"Also… Sasuke."
The Sage withdrew his palm from Sasuke's, leaving behind a crescent-shaped mark of Yin power.
Then, he raised a finger and pointed toward Sasuke's forehead.
The red Rinnegan mark on the Sage's own forehead flashed—and in an instant, transferred onto Sasuke's!
"This… this is…?"
"To compensate for the gap of a third eye, I developed this seal by modeling it after my mother's Rinne Sharingan."
"Only those who possess both Rinnegan can use it."
"This Rinne Seal can store excess ocular power from the Rinnegan, greatly enhancing both the strength and endurance of its techniques."
"You may think of it… as a Byakugō Seal for ocular power."
"When I faced my mother and the Ten-Tails head-on, I relied on this amplification to succeed."
"Additionally, with the Rinne Seal, you can combine Sage power with Susanoo, just like Indra once did."
"You won't need to rely on absorbing the chakra of the nine tailed beasts with Chibaku Tensei as you did before."
Rinne Seal… Yin-Yang marks… Six Paths Chibaku Tensei…
Sasuke thought to himself, Setting everything else aside… the Sage's ability to create techniques is truly unparalleled.
The Sage looked at him. "Sasuke, if I'm not mistaken… you lost your Kusanagi Sword, didn't you?"
Sasuke said nothing.
Naruto spoke up instead. "Yeah! During the fight with Uchiha Akira, Sasuke's sword was destroyed by his eye technique! Later, I even saw Akira using it again… he must've restored it with that time-reversal ability!"
"The old must make way for the new."
The eight Truth-Seeking Orbs floating behind the Sage began to move.
Seven of them rose and fused, one after another, into the Sage's staff.
"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked.
"Do you remember," the Sage said, "what you saw from Obito back then?"
Naruto scratched his head. "That sword that shattered when we hit it?"
The Sage smiled faintly. "The Ame-no-Nuboko cannot be destroyed or shaken by any means. The reason it broke… was because Obito's will wavered."
"My Ame-no-Nuboko is absolute. Just like my resolve to seal my mother and protect this world—it will never falter."
Sasuke remained silent.
The final orb fused in.
The staff transformed completely—into a black blade, radiating a dark crimson aura.
"Sasuke, I have reforged the Ame-no-Nuboko into the shape of your Kusanagi Sword."
"This is a true blade—one that can destroy all defenses and cannot itself be broken."
With a soft motion, the last remaining orb formed into a sheath and slid over the blade.
The Sage extended it toward Sasuke.
"Take it."
Sasuke did not move.
At this point, the Sage's form had grown nearly transparent. His Yin-Yang power had been dispersed, the Rinne Seal transferred, even his Truth-Seeking Orbs and staff forged into this sword.
The weight of it… was undeniable.
"Sasuke," the Sage pressed, "I have shown you my sincerity without reservation. I hope you will respond in kind."
Naruto was already deeply moved. "Sage! We'll definitely fulfill your request! And if Sasuke slacks off, I'll be the first to stop him!"
He nudged Sasuke, urging him to take the sword.
Sasuke understood perfectly.
This was the Sage's strategy.
By giving everything, he seized the moral high ground—binding them with an invisible chain, pushing them toward the path he had chosen.
And it was effective.
Too effective.
All the weight of his bonds… pressed down on one side of the scale—fifteen years of familiarity, of comfort.
On the other side… an unknown, lonely path—carrying the resolve to never repeat past mistakes.
The scale wavered violently.
Yes… the past was not so easily severed.
Especially not when bound by ties.
Sasuke closed his eyes, struggling.
Sakura… what would you want me to do?
Suddenly—the world shifted.
Everything froze.
Naruto. The Sage. All motion ceased.
Petals of cherry blossoms drifted through the air, gathering… forming the faint, fleeting figure of Sakura.
She smiled gently, her eyes full of warmth.
"Sasuke… I want you to be your true self."
A faint, bittersweet smile appeared on his lips. "Honestly… I don't even remember what that looks like anymore."
Sakura stepped closer, rising slightly on her toes, her voice soft.
"Bonds aren't a burden… they're what push you forward."
"Sometimes, you just overthink things. All you need… is to stand on the other side."
"The other… side?"
"Like this."
She raised her finger and lightly tapped his forehead.
"This is the first… and the last time."
In that instant—everything became clear.
The weight of his bonds… and his resolve not to repeat the past—both tipped the scale together.
With a resounding shift, the decision was made.
No longer wavering.
No longer uncertain.
Even if the road ahead was lonely… unknown…
He would walk it.
Sakura stood with her hands behind her back, tilting her head, smiling like a farewell.
"But… I do have one regret."
"That morning I brought you lunch… do you know how long I waited for you?"
"You probably ended up sharing it with Naruto, didn't you?"
Her form dissolved into drifting petals.
"That won't happen again."
Sasuke looked up, his voice steady. "Sakura… when this is all over… will you make me another lunch?"
"…Mm."
Her final smile was pure.
"I'll be waiting."
His hand reached forward—through the falling petals—and grasped the black blade firmly.
The last trace of hesitation in his heart vanished.
He had overcome the Sage's design.
The Sage… Uchiha Akira… Naruto… anyone…
From this moment on—
No one would dictate his path.
"I, Uchiha Sasuke… will decide my own future with my own eyes."
"Thank you… Sakura."
A single tear fell.
Sasuke leaned down and gently kissed Sakura's cold forehead beneath her pale, lifeless hair.
Rain continued to fall over Mount Myōboku.
He held his fallen wife in his arms.
"Sasuke…" Naruto's hoarse voice called from behind.
"Naruto… let me stay with her for a while."
He didn't turn back.
Lightning tore through the dark sky.
And beneath his black bangs, Sasuke's Rinnegan—six tomoe gleaming—shone in the storm.
"The sky is crying again…"
Thunder roared.
Elsewhere—within the second layer of the Peach Paradise, a forbidden land only Akira could enter—
A vast, untouched world stretched out.
The Demonic Statue stood towering.
The Rabbit Beast howled.
"Madara… Obito… are you ready?"
"…Yeah. Ready at any time."
Akira formed his hand seals.
The Rabbit Beast's soul and chakra surged like a white torrent, pouring into the artificial body of Kaguya embedded within the statue.
—Soul Transfer Technique!
The transformation began.
Akira's eyes burned with anticipation.
"Revive… Ōtsutsuki Kaguya!"
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