Faced with Karin's repeated, reckless provocations, Indra's killing intent had reached its peak.
But Asura spoke to stop him.
"Brother, in our current state… bound to our reincarnated vessels and forcibly manifested… the consumption is immense. We cannot remain in the outside world for long, nor can we fight at full strength."
His voice carried fatigue—yet reason.
Clearly, this form of spiritual manifestation came with severe limitations and cost.
Indra's cold, proud face showed a flicker of dissatisfaction, but for once, he did not argue.
He acknowledged Asura's judgment.
The killing intent in his eyes, however, did not fade.
"Hmph. If that's the case…" Indra's gaze cut across Karin like a blade of ice. "Then we'll use that technique. End this swiftly. Erase this wretch completely."
Golden light shimmered faintly in Asura's eyes. After a brief moment of deliberation, he nodded solemnly.
"Agreed."
In an instant, the brothers reached a consensus.
Their goal was clear—eliminate Karin, this uncontrollable "fiend," once and for all.
"Not good!"
Below, Kabuto—who had been watching intently—felt alarm bells explode in his mind the moment he saw the silent exchange between the two ancient beings.
He knew full well that if these two joined forces, the result would be far more than the sum of their powers.
"Karin! Don't let them combine their attacks! Interrupt them!" he roared.
At the same time, he made the wisest decision possible—
He ran.
Without hesitation, Kabuto abandoned Naruto and Sasuke where they lay and pushed his speed to the limit, transforming into a distorted afterimage as he fled in the opposite direction of the battlefield.
Yet high in the air, facing Indra and Asura directly, Karin merely blinked her crimson eyes.
Rather than fear, curiosity—and anticipation—spread across her face.
"Together? That actually sounds… more interesting."
She made no move to interrupt them.
If anything, she seemed eager to see what new trick the "brothers" would unveil.
In that split second—
Indra and Asura moved.
Blue and dimmed gold streaked across the sky. In less than a blink, they appeared on either side of Karin as though they had crossed space itself.
Karin reacted instantly. Her dark crimson chakra erupted violently. Twisted sigils, malicious whispers, and tangible tendrils of shadow lashed outward, tearing toward them in a frenzy of annihilation.
And yet—
Something eerie happened.
Indra's Sharingan turned slightly.
Both he and Asura seemed not to exist within the same plane of reality.
Every single one of Karin's attacks—whether physical energy blasts or spiritual corruption—passed straight through them like illusions, striking nothing but empty air.
"What?!"
For the first time, the excitement on Karin's face froze into shock.
Her attacks… were completely ineffective?
In that fleeting moment of distraction—
Indra and Asura raised their hands simultaneously.
In Indra's palm gathered a point of absolute blackness—pure Yin Release, so dark it seemed to devour even light itself.
In Asura's palm shone a speck of pristine white brilliance—pure Yang Release, brimming with vitality and creation.
Their movements were perfectly synchronized. Their gazes met. Their wills aligned, as though this had been practiced countless times before.
One palm black. One palm white.
Opposing forces—yet perfectly complementary.
Together, they pressed their hands lightly against Karin's sides.
"Now!"
Their voices rang out in unison, shaking the very soul.
"Six Paths—Planetary Devastation!"
The ancient, majestic name of the technique echoed across heaven and earth.
The sky darkened instantly.
The ground trembled violently.
Everything in the surrounding space was dragged inward by an overwhelming gravitational force.
With Karin at its core, matter from all directions began to tear free and rise skyward—earth, stone, debris—forming an ever-growing, ever-densifying mass.
A colossal sphere rapidly took shape in the heavens.
The shinobi world watched in frozen horror.
For the first time, they witnessed so directly what could only be described as divine power.
This was no realm mortals could comprehend—let alone oppose.
And just before being fully sealed—before sinking into eternal darkness—
Karin's sharp, manic voice faintly pierced through the forming layers of rock:
"Hahaha… so this… is your true power? How fascinating… Lord Demon God… I think I've found… even more interesting 'toys'…"
Her voice faded.
In the sky, a small moon now hung suspended.
The Land of Rain
Nagato's entire being trembled.
"Planetary Devastation… how can they…?" he murmured in disbelief.
That technique was one of the abilities of his Rinnegan.
He had always believed it to be an exclusive, near-divine power of the Rinnegan itself.
Yet within the Sky Curtain, those ancient beings—Asura and Indra—had used the technique without possessing the Rinnegan.
And judging from its scale, it far surpassed his own.
What did this mean?
Outside a Hidden Base
"I got sealed?!!"
The younger Karin stared at the Sky Curtain, horrified at the sight of her future self being turned into a "little moon."
She nearly jumped in shock.
She had no desire to be trapped inside a giant rock.
How boring!
How suffocating!
"Heh heh…" Orochimaru chuckled lowly, his snake-like pupils glinting with amusement. "Just watch, Karin. This isn't the end. That won't hold you. You later join Sasuke's Taka, lively as ever, don't you?"
"Oh, right!" Karin smacked her forehead, instantly reassured. "I follow Sasuke later! So I must get out! Hehe, I knew it—no way they can keep me locked up!"
Beside her, Kabuto adjusted his glasses, lips twitching faintly.
"Karin-sama… precisely because of that, you should learn from this. In the Sky Curtain, being too… shall we say, 'impulsive,' nearly brought disaster upon you. Caution is vital."
"Tch." Karin pouted dismissively. "If I can't do whatever I want, what's the point of living?"
"Even the Demon God-sama said—do whatever you want!"
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