The figure of Isshiki completely disappeared into the air.
The entire battlefield fell into deathly silence.
Naruto collapsed on the ground, his chest heaving violently. He wanted to stand up, but his legs were as heavy as lead.
"Damn..." He hammered the ground, and a small crack opened in the ice.
Sasuke was leaning on a rock, and Rinnegan's left eye was completely dim. He closed his eyes, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura stumbled over, put his hands on his shoulders, and Chakra poured into his body to check the injury.
"Don't waste it Chakra." Sasuke opened his eyes, his voice hoarse, "I just have overdrawn pupils, I just need to rest for a few days."
"But..."
"Listen to him. Looking towards the huge rock ball in the sky that seals Kaguya, a trace of worry flashed in his eyes.
Three days.
They only have three days.
"We have to get back Leaf." Shikamaru's voice came through Mental Link re-established by Ino, "Immediately."
"But this space..." Ino said weakly, "How are we going to get out?"
"Leave it to me." Toneri got up from the ground, with blood still hanging from the corner of his mouth, "My Heavenly Dao Floating Ship can still be used once."
With his hands Hand Seals, a green magic circle spread out under everyone's feet.
"Wait." Second Tsuchikage Mu suddenly said, "I'll go with you."
"Why?" Sasuke looked at him warily.
"Because I know some information about Ōtsutsuki Isshiki." Wu said, "That information may be your only hope."
Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other.
"Okay." Naruto nodded, "Let's go together."
Green light flashed and everyone disappeared into this broken world of ice and snow.
Konoha.
Hokage's Office is crowded with people.
Tsunade stood in front of the window, with his arms crossed and his face solemn.
Shikamaru was sitting in front of the map, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the table.
Choji and Ino were leaning against the wall, both of them too tired to speak.
Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, as well as Toneri and Second Tsuchikage Mu, are scattered throughout the room.
"So," Tsunade turned around, "Our current situation is that we have just sealed a Ancestor of Chakra, and a stronger Otsutsuki has emerged?"
"To be precise, it's not stronger." Wu said, "The strength of Isshiki and Kaguya is about the same. But he has one advantage."
"What advantage?"
"He is complete." Wu said, "Kaguya has been sealed for a thousand years, and his strength is no longer at its peak. As for Isshiki, he has been waiting for an opportunity to preserve his strength."
"How do you know this?" Sasuke asked.
"Because I have seen him." Wu's voice was very calm, "A long time ago, in the First Five Kage era."
Everyone was stunned.
"At that time, Isshiki was not as powerful as he is now. He resided in the body of a monk named Jigen and was hidden in a temple in Land of Fire."
"First Tsuchikage Ishikawa and I accidentally discovered him while we were on a mission. We fought, but we couldn't beat him. In the end, Ishikawa used forbidden magic to seal the temple and barely trapped him."
"But I know that the seal won't last long. So I used the soul transfer technique to keep my consciousness in the world and monitor the seal."
"Until recently, Kaguya's resurrected Chakra Wave moved, causing the seal to completely collapse. Isshiki escaped."
There was dead silence in the room.
"So you mean," Shikamaru raised his head, "Isshiki has been free for a while?"
"Yes." Wu nodded, "He has been observing you secretly. He will not show up until you have sealed Kaguya and exhausted it."
"This bastard..." Naruto gritted his teeth.
"It's useless to talk about this now." Tsuna Teuchi interrupted, "We need to find a way to deal with him."
"Three days." Shikamaru said, "We need to restore Naruto and Sasuke to a fighting state within three days."
"Impossible." Sakura shook his head, "Sasuke's Rinnegan's pupils are too severely overdrawn, and it will take at least a week to recover. Naruto's Chakra recovers quickly, but the load on Six Paths Sage Mode is too great, and his body needs time to adapt."
"Then think of ways to shorten the time." Shikamaru looked at Sakura, "Can your Medical Ninjutsu do it?"
"I can try." Sakura bit his lip, "But I can't guarantee it."
"Is there any other way?" Tsunade asked.
"Yes." Toneri suddenly said, "I can help Sasuke speed up the recovery of pupil power."
"Didn't you help me once before?" Sasuke looked at him.
"That time it was just stable." Toneri said, "This time, I will temporarily lend you my Tenseigan Chakra."
"What will happen to you?"
"I will lose Tenseigan's power and will not be able to use it for at least a month." Toneri said calmly, "But if we don't do this, we will all die."
Sasuke was silent for a few seconds.
"Thanks."
"Don't thank too early." Toneri said, "This process will be very painful."
"I can handle it."
"What about Naruto?" Tsunade looked at Naruto, "Is there any way to speed up your Chakra recovery?"
"I can go to Mount Myōboku." Naruto said, "The concentration of Natural Energy there is high, and the recovery speed will be much faster."
"No." Shikamaru shook his head, "In your current state, you can't even use Summoning Technique."
"What should we do?"
"Let Natural Energy come to you." Wu suddenly said, "I know a place, deep in the forest near Leaf, where there is a natural energy Node. The concentration of Natural Energy there is no worse than Mount Myōboku."
"Really?" Naruto's eyes lit up.
"I'll take you there." Wu said, "But you have to be prepared. The Natural Energy there is very violent and you will be attacked if you are not careful."
"I'm not afraid." Naruto grinned, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto!"
"Then it's settled." Tsunade agreed, "Naruto will go to practice with Wu, and Sasuke will stay in the village to receive treatment from Toneri. Everyone else, get ready for battle."
"Yes!"
Konoha Outside, deep in the forest.
Naruto followed Wu on a path that was almost covered with plants.
"How far is it?" Naruto asked.
"Almost there." Wu said, "Do you feel it? Natural Energy in the air."
Naruto Close your eyes and take a deep breath.
Indeed, the concentration of Natural Energy around is obviously higher than outside. Moreover, these energies are very active, flowing like life.
"What is this place?"
"This used to be the place where First Hokage Senju Hashirama practiced." Wu said, "His Wood Release needed a lot of Natural Energy support, so he established an energy Node here to absorb and store Natural Energy."
"Later he died, and this place was occupied by Oblivion. But the energy Node is still there, and after so many years of accumulation, the Natural Energy here has reached a terrifying level."
They passed through a dense forest, and their eyes suddenly opened up.
A huge circular open space appeared in front of them.
In the center of the open space, there is a towering tree. The trunk of the tree is so thick that it takes more than a dozen people to hug it. The canopy blocks the sky and the sun, almost covering the entire open space.
"This is the core of energy Node." Wu pointed to the big tree, "First Hokage used his Wood Release to create an eternal tree."