Naruto: Uchiha Youngjo's Konoha Spring

Chapter 318

Terrifying Yin Release chakra surged forth from Black Zetsu's body like a black tide, completely engulfing Uchiha Touko! It relentlessly eroded his flesh, his meridians, and his soul! The Truth-Seeking Balls floating behind him trembled violently, then turned gray and shattered one by one!
Uchiha Touko's powerful, newly-peaked Six Paths level aura rapidly deteriorated like a punctured balloon. His body began to melt and deform at a visible speed, being swallowed and covered by the ever-expanding, dark, ominous mass of matter…

In the end, Uchiha Touko's figure completely disappeared into that swollen, black mass that had expanded to its limit.

The mass of matter slowly floated into the air, resembling a huge, beating black heart.

Then, it begins to shrink and reshape...

Endless white hair cascaded down like a waterfall...

Pale skin, a unique Rinne Sharingan slowly opening between his forehead...

Two horns on its head pierced through the void...

A pair of eyes, pure to the extreme, yet also utterly indifferent, slowly swept across this desolate world...

An aura far more ancient, terrifying, and despair-inducing than that of Madara Uchiha or even the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki descended like a god of creation or a demon of destruction awakened, and suddenly enveloped the entire world!
Kaguya Otsutsuki, the progenitor of chakra and the goddess of the earth.

And so, true recovery begins!
She hovered in the air, expressionless, "looking" at the world she had once ruled and which had been sealed away for thousands of years. As far as her eyes could see, there were only countless white cocoons hanging like fruits, and the divine tree that connected heaven and earth, frantically absorbing the chakra of all those trapped.

Black Zetsu, like the most loyal pet, nestled around her sleeve, whispering contentedly, "Welcome back... Mother..."

Kaguya slowly raised her hand, feeling the truly complete power within her, which was constantly growing due to the Infinite Tsukuyomi. With her ethereal yet icy voice, she uttered her first words since her return:

“My…chakra…”

"Finally... they're all back..."

However, in this silent world, no one responded. Only the branches and leaves of the divine tree swayed silently, drawing nourishment from the entire world.

However, this feeling of being a "god" who controlled everything lasted for less than a moment in Kaguya Otsutsuki's mind.

The next moment, her immense perception swept across the world just enveloped by the Infinite Tsukuyomi, like the most sophisticated radar. At the very edge of this domain covered by the power of the Divine Tree, an extremely subtle yet insidiously familiar aura, so familiar it sent shivers down her spine, shattered her tranquility like a pebble thrown into a calm lake!

"Ugh—!" Kaguya Otsutsuki's massive body trembled violently, and her pure, cold Byakugan eyes instantly contracted, revealing disbelief and a deep-seated fear! Her chakra was momentarily disrupted as a result.

"No...impossible!" Her ethereal voice trembled noticeably for the first time, even becoming slightly shrill. "He...he should have been completely annihilated long ago! I clearly...clearly sacrificed him to the divine tree! He should have been completely devoured!"

The past, buried deep in her memory and considered the greatest taboo and sin, surged back like a tidal wave—the meticulously planned betrayal, the sneak attack that gathered all her strength… She was certain that she had completely obliterated that terrifying existence!

The Black Zetsu wrapped around her sleeve clearly sensed her mother's sudden, extreme fear. Its twisted body tensed and contracted, urging in a shrill voice, "Mother! It's him! He's really alive! Quick! While the Infinite Tsukuyomi has just started and the Divine Tree's power is at its peak, immediately harvest all the chakra on this planet and condense it into fruit! Then we must leave here immediately and escape to another planet! As long as we have the complete fruit, even if it's him..."

Black Zetsu's words were filled with anxiety and panic, as if the approaching being was an insurmountable natural enemy.

However, it was too late.

The moment Black Zetsu finished speaking, the space in front of them tore open silently like a shattered mirror! A pitch-black spacetime wormhole, exuding an ominous aura, suddenly formed.

Otsutsuki Isshiki's tall, pale figure slowly emerged from the wormhole. He still bore the wounds from the previous battle, but he looked even more dangerous than before. His cold eyes, like ancient ice, instantly locked onto the panicked Otsutsuki Kaguya.

“Kaguya Otsutsuki…” Isshiki’s voice was low and calm, without the slightest fluctuation of emotion, as if he were simply stating a fact. But beneath this extreme calm lay a raging rage and absolute majesty. “It’s quite a surprise. I never thought that in the end, in this farcical struggle of these inferior creatures, you would be the one who had the last laugh.”

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki felt as if frozen by an invisible frost, her body stiffening as she slowly turned her head. She saw Isshiki Ōtsutsuki hovering silently in the air, staring at her expressionlessly. That gaze was exactly the same as the one he had given her thousands of years ago when she served him as his "Guardian," scrutinizing unqualified "Dans"! Calm, yet containing absolute power and indifference, the power to decide life and death.

“I...Issue...Master…” Kaguya’s voice was hoarse, filled with a tremor she couldn’t control. Thousands of years of sealing and scheming seemed to have been exposed for what they were, and the oppressive fear stemming from bloodline and hierarchy was like the heaviest shackles, instantly binding her newly revived soul.

“Kaguya Otsutsuki,” Isshiki approached slowly, step by step. His speed was not fast, but he brought Kaguya and her child an indescribable pressure. “Do you know your crime?”

With each step he took closer, the air around Kaguya seemed to freeze a little more.

"As a 'Guardian,' you betrayed and attacked your master, stealing the chakra fruit that should have been handed over to the clan..." Isshiki's voice remained calm, yet it struck Kaguya's heart like the hammer of final judgment. "According to the highest ironclad law of the Otsutsuki clan, what awaits you...? You should know very well."

Kaguya trembled even more violently. Watching Isshiki approach, she felt like a lowly herbivore encountering the absolute predator at the top of the food chain; immense fear nearly overwhelmed her reason, making even moving a finger incredibly difficult. Black Zetsu writhed wildly within her sleeve, yet it offered her no sense of security.

The attack drew ever closer, now within striking range. He didn't even adopt a defensive or guarded stance, as if he was certain Kaguya wouldn't dare to resist.

However, just as Ōtsutsuki Isshiki was about to reach out, seemingly to enforce the "clan rule"—

A sudden change occurs! Extreme fear can sometimes give rise to extreme madness!
Kaguya Otsutsuki's beautiful face, which had been filled with fear and stiffness, suddenly twisted! Her pure white eyes suddenly burst forth with a hysterical, desperate, and ferocious light!
“Ahhhh——!!!”

She let out a scream that was no longer one of fear, but one filled with despair!
"Kill the Ashes together!"

Several gray bone spikes containing absolute annihilation power shot out from her palms without warning and at a speed beyond sight, piercing straight into the face and chest of Otsutsuki Isshiki, who was almost touching her!
at the same time!

"Rabbit hair needles!" Her long white hair instantly hardened and grew, like countless deadly needles, covering all the acupoints on Yi Shi's body like a storm!
"Yomi Hirasaka!" She even forcibly opened a black spatial portal at such close range, not to escape, but to completely disrupt the space where Isshiki could possibly dodge!

She doesn't strike unless she's absolutely certain, but when she does, it's her trump card, a deadly move imbued with immense chakra! Completely unrestrained! Caught completely off guard!
She knew all too well how terrifying Yi Shi was, and she knew that once he seized an opportunity, she would never be able to turn the tables! The fear that had accumulated over thousands of years transformed into the most frenzied counterattack at this moment!

The distance was too close! Kaguya's outburst was too sudden!
The All-Killing Ash Bones, containing absolute destructive power, are already upon us!
The aura of "Sharing the Ash Bones" that could annihilate everything was already upon him, and the threat of death pierced his brow like a cold needle!

At the critical moment, he displayed his terrifying strength as an elite member of his clan. His body twisted to the limit within a very small range, completely defying the laws of physics, and he dodged the attack.

laugh!laugh!
Despite his lightning-fast reflexes, the two co-killing ash bones, meant to pierce his heart and skull, still narrowly grazed his shoulder blades and cheeks! The areas grazed instantly turned to ash, leaving two shocking, ever-spreading trails of annihilation!

At the same time, a torrential downpour of "rabbit hair needles" and a chaotic "Yomi Hirasaka" spatial gate swept in, further interfering with his actions and perception.

"Hmph!" Ichishiki let out a muffled groan, a mixture of pain and rage. Kaguya's desperate attack had indeed taken its toll on him, and had completely ignited his suppressed fury.

"Kaguya Otsutsuki! You're asking for death!" Isshiki completely abandoned his judgmental stance, and his chilling killing intent erupted as if it were tangible! He no longer held back, and clapped his hands together!
"Mahakala - Divine Punishment!"

A burning meteor, larger and more concentrated in energy than the one used against Madara, crashed down from the suddenly opened portal to another dimension like divine punishment, its target Kaguya! At the same time, he himself transformed into a blur, ignoring his injuries, and conjured a massive Yin-Yang Release black rod in his hand, thrusting it at Kaguya's vitals at a tricky angle!

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was injured with each strike, and the fear that had been building up in her heart for thousands of years seemed to find an outlet, temporarily suppressed by a twisted madness. She screamed, her white hair dancing wildly, manipulating the surrounding icy space, and at the same time wielding the All-Killing Ash Bones to meet the attack!

"Don't even think about controlling me anymore!!"

The two fought from the ground to the sky, each collision causing the space to tremble and the laws of nature to groan. Ice and snow evaporated, the earth was torn apart and reshaped, and even the brilliance of the Infinite Tsukuyomi seemed to dim under the fierce battle of these two true powerhouses of the Otsutsuki clan. Black Zetsu clung tightly to Kaguya, constantly providing her with support and guidance, helping her barely withstand Isshiki's seasoned and ferocious attacks.

Kaguya temporarily withstood Isshiki's attacks thanks to her massive chakra reserves and relentless frenzy, but she was still at a disadvantage. While Isshiki's use of power and understanding of combat couldn't compare to that of a seasoned ninja like Madara Uchiha, who had fought on the brink of death since childhood, it was far more refined and efficient. Defeat seemed to be only a matter of time.

Just as the conflict reached a stalemate, and the entire world trembled in fear over the war between these two alien deities—

In that strange space between reality and the Pure Land, the narration of the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, has come to an end. Although Naruto and Sasuke do not entirely agree with the fatalistic view from a thousand years ago, they clearly feel the sincere desire of the ancestral sage to protect the world and the heavy responsibility that is about to be entrusted to them.

"Past grudges and entanglements may be difficult to judge," the Sage of Six Paths' aged yet majestic voice echoed, "but the current crisis requires your strength to stop it. The power of the Mother has been revived, and the enemies from beyond the heavens have also made their move. If left unchecked, the chakra of the entire world, and even all life, will be completely devoured by the Divine Tree and reduced to nothingness."

He slowly raised his hands, and two completely different yet complementary primal forces began to gather in his palms.

A fiery, vigorous, and endlessly life-giving energy, as warm and dazzling as the sun—that was the power of Yang.

A deep, tranquil, and creative force, as mysterious and profound as the night—that is the power of Yin.

"Naruto, Sasuke." The Sage of Six Paths' gaze fell on the two of them. "Accept this power. Just as you said, this is not the destiny of Ashura and Indra, but the responsibility and choice that you—Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha—must bear as the last hope of the ninja world today."

He didn't force them; he simply gave them the choice.

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance, and without any hesitation, nodded emphatically at the same time.

"I need power to protect everyone!" Naruto's eyes were resolute.

"To break this absurd cycle, I need power," Sasuke said resolutely.

The Sage of Six Paths nodded with satisfaction and infused the two powers into the souls of Naruto and Sasuke respectively.

Om-!
A powerful energy instantly filled their souls! Naruto's body erupted with brilliant golden light, and the outline of the Truth-Seeking Balls faintly appeared behind him. The enormous life energy even filled this space of consciousness with vitality.

Sasuke was enveloped in purple chakra light, a mysterious moon mark appeared on the palm of his left hand, and the tomoe of his right eye began to spin rapidly, transforming into a Rinnegan with six tomoe, its light flashing as if it could see through all mysteries.

At the same time, in a special space, Uchiha Touko's soul suddenly opened its eyes.

"So this is the essence of Yin-Yang Escape? I understand how to take the final step into that realm."

(End of this chapter)