In the sky, the shattered clouds slowly closed together, and the raging winds finally began to subside.
The land lay devastated for dozens of kilometers, mountains collapsed and bedrock exposed. Only Yemu stood alone between heaven and earth.
Beneath his feet, lingering chakra ripples still flickered through the air like flames, yet his silhouette was like a mountain unmoved through the ages-silent, but awe-inspiring.
At that moment, the two who had fought side by side-
Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha slowly descended to the ground.
Their clothes were torn, their shoulders and arms covered in scorch marks and cuts. They were clearly utterly exhausted.
The power of Six Paths Sage Mode and the Rinne Sharingan had long since faded, and their eyes had lost their former edge.
"...Naruto, we... lost."
Sasuke's voice was calm, yet carried a sense of defeat unlike anything he had ever felt before.
"Yeah."
Naruto lowered his head, his right hand clenched into a fist, veins bulging across its back. In the end, however, it could only fall limply to his side.
"I really... gave it everything I had."
Naruto's voice was a little hoarse. The fire in his eyes had been replaced by profound helplessness.
"Kurama Mode, sage power, Six Paths Yang Power... even all that... couldn't make him take a single step back."
"...He wasn't even going all out."
Sasuke gritted his teeth and looked up at Yemu, who still stood silently. For the first time, fear appeared in his eyes alongside respect.
"We... aren't even on the same level as him."
Around them, the remnants of the Shinobi Alliance fell silent.
Throughout the battle, they had tried to intervene, launch surprise attacks, and provide support. Yet even Kage-level fighters working together, even hundreds attacking as one, could not approach the domain Yemu had