Chapter 267: The Only Choice Left is Sasuke's Path
Chapter 267: The Only Choice Left is Sasuke's Path
Yuyi Xuan Yue crouched beside Naruto's body, gazing at the stubborn expression that remained even in death. He sighed, "The whims of fate are unpredictable, not even the child of prophecy can escape it."
It was a shame.
He hadn't gotten the chance to witness Naruto's infamous talk no jutsu.
Yuyi Xuan Yue wanted to hear what he would say and if it would move his heart in some way, giving him a new perspective.
However, the Great Toad Sage, who had heard too many words and had long become numb, didn't give Naruto a chance. He ended his life with a swift and merciless strike to the back.
"Is he really dead?"
Yuyi Xuan Yue reached out to examine Naruto's chest wound. His heart was completely shattered, and even Tsunade, with all her medical prowess, wouldn't have been able to save him.
"What about the Sage's Slip? I recall that Mount Myoboku possesses this treasure with the power to bring back the dead. Could they have secretly used it on Naruto?"
The possibility of the Great Toad Sage employing a desperate ploy to give Naruto a chance at survival was slim.
Nonetheless, Yuyi Xuan Yue carefully inspected Naruto's body from head to toe.
Only when he was certain that the Sage's Slip was nowhere to be found did he accept that Naruto was truly gone.
Yuyi Xuan Yue took one last look at Naruto's face and then stood up, knowing that there was no point in lingering.
It wasn't that he couldn't save Naruto.
For instance, there was the Reincarnation Jutsu.
But that technique required the user's life as payment.
In the canon story, Nagato died immediately after using it.
The reason Sasuke was able to survive for a while was due to the residual Six Paths power within him, the presence of Black Zetsu, and Naruto's Yin-Yang release aiding him.
But eventually, death would come.
Using his own life to save Naruto?
Yuyi Xuan Yue wasn't insane.
Moreover, even if there were some harmless way to revive Naruto, the Nine-Tails within him had already dispersed, and it wouldn't reform just because Naruto came back to life.
Yuyi Xuan Yue wasn't one to engage in futile efforts.
"This operation has failed completely," Yuyi Xuan Yue said as he surveyed the ruins of Mount Myoboku.
Despite all their efforts and the prolonged battle, with his own life hanging in the balance at times, it had all come to naught.
The Great Toad Sage had indeed done everything within his power.
However, all he could do was buy some time.
Yuyi Xuan Yue looked up at the moon in the sky and began to think quickly.
With the Nine-Tails inside Naruto dead, he couldn't afford to wait several years for its resurrection before continuing with his plans.
Fortunately, the Nine-Tails inside Naruto was only half of the beast.
The other half was currently sealed within Minato Namikaze's soul, readily available to be extracted.
Even though the Ten-Tails would be incomplete without the other half of the Nine-Tails, it could still be formed.
And even if he became the jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails, the Rinne Sharingan, or the Infinite Tsukuyomi, couldn't be activated immediately.
However, Infinite Tsukuyomi could still be initiated.
By using the Divine Tree, the Rinne Sharingan on the tree could be projected onto the moon, and the technique could be unleashed from there.
The only issue was that there would be a preparation period from the start of the technique to the final blooming of the Divine Tree.
Sasuke, lacking the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails and with only a small amount of chakra, had chosen this method to cast Infinite Tsukuyomi, but he was defeated by the ninja alliance during the preparation process.
Subsequently, Uchiha Madara took over, successfully capturing the Eight-Tails and half of the Nine-Tails, creating an almost complete jinchuriki for the Ten-Tails. Under the influence of the Divine Tree, or rather, the power of Kaguya, he absorbed its power, and the Rinne Sharingan finally appeared on his forehead, allowing him to activate Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Yuyi Xuan Yue's original plan was to absorb all nine complete tailed beasts, summon the Divine Tree, and instantly activate Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Now, due to the interference of the Great Toad Sage, Naruto was dead.
He didn't want to absorb the Divine Tree, which was essentially an incarnation of Kaguya, into his body like Madara had done, allowing Kaguya to influence him so soon. As a result, the only path left for him was Sasuke's.
A minute later, he paused and turned back, crouching down to pick up Naruto's body from the ground and carrying it away with him.
Cloud-Lightning Ravine
The deep rumbling that echoed through the ravine was more urgent and frequent than ever before. As the perfect jinchuriki, Killer B, the Eight-Tails jinchuriki, proved to be far stronger than expected.
Kisame Hoshigaki, who had initially intended to take on this task alone, found himself struggling to control Samehada after exchanging blows with B for a while. He quickly called for backup, and Uchiha Sasuke, who had been standing by, joined the fight.
Unlike in the original story, where Sasuke was overly confident and arrogant at the start of the Cloud-Lightning Ravine battle, only to be beaten down, the current Sasuke was far different. With his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan activated, his strength had increased exponentially. It didn't take long for Killer B, who had been rapping nonstop, to fall silent and be overwhelmed.
Even in his complete tailed beast form, B was unable to withstand the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and he found himself in a perilous situation. Just as Sasuke was about to finish him off, he suddenly paused, a sense of emptiness washing over him. Unconsciously, he turned his head to glance into the distance.
"What's wrong, Sasuke?" Kisame asked, taking advantage of Sasuke's momentary distraction to fill in the gap.
"It's nothing," Sasuke replied, turning back.
But in his heart, he added silently, "Naruto."
Sasuke knew that Yuyi Xuan Yue's target was Naruto. Knowing that the jinchuriki was temporarily safe from harm, Sasuke didn't say anything. Instead, he planned to plead with Lord Yuyi later, asking for Naruto's life to be spared, just as they had done for the Six-Tails jinchuriki.
Even though they were now on opposite sides, Sasuke couldn't deny that Naruto still held a place in his heart. If he, clouded by hatred, could make such a choice, then the Sasuke who had undergone a complete transformation in every aspect would undoubtedly do the same.
"Did something happen?" Kisame asked again, snapping Sasuke out of his thoughts.
Sasuke pushed his emotions aside and focused his gaze, determined to end the battle as quickly as possible.
Before long, the Eight-Tails' anguished roar rang out. After exposing Kisame's Octopus Leg Clone technique and engaging in further combat, Sasuke and Kisame captured the unconscious Killer Bee and swiftly departed before the Cloud ninja reinforcements could arrive.
The Eight-Tails jinchuriki had been captured.
Far Away, in the Sky Above Sunagakure
At the same time, a rare aerial battle was drawing to a close in the skies above Sunagakure, thousands of miles away.
Deidara, using newly crafted flying ninja tools, forced Gaara to divide his attention between defending the village from the exploding clay bombs and controlling his sand.
"Ninja Tool: Biju Prison!"
A clear voice rang out, and a metal prison descended from the sky, trapping Gaara within.
In the next instant, Gaara, trapped within the prison, felt his One-Tail chakra being continuously drained away. Meanwhile, the presence of Shimura Danzo was growing stronger.
Even if Gaara managed to break free from the prison by expending a large amount of chakra, he was now at a severe disadvantage against the combined might of Deidara and Danzo. Eventually, amidst the watchful eyes of countless Sunagakure ninja, he fell unconscious and was taken away.
The One-Tail jinchuriki had been captured.
As for the Two-Tails Jinchuriki
Like Yuyi Xuan Yue, they also encountered unexpected events.
(End of Chapter)
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