"What's the difference?" Tobirama Senju sneered coldly. "The Uchiha have always been driven by ambition. They can't be trusted."
Naruto took a deep breath, eyes filled with determination.
"Sasuke has been through too much pain. His heart isn't completely consumed by darkness. I believe that if we offer him warmth and understanding, he can break free from the chains of hatred!"
At that moment, Mei Terumī stepped forward and said,
"Naruto, you're far too naive. Sasuke's sins can't be erased with a few kind words."
Naruto bit his lip and responded, "Lady Mei, I know it won't be easy, but I'm willing to prove it with my actions."
Killer Bee chimed in as well. "Naruto, I respect your courage, but I can't back you up this time."
A flicker of disappointment flashed in Naruto's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a renewed spark of hope.
"Please… all of you. Just give me one more chance."
The room fell silent, the atmosphere tense and heavy.
Then, Ōnoki, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
"Naruto… your resolve is touching. But this concerns the fate of the entire shinobi world. Passion alone won't be enough."
Naruto clenched his fists tightly.
"Lord Tsuchikage, I know it's a huge risk. But if we don't give Sasuke a chance now, we may lose the possibility of bringing him back forever."
The silence deepened. No one had a response.
...
From the distance, Sasuke's weak voice rang out again.
"Naruto… I don't need your pity. I have my own path to follow."
The Ten-Tails entered its third phase. The previously skeletal monster bulked up as its muscles swelled.
In the next moment, its body twisted like a vortex and surged into Sasuke. Bit by bit, the beast was absorbed, until it vanished completely—leaving behind a white sphere in place of Sasuke.
Then the sphere cracked open.
White feathers burst into the air as a transformed Sasuke reappeared—floating with eight Truth-Seeking Orbs behind him, clad entirely in white, holding a monk's staff. He had ascended… reaching the level of the Sage of Six Paths.
The Ten-Tails' perfect jinchūriki—Sasuke—hovered in mid-air, radiating a staggering power. He looked down at everyone below, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
The Raikage and others could barely contain their rage. If Naruto hadn't gotten in their way, Sasuke might have already been dealt with. They wouldn't be in this situation now.
But there was no turning back. All they could do now… was fight.
Chiyo and Hashirama Senju launched another joint assault—commanding the wooden construct and the massive puppet to charge toward Sasuke, weapons and projectiles flying in waves.
Sasuke responded with a casual sweep of his staff. In an instant, every attack was shattered. Then he shot forward like a bullet toward the wooden golem and puppet.
Seeing Sasuke charge in with such overwhelming force, Chiyo and Hashirama tensed.
Hashirama quickly formed hand seals. The wooden construct sprouted countless branches, weaving into a massive protective net.
But it was useless.
With a single swing, Sasuke's staff tore through the barrier, slicing the wood golem clean in half.
Chiyo's giant puppet lunged forward, arms outstretched in defense.
Boom!
With a deafening crash, Sasuke sheared off both arms of the puppet, then drove his staff straight through its chest—shattering the spiritual core within.
In the next instant, the puppet exploded into pieces, collapsing into useless scrap.
"Damn it…" Chiyo's face went pale.
...
The others leapt into action, unleashing their most powerful jutsu.
Gaara and Rasa molded sand and gold dust into massive spears and launched them at Sasuke. He evaded with a mere tilt of his body.
Killer Bee fired a Tailed Beast Bomb in sync with Nagato's Shura Cannon. Sasuke met them both with another sweep of his staff, dispersing the destructive energy like it was nothing.
At that moment, Tobirama appeared behind Sasuke, hurling a dozen explosive tags that triggered a massive blast as they summoned one another in a chain reaction.
Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags—a deadly jutsu.
Tobirama then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to instantly return to the Allied Shinobi Forces' side.
A towering explosion consumed Sasuke, but as the smoke cleared, he emerged completely unscathed. The Truth-Seeking Orbs around him had absorbed every ounce of the blast.
He surged forward again.
Hashirama swiftly formed hand seals. The Deep Forest Emergence was followed by the Gracious Deity Gates crashing down from the heavens, the same gates that once restrained the Ten-Tails itself.
But this time… Sasuke shattered them with ease.
As he glided low toward the ground, the shinobi braced themselves, taking defensive stances.
But in the very next second, Sasuke stumbled.
He crashed to the earth.
His body swelled grotesquely, chakra flooding through him uncontrollably. Just like Obito before him, he began losing control.
The power of the Ten-Tails gnawed at his consciousness, stripping away memories. If Sasuke failed to push through, he would become nothing more than a puppet—another mindless vessel for the beast.
The others sensed something was wrong.
They prepared to charge forward and strike him down while they had the chance...
That's when Hyuga Gakuya stepped in, blocking their path.
"You'll only waste your energy. At this level, he's practically the origin of chakra itself. Normal ninjutsu won't hurt him. Only taijutsu… or Sage Arts can."
"While we have the chance, I'll implant Sage Seals into you. That way, you can channel senjutsu chakra."
As he spoke, Gakuya activated Sage Mode for the first time in a long while. The familiar chakra serpents coiled around him.
No one questioned his intentions. The world was on the brink of destruction. There was no room for distrust now.
Gakuya moved swiftly, implanting Sage Seals into everyone—except for Naruto, Jiraiya, Hashirama, and Might Guy. He even placed them on several revived shinobi.
Most notably, the Fourth Raikage—one of the most skilled taijutsu users alive, second only to Might Guy—received the seal. He had the best chance of shattering a Truth-Seeking Orb.
...
Meanwhile, within Sasuke's spiritual plane…
The roots of the Ten-Tails writhed around him, ripping apart his body and devouring his memories.
First, it tore away his left arm—along with memories of Uchiha Fugaku.
Then the right arm—along with memories of Uchiha Mikoto.
A cherished family photo was shredded by the monstrous roots. When it came to the memories of Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke could no longer endure it.
He let out a roar—raw, agonizing. All the pain, all the rage he had buried… erupted.
The swelling of his body ceased. He crushed the power spiraling within him, reclaiming his memories and his identity.
Sasuke had done it.
He had become the perfect jinchūriki of the Ten-Tails.