Chapter 109: Awakening the Six Path Immortals

While Uchiha Madara focused his attention on Black Zetsu’s quest to "save his mother," the Sages of the three great sacred lands settled affairs in their respective territories and gathered together.

Their destination was the Underworld.

The Sage of Six Paths resided in the Underworld, possessing immense power. They intended to awaken him to deal with Orochimaru.

Great Toad Sage instructed, "Once we reach the Underworld, we shall attack him with the power of the 'Pseudo-Source.' A single strike and then we retreat; that will be enough to rouse him."

The Sage of Six Paths slept in the Underworld for long periods, waking only at intervals. Since no one knew when he would next stir, they had to take the initiative to awaken him.

White Snake Sage remarked, "Even if we use the power of the Pseudo-Source, I fear we cannot successfully frame Orochimaru for this."

The Sage of Six Paths was incredibly powerful. He followed neither the Otsutsuki power system nor the Sage Mode system, but rather a system rooted in the soul. No one knew exactly how strong he was, but the three Sages estimated him to be at least one tier above them. For such a being, seeing through their ruse would be trivial.

Great Toad Sage shook his head. "It matters not. This is a transparent scheme. The reincarnations of his two sons—one having become an experimental subject and the other blinded—will surely provoke him to target Orochimaru the moment he wakes and sees the state of things."

In short, the more chaotic the situation, the better. That was their plan. Only in muddied waters could one catch fish.

...

The Underworld was a dim, silent realm. Within the City of the Dead at its heart, souls drifted aimlessly. Upon arriving, the Sages of the three sacred lands felt a chill in the air.

"Let us proceed quickly."

They flew above the City of the Dead, looking down at the slumbering Sage of Six Paths. He was easily identifiable; while other souls drifted in a supine position, the Sage of Six Paths floated in a cross-legged meditative pose, with horns crowning his head.

Without hesitation, the three Sages opened their mouths and unleashed their respective Sage Arts. The three beams of chakra merged in mid-air, combining into the "Pseudo-Source" energy, which struck the Sage of Six Paths below with a thunderous impact.

They did not hold back. If the Sage of Six Paths were to perish from such an attack, he would certainly be no match for Orochimaru, and his death would be of no consequence. Besides, such an outcome was virtually impossible, as the Sage of Six Paths was far too powerful.

Indeed, the attack proved useless; it did not even make contact. As the "Pseudo-Source" energy entered the City of the Dead, it was intercepted and neutralized by an invisible barrier.

High above, the Rinnegan spanning the firmament twitched, fixing its gaze upon the three Sages. The Sage of Six Paths had been awakened.

"Go, quickly!" Great Toad Sage roared. Their task complete, they attempted to flee using space-time ninjutsu.

However, they suddenly discovered that they could not tear through space.

"What is happening?" Great Toad Sage desperately employed his Sage Arts, but the Underworld, which was typically even more fragile than the mortal world, had become unnaturally solid. White Snake Sage and Slug Sage were equally helpless.

Great Toad Sage stared at the space with his pure white eyes, eventually murmuring bitterly, "This time-space has been suppressed."

White Snake Sage and Slug Sage were forced to accept the reality: the Sage of Six Paths was far stronger than they had imagined. He had directly suppressed the entire region, leaving them no chance to escape. He was not merely one level above them, but many.

...

The Sage of Six Paths awakened. The Rinnegan in the sky watched the three Sages, while the eyes of his physical body within the City of the Dead slowly opened. As he did, souls within the city began to shatter, feeding him the energy required for his existence. He was a pure soul entity.

The Sage of Six Paths looked up at the toad, the snake, and the slug with calm, indifferent eyes.

"You have come," he said.

He seemed to have known they would return; there was no surprise in his voice as he stood up with deliberate slowness.

"If you have come, does that mean he has reached this stage?" the Sage of Six Paths muttered to himself.

The three Sages were startled. What did he mean? He seemed to have foreseen everything! They, too, possessed the ability to prophesy, but since Orochimaru’s return from the Deep Pool World, the future had become erratic. Their abilities had failed them—could it be that the Sage of Six Paths’ power still held true?

The Sage of Six Paths slowly ascended until he was level with them. Great Toad Sage, White Snake Sage, and Slug Sage struggled to resist, but in the presence of the Sage of Six Paths, they were powerless. Despite being summoning beasts that had cultivated for thousands of years, they now felt like fragile children. Just how strong was he?

The Sage of Six Paths looked at the Great Toad Sage and said, "Gamamaru, it has been a long time."

Long ago, when the Sage of Six Paths sealed Kaguya Otsutsuki, it was Gamamaru who had assisted him. The two were considered friends.

Finding he could not break free, Great Toad Sage offered a sheepish laugh. "It has been a long time indeed." He could only hope the Sage of Six Paths would remember their old friendship.

"Hmm," the Sage of Six Paths nodded, then stepped onto the Great Toad Sage’s back. Gamamaru tried to shake him off but failed.

"Let us go," the Sage of Six Paths said. "We go to find Orochimaru."

Great Toad Sage: "..."

He had treated him as a friend, and yet he was being used as a mount! He regarded him as a peer, yet he was being ridden! Powerless to resist, the Great Toad Sage endured it.

White Snake Sage and Slug Sage breathed a sigh of relief, thinking they had escaped, but as the Great Toad Sage tore through the void to leave, an invisible lash bound them and dragged them along.

"You still have your uses," the voice of the Sage of Six Paths echoed through the Underworld.

...

In the cave, White Zetsu finally finished the last of the hundred-plus vials of serum—concoctions designed to allow one to instantly master all three of Orochimaru’s training methods.

White Zetsu’s stomach was distended, and he let out a belch; he had consumed far too much. Yet, the transformation was evident: he was gradually evolving into a Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. Furthermore, he possessed Orochimaru’s ultimate Sage Mode. While his chakra reserves did not yet match a true Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, he far surpassed them in every other aspect.

"Now that Mother is about to wake, she surely won't blame me," Black Zetsu whispered.

Taking advantage of White Zetsu’s agony, he merged with his body, intending to use it to resurrect Kaguya Otsutsuki. Once Mother was resurrected, surely she would have a way to deal with Orochimaru.

...

In the Serpent’s Abode, Uchiha Madara was filled with irrepressible excitement. The moment he had waited for had finally arrived; his chance for revenge was at hand.

At that moment, spatial fluctuations appeared in the sky; someone was about to descend upon the Earth through a spatial rift. The change was subtle, but both Orochimaru and Uchiha Madara sensed it.

"I should make this quick," Madara muttered. He tore through space and appeared in the cave where Black Zetsu resided.

At that moment, Black Zetsu was in the process of resurrecting Kaguya. He froze, stunned by Madara’s sudden arrival.