The Sage of Six Paths' words of praise still echoed in the air, but his Rinnegan, which seemed capable of seeing through past and future, turned slightly toward Naruto Uzumaki in the opposing Jade General position. A wry smile crossed his face, equal parts helplessness and amusement.
"If the fighting keeps going like this..."
The Sage of Six Paths shook his head gently.
"I honestly don't know whether the rules of my Life-and-Death Shogi and the Pure Land's capacity can hold out until the end."
His voice was full of feeling. "What an extraordinary era!
It has given rise to a group of even more extraordinary young people."
This was merely the opening of a match-or a war-and already, the destructive power both sides displayed far exceeded everything he had understood about ordinary ninja strength over the past thousand years.
It left him a little concerned about the durability of his prized creation.
Faced with the Sage of Six Paths' reflections and faint concern, Naruto Uzumaki merely tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a wild, unrestrained grin that even suggested he relished stirring up trouble.
Naruto shrugged, his tone casual.
"If it can't hold up, we'll just sink the Pure Land."
His words brimmed with absolute confidence in his strength and pure enthusiasm for battle itself.
Since they had chosen this way to decide the future, they would give it everything they had, even if that meant smashing the Pure Land to pieces!
"Such boldness."
Rather than becoming angry, the Sage of Six Paths showed a flicker of admiration in his eyes.
But he promptly changed tack, adding a touch of humor and a reminder. "Still, we can't have the Pure Land sunk just yet.
I may be leaving soon, but I haven't left yet. I still need