Isshiki floated beside the weakened Juubi sapling, caressing it affectionately.
"Good child, you've suffered so much."
"Wait a moment, I'll restore all the chakra you've lost!"
"When you become the Divine Tree, I'll make sure you're well-fed!"
Isshiki comforted it while stroking. Seeing Sasuke repeatedly exploit his beloved Juubi and drain its chakra nearly drove him mad.
Fortunately, it was over. The Juubi was back in his grasp, and the drained chakra was only temporary. It was like reducing the Juubi' HP without lowering its maximum HP limit.
Given time, the Juubi could recover its chakra naturally. If he captured more human ninjas to feed it, the recovery would be even faster!
Isshiki had already planned it. He would drain all of Sasuke's chakra to nourish the Juubi and, in front of Sasuke, feed all of Konoha's ninjas to it!
He would torture this disgusting native ninja to death!
Of course, while Isshiki genuinely cherished the Juubi, when it came to absorbing its chakra for his own use, he wouldn't hesitate. In short, in Isshiki's heart, only he mattered—everything else was merely a tool.
Soon after, Isshiki stored the Juubi back in his personal dimension. As he prepared to grab Kawaki, a stronger, more ferocious chakra aura suddenly erupted behind him!
He turned sharply. Sasuke, previously pinned by his black rods, was free. A terrifying power exploded from within, blasting away all the black rods like arrows shooting outward.
Visible to the naked eye, Sasuke's wounds began healing rapidly, nearly matching the Juubi' regeneration speed! Even his pierced heart and six-tomoe Rinnegan fully restored!
Substantial chakra poured from his body, forming a dark purple chakra cloak enveloping Sasuke, with nine single-use Gudōdama appearing behind him!
At this moment, the true Six Paths Sasuke reemerged.
Unlike during the Fourth Great Ninja War, Lux wasn't the stingy old Sage of the Six Paths, who gave only a fraction of Six Paths power split between Naruto and Sasuke. Lux, having consumed a perfect Divine Tree fruit, had a theoretical chakra total far exceeding everyone in the Fourth Great Ninja War, approaching Kaguya's peak. Thus, he lent Sasuke the full Six Paths power, encompassing both Yin and Yang, temporarily.
Of course, most of the power, transformed into true energy, wasn't given to Sasuke. But the remaining portion—its quality and quantity—was no less than a perfect Juubi, even surpassing the combined Six Paths Naruto and Sasuke from the Fourth Great Ninja War.
In short, the current Six Paths Sasuke not only reached his former peak but surpassed it!
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Seeing Sasuke's power explode, ascending step-by-step to the Six Paths level, Isshiki was stunned:
"This chakra?"
"How is this possible?"
"Where did you get this power?!?!"
No one understood chakra differences better than Isshiki. Sasuke's sudden explosive chakra was utterly illogical! It was multiple times stronger than his own!
Isshiki's chakra wasn't particularly strong, as he'd never consumed a perfect Chakra Fruit or sealed the Juubi; his total chakra was only quasi-Six Paths level. Its quality was far inferior to the pure, perfect Juubi chakra or true Six Paths power.
His Six Paths-level combat strength relied entirely on his robust physical stats and Byakugan eye jutsu.
"Impossible?"
Sasuke suddenly opened both eyes, locking onto Isshiki.
"Then try it yourself!"
"The me now is the strongest in the world!"
With the surge and breakthrough of power, Sasuke's arrogance and confidence, buried for over a decade, finally resurfaced. Moreover, this overflowing energy needed a proper release!
Amenotejikara!
Six Paths Sasuke and Kawaki in front of Isshiki instantly swapped places, snatching Kawaki away.
"Courting death!"
Seeing Kawaki swapped with Sasuke, Isshiki was furious.
He didn't know how Sasuke's power surged, but how could a lowly creature compare to him? This time, he wouldn't hold back. He would kill this bastard!
*BOOM!*
Isshiki launched a punch at Sasuke, its force so immense that even Kurama's Bijuu mode would struggle to withstand it. Unfortunately, Sasuke was no longer the chakra-"weak" version of before.
A black Gudōdama barrier formed in front of Sasuke, creating a defense.
Isshiki's powerful punch struck the Gudōdama barrier, pushing Sasuke back dozens of meters, even causing cracks in the Gudōdama. But Isshiki's right hand shattered from the Gudōdama's effect. Without Six Paths power, he couldn't withstand its destructive force.
"That's really Gudōdama?!?!"
"How is this possible…"
Isshiki was utterly shocked, his jaw nearly dropping. This was beyond his comprehension.
(Who's the real Otsutsuki here, him or me? You haven't eaten a Chakra Fruit, have you? Not even a chakra pill? How did you suddenly get this strong?)
Even possessing Gudōdama was unscientific! Utterly illogical!
Meanwhile, Six Paths Sasuke didn't care. His power was so overwhelming it felt like being 17 again.
Six Paths: Susano'o!
Sasuke, floating in the air, stabilized himself and activated his eye jutsu, instantly forming Susano'o.
A super-mighty, perfect-form Susano'o, thousands of meters tall, took shape.
Like during the Fourth Great Ninja War, using Susano'o as a substitute for the Gedo Mazo to contain Bijuu chakra, it perfectly fused Bijuu and Susano'o power.
This time, the Susano'o contained pure Six Paths chakra from Tenshou Sennin, its quality and quantity no less than the combined nine Bijuu—perhaps even stronger!
It pushed Susano'o to a true demonic spirit's power level.
"Just a lowly Susano'o."
"It's just a bit bigger, utterly meaningless!"
Isshiki was unfazed, charging at the Six Paths Susano'o, even kicking its head, aiming to replicate his previous feat of shattering Susano'o.
But for the first time, he miscalculated.
*BANG!*
Isshiki, as a black light, crashed into the crystal defense barrier on the Six Paths Susano'o's forehead. He failed to destroy it, only leaving cracks in the crystal wall.
Those cracks were quickly repaired by Sasuke's chakra. As long as it wasn't destroyed in one hit, a Susano'o rapidly repaired by chakra was an absolute, flawless defense!
"What?!?!"
"It can't be destroyed?!?!"
"How is this possible…!"
Isshiki was stunned, unable to imagine his always-successful absolute power failing!
He couldn't shatter the Six Paths Susano'o in one hit!
In truth, a final-form Susano'o imbued with Six Paths power was far beyond the "weak" Susano'o of before. Even that "weak" Susano'o, after being shattered by Isshiki's kick, lacked the strength to kill Sasuke.
This showed Isshiki's power had limits. Moreover, a perfect-form Susano'o was different—the Sage of the Six Paths' Susano'o could withstand the Juubi' Bijuudama, standing nearly a thousand meters tall!
That was before sealing the Juubi. The current Six Paths Sasuke's Susano'o was even stronger than the Sage's, naturally impervious to Isshiki's single strike!
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Seeing Isshiki's strongest attack fail to shatter Susano'o in one hit, Sasuke's confidence soared. This wasn't just a feeling—he truly could do it!
This was his strongest form, combining Yin-Yang and Six Paths power. The current Six Paths Sasuke could dominate his "weak" middle-aged self and Naruto single-handedly.
"Bastard!"
"This is impossible!"
Isshiki attacked the Six Paths Susano'o again, his fists unleashing countless consecutive strikes, like a storm battering Susano'o.
*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*
This time, the crystal defense on Susano'o's forehead was clearly under pressure; in mere seconds, it endured dozens, even hundreds, of consecutive attacks. Even Sasuke's chakra repair speed was far slower than Isshiki's barrage. If this continued, Isshiki could break through the Six Paths Susano'o's defense soon…
But Sasuke had a counter.
"Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi!"
A transformed Amaterasu appeared, enveloping the entire Six Paths Susano'o, coating it with blazing black Amaterasu flames.
Instantly, the Susano'o, clad in armor and engulfed in roaring Amaterasu flames, looked like a demon from hell!
This excessive spectacle forced Isshiki to halt his attack.
(Black Amaterasu flames covering the entire Susano'o?)
(Such reckless, insane use of eye power?)
(Where did this bastard get so much chakra? This is impossible!)
(If so, I'll absorb this Amaterasu!)
Isshiki changed tactics. With Susano'o cloaked in Amaterasu, he couldn't use pure physical attacks without burning himself.
So, he'd absorb it with Kama, consuming his opponent's chakra! Isshiki activated Kama, forming a storm vortex, frantically swallowing most of the black Amaterasu flames on the Six Paths Susano'o, converting them into his own chakra.
"Delightful!"
"Uchiha Sasuke, your chakra is tastier than the Juubi'!"
"I'll drain you dry!" Isshiki grinned savagely, growing reckless.
"Fool, then absorb it slowly!" Six Paths Sasuke sneered, mocking inwardly.
Deliberately activating Kagutsuchi to lure Isshiki into absorbing Amaterasu was Sasuke's plan. Through battles, he'd discovered Kama was like an alternate chakra pathway for ninjas, enabling abilities without hand seals, faster and more comprehensive…
But, like ninjas, it couldn't activate two abilities simultaneously!
Isshiki, using Kama to absorb Amaterasu, couldn't quickly switch to open a space-time portal. In short, he couldn't escape!
This was Sasuke's chance for a counterattack!
"Super Chibaku Tensei!"
"Six Paths: Indra's Arrow!"