Chapter 260: The Second Sage of Six Paths
All of it is false.
There was nothing wrong with that statement, but why did it sound so familiar?
Wasn't that originally Obito's line to Kakashi?
During the battle in the Kamui "couple's dimension" Obito told Kakashi that he did not start the war for Rin. The dead Rin was false, and the ninja world that caused Rin's death was also false.
But judging from Obito's later behavior, those words were less something he said to Kakashi and more something he said to himself.
He was trying to hypnotize himself, but he failed.
However, the Rin of the Limited Tsukuyomi world was different.
When she spoke those words, Shiromo could clearly sense that she was not deceiving herself.
She truly believed it.
And furthermore…
Though no one knew how she had managed it, she had actually killed the masked man of this world and even gouged out his eye to use as the core of her staff.
That alone was enough to prove that her words were genuine.
What was this supposed to be?
A wandering, iron-willed mastermind Rin?
"Then what exactly is your objective?"
Shiromo asked.
"The same as yours, I want to leave this false world and face reality. Isn't that why you're collecting tailed beasts?"
Rin suddenly smiled.
"What? Seriously?"
[Konan] and [Terumi Mei] stared at Shiromo and Uchiha Hikari in shock.
Wasn't the plan to rebuild a ninja world free of furry fanatics?
How had it turned into leaving this world altogether?
Clang!
Rin suddenly made her move.
With a swing of her staff, two crimson chains materialized from the ground, binding [Konan] and [Terumi Mei].
"To prevent them from interfering once they learn the truth."
"I can hand over the Three-Tails and Six-Tails to you. But before that, we must seize control of the Gedō Statue. Only then can we summon the Ten-Tails and activate the Reverse Infinite Tsukuyomi, allowing us to leave this dream world and enter the real one."
Rin continued calmly.
"..."
Clearly, Rin had misunderstood something.
Under normal circumstances, there was indeed no reliable method for permanently killing a tailed beast.
Rin simply assumed that Shiromo and the others had hidden them somewhere.
Shiromo and Uchiha Hikari exchanged a glance.
Now came the question.
Should they pretend to agree, just as they had with the Allied Shinobi Forces, and trick her into becoming an ally?
Shiromo shook his head.
Too troublesome.
According to [Nohara Rin], they would first have to challenge [Nagato] in Amegakure and seize control of the Gedō Statue.
And that still wouldn't be the end of it.
After all that, Rin might very well demand that they seal tailed beasts into the statue first, at the very least, the One-Tail and Two-Tail, before releasing the Three-Tails.
The moment they failed to produce them, everything would collapse.
There was no way to avoid a fight.
No point going in circles.
"Your plan is quite impressive. However, since you claim the Three-Tails and Six-Tails are in your possession, let us verify that first."
Uchiha Hikari spoke.
Once they knew where the tailed beasts were, they could dispose of Rin afterward.
"Impossible! We've had people monitoring the Six-Tails' jinchūriki the entire time. He was completely fine before I left Kirigakure!"
[Terumi Mei] snapped back to her senses and shouted.
"Hmph. You place far too much respect on a jinchūriki's privacy. Even under surveillance, you never truly approached. Did it never occur to you that the jinchūriki could have been replaced at some unknown point?"
Rin sneered.
With a flick of her staff, space warped violently.
A massive white slug-like creature crashed onto the ground beside them.
It was the Six-Tails, Saiken.
[Terumi Mei] froze, utterly speechless.
Truthfully, when Uchiha Hikari asked for confirmation, Rin herself had briefly felt a flicker of suspicion.
Fortunately, Terumi Mei's outburst provided perfect cover, dispelling that doubt.
Since the Six-Tails had already been revealed, there was no longer any reason to hide the Three-Tails.
With another wave of her hand, the Three-Tails appeared as well.
In the spectator stands…
Orochimaru smiled faintly.
"Watch carefully. Shiromo-kun is about to act again."
"Hm? You mean that move?"
Tsunade looked at him in surprise.
"How do you know?"
"The Nohara Rin of the Limited Tsukuyomi world is quite formidable. Haven't you noticed?"
"She's very flat."
"…Huh?"
The reanimated Rin instinctively touched her chest.
"She must have consumed the Yin Female Water, converting her chakra into lifespan, retaining only the bare minimum necessary to sustain life. That would allow her to resist fate's gravitational pull to the greatest extent possible."
"What's more frightening, despite abandoning most of her chakra, she can continue attacking. That indicates she has mastered an alternative method of channeling chakra."
"It is most likely that staff."
"She can freely manipulate tailed beast chakra without suffering its corrosive effects on her will."
"And perhaps more than that. The information is too limited to draw firm conclusions."
"But one thing is certain."
"She killed this world's masked man and captured both the Three-Tails and Six-Tails. Her strength is not to be underestimated."
"Do not forget, the Six-Tails of this world is the Sage of Six Paths' wife, and the very origin of the Sage's title."
Orochimaru finished his analysis.
His deductions were largely correct.
Below, Shiromo and Uchiha Hikari moved simultaneously.
In an instant, Uchiha Hikari activated her Susanoo.
Just like Madara's, it manifested an additional arm.
Three colossal arms seized [Nohara Rin], the Three-Tails, and the Six-Tails at the same time.
The Yachihoko marks were engraved.
Shiromo triggered the Time Stop.
Faced with Rin, now restrained by the Susanoo, Shiromo did not resort to conventional attacks.
Punch after punch rained down.
Each blow not only shattered Rin's body but also carried gravitational inversion.
Shiromo had already glimpsed the future using Epitaph.
Uchiha Hikari had failed to realize that Rin possessed very little chakra. The Yachihoko absorption could not suppress her strength.
And if Shiromo merely pierced her heart with a single strike, she would instantly regenerate.
Her counterattack would follow immediately.
Indeed…
Rin was capable of shattering Uchiha Hikari's Susanoo with a single kick.
One must understand, Uchiha Hikari's Susanoo had evolved to the point where even its initial form could fly, its durability was nearly comparable to a Perfect Susanoo.
Its incomplete state was merely a matter of practicality, not weakness.
The true explosive increase in power only occurred after integrating the natural energy stone Shiromo had given her.
After her Susanoo was destroyed, Hikari quickly informed Shiromo of what she had discovered.
The chakra of the Three-Tails and Six-Tails was not only being absorbed by Rin's Yachihoko…
It was also being consumed at an alarming rate.
Shiromo took a closer look.
"…Isn't that Baryon Mode?!"
Faced with Rin, who had effectively become "the Second Sage of Six Paths" Shiromo responded with appropriate respect.
There would be no intact corpse left behind.
(End of this chapter)