Those words struck directly at the anguish that had plagued the Sage of Six Paths for a thousand years.
Until then, the Sage of Six Paths had remained composed, his heart as still as water.
But now that Sasuke had bluntly exposed the greatest failure of his life to his face, a slight ripple finally disturbed his gentle expression. His eyes betrayed how deeply the words had hit him.
He quickly suppressed the turmoil within, however, stopped dwelling on the rights and wrongs of the past, and simply ignored Sasuke's aggressive words.
Then he changed the subject, looking solemnly at the two of them as he explained the crisis facing the Shinobi World.
"The rights and wrongs of the past are behind us. Now is not the time to dwell on old obsessions."
"Madara has already entered Six Paths mode. He is only one final step away from fully reviving Kaguya. Once Kaguya breaks free of her seal and manifests in this world, the entire Shinobi World will be destroyed. Nothing will remain."
"So the two of you must stop Madara Uchiha. This is now the only way to save the Shinobi World."
At those words, Naruto instantly shook off his gloom. His eyes lit up, and he clenched his fists, his face resolute and his fighting spirit blazing.
"Don't worry, Sage of Six Paths! Leave it to us! We'll stop Madara, no matter what! We won't let Kaguya come back, and we'll protect the Shinobi World!"
"I never go back on my word. That's my Ninja Way!"
Seeing Naruto so full of life and concern for everyone, the Sage of Six Paths gave an approving smile, his eyes filled with hope.
But that warm hope lasted barely two seconds before Sasuke shattered it with an icy scoff.
"Heh. You're