Hagoromo felt the strength within him steadily returning. He looked at Gamamaru and the White Snake Sage struggling to hold on in midair, and at Katsuyu's clones gradually fading from his body. His resolve grew ever stronger.
He slowly raised a hand. Chakra surged wildly around him as the power of his Sage Body gradually revived. The purple light of his Rinnegan shone ever brighter, and the golden and silver lights of Yin-Yang Release began to swirl around him. He knew he was close to recovering, close to standing once more and protecting everything.
The giant palm continued to crush down from above. The resistance of the two Great Sage Regions' sages was on the verge of collapse, and the Katsuyu Sage's healing power was nearly spent. Hagoromo's recovery was in its final stage. The fate of the Shinobi World hung in the balance. Despair and hope clashed fiercely across this shattered land. An even greater battle was about to begin...
Cracks had spread across the entire two-colored shield. The pale green and pale purple light of Senjutsu flickered like candles in the wind, ready to go out at any moment.
Gamamaru's aged body convulsed violently, and pale green Senjutsu essence kept spilling from the corners of his mouth. His thousand years of cultivation were nearly exhausted.
The White Snake Sage's golden, slit-pupiled eyes had lost their former sharpness. She curled into a ball, her pale purple chakra as faint as a firefly. The two of them fought with the last of their strength to hold on, yet still couldn't stop the dark red giant palm from pressing down.
Cracks in the ground had spread to the edges of the Three Great Sage Regions. Even the bamboo groves of Mount Myōboku and the rock walls of Ryūchi Cave were beginning