The final showdown
The Land of Rice Border: The Final Battlefield
Standing between heaven and earth.
The pure white robe shimmered with a soft glow, and the down trim fluttered gently in the wind, like wisps of cloud from heaven.
The sky above, the earth beneath his feet, the flowing wind, the floating dust—everything seemed to revolve around him.
With the grace of the Six Paths, Ascend to Immortality!
Ban looked at the person in front of him with apprehension.
He could sense the essence of the aura emanating from Koko, a power that surpassed that of a ninja, Tailed Beast, and even the legendary Sage of Sage of Six Paths!
While deeply shocked, Ban couldn't help but feel a profound sense of regret.
Now that things have come to this, he understands the causes and consequences that led to the current situation.
From the very beginning, this war was a trap set by Kou to lure him out.
The Allied Shinobi Forces gathered at the border, the Jinchuriki, Hashirama whose strength had greatly increased...
Everything was done to keep their attention firmly on this battlefield, and to buy time for Kou to secretly achieve the Six Paths!
Luring the tiger away from the mountain, attacking the enemy's weakness.
"This is really... you tricked me."
Ban murmured softly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
If he still doesn't know who's behind this situation, then he'd be incredibly foolish.
After his previous attempt, he was certain that the seal he had placed on Orochimaru's soul had disappeared.
It is highly likely that he was the one who revealed the location of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to Koko.
But... it wasn't just him.
Even a genius of Orochimaru's caliber would need considerable time to study and break the seal he had placed on Orochimaru's soul.
But there was only one person who had the ability to help him deceive himself...
Madara shifted his gaze from Kōki to the distant battlefield where Obito was, his eyes filled with icy coldness.
"Obito, what exactly are you thinking?!"
Ban muttered coldly, a hint of doubt rising in his heart.
Although he never fully trusted that fool from beginning to end, he never doubted his determination to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Why did he choose to betray... betray... that "dream" that was so close at hand?
Just as Madara was lost in thought, his body jolted, and he instinctively pulled all his attention back, abruptly raising his head.
"Truth-Seeking Orb - Eight Cone Forbidden Dragon"
Kou gazed intently at the spot before him, then gently tapped the ground with his scepter.
As the tip of his staff touched the ground, the eight Truth-Seeking Orb behind him simultaneously transformed into eight pitch-black cones.
The eight cones rose into the air and then shot straight down!
Ban sensed the destructive aura contained within the eight cones, his heart sank, and he activated the power of the Eight Gates with all his might.
A crimson aura emanated from his body, forming a scorching shield around him.
The eight cones momentarily paused upon contact with the air shield.
Ban seized the opportunity, stomped his feet heavily, and with the power of the Eight Gates propelling him backward, he covered a distance of dozens of miles in a very short time, landing on a mountain peak a hundred miles away.
Gravel flew everywhere, dust rose, and his feet sank deep into the rock.
"... Tsk."
Seeing that the surprise attack had failed, he clicked his tongue inwardly, and then a thought struck him.
The eight cones transformed back into fairway stones, tracing eight arcs in mid-air before flying back behind him.
He gazed at the crimson figure atop the distant mountain peak, a slight smile playing on his lips, but no real joy in his eyes.
"To be lost in thought during battle? That's really not like you. Is something bothering you?"
"Hmph, it was just a minor accident, nothing to mention."
Ban stood atop the mountain, looking down at Kou in the distance, clearly having regained his composure.
Crimson steam churned around him, distorting and deforming the surrounding air.
He gazed at the white-robed figure in the distance, suppressing all his earlier doubts and anger.
Now that things have come to this, there's no point in dwelling on those useless things anymore.
What Obito was planning could wait until after the battle was over.
"There is only one most important thing right now!"
Ban murmured coldly, slowly extending his hand, palm facing upwards.
The Long Halberd fragments and armor shards that were originally scattered in the basin lit up at the same time, turning into streams of black light that converged and condensed above his palm into a Long Halberd that was even larger than before.
The surface of the halberd was covered with dense patterns, shimmering with a crimson light.
Ban gripped the halberd handle, pointing the sharp, black tip at Kou in the distance, a wild, arrogant smile spreading across his lips.
"That's where I'll... crush you!!"
The moment the words fell, crimson energy, with Eight Gates open, surged wildly from Ban's body, coiling around the Long Halberd and condensing into a gigantic Eagle Phoenix with outstretched wings in a very short time.
The Eagle Phoenix was made entirely of scorching steam. When it spread its wings, it bathed the entire earth in a dark red light.
The Red Eagle half-crouched on the ground, flapped its wings, and sped off in the direction of the knock!
Wherever it goes, everything on the ground is destroyed!
As he felt the oppressive aura emanating from ahead, the mocking smile on his lips vanished completely.
His expression darkened, and in his Six-Tomoe Rinnegan, layers of transparent glass appeared one after another from the void, stacking up in front of Kou.
The Red Eagle did not slow down at all, but the space in front of it continued to expand, making it impossible for it to reach the location where Kou was.
"... the Magatsuhi God."
He uttered those three words in a low voice.
As he finished speaking, the space in front of him began to collapse rapidly.
The layers of space shattered simultaneously in an instant, and the cracks spread out from in front of Kou, propelling forward at an extremely fast speed.
In the blink of an eye, the cracks had spread to the Red Eagle.
The Eagle Phoenix, formed from crimson steam, paused for a moment before rising up in a dazzling white light.
A burst of white light erupted from the center of the collapse, engulfing everything within a radius of tens of kilometers.
Following the white light was a tremendous roar.
The ninjas who had retreated to a distance covered their ears at the same time, and some were even knocked to the ground by the shockwave.
The vast basin was torn in two, exposing ancient rock strata buried underground, which gleamed a somber gray in the sunlight.
As the white light faded, the sky darkened for a moment.
The drifting clouds in the distance have vanished without a trace, leaving only an empty, pale blue sky scorched by white light.
The Six Paths Power Heaven-Crashing Earth-Splitting!