Arisu stood where he was and gave a slight nod, approval showing in his eyes.
"This Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack doesn't have the same scale or density Kaguya had back then, but it's already very close... Not bad."
Faced with the fist shadows that covered the sky, Arisu didn't dodge. He simply gripped the Six Paths Sword with one hand and gave the blade a light shake.
Bzzz!
An invisible circular sword domain instantly spread out from him, and sword intent solidified around him as if it had taken physical form.
The violent fist shadows of the Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack slammed into the sword domain, only to be shredded and knocked away by invisible sword energy, turning into countless shattered dark blue points of light.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The explosions rang out without end, and the entire Origin Ball Space shook violently.
Arisu didn't move his feet. His robe fluttered in the wind, yet he stood as steady as a mountain, using only the Six Paths Sword to neutralize Yukio's entire wave of attacks.
The more Arisu fought, the more excited he became.
'This feels amazing!'
'This is what a true Six Paths level battle is!'
'It was far more satisfying than crushing those Kage-level fighters before.'
Yukio clenched his teeth, suddenly stepped forward, and clapped his hands together. Multiple Otsutsuki phantoms behind him lit up at the same time.
"If that's the case... then let's add a little more!"
The next moment, Yukio's figure split apart, instantly creating three shadow clones. Each clone possessed part of the original's strength and each used a different Otsutsuki ability.
The original continued suppressing him with the Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack.
Meanwhile, the three clones each unleashed, "Kinshiki Art: Heavenly Feather Arrows!!"
"Urashiki Art: Heavenly Sumeru Meteor Life - Dragon Palace!"
"Momoshiki Art: Composite Sage Art: Inukai Takeru no Mikoto: Pheasant Hunt!"
Including the original body, four attacks were launched at the same time, instantly swallowing the area where Arisu stood.
The world descended into chaos. Vast sections of the Origin Ball Space were blasted into nothingness, and spatial cracks spread wildly like a spiderweb.
Facing this nearly hopeless barrage, Arisu's eyes quickly swept across the battlefield.
Not because he was frightened.
He was deciding what technique to use.
He had too many options and couldn't decide for a moment.
In the end, Arisu's thoughts stirred, and he instantly summoned the Yata Mirror.
BOOM!
It blocked every attack.
Yukio's pupils shrank.
"What is that?! According to the legends, the Sage of Six Paths possessed many divine treasures. Could that be Father's divine artifact?!"
After blocking all the attacks, Arisu reacted immediately.
He no longer held the Six Paths Sword with one hand. Instead, he gripped it with both hands, and the blade shook violently. Purple-gold Six Paths power wrapped around it like flames.
"Six Paths: Five Arts Sage Technique: World of Swords!"
In an instant, the space within tens of thousands of meters around Arisu transformed into an absolute domain made of countless strands of sword energy.
Every strand of sword energy carried enough sharpness to tear apart stars, and they echoed one another, forming a perfect killing formation.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The endless sounds of collision echoed throughout the entire alternate dimension.
Yukio's true body and all three clones were suppressed by the sword energy at the same time. The Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack was shredded in large sections, while the clones cried out one after another as sword energy pierced through them and cut them apart.
After only a few breaths, all three clones collapsed, leaving only the original struggling inside the World of Swords. More sword wounds appeared across his body, and blood stained the black-and-red markings.
Arisu slowly walked out of the sword domain, the tip of the Six Paths Sword pointing toward the ground. He looked calmly at his battered but still defiant son, with a faint sense of pressure in his gaze.
"You're pretty strong, son. You actually forced me to use so much of my power."
A smile curled onto Arisu's lips.
Just as the father and son were fighting inside the alternate dimension...
———
[Graveyard Of The Mountains]
Over the past few years, the Akatsuki had captured several Tailed Beasts. At present, only the Nine-Tails and Eight-Tails remained uncaptured in the ninja world.
Uchiha Obito stood quietly before the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Suddenly, the ground behind him distorted, and the Venus flytrap White Zetsu slowly emerged from the earth.
Uchiha Obito frowned and said coldly, "Get out. Who allowed you in here?"
The Venus flytrap White Zetsu didn't react. He merely smiled faintly.
"Uchiha Obito, I'm here to lend you a hand."
This time, the Venus flytrap White Zetsu didn't call him Madara. He directly addressed him as Uchiha Obito by name.
Obito's heart sank. His eyes narrowed as he carefully looked over this White Zetsu.
Wasn't this White Zetsu only supposed to be good at reconnaissance?
The Venus flytrap White Zetsu revealed a strange smile, then clapped his hands together. The corpses of Kinkaku and Ginkaku appeared before Obito.
"Obito, Kinkaku and Ginkaku ate the Nine-Tails' flesh before, so they possess Nine-Tails chakra. They can serve as substitutes.", The Venus flytrap White Zetsu spoke.
A trace of surprise flashed through Obito's eyes.
This really would work.
Because of Arisu's existence, Obito had never dared to go to Konoha and capture the Nine-Tails.
That was where the plan had stalled.
"Well done. How did you find them? These two disappeared after assassinating Uchiha Izuna. I didn't expect you to find them.", Obito said calmly.
The Venus flytrap White Zetsu gave a mysterious smile, but what he said next shocked Obito.
"Obito-kun, there's something even more shocking. You're thinking about declaring war on the ninja world right now, aren't you? Let me help."
The Venus flytrap White Zetsu suddenly clapped his hands.
Several coffins instantly appeared behind him.
Obito hurriedly stepped back, staring at the Venus flytrap White Zetsu in disbelief.
"You know ninjutsu?!"
The Venus flytrap White Zetsu smiled faintly.
"I'm special."
Looking at the row of coffins, Obito frowned deeply.
He had always known the White Zetsu at his side might have ulterior motives, perhaps planted by Uchiha Madara to monitor him.
He hadn't expected it to reveal its ambitions so soon.
"Let me guess. These coffins contain powerful figures from history? The Second Tsuchikage? The Third Raikage? Hatake Sakumo? People like that?"
Obito slowly said, pretending to stay calm.
"You only got half of it right~"
The Venus flytrap White Zetsu smiled slightly. Then every coffin lid slowly slid open, revealing people Obito had never seen before.
Except for Hashirama Senju.
Obito looked over them with confusion.
Their clothing was obviously different. It looked like something from a very long time ago.
Even Uchiha Madara and the others hadn't dressed like this.
"Who are they?", Obito asked, puzzled.
The Venus flytrap White Zetsu smiled and introduced them.
"They are... Indra, Asura, Uchiha Senichi, Senju Shuichi, Uchiha Ko, Senju Uzuki, Senju Futen, Senju Tsuru, Uchiha Sa, Uchiha Jin, Uzumaki Yu, and Hashirama Senju."
The moment Obito heard those names, his scalp went numb.
Those were all people recorded in history.
They had all died hundreds, even thousands, of years ago.
Obito's voice trembled slightly.
He had never imagined that the Venus flytrap White Zetsu before him possessed such terrifying ability.
"How can you prove they're really them?! And how did you even get their bodies?!", Obito asked in shock.
They had been dead for so many years. Their bodies should have long since turned to dust. How could anyone possibly find their corpses and then use the Impure World Reincarnation to bring them back?
"There's no need to lie to you. Thanks to someone who had been collecting their bodies throughout the river of history, I simply stole them while that person wasn't around..."
"And there are still three more."
The Venus flytrap White Zetsu clapped his hands again.
Three more coffins appeared.
Obito's mind was in complete turmoil.
This was too much.
What exactly was this Venus flytrap White Zetsu trying to do?
There was simply too much information to process.
He could no longer tell whether this Venus flytrap White Zetsu was helping Uchiha Madara... or helping him.