The world stopped.
It wasn't just Sasuke's perception that had stopped.
The world had truly come to a standstill.
Sasuke could see the despair and unwillingness on Naruto's face in the distance, and the frozen arrogance and wildness on Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's face.
It was as if time had frozen, and everything had solidified in that moment.
Only his eyes could still move. He could still feel his heart beating, along with the intense pain and anguish in both his body and mind!
What is this—?
Just as Sasuke wondered, a voice sounded beside him.
"Uchiha Sasuke, how does this agony feel?"
Natsu Yuu stood upon the gray-white, frozen flow of time and space. He appeared silently beside Sasuke and asked in a low voice.
"Who are you? What's going on?"
"I am the Sage of the Dao Path. You could say I'm that fellow Hagoromo Otsutsuki's father."
"Dao Path? You and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya? Are you also an Ōtsutsuki? Damn it—!"
Sasuke erupted in fury, mistaking Natsu Yuu for one of the Ōtsutsuki. Boundless rage burst forth from him.
The fact that the furious Sasuke could still speak normally was already remarkable.
Meanwhile, Naruto No. 7 was in such a frenzied state that he couldn't take in a single word...
"Don't jump to conclusions."
"I'm not an Ōtsutsuki."
"And I'm here to help you..."
Sasuke struggled with all his might, but he couldn't so much as shake this frozen space-time. He couldn't even break free of Isshiki's Black Rods and Truth-Seeking Orb restraints.
"What exactly are you trying to do? Let me go!"
Natsu Yuu spoke plainly:
"You've experienced the ultimate pain, but pain and anger alone won't defeat your enemy."
"Revenge without power is weak and laughable."
"You should understand that better than anyone, shouldn't you?"
Memories flashed through Sasuke's