her right fist was enveloped in a dense, solid layer of blue Chakra.
"Granny Tsunade!"
"Don't be impulsive! You're no match for him!"
Naruto urgently tried to stop her.
But Tsunade paid no heed. At this moment, her eyes were filled only with the enemy who had destroyed her village and slaughtered her comrades.
Her eyes burned with fury, her lips pressed tightly together. If one listened closely, they could hear the faint sound of her teeth grinding—a clear sign of her intent to tear Sōmi apart.
Unfortunately—
Willpower alone could not rival absolute strength.
Before one reached a certain level, the roar of a determined soul was no different from the barking of a dog.
A flash of black light.
Slash!
Another head soared into the air.
The blood, which had been flowing rapidly due to her heightened emotions, gushed out from the bowl-sized wound on her neck, creating a gruesome scene of crimson beauty.
"Huh?"
"My Strength of a Hundred Technique…"
"Why isn't it working…"
"The village my grandfather spent his life protecting…"
"I can't let it…"
"I…"
"Is it because I'm…"
Thud!
The sound of flesh being pierced echoed again.
After severing Tsunade's head with a Truth-Seeking Orb blade, Sōmi transformed another orb into a black staff and drove it straight into her heart.
Tumble, tumble…
Tsunade's head rolled across the yellow sand several times before coming to a stop. Her lifeless eyes stared unblinkingly at the sky, which, due to the Crimson Sun Formation, was as cruel and blood-red as a hellish abyss.
As the last traces of life faded from her body, Tsunade's once-radiant skin withered instantly, her youthful appearance transforming into that of a shriveled old woman.
Her body, impaled on Sōmi's black staff, also lost its vitality. Even her once "boundless compassion" deflated like a punctured balloon, leaving only a layer of dry, yellowed skin clinging to her protruding ribs.
"Granny Tsunade!"
Naruto roared in anguish, his eyes filled with rage.
But Sōmi remained indifferent. With a casual flick of his staff, Tsunade's body was discarded onto the sand like garbage.
Unlike Madara, who had shown mercy to Sakura when she charged recklessly, Sōmi had no such reservations.
In Sōmi's view, when dealing with enemies, decapitation was the minimum standard. If that wasn't possible, then piercing the heart was the next best option. Both measures together ensured absolute certainty.
Allowing an opponent to repeatedly "rise from the grave" was something Sōmi would never tolerate.
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