"Cough, cough... I let my guard down, brother."
Hamura clutched his chest, a bitter smile on his face.
He had thought that even if he couldn't defeat their mother, he could at least escape unharmed. He hadn't expected her to suddenly seize control of him and kill him with a single strike.
If his brother hadn't awakened the Rinnegan in time, and if Sage Manji's Immortal Talisman hadn't protected him, he would have long since returned to the dust.
"It's all right. It wasn't your fault."
Hagoromo patted him on the shoulder. The grief in his eyes had already hardened into resolve, and the purple light of the Rinnegan grew ever deeper. "Thanks to Mother's attack, I was able to master the Rinnegan's power so quickly."
As he spoke, an ancient Yin-Yang Release staff appeared out of thin air behind him. Chakra flowed along its length, and smooth Truth-Seeking Orbs floated around it, radiating an immense aura that held both destruction and creation.
The Six Paths Staff had made its first appearance.
"Brother?! What is that?"
Ōtsutsuki Hamura stared at the Truth-Seeking Orbs in astonishment.
The brothers stood shoulder to shoulder, Byakugan and Rinnegan reflecting one another as their Chakras resonated and interwove, forming an unbreakable aura around them.
I'd always wondered where Hamura's Truth-Seeking Orbs came from. The anime never explained it; they just appeared out of nowhere.
Meanwhile, the battle raging high above had reached its climax.
Having recovered from her initial shock, Kaguya abandoned all pretense of underestimating them.
Her Chakra surged to its limit. Her silver-white hair stirred in the windless air, and the Tomoe Rinnegan on her forehead slowly opened!
"Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!"
Manji had relied on skill and Senjutsu to merge their powers, and for a time, he had kept Kaguya on the back foot.
But Manji knew all too well that he was ultimately constrained by the system's power and couldn't reach Six Paths Level.
His advantage was only temporary. Kaguya's Chakra was like an endless ocean, surging without cease. If the fight dragged on, he was bound to lose.
Just as Manji began to feel his strength flagging, two figures shot skyward with an aura that could destroy heaven and earth.
"Teacher! We're here to help!"
Hagoromo and Hamura arrived side by side. The Truth-Seeking Orbs behind them blazed with light, and Yin-Yang Release surged into two fierce attacks aimed straight at Kaguya's back.
"Perfect timing!"
Understanding flashed in Manji's eyes. He instantly withdrew from the battlefield and landed atop a distant mountain peak!
In the original story, the brothers already possessed the power to seal Kaguya. Now, with both the Rinnegan and Byakugan bolstering them, along with the foundation in Senjutsu he had laid, they were more than capable of handling the situation.
This was the perfect chance for him to conserve his strength. He didn't need to go all out in this battle of fate.
Sensing the lethal aura closing in from behind, Kaguya's expression changed. She hurriedly turned to block.
With a thunderous boom, the Chakras of all three figures collided. Shock waves swept across the sky like a hurricane, tearing the clouds apart.
"You think you can stand against me with this little power?"
Kaguya roared. The Tomoe Rinnegan on her forehead blazed as she gazed toward the God Tree towering in the distance.
The next instant, the God Tree shuddered violently. Its trunk twisted and shrank, its branches and leaves fell away, and its roots tore free of the earth. Its enormous body gradually transformed into a monstrous creature as large as a mountain—the Ten-Tails!
"ROOOAAARRR!!!!!! AAHHH HOO HOO HOO HOO HOO HOO!!!!!!"
It let out an ear-splitting roar and charged wildly toward the battlefield. The earth crumbled and mountains and rivers split wherever it went.
The Ten-Tails.
"This is bad!"
Hagoromo's expression changed, and a grave look appeared in his Rinnegan.
He could clearly sense the terrifying power within the Ten-Tails—enough energy to destroy the entire world. He immediately began gathering Chakra, ready to activate Susanoo and defend against it.
[There is no Susanoo in the manga, but this book follows the anime.]
"No need to say more!"
Just then, Manji moved again.
He stepped on Senjutsu Chakra and instantly swept above the Ten-Tails, shouting, "Sage Art: Gate of the Great God!"
He didn't need to form Hand Seals. He released the technique directly!
As soon as the words left his mouth, dozens of pitch-black Gates of the Great God, inscribed with Senjutsu markings, appeared from the Void. Like stones dropped from the heavens, they hurtled down toward the Ten-Tails with the force of thunder!
Manji had modeled them on Hashirama Senju's Gates of the Great God from a later era, combining them with the Senjutsu of Shikkotsu Forest. They were slightly less effective at suppressing their target, but their power came close to that of the original.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!"
A series of dull booms echoed across the land. Dozens of Gates of the Great God slammed down like heavy shackles, pinning the Ten-Tails by its limbs, torso, and head, and holding the raging beast fast in place.
"ROOOAAARRR!!!"
The Ten-Tails roared furiously, lashing its tails against the ground in an attempt to break free of the Gates of the Great God.
The earth trembled violently beneath its struggles, and cracks spread in every direction.
Manji narrowed his eyes and called out, "Summoning Technique!"
The next instant!
The aged Great Toad Sage, White Eyebrow!
The White Snake Sage, youthful as a girl!
And the snow-white White Ape King!
The three of us!
"Please lend me your strength!"
Manji clasped his hands toward the three of them.
The White Ape King stared at the Ten-Tails pinned to the ground, his eyes filled with amazement. "What a terrifying monster. This power is truly fearsome..."
The White Snake Sage gave a slight nod, her tone playful and carefree. "Don't worry, Manji. Leave it to us."
Leaning on his staff, the Great Toad Sage swept a grave gaze over the Ten-Tails and said, "Everyone, the future of the Ninja World and the survival of all living beings depend on this battle. We must give it everything we have!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Great Toad Sage struck first.
At the same time, the White Snake Sage immediately attacked with a Sealing Jutsu from Ryūchi Cave!
"White Ape King!"
Manji turned to him, giving him a pointed look.
"Got it!"
The White Ape King immediately understood. He threw back his head and roared, "White Ape King! Transform!"
The next instant, his body changed rapidly. His muscles swelled, and his white fur disappeared as he transformed into a massive white Golden Cudgel inscribed with Senjutsu markings, then smashed down hard on the Ten-Tails' head!
"BOOM!!!"
The Golden Cudgel crashed into the Ten-Tails' head with enough force to destroy heaven and earth, slamming the raging beast into the ground and leaving a massive crater.
As the dust settled, the Ten-Tails' struggles weakened.
Under the three Great Sages' Sealing Jutsu and the Golden Cudgel's crushing blow, the Ten-Tails was finally subdued. It lay motionless in the crater, breathing faintly.
Manji slowly descended onto the Ten-Tails' head!
He folded his arms, his black-and-red robes snapping in the gale as he looked down at the completely subdued beast beneath his feet.
"Behave yourself, you beast!"
In the distance, delight shone in Hagoromo's Rinnegan as he watched. He praised Manji sincerely. "Master, your abilities truly know no bounds! With you holding the Ten-Tails down, dealing with Mother will be much easier!"
High above.
Kaguya looked at the subdued Ten-Tails, then at Manji standing atop the beast's head. Her expression was ugly to the extreme.
Complex emotions churned in her eyes: anger, unwillingness, shock, and a confusion she hadn't even noticed herself.
The man she had betrayed with her own hands, the man who should have been dead long ago, was not only alive but had become so powerful. He had even joined forces with her son and stood against her.
Before you continue