After personally testing the power of the Path-Seeking Orb, Link finally understood why, in the final battle of Naruto Shippuden, Senju Hashirama could barely match Uchiha Obito at the Six Paths level.
It wasn't because the Edo Tensei form of Hashirama couldn't use Sage Wood Release: True Thousand Hands.
Even when he unleashed Sage Wood Release: True Thousand Hands, it only qualified him for an incomplete Six Paths rank, similar to how Might Guy's Eight Gates formation is formidable but limited.
The gap between the two was simply enormous.
When Link used Sage Wood Release: True Thousand Hands, only then did he have the right to speak on the matter.
Only Hashirama himself knew how massive the Sage chakra cost of casting Sage Wood Release: True Thousand Hands truly was.
That secret-level "Six-Six-Seven" sage art, even at full strength, could only be used to perform its great technique once.
When that great technique struck the earth, it could only inflict extreme physical destruction — it could shatter the ground.
Although such ultimate physical destruction could be considered invincible in a sense, in terms of realm it was still brute force.
By contrast, the Path-Seeking Orb was a true Six Paths-level relic: the mark of a god among men who mastered seven chakra nature transformations and could fuse them with Yin–Yang Release.
Both were SSS-class ninjutsu, but although the Orb's destructive range might not match the titanic scale of Sage Wood Release: True Thousand Hands, in terms of annihilation it was far cleaner — erasing without a trace.
A single Path-Seeking Orb's raw destructive power was far less than Sage Wood Release: True Thousand Hands.
But in terms of realm, the Orb surpassed Sage Wood Release: True Thousand Hands.
However, a few rare sage arts could counter the Orb. When they collided, it was hard to say which was stronger.
No wonder various forums in his previous life had argued endlessly over this topic.
One thing was certain: one Path-Seeking Orb absolutely couldn't withstand the bombardment of Sage Wood Release: True Thousand Hands transformed into a Buddha.
But if nine Orbs defended together, that was another matter.
If nine Path-Seeking Orbs detonated together, the explosion's range and mass could possibly overwhelm even Sage Wood Release: True Thousand Hands in its Buddha-transformed peak.
With two ultimate techniques in his possession, Link's destructive capability reached extremes in both physical and mystical domains.
After the ultimate fusion of Yin and Yang power, Link's current strength far surpassed Hashirama and even outstripped Uchiha Sasuke who inherited the Sage of Six Paths' legacy.
If the Six Paths rank were subdivided, then someone with only one Rinnegan and an incomplete Ten-Tails — like Uchiha Obito as Ten-Tails Jinchūriki — would barely reach the initial Six Paths level.
Similarly, someone with only one Rinnegan but a fully realized Ten-Tails, like Uchiha Madara, could freely use Rinnegan ocular jutsu and Yin–Yang Release, even reaching a mid-level Six Paths.
Naruto and Sasuke, who carried the Sage of Six Paths' legacy, were players of a very high tier.
Together they could suppress a single-eyed Six Paths Madara, and they possessed an ultimate sealing technique that ignored rank... the Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei.
Regaining the other Rinnegan, reaching peak ocular power, absorbing the Divine Tree to activate the Rinne Sharingan, and unleashing the Divine Tree's world-landing techniques — that was high-tier Six Paths Madara.
Those who casually wielded the lineage gathering, or who used Yin–Yang Release to create all things without relying on the Ten-Tails and could freely travel between the Pure Land and the real world — like Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and the Sage of Six Paths — were the absolute pinnacle of the Six Paths.
So, having fused ultimate Yin–Yang power and possessing forms that neither Senju Hashirama nor Uchiha Sasuke had — a complete six-tomoe Rinnegan, mastery of seven chakra natures, Six Paths power fused with Sage Mode — where did Link stand now within the Six Paths ranks?
The answer — high-tier Six Paths.
The Hashirama and Sasuke templates alone could not grant everything; at most, Uchiha Sasuke's template could bestow one six-tomoe Rinnegan.
A single Rinnegan had limited ocular power.
As long as the ocular energy was expended, the Rinnegan could temporarily regress.
Only a pair of Rinnegan made one a true Six Paths-level combatant.
If Link had only used the Uchiha Sasuke template, his strength would still be godlike among men, but not invincible.
But Link was fortunate — he had two templates: Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Sasuke.
As related templates, Hashirama's and Sasuke's templates were extremely special, because the two templates could... fuse!
After the fusion of the two templates, the Sage of Six Paths' Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo template emerged.
After the ultimate fusion of Yin and Yang power, what did it grant Link?
It far exceeded Hashirama's Wood Release, approached the regenerative immortality of a Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, granted Six Paths-level flight, Sage of Six Paths Mode, Six Paths techniques, the ability to create all things with Yin–Yang Release, a Path-Seeking Orb formed from the fusion of seven nature transformations, the six-tomoe Rinnegan able to use both Sharingan and Rinnegan ocular jutsu, and an ultimate sealing technique that ignored rank — the Sage of Six Paths' creation of the moon... the Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei.
The fusion of ultimate Yin and Yang brought such growth to Link!
Although he could not match Six Paths Madara who wielded dual lineage gathering eyes, Link's current strength completely surpassed Naruto and Sasuke — he was truly high-tier Six Paths.
Once he mastered Yin–Yang Release thoroughly and could play with it like the Sage of Six Paths, even fusing lineage gathering, Link would reach the level of dual-eyed Six Paths Madara, and possibly the Six Paths pinnacle like Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo.
At that thought, Link couldn't help but curl the corner of his mouth into a faint smile.
He looked up at the sun in the sky. Bathed in golden sunlight, Link seemed to break free from human shackles, radiating a divinity-like brilliance.
If he weren't afraid of sounding pretentious or of getting mocked, he might have mouthed a line like a great immortal poet.
But fearing ridicule and that middle-school-phase pretentiousness, Link only said softly, "Prepare yourselves. It's time to rename this arena."
The women nearby, Karina and the others, looked at him with puzzled expressions.
<><><><><><>
Read Advanced Chapters on : patreon.com/Kaizo247
~ Every 150 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ Push the Story forward with your [Power Stones]