Sasuke knelt on one knee, fatigue evident in his eyes, and beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.
Despite months of enhancements through medicinal baths, his most significant issue remained unresolved… his Chakra Reserves.
Just like his brother, Itachi, Sasuke's arsenal of Ninjutsu was vast and devastating, but in actual combat, he could only utilize a limited portion of it.
It wasn't a matter of insufficient strength but rather an overabundance of power. His techniques drained his Chakra so quickly that a few big moves would leave him nearly spent.
Adding the strain of the Eight Gates, his consumption had skyrocketed.
"Sasuke, use that."
The black-robed figure reminded.
"That, huh?" Sasuke hesitated.
"Whatever you've got, just use them."
Deva Path scoffed coldly and charged toward Sasuke.
Sasuke snorted and stepped back, his eyes darting as if weighing his options.
"Don't worry. If it's not enough, I'll give you more."
The black-robed figure reassured him.
"But if I keep relying on your help, how will I ever grow? You've already given me so much."
Clenching his teeth, Sasuke refrained from reaching into his pouch.
"It seems you have made your decision."
Deva Path remarked icily. He brandished a kunai and dashed toward Sasuke.
Sasuke, visibly at his limit, posed little threat. Deva Path saw no need to expend any of his Rinnegan's powers. Pure Taijutsu, he believed, would suffice to take Sasuke down.
"How dare you underestimate me!"
Sasuke snorted coldly, then drew out the Kusanagi Sword from his waist and fought Deva Path in a fierce close-quarters battle.
Sasuke was very dissatisfied with being looked down upon again and again.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The clash of kunai against the Kusanagi Sword sparked intense flashes of light.
However, Sasuke was soon on the defensive. His movements slowed, and he could no longer keep up.
"It's over!"
Seizing an opening, Deva Path lunged forward, with his kunai aimed directly at Sasuke's heart.
However, just as the kunai was about to touch his body, Sasuke swiftly pulled a small white pill from his pouch and swallowed it without hesitation.
"Stop struggling in vain."
Deva Pathsnorted coldly. He was certain Sasuke had no chance of evading. Once stabbed, Sasuke would serve as a hostage, and he could force the black-robed figure to hand over the seven Biju.
Yet what happened next defied all expectations.
Sasuke suddenly opened his Sharingan, and the Mangekyo Sharingan's pattern appeared.
At the next moment, a surge of purple Chakra enveloped Sasuke, shattering the kunai upon contact.
"You can still use Susanoo?"
Deva Path's eyes narrowed slightly. By all logic, Sasuke's Chakra Reserves were empty, and his pupil powers should have been completely depleted.
Yet Sasuke's presence seemed revitalized, with his energy stable and formidable.
'What is going on?'
"Why wouldn't I be able to?"
Sasuke replied coldly.
The white pill he had swallowed was a gift from the black-robed figure, given to him before every major battle.
The pill was designed to replenish Chakra and vitality completely. But Sasuke, who is always determined to push his limits, had refrained from using it until absolutely necessary.
Even if there will be more from the black-robed figure, Sasuke didn't want to depend on them.
He wanted to rely on his own strength.
The pill's effects were immediate. Upon dissolving, it sent a warm energy coursing through his body, spreading to his organs and extremities.
Even now, Sasuke felt warm all over, as if he was soaking in a hot spring.
The warmth not only soothed his muscles and eliminated the fatigue caused by the Gate of Opening, but it also restored his depleted Chakra and pupil power.
It can be said that this single pill had granted Sasuke a second lease on life in the battle.
That was why Sasuke had hesitated earlier… the pill was overwhelmingly potent. He feared becoming dependent on.
However, the situation was far too urgent for Sasuke to continue hesitating.
Luckily, Deva Path had underestimated him. It was precisely because Pain, a Shinobi of unparalleled prowess, dismissed Sasuke as a threat that Sasuke finally resolved to swallow the white pill.
Bang!
Without wasting words, Sasuke activated Susanoo completely, then its skeletal form covered his body completely.
With a massive swing of its colossal arm, Susanoo sent Deva Path flying dozens of meters.
Deva Path skidded across the ground, leaving a long trail before finally coming to a stop amidst a cloud of dust and debris.
"What?"
"What on earth is going on?"
Both Deva Path and Konan were visibly shaken.
They had assumed Sasuke was on the brink of collapse, merely mustering his last strength to use Susanoo to block Deva Path's kunai attack.
However, Sasuke used Susanoo to attack actively again, and his breath was not disordered anymore, even becoming more stable and composed as time went on.
'Could it be possible that a person could have two separate Chakra Reserve? Using one and then switching to another?'
As Deva Path pondered, Sasuke retracted Susanoo and once again conjured a lightning spear, which is crackling with electricity. Without uttering a word, he hurled the weapon directly at his opponent.
The lightning spear was swift, tearing through the air like a bolt of thunder. Before Deva Path could even rise to his feet, the lightning spear was mere inches from his face.
Zzzt-zzt!
The piercing sound of crackling electricity grew sharper as the spear closed in. Sasuke clenched his fist, muttering under his breath, "Sneak attack… perfect score!"
Bang!
However, at this moment, a figure landed in front of the prone Deva Path, raising both hands to intercept the lightning spear barehanded.
Seeing this, Sasuke couldn't help but sneer.
But the smirk faded as he noticed white light radiating from the figure's palms. This light emitted an immense suction force, stabilizing the volatile lightning and preventing it from detonating.
The lightning spear rapidly diminished, absorbed by the glowing hands until nothing remained.
"What?"
Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief.
With the spear gone, he finally got a clear look at the figure… it's none other than the Preta Path, the very enemy he had destroyed earlier in the battle!
'This guy has the ability to absorb Ninjutsu, but I already destroyed him. How is he back on his feet?'
Sasuke was very confused at this moment.
After all, he dared to use his lightning spear only after defeating the Preta Path, as to prevent the lightning spear from being absorbed by the Preta Path.
"Sasuke, look over there."
The black-robed figure reminded.
Turning his head, Sasuke noticed a towering, grotesque five-meter-tall head looming beside the Naraka Path.
The monstrous head had a kanji for 'King' etched across its forehead and an open, gaping maw that exhaled a mist of eerie pink-purple fumes. Its menacing visage radiated malice, sending a chill down Sasuke's spine.
"What is that?"
Sasuke asked, his brow furrowed.
The black-robed figure observed calmly, "Just now, I saw one of the defeated Paths fed into that mouth. When it emerged, it was fully restored. It seems that head has the power to bring the dead back to life. That explains why that person has been standing at the back… he's the ultimate support system."
Hearing this, Sasuke showed a look of realization.
He gritted his teeth and said, "I didn't expect that the most difficult one was not the fat one who absorbed Ninjutsu, but that bastard with the resurrection ability? He actually hid it so deeply, damn it..."