"Sasuke, you're hesitating!"
"What are you afraid of? Are you afraid to strike the killing blow because I'm your father?"
Blades clashed, sending sparks flying with the crisp ring of clashing steel. The light reflected in the eyes of the father and son locked in combat.
Fugaku's short blade danced, showing no mercy as he struck at his son's vitals with every move.
Facing his father's onslaught, Sasuke parried with the Kusanagi Sword. While his movements were smooth, his expression grew increasingly somber.
"Father, I don't want to fight you!"
Fugaku's strength was indeed formidable, far exceeding Sasuke's expectations and even surpassing Itachi from back then. However, Sasuke was no longer the boy he used to be.
After his growth, few in the ninja world could match his current power.
Whether it was Obito as the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, the legendary Sage of the Six Paths, or even Naruto, he felt confident enough to challenge them.
Yet, against the man before him, he felt a deep-seated reluctance to fight.
This was his flesh and blood, after all.
Father and son had been separated by death for nearly a decade. Now, after barely exchanging a few words upon reuniting, they were forced to cross blades on this battlefield.
Fugaku let out a cold laugh, his attacks growing even more ferocious.
"Sasuke, you were decisive enough when you killed Itachi. Why show mercy to your father now?"
Despite his words, seeing Sasuke's powerful form and that six-tomoe Rinnegan filled Fugaku with a sense of pride.
This was his son!
Only sixteen years old, yet he stood at the very pinnacle of the ninja world.
Not even Madara Uchiha or their ancestor Indra had achieved such feats at that age!
Sasuke deflected a short sword aimed at his throat and thrust his free hand toward his father.
"Almighty Push!"
Fugaku felt a massive force slam into him, sending him flying backward.
His feet plowed through the ground, carving deep furrows for over ten meters before he finally stabilized.
Sasuke seized the opening, lunging forward to thrust his long sword into his father's chest.
Just before the blade struck, a set of grey-white ribs materialized around Fugaku, blocking the strike.
Susanoo!
A skeletal arm sprouted from the ribs, clutching three spinning tomoe which exploded point-blank against Sasuke.
Sasuke's reaction was equally swift. A set of purple ribs encased him, forming a skull that absorbed the blast of the three tomoe.
Boom!
Amidst the flames and smoke, a giant purple skeleton emerged, waving a hand to disperse the surrounding haze.
Safe within the skeletal armor, Sasuke remained unharmed, his clothes not even touched by a speck of dust.
His chakra surged as the Susanoo skeleton rapidly grew muscle and skin, donning armor to become a towering half-bodied energy giant.
"Father, why must you serve that Shinigami?"
"To go so far as to attack the ninja world, your own home... even your own son..."
A flash of satisfaction crossed Fugaku's eyes at the sight. His own Susanoo was rapidly taking form as well.
This was how a battle between Uchiha should be.
"Sasuke, ever since our clan was slaughtered by the village, the ninja world ceased to be a home for the Uchiha."
"Lord Shinigami took in the Uchiha when we had nowhere to go. He signed a pact with our departed souls and granted us a second life. In exchange, the Uchiha serve Him."
"While it is a transaction, under the Shinigami's command, at least He treats us with the respect due to human beings. That is far better than the current ninja world and its so-called shinobi!"
As they spoke, their Susanoo reached their next stage of evolution.
Two hundred-meter-tall Susanoo towered over the battlefield.
The purple giant held a crossbow in one hand and a blade in the other. Sasuke, positioned within the diamond-shaped gem on its forehead, stared grimly at his father.
Fugaku stood within the forehead of the grey-white giant, arms crossed. The giant beneath him drew a tachi from its waist while several tomoe hovered in its other hand.
Under their control, the two giants began a father-son duel unlike any the ninja world had ever seen.
Feeling the ground shake, Naruto used his heightened senses to dodge an attack, leaping away from a sudden surge of magma. He glanced toward the source of the vibration.
The two sky-scraping giants immediately caught his eye.
'Sasuke is getting serious.'
Naruto scanned the surroundings. The shinobi previously on the battlefield were gradually retreating, and he focused his mind.
Without them around, he could finally cut loose.
Following the recent clash, the area where Naruto stood had become a wasteland devoid of life. Lava churned and raged, leaving only a few patches of solid ground.
The black and red magma radiated intense heat, turning the area into a scorching cage. Naruto's golden face was flushed red, sweat dripping steadily down his cheeks.
Concentrating with all his might, Naruto expanded his sensory range to the maximum, tracking his opponent's movements and piecing together a mental image.
The enemy was tall, at least three meters, possessing immense strength and a very peculiar body.
Even when hit and split in two, the body reformed easily, reminiscent of the Slug Sage Lady Tsunade summoned.
This trait made the enemy's attacks unpredictable and accompanied by extreme temperatures that turned the ground beneath them into molten rock.
Though he possessed the power granted by the Sage of the Six Paths, his body was still flesh and bone. He could not afford to get hit.
Otherwise, he would likely end up like the ground around him, melted into a pile of ash.
'Not only can I not see him, but his attacks are so bizarre...'
'I've really run into a troublesome opponent.'
Sweat pooled on Naruto's brow. He couldn't tell if it was a cold sweat or just the heat.
Beyond Naruto's field of vision, Sakazuki's stern face also betrayed a hint of difficulty.
The glowing golden boy before him might be young, but he was battle-hardened and prone to unpredictable maneuvers.
To a veteran like him, that wasn't particularly problematic.
The issue was Ren's order, he was told to hold back, to defeat Naruto without endangering his life.
Now he faced one singular question.
What did 'holding back' even mean?
When Sakazuki fought pirates, he usually went all out, aiming for vitals with every strike.
Moreover, his Magma-Magma Fruit was one of the most destructive powers in existence. Holding back was inherently difficult.
He wondered if Ren was testing his obedience with such an order.
His stern face clouded with thought. Looking down at the boy, Sakazuki sighed.
"Fine. I'll just break his limbs first."
Losing limbs was a serious injury, but at least he would be alive.
His decision made, Sakazuki no longer wavered. Scorching magma surged from his hand as he threw a punch at the boy.
"Great Eruption!"
Naruto sensed a massive, high-temperature mass erupting from that presence, coalescing into a giant fist that blotted out the sky.
The golden chakra cloak covering him flared, forming a massive fox head to shield him.
Dark red magma slammed into the fox head. Naruto was forced backward by the sheer momentum.
Several chakra arms sprouted from his back and braced against the ground, finally stabilizing him against the magma's impact.
'That's some incredible power!'
Naruto opened his palm. Chakra surged, forming a giant golden claw. Yin and Yang chakra condensed in his palm, swirling into a heavy, dark sphere.
Tailed Beast Bomb!
Naruto wasn't finished. He added Wind Style chakra to the Tailed Beast Bomb.
Invisible wind blades appeared around the small Tailed Beast Bomb, spinning at high speeds and emitting a shrill, piercing whistle.
Vroom!
"Tailed Beast Bomb Rasenshuriken!"
He looked up sharply. His senses told him the tall figure was already above him, throwing a punch down at the fox head.
Without hesitation, Naruto used a chakra arm to hurl the newly formed Tailed Beast Bomb Rasenshuriken!
Boom!
The explosion's flames surged wildly as smoke filled the air. A thunderous roar shook the earth.
It was like a small nuclear bomb had been detonated on the battlefield.
Ren glanced over, then withdrew his gaze from the various skirmishes to look ahead.
The two brothers of the Sage of the Six Paths were charging toward him, staves in hand.
"Mamama! How could we let you get so close to our commander so easily?"
Big Mom stood on her thundercloud, blocking the path of the two old men.
Gripping Napoleon, she grinned, a bloodthirsty smile spreading across her flamboyant face.
"Wake up, Gaia!"
The ground of the battlefield trembled, and two massive eyes suddenly snapped open, their pupils spanning hundreds of meters.
The earth rose into a mountain that supported the eyes, staring directly at the charging brothers.
Before the two could comprehend what was happening, the ground beneath them vanished, replaced by a row of granite teeth snapping toward them.
"Brother, there's another row of teeth behind us!"
Hamura cried out. The Sage of the Six Paths glanced back, indeed, a second row of teeth was closing in.
Teeth coming from the front and back... had they fallen into something's mouth?
Crash!
The two rows of teeth collided with an earth-shattering boom, the grinding impact continuing relentlessly.
From above, it looked as though a giant mouth had suddenly appeared out of the ground, swallowing the two brothers and proceeding to chew.
"Mamama! Well done, Gaia!"
Big Mom's wild laughter echoed.
Ren looked over. The recently formed mountain with the two eyes actually showed a hint of bashfulness upon hearing Big Mom's praise.
"Mama, Mama, I ate the two bad guys."
While the large mouth was still chewing, a smaller mouth, about a hundred meters wide, opened nearby, emitting a crisp, girlish voice.
"Such a good child, my Gaia."
Big Mom's words made the eyes on the mountain shine with even more joy.
Charlotte Linlin had consumed the Soul-Soul Fruit, giving her the ability to bestow souls upon inanimate objects.
Her hat, the fire in her hair, and the thundercloud beneath her feet were all manifestations of her consciousness created by imbuing her soul into objects.
This battlefield was no different. The moment she landed, she had breathed life into the earth.
Seeing the two old men swallowed whole, Big Mom laughed boisterously. She gripped her blade with both hands, muscles bulging as she prepared to swing.
Suddenly, a muffled explosion erupted from within the earth's mouth, which bulged outward.
Boom!
The mouth acted as if it had swallowed a bomb. The skin of the earth ruptured instantly, and even the boulders serving as teeth were reduced to rubble and sand by the shockwave.
The Sage of the Six Paths and Otsutsuki Hamura emerged from the shattered maw, floating unharmed in the air.
Their chakra erupted, creating gusts of wind that made their robes flutter and their long hair stream behind them.
"I was waiting for you."
Big Mom saw them reappear and a predatory glint filled her eyes. Veins popped on her smooth arms as she swung her greatsword.
"Ikoku Sovereignty!"
An invisible force tore through the ground, carving a massive trench.
Like a powerful air cannon, it surged toward the brothers.
Having just emerged, the two were hit dead-on by the unexpected attack.
The Sage of the Six Paths felt a massive impact, sending him flying until he flared his chakra to stabilize himself.
He was pushed back over a hundred meters.
Seeing the two emerge unscathed after taking her hit directly, with only a few specks of dust on their robes, Big Mom's eyes widened in surprise before her lips curled into a ferocious grin.
"As expected of the strongest powers in this world! This is more like it!"
Just as the two brothers came to a halt, a pillar of fire suddenly roared toward them.
Scorching waves of heat surged forward.
Truth-Seeker Orbs behind them moved to the front, automatically forming a black barrier to block the flames.
The pillar of fire carried immense kinetic energy. It slammed into the Truth-Seeker Orb barrier and exploded, pushing the barrier and the two brothers further back.
"Worororo!"
The Azure Dragon's laughter shook the air as the fire covered everything in sight, followed by a series of massive explosions.
This flame was none other than his Bolo Breath.
A shrill cry of pain rang out from within the flames, causing the ground to tremble.
"Mama, it's so hot! It hurts!"
Hearing the voice, Big Mom's gaze chilled as she looked at the massive dragon head beside her.
"Kaido, look at what you've done! You're hurting my Gaia!"
"Old hag, blame yourself. Your Homie was in the way of my attack."
Amidst their bickering, the light from the flames and explosions began to subside.
A massive crater appeared in the ground ahead. Its edges were coated in fresh magma from the intense heat, sending up rising waves of warmth.
The two grey-white figures still hovered in mid-air.
On the mountain behind them, the eyes of the Homie Gaia were trembling violently, staring in terror at what had just happened.
"Mama..."
Ren's gaze moved past the dragon and the woman.
The terrain of the battlefield had been completely transformed. In the blink of an eye, the rocky ground had turned into a hellish landscape.
Looking through the purgatory at the Sage of the Six Paths hovering over the pit, Ren shook his head slightly.
Although the brothers looked a bit disheveled after Kaido's dragon breath, they hadn't suffered any significant injuries.
Linlin and Kaido possessed immense destructive power, but against the likes of the Sage brothers, they were clearly outmatched.
He would have to step in himself.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]