"Father..." As the Sage of Six Paths appeared, Asura rose beside Indra's remains.
"..." Hovering in midair, the Sage of Six Paths looked toward Kaguya, who lay in the distance. Kushina and Minato stood guard beside her, wary of him.
He drew his gaze back and turned to Naruto.
"Naruto, I never imagined you would actually succeed. This was far beyond my expectations, but..."
"..." Naruto's gaze darkened as he waited for the Sage's qualification.
After a long silence, the Sage of Six Paths said, "I still have my reservations about whether Mother will remain firmly committed to standing with humanity in the future."
"However, having come this far, you've given me reason to trust you for now. At the very least, your drive and resolve are genuine. So I will honor my earlier promise and follow your course of action from now on."
Then his tone shifted again. "But before that, I want a guarantee from you."
Naruto raised his eyes. "A guarantee of what?"
The Sage of Six Paths said, "Guarantee that no matter how high you rise, you will never become someone who sees power as everything, as Mother once did!"
Before Naruto could respond, Madara could no longer bear to listen. He said bluntly, "Six Paths, I think this is meaningless. Even if Naruto does become what you describe, what could you do to change him if he's strong enough? This so-called guarantee is nothing but empty words. You've lived long enough to understand that. As far as I can see, you're just looking for peace of mind."
The Sage of Six Paths gave Madara a penetrating look. "Madara, you would do better to concern yourself with your own safety..."
Madara frowned. "What do you mean?"
The Sage of Six Paths said pointedly, "Those who toy