The two faced off again, and the air within the hollow seemed to freeze.
Naruto and Sasuke struggled to their feet, staring at the two opponents in awe.
Was this a battle at the Six Paths level?
The pressure they gave off alone made it almost impossible to breathe.
"Naruto, Sasuke." Liuyu's voice sounded in their ears. "Leave first. I'll handle this."
"But-" Naruto started to protest.
"No buts," Liuyu cut him off. "You'll only hold me back if you stay. Go outside and help the Allied Forces fight off the God Tree's roots. I destroyed its core, but its roots are still growing. Someone needs to stop them."
Naruto gritted his teeth, then finally nodded.
"Let's go, Sasuke."
Sasuke glanced at Liuyu, then at Isshiki, before turning and following Naruto out of the hollow.
Only Liuyu and Isshiki remained inside.
"Why did you let them leave?" Isshiki asked. "Aren't they your trump cards against me?"
"Trump cards?" Liuyu laughed. "They aren't my trump cards. They're merely my pawns. And pawns can only be used to their fullest potential when they're in the right positions."
He raised Kyoka Suigetsu, blue light glowing along its blade. "Now, let's begin our real battle."
Isshiki spread his eight arms, pointing all eight weapons at Liuyu. "Just what I wanted."
Both vanished at once.
A second later, the entire God Tree began to shake violently.
[Outside the God Tree]
Naruto and Sasuke burst out of the God Tree and froze at the sight before them.
The God Tree's roots had spread across the entire wasteland, and countless shinobi were fighting them. But there were too many roots, and they kept regenerating. The shinobi were gradually losing ground.
"We have to stop these roots," Naruto said through gritted teeth.
"How?" Sasuke asked. "There are too