The moment the Ten-Tails was injured, the morale of the Allied Shinobi Forces surged like a rising tide.
They shouted with renewed hope:
"It's hurt—keep attacking!"
"I thought that thing couldn't be damaged!"
The Ten-Tails had been overwhelming from the moment it appeared. Just seeing it stagger eased a pressure that had been crushing the entire battlefield.
Dozens of shinobi unleashed Ninjutsu in rapid succession, filling the battlefield with a rain of elemental blasts.
At that moment, Senju Hashirama acted. His eyes sharpened as he instantly entered Sage Mode.
Beside him, the Fourth Hokage also activated Sage Mode—their auras resonating with overwhelming force.
"Wood Release: Sage Art—Wood Golem Jutsu!"
Hashirama summoned the colossal wooden titan; even he no longer held back. But when facing a true monster like the Ten-Tails, ordinary high-level jutsu were nothing.
"Sage Art: Rasenshuriken!"
Minato followed suit, unleashing his strongest ranged technique.
Their combined attacks crashed down like a falling sky.
Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!
Unlike the scattered Ninjutsu from ordinary shinobi, their blows actually made the Ten-Tails writhe in pain.
ROOOOAR!!
The Ten-Tails bellowed, gathering a massive sphere of energy in its maw—a Tailed Beast Bomb, but far beyond what any individual Tailed Beast could produce.
Even Kurama's strongest attack couldn't match half its destructive power.
Hashirama and Minato exchanged a quick glance—no words needed—and poured every ounce of strength into intercepting the attack. The entire Allied Force was directly behind them; there was no room to retreat.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!"
Their bodies trembled under the unfathomable pressure as the two titanic forces collided.
And even then—they still couldn't completely stop it.
"Hokage-sama, we'll help!"
Shinobi rushed forward, pressing their hands onto Hashirama and Minato, channeling what little Chakra they had left.
Even young shinobi like Sasuke stepped in, reinforcing the barrier with their power.
Only then—after the pooled strength of countless shinobi—did the Tailed Beast Bomb's energy finally dissipate.
But not a single face relaxed.
Because the Ten-Tails' aura continued to rise, growing sharper and more overwhelming with each passing moment.
It was evolving.
If one had to classify its current state…
It had reached a "Half-Step Six Paths" form.
Its strength had already surpassed Hashirama, approached Madara, and exceeded even Uchiha Sasuke at this stage.
And Hashirama was not at his true peak, nor was his Edo Tensei body at its original Chakra quality.
Yet the Ten-Tails had now crossed into a realm nearing the Six Paths level—the realm of myth.
If it fully evolved, as the God Tree's origin, its power would eclipse ordinary Six Paths beings.
Fortunately, it lacked intelligence—acting purely on instinct and rage.
Otherwise, half the Allied Force would already be wiped out.
Inside the Umbrella's Base
Naruto stood within a storm of Chakra, having completed his transformation.
Dark spheres floated behind him in a perfect orbit—Truth-Seeking Orbs, the manifestation of Chakra's fundamental laws.
Here, Chakra was not merely energy. It was a universal principle, a rule that shaped worlds.
Reaching the Six Paths level meant stepping beyond the confines of the world itself.
A body at this level could survive cosmic radiation, interstellar storms, and cross the void between worlds.
Naruto slowly opened his eyes.
"…So it's come to this."
The overwhelming power of the Ten-Tails washed through the entire world. Naruto sensed it instantly.
"Six Paths-class power… So Obito has finally gathered all the Tailed Beasts."
His tone remained calm, almost indifferent—as if commenting on tomorrow's weather.
"Naruto, we must stop him!"
Kurama's voice trembled.
"Once the Ten-Tails completes its evolution, it will gain the ability to forcibly pull Tailed Beasts back into itself! We were originally one being—we won't be able to resist it!"
Kurama knew the truth better than anyone.
If the Ten-Tails reabsorbed him, he would cease to exist as an individual consciousness.
"Relax, Kurama."
Naruto smiled faintly.
"No one in this world can take you from me. Not even the Ten-Tails."
"Besides…"
His aura surged, the Truth-Seeking Orbs humming in response.
"I've stepped into this realm too."
"With my current power, even if the Sage of Six Paths were still alive—even if I couldn't win—I definitely wouldn't lose."
Naruto spoke with quiet certainty.
He didn't know how strong Hagoromo had grown after centuries in the Pure Land, but in the original history, the power Hagoromo gave Naruto and Sasuke allowed them to touch the Six Paths threshold.
That alone proved how extraordinary the Sage was.
But now—Naruto stood at a level comparable to, or possibly even beyond, that inherited power.
The world was truly entering a Six Paths era.
Furthermore, the whereabouts of the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother, Ōtsutsuki Hamura, remained a mystery. If Hagoromo's two sons—Indra and Ashura—could reincarnate without end, then a figure like Hamura certainly would not have vanished so easily.
When Naruto's spirit ascended to the Six Paths level, he had sensed Ashura's Chakra and even the distinct aura of Ashura's soul within himself.
This was no coincidence.
It might be a special kind of inheritance—
A training method prepared by the Sage of Six Paths himself.
Perhaps it was meant for confronting the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
After all, Hagoromo could not have been completely unaware of the clan's existence. Even if he did not know at first, he must have understood something later.
Back on the battlefield, the Ten-Tails shuddered violently as it approached its final evolution.
"Hahahahaha! This world will change—because of me!"
Obito laughed madly, flinging a mass of Kurama's Chakra into the air.
The Chakra of the other Tailed Beasts had already fully merged.
The Ten-Tails began its horrifying metamorphosis.
At the same time, Obito wove hand seals, attempting to pull the Ten-Tails into his own body.
Just then—
Uchiha Madara appeared before him in an instant, like a phantom stepping across space.
His strike sent Obito crashing backward, blood splattering from his mouth.
Yet Obito only smiled—a crazed, triumphant expression twisting across his face.
"You can't stop it! Once this ritual begins, no one can stop it!"
The Ten-Tails froze for a heartbeat—
Then its form dissolved into blazing light and surged into Obito's body.
A vast, overwhelming power burst forth.
A Six Paths Staff formed in Obito's hand—the symbol of a god.
Truth-Seeking Orbs floated behind him, radiating absolute authority.
Before the eyes of all the Allied Shinobi Forces—
Six Paths Obito was born.
In the shadows, Black Zetsu trembled with excitement.
"It has begun… Mother, wait for me. I will absolutely bring you back."
Madara's face darkened, but within his razor-sharp gaze flickered something else—
Calculation.
Intent.
Possibility.
The shinobi stared at Obito, who now resembled a god—or a demon descended upon the world.
Someone launched a hesitant attack, desperate to test his strength.
Obito didn't even move.
The jutsu simply vanished upon contact, erased by the Truth-Seeking Orbs' absolute power.
"Damn it… He's immune to Ninjutsu at this stage!"
"Nothing can harm him—no Ninjutsu works anymore!"
After several attempts, the truth became undeniable:
Six Paths Obito was completely immune to all Ninjutsu.
"Immune to Ninjutsu, huh…?"
A flicker of determination ignited in Rock Lee's eyes, burning stronger than ever.
"In that case…
It's time for me to uphold my Ninja Way."