Following the direction of that voice, the figure that entered Sasuke Uchiha's sight was Rei Kaguya.
He had already opened those radiant Tenseigan, and he was propping his cheek lightly with his finger, looking at Sasuke with a faint, amused smile.
Unlike Orochimaru, who merely possessed a body almost equivalent to an Otsutsuki's but whose strength had yet to truly reach that level, and unlike Nagato, who was limited by Rinnegan that did not belong to him and found it difficult to advance further, a single exchange of gazes with Rei Kaguya made Sasuke Uchiha, a fellow dojutsu ninja, sense a pressure great enough to make his entire body tremble.
That pressure was different from Isshiki Otsutsuki, whose body was nearing its limit and who held back due to caution during battle.
It was also different from Kaguya Otsutsuki, who had awakened again from a long seal yet was rather unfamiliar with the matter of battle itself.
Instead, it was a pressure symbolizing completeness.
An overwhelming advantage in intelligence gathering.
Superior hard power.
Unhurried, abundant combat experience.
And flawless layout and planning.
Although Rei might not necessarily be stronger than Isshiki and Kaguya at full power, Rei Kaguya, who had clearly made every preparation and was waiting in perfect formation, was absolutely harder to defeat than either Isshiki or Kaguya.
Considering that he currently could not use the power of his Rinne Sharingan and would find it very difficult to break through the other side's lineup head-on, Sasuke Uchiha had no choice but to temporarily set aside the idea of forcibly taking Naruto Uzumaki back.
Instead, he picked up the conversation with Rei Kaguya, intending to buy enough time to formulate a new plan.
"Whether or not one is a Konoha ninja, friends and brothers should be people to whom one can entrust their life. If Naruto Uzumaki is in danger, then I will absolutely come to save him. The reverse is also true. If you truly are the Fourth Mizukage Itachi spoke of, the one who knows the future, then you should not find this surprising."
"I am not surprised that you came to 'save' him."
Rei Kaguya stared at Sasuke Uchiha's eyes, which flickered with thought, and snapped his fingers playfully.
"What surprised me somewhat is that you came to save him alone. You should understand very well just how weakened you are after your Rinne Sharingan was destroyed… Were you not worried that this solo infiltration of yours would bury even the last shred of hope that Naruto Uzumaki might be 'rescued'?"
"I do not believe I had any other choice."
As Sasuke Uchiha observed Naruto Uzumaki from the corner of his eye and noticed that his body was no longer trembling, he spoke in an icy tone.
"Although Konoha in this era still looks like Konoha… wanting them to gather the courage to resist you merely because of a stranger's request from me? That is impossible."
"That is true enough."
Rei Kaguya thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
"It seems you have already recognized very clearly that you do not belong here."
"I am no longer alone."
Figures such as Sarada Uchiha flashed through Sasuke Uchiha's mind. Without revealing any flaws, he shook his head.
"This past you created is indeed very tempting. If it were me from more than ten years ago, I might truly have wanted to remain here forever… But now, I have a reason why I must return to the future and protect the future. Even they cannot keep me here."
"Compared with Naruto Uzumaki, you have grown and matured in a more correct direction, Sasuke Uchiha."
Rei Kaguya smiled lightly and put away his relaxed, leisurely posture.
While casually stretching to loosen his body, he said offhandedly, "If that is the case, convincing you may be far simpler than convincing Naruto Uzumaki."
"What are you trying to say?" Sasuke Uchiha instinctively gripped the Kusanagi Sword at his waist.
"Are you interested in returning to the Six Paths level for the sake of protecting your era, or even becoming stronger and more full of possibility than you were at your peak, Sasuke Uchiha?"
Rei casually pointed at the pale blue pupils in Naruto Uzumaki's eyes as the latter hurriedly woke beside him and asked meaningfully.
"Hey! Sasuke! Don't do anything rash!"
It had to be said, paired with Naruto Uzumaki's words, spoken without him having grasped the current situation and solely based on his understanding of Sasuke Uchiha's personality as a predictive warning, the entire scene was rather amusing.
After seeing Naruto Uzumaki wake up safely and seeing the chakra cloak surging around his body, which resembled the one he had worn when the Sage of Six Paths bestowed Yin and Yang power upon the two of them all those years ago, Sasuke Uchiha's mood relaxed slightly.
He turned his head and looked at Naruto Uzumaki, who had instinctively tried to stand up, only to grimace because of the black rod connected to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
"Are you really all right, Naruto?" Sasuke asked warily.
"What do you mean, all right? Oh, you mean this?"
Naruto Uzumaki belatedly touched the black rod that was almost as thick as his own thigh. He scratched his cheek somewhat awkwardly and sighed.
"This is fine… And after connecting to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, I can feel it too. If we want Kurama to wake up again, we have to borrow its power."
"There will not be any problems?" Sasuke Uchiha still asked uneasily.
"It might… consume part of my lifespan?"
Naruto Uzumaki touched his heart uncertainly. Then, with an optimistic expression, he said, "But as long as Kurama can be saved, then losing a little is losing a little. In the fight against Isshiki when I activated Baryon Mode, it should have been my life being consumed in the first place."
"Naruto…"
Sasuke Uchiha looked at Naruto Uzumaki with complicated feelings.
Then he turned his head and asked Rei Kaguya, who had been quietly watching the show from the side, in a low voice, "Since Naruto says he is fine, then I will temporarily treat it as true… But aside from him, there are other matters we must communicate and discuss between us, are there not, Fourth Mizukage?"
"Naturally. Quite a few, in fact."
Rei Kaguya nodded.
While glancing sideways to signal Orochimaru to begin preparing the relevant surgery, he looked at Sasuke Uchiha with great interest.
"Do you mind if I ask two questions first, Sasuke Uchiha?"
"Go ahead."
Sasuke Uchiha nodded.
Although he still had a large pile of questions he wanted to obtain answers to from Rei Kaguya, he could also infer some of the other party's thoughts and inclinations from the questions Rei asked him.
When the amount of information possessed by both sides was unequal, beginning his analysis from the other party's questions was also a viable choice.
"Then…"
Rei Kaguya paused. His gaze gradually sharpened.
"Would you mind explaining why, after the Otsutsuki clan's enemies had already descended upon the shinobi world once more, you still insisted on not repairing your severed arm, and did not think of a way to regain Sage Art—or rather, Cursed Seal—power, Sasuke Uchiha?"
"According to my understanding of the Otsutsuki clan, Sage Art, activated by combining chakra with natural energy, can cause substantial damage to an Otsutsuki body as long as it is not absorbed. And you yourself, as a perfect vessel for Orochimaru's Cursed Seal of Heaven, should theoretically have been entirely able to consider going to Ryuchi Cave and learning Sage Art from the White Snake Sage…"