The battle between Yami and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya had Naruto, Sasuke, Yugao, Kurenai, and the others completely focused.
At the same time, there were also those secretly waiting for the final outcome.
In the palace of the Great Toad Sage, the old toad had extended his perception to the limit. Beside him sat an old man cross-legged, floating in the air.
The Great Toad Sage's chest rose and fell heavily, his voice tinged with deep fatigue.
"Bringing you back was no easy task."
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths, gazed at the battlefield and said lightly, "Gamamaru, it is indeed not easy to summon me directly. My original plan was to use Ashura and Indra's chakra to bring me to the border of life and death when they were on the verge of dying."
"I didn't expect there to be an error in your predictions."
Gamamaru revealed the source of the current situation, a flash of light appearing in his cloudy eyes. "I once thought he might even be your reincarnation. Otherwise, how could he possess such a terrifying power?"
"But his way of doing things is completely different from yours. Far too extreme."
Hagoromo's expression remained calm, showing no agreement or disagreement with the assessment. "I am not necessarily right, and Yami is not necessarily wrong.
"But fundamentally, he and I both seek a way to make the ninja world completely safe and peaceful."
"He is too dangerous." Gamamaru's voice was almost a whisper.
The Sage of Six Paths tilted his head slightly. "You seem to be very wary of Yami?"
"He is the one who is wary of me," Gamamaru corrected. "He has no goodwill toward Mount Myōboku. Little Jiraiya's death, in his eyes, was due to our negligence. He has even influenced Uzumaki Naruto to keep his distance from Mount Myōboku."
"So you want me to deal with him?"
The Sage of Six Paths smiled faintly. "Gamamaru, Yami's situation is different from Mother's.
"Mother would destroy humanity and turn all living things into nutrients for the God Tree, but Yami only seeks control over the entire world. If he has that ability, why should I stop him?"
The Rinnegan narrowed, his tone softening. "Gamamaru, you did save me in the past and taught me the power of Sage Arts, which greatly helped me defeat Mother. For that, I am grateful.
"But that does not mean I am unaware of your true intentions.
"Let us stop here. The world cannot run according to the will of a single person. I cannot do it. You cannot do it. And neither can Yami."
No one was a fool. Did Gamamaru really think the Sage of Six Paths did not understand his thoughts?
The God Tree devoured natural energy and converted it into chakra. Not just humans, but the entire world was its target. This threatened the very foundation of Mount Myōboku's existence.
Gamamaru's words sounded noble, about protecting humanity and the world but in truth, it was about protecting Mount Myōboku.
The cooperation between them had always been based on mutual goals and benefits, not true friendship.
Now, the Sage of Six Paths had only one true aim: to keep the world safe from the threat of the Ōtsutsuki, not just Kaguya, but others like her.
This was why he did not care who won between Indra and Ashura. The victor would be the strongest.
He also did not mind Yami ruling the ninja world.
In fact, he hoped Yami would become even stronger, so that when other Ōtsutsuki arrived, there would be someone capable of standing against them.
As for Mount Myōboku… whether it continued to exist was irrelevant.
Unwittingly, the Sage of Six Paths had come to embody the idea of "God is merciless, treating all beings as mere straw dogs."
The Great Toad Sage sighed and fell silent.
He knew Hagoromo would not act against Yami now.
All he could hope for was that Kaguya would win and kill Yami, and then Hagoromo would appear to re-seal her. That would be the perfect outcome for Mount Myōboku.
Suddenly, the Sage of Six Paths' frown eased, and a smile formed on his aged face.
Gamamaru's heart skipped a beat. Could it be?
Sure enough, the Sage of Six Paths exclaimed, "I can sense the chakra of the nine tailed beasts. It seems Yami has won."
"It is hard to imagine how he managed to refine so many bloodline limits and even reach the Six Paths level."
The blinding moonlight faded, the God Tree's vines slowly released all those bound, and its massive form began to shrink.
The Sage of Six Paths stood, his floating scepter drifting into his hand. Stroking his beard, he smiled. "Mother's Ame-no-Minaka is like another world. It will take some effort to retrieve the tailed beasts and Yami."
"Thankfully, with Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, we can easily… No! What is happening?"
His expression darkened before he could finish.
Two massive chakras had suddenly appeared in the ninja world. Closing his eyes, he used the power of the Pure Land to see clearly.
Yami was standing on the battlefield, hand in hand with his mother. There was no sign of hostility between them.
Nine giant spheres floated in the air, and inside each he could clearly feel the presence of a tailed beast sealed in Planetary Devastation.
Was Yami trying to act as her partner?
Gamamaru was overjoyed.
There was no better development for him. He had been thinking about how to deal with Yami, but now, this was something Hagoromo would never tolerate.
"Hagoromo," Gamamaru said calmly, "Yami has always been lenient toward beautiful human women. It seems… he has reconciled with Kaguya."
The Sage of Six Paths' expression turned gloomy. Without another word, he left Mount Myōboku.
But his destination was not the battlefield—it was the moon.
At the same time, Naruto, Hikari, and the others were stunned to see Yami and Kaguya appear before them holding hands.
Just moments ago they had been fighting fiercely, yet now they looked like close companions.
Izumi's eyelids twitched rapidly. She wanted to ask what had just happened, and whether that had been a real battle at all.
After all… who changes clothes in the middle of a serious fight?
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