Boom!!!
Wave after wave of terrifying sonic booms spread out, shattering the clouds in the sky into scattered fragments with deafening crashes.
At the edge of Konohagakure, where he had been hiding, Sasori now stared in astonishment at the two towering giants locked in battle.
Every movement of these colossal figures rippled through space itself. The sky-blue Susano'o, in particular, left Sasori momentarily questioning his own vision when he first laid eyes on it.
Sasori couldn't comprehend why the difference between Susano'o manifestations could be so vast.
His own "half-body" Susano'o was only a dozen meters tall—a figure that ordinary shinobi would already view as a giant, something to look up to.
But when compared to Madara's fully-formed Susano'o, which stood over 200 meters tall, Sasori's manifestation seemed as feeble as a crawling infant.
And now, Sasori realized that even 200 meters was not the limit of Susano'o.
"So... this is the power of the Sage of Six Paths..."
Sasori gazed at the ultra-colossal Susano'o, towering like a mountain and disappearing into the clouds, his expression blank with disbelief.
"No wonder Sōmi told me to retreat first..."
He muttered softly. Though a part of him felt frustrated, Sasori understood that with his current strength, even the shockwaves from the battle between Sōmi and the Sage of Six Paths could cost him his life.
Especially when the Sage swung that massive, sky-blue blade, hundreds of meters long. Even though Sasori had retreated dozens of kilometers away, he could still feel the faint tremors and hear the mournful cries of the disturbed space.
Thud!!!
The ground shook violently once more, followed by a fierce gust of wind carrying dust and debris toward Sasori.
But Sasori remained motionless, his eyes locked on the golden statue. The dust passed right through his form, leaving him unaffected.
"Hmm..."
Sweeping his gaze across his surroundings, Sasori keenly noticed that the splattered dirt carried a faint dampness and a subtle scent of moisture.
Suddenly—
Crack!
Boom!!!
A dense, blazing burst of lightning erupted in the sky. The violent lightning seemed compressed to its limit before exploding outward with a deafening roar.
The sky darkened abruptly...
The first thing visible was blue—blinding, dazzling blue.
Electric currents, like a spider's web, spread densely across the heavens. At this moment, the center of Konohagakure seemed to have become the domain of a thunder god.
Even Sasori, hiding within Kamui's Dimension, felt a tingling numbness crawling across his body.
Boom!!!
Then, a radiant golden light, as magnificent as the sun, burst forth. It was as if the light pierced through the depths of darkness, spilling golden brilliance across the entire land.
Moments later—
As the blue and golden lights gradually faded, the raging thunder, howling winds, and swirling dust storms also began to subside.
"Hah!"
Inside the statue's head, Sōmi let out a heavy breath.
His Rinnegan narrowed slightly as he carefully examined the ultra-colossal Susano'o before him.
"Impossible..."
"This guy has already lost all the power of the Tailed Beasts..."
"Where is he drawing all this power from...?"
"Hmm?!"
As Sōmi heightened his sensory perception to its peak and combined it with the Rinnegan, he finally discovered the truth.
"So that's how it is..."
A knowing smirk curved at the corner of Sōmi's lips.
He turned his head to glance at Minato Namikaze, who stood behind him. After being forcibly "reprogrammed" by Kotoamatsukami, Minato had helped Sōmi eliminate Naruto and was now of little use.
However, Sōmi decided to let Minato play one last role before discarding him.
But first, he needed to enhance Minato's power. Otherwise, in the face of the Sage of Six Paths, Minato was no more than an ant, unworthy even of attempting a sneak attack.
Sōmi lightly patted Minato's shoulder.
Whoosh!
Golden Chakra cloaked Minato's body in an instant. The cloak bore swirling patterns, with magatama markings adorning the collar and sleeves.
Minato had entered Nine-Tails Mode, and judging by the aura emanating from him, the power within him far surpassed Naruto's previous half-body Nine-Tails Mode.
However, this power felt unstable, as if it could dissipate at any moment.
With this "backup plan" prepared, Sōmi refocused his attention on the Sage of Six Paths.
Both Sōmi's statue and the Sage's Susano'o now bore visible signs of wear and damage.
The statue's six arms were reduced to four intact ones, with the remaining two severed at clean, precise cuts—likely the work of a sharp blade.
Meanwhile, the Sage's Susano'o had only one blade remaining. The other sword, along with its scabbard and the giant hand wielding it, had been shattered by sheer force.
"Huff! Huff!"
Inside the crystalline structure on the Susano'o's forehead, the Sage's "soul body" fluctuated faintly, as if mirroring the breathing of a living human.
The Sage's face now bore no trace of arrogance or carelessness.
After clashing with Sōmi, he realized that this young man, in terms of raw power, had already surpassed his mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
Of course, this was partly due to Kaguya's lack of combat experience and her reliance on brute force rather than skillful techniques.
"I must seal him away!"
"Even if he doesn't become a vessel for my mother to return, he will inevitably drag the world into the abyss..."
The Sage glanced at his palms.
As the embodiment of "peace and order," he had to eliminate any existence that threatened the stability of the shinobi world.
As for the souls of Indra and Asura, which had been swallowed by the Reaper, he would find a way to rescue them later.
Suddenly—
"Hmm?!"
The Sage's expression changed drastically as he noticed Sōmi's actions.
Shhh!
Through his Rinnegan, the Sage could clearly see four "Sōmi" figures hidden in what appeared to be "alternate dimensions." Together with the real Sōmi in front of him, all five were simultaneously forming hand seals.
The intricate seals rapidly transformed into a terrifying force that caused the very fabric of space to tremble.
"Sage Art: Divine Burial - Linked Prisons - Heaven-Sealing Earth-Locking!"
Boom!!!
Five radiant beams of dazzling purple light shot into the sky, completely enveloping the Sage of Six Paths and his colossal Susano'o.
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