With Shihōin Naraku, the strongest in the Shinobi World, absent, even Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha joining forces could not give anyone confidence in certain victory.
The power Ōtsutsuki Isshiki had displayed in battle, in particular, inspired involuntary fear.
Without Naraku stepping in, it was questionable whether Konoha could even survive this time.
"So rescuing the Hokage can't wait."
Sasuke clenched his fists. "We have to rescue the Hokage before they recover."
Kakashi looked at Sasuke and nodded. "Lady Tsunade feels the same way. She sent me to ask you when your Space-Time Portal will be ready to use."
Sasuke fell silent for a moment, then raised his right hand again.
The purple light of his Rinnegan lit up again, and a thin rift appeared in the air.
This time, the rift was slightly more stable than before, but it still shattered in less than a second.
"I've been trying."
Sasuke lowered his hand, a trace of agitation in his voice. "The Rinnegan's eye power can tear space open, but maintaining a stable portal that people can pass through requires more precise control."
"That's very difficult to achieve."
"I'll need a long period of practice before I have any chance of fully mastering this ability."
"Roughly how much longer do you need?"
"If I devote everything to training, about three months at the earliest."
Sasuke said, "But I'm not sure I'll actually succeed after three months."
"The stability of the Space-Time Portal depends on my mastery of the Rinnegan's eye power. It's hard to give an exact time frame."
Kakashi thought for a moment. "What if three months isn't enough?"
"Then four months, or five."
Sasuke's voice grew heavy. "But whether Isshiki will give us that much time is another question."
He drew a deep breath, his tone turning decisive.