The battle between Seiryū and the two Isshikis had already begun.
Meanwhile, another battle had broken out elsewhere.
Obito's goal was to complete the Ten-Tails, so naturally, his targets were Naruto and Killer B.
As the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, even with an incomplete Ten-Tails, Obito still possessed Six Paths-level power.
The threat posed by the Truth-Seeking Balls was enormous.
They could nullify almost all Ninjutsu except Senjutsu.
However, because Seiryū had injured Obito earlier, some of the shinobi present had already realized something.
Senjutsu worked against him!
Hashirama, Naruto, and Minato, the three people present who could use Senjutsu, naturally became the main force.
At the same time, Sasuke also borrowed the power of Jūgo's Cursed Seal.
The Cursed Seal itself was derived from Senjutsu.
'Boom, boom, boom!'
The battle erupted instantly and became fierce almost immediately.
Eventually, Naruto and Sasuke joined forces, combining the Nine-Tails and Susanoo into a majestic armor-clad form.
Together, they managed to injure Obito in a single decisive clash.
Then came the struggle over the Tailed Beasts inside Obito.
During that confrontation, Naruto managed to break through Obito's resolve with his words.
The nine Tailed Beasts were forcibly pulled from Obito's body.
Having lost their Chakra, Obito fell from the Six Paths level.
Then, under Black Zetsu's influence, he used the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique.
But the target was not the shinobi who had died on the battlefield.
It was Madara!
Just as in the original story, Madara reclaimed the nine Tailed Beasts and became the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki.
"Haha. Hahaha!"
Madara wore a Six Paths cloak and held a black staff in his hand.
Nine Truth-Seeking Balls floated behind him.
His state was even more complete than Obito's had been.
The Ten-Tails within him was nearly whole.
As for Naruto and Sasuke.
They had both been beaten into life-threatening condition.
They were now waiting for the Sage of Six Paths to give them his power.
'Boom, boom, boom!'
At that moment, the sound of battle drew closer.
The fighting had moved from far away toward the battlefield.
Then, with a deafening explosion, a figure was blasted through the air like a cannonball and smashed into the ground nearby, creating an enormous crater.
It was Jigen!
At only near-Six Paths level, how could he possibly be Seiryū's opponent?
He had been critically injured by a single blow.
In the end, he had no choice but to reincarnate through Jigen's body, restoring himself to his original form and regaining peak combat power.
Even then, his strength was only around the Six Paths level.
And because Jigen was not a perfect vessel, Isshiki's remaining lifespan had become extremely limited.
"A Ten-Tails Jinchūriki."
Now restored to his true appearance, the Isshiki of this timeline looked extremely grim.
His gaze fell on Madara.
"That body should make a suitable vessel."
"The version of me from the other space-time must have reincarnated through him as well."
He could faintly sense traces of his counterpart's Chakra.
If the other Isshiki had successfully used Madara as a vessel, then he should be able to do the same.
So his target became Madara.
'Rumble!'
Another collision of overwhelming attacks erupted.
The resulting soundwave forced countless nearby shinobi to cover their ears.
The shockwave swept outward, sending some of them flying and causing others to cough up blood.
'Whoosh!'
After repelling Isshiki, Seiryū flashed back toward the battlefield.
The dazzling Golden Chains were still wrapped tightly around the captured Ten-Tails.
Because of Bakudō and Sealing Jutsu, the Ten-Tails had been compressed down to only a dozen meters or so in size.
Carrying it around required almost no effort from Seiryū and did not interfere with his battle.
Seiryū glanced toward Madara, who had become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, and grinned.
"Yo, Madara. So you became the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki too."
He pointed toward the Isshiki from this timeline.
"That guy over there has his eyes on you. He wants to use your body as a vessel for reincarnation."
"Come to think of it, the Isshiki who came here with me also resurrected using the version of you from my space-time."
Madara had still managed to revive.
He had still become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki.
Seiryū and Isshiki's arrival had not changed that part of history.
But Seiryū did not care much about Madara.
He had already beaten him too many times in his own world.
He was only a Ten-Tails Jinchūriki.
"Another space-time?"
Madara frowned.
He still did not fully understand where these two newcomers had come from.
"What are you talking about?"
Then his eyes narrowed.
"And who exactly are you? Why do you possess power like this?"
"Six Paths Power?"
"Are you some kind of Sage as well?"
Even if Madara did not understand their origins, he could clearly sense the level of their Chakra.
It was comparable to his own after becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki.
No.
Perhaps even higher.
"Something like that."
Seiryū smiled without elaborating.
Then he sensed Tsunade's Chakra nearby.
She was treating the dying Naruto.
Seiryū disappeared in a flash.
He reappeared beside her with a grin.
"Yo, troublesome woman of this space-time."
He looked her over.
"More than ten years have passed, and you still look as good as ever."
Tsunade was still Tsunade.
Still beautiful.
But her temperament was somewhat different.
And her strength was nowhere near that of the Tsunade Seiryū knew.
This version of Tsunade was far too weak.
No Senjutsu.
No Wood Style.
No Yang Power.
Just an ordinary Kage-level shinobi.
"You know me?"
Tsunade looked at him suspiciously.
"But I don't know you."
She still had not been told Seiryū's full identity.
Hashirama and Tobirama had only explained that he was not an enemy.
Nothing more.
However, Tsunade had noticed the strange expressions on their faces when they mentioned him.
The situation had been too urgent for her to ask further questions at the time.
"Didn't Great-Grandfather and Granduncle explain who I am?"
Calling Hashirama and Tobirama that while looking at this version of Tsunade felt a little strange to Seiryū.
"Of course I know you."
His smile widened.
"You're the person closest to me."
Then his eyes shifted mischievously.
"My Medical Ninjutsu, Yin Seal, Senjutsu, and Summoning Jutsu were all learned from you."
"You are my."
Tsunade frowned.
"Your sensei?"
Seiryū shook his head.
"No."
"My partner."
Tsunade froze.
"???"
What?
This brat who looked only fifteen or sixteen years old was her partner?
What kind of ridiculous joke was that?
"Ah?!"
Sakura, who was also treating the dying Naruto nearby, stared in complete disbelief.
Even the grief and tension on her face disappeared for a moment.
Tsunade-sama's partner?!
Shizune, the Tsuchikage, and several other nearby members of the Allied Shinobi Forces reacted almost identically.
Shock.
Confusion.
Disbelief.
This terrifyingly powerful young man was the partner of the Fifth Hokage, Princess Tsunade?
"To be precise."
Seiryū smiled.
"I'm the partner of the version of you from another space-time."
"I come from a timeline with a different history."
"My name is Seiryū."
"And there, you're my partner."
Seeing Tsunade's stunned expression and Sakura's look of disbelief gave Seiryū immense satisfaction.
Tsunade, meanwhile, was completely overwhelmed by the amount of information she had just received.
She was so stunned that even the Medical Ninjutsu she had been using to keep Naruto alive almost stopped.
Not that she had much Chakra left anyway.
Due to the extreme exhaustion, wrinkles had appeared around her eyes, and she looked noticeably older.
"He's fine."
Seiryū glanced toward the dying Naruto.
"His consciousness has already been pulled away by that old man, the Sage of Six Paths."
"He won't let those two die."
Then Seiryū looked back at Tsunade.
"Stop using Medical Ninjutsu."
"You're almost out of Chakra."
"Don't kill yourself from exhaustion."
He sighed.
"Forget it. I'll restore your Chakra."
"I'm not used to seeing you like this."
"You should always look young and beautiful."
Seiryū stepped closer.
With a thought, he absorbed natural energy from the surroundings and converted it into Shikkotsu Forest Senjutsu Chakra within his body.
Then he raised one finger and touched the Yin Seal on Tsunade's forehead.
Senjutsu Chakra flowed into her.
'Hum!'
As Seiryū's Chakra entered her body, Tsunade's aged appearance quickly disappeared.
Her youthful beauty returned.
Seiryū looked at her and nodded with satisfaction.
"That's better."
"Now you look like the troublesome woman I remember."
"Beautiful as always."
Tsunade touched her forehead and glanced at Seiryū.
"Thank you."
Seiryū froze for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"You're welcome."
'The troublesome woman I know would never thank me for something like this.'
That thought crossed his mind.
But Seiryū did not dwell on it.
After all, this Tsunade was not his Tsunade.
"Take care of yourself."
Seiryū turned away.
"I'll deal with the enemy first."
Then he disappeared in a flash.
Tsunade remained silent.
Watching him leave, she touched her forehead again.
"The partner of another version of me."
Her voice was quiet.
"It seems the me from that other space-time is living a happier life than I am."
Then her expression became strange.
"But."
"Isn't he a little too young?"
"Did the other me really choose someone that much younger?"
Would another version of her actually do something like that?
The thought was baffling.
Still.
That other version of herself really did seem happier.
The concern Seiryū showed toward her was obvious.
Even though she was only an alternate version of the woman he knew, he had still cared enough to restore her Chakra and worry about her safety.
If he treated a stranger who merely shared Tsunade's face with that much concern.
Then it was easy to imagine how deeply he cherished the Tsunade from his own world.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)