Chapter 309 – Yusuke's True Power
Yusuke poured every last shred of strength he had left into holding back the massive Expensive Truth Seeking Ball. His arms trembled, muscles bulging as veins stood out like twisted ropes beneath his skin. Even so, with only a sliver of power remaining, he knew he couldn't hold on much longer.
"Damn it… this is seriously embarrassing," Yusuke thought. "But honestly… this kind of desperate, edge-of-the-cliff feeling is exactly what makes life addictive."
He sucked in a breath.
"Fine then… Dark Devour."
The moment the words left his mouth, a dark aura bloomed across his palms, spreading outward like living shadows as it wrapped around the Expensive Truth Seeking Ball. A surge of immense power rushed back into Yusuke's body, flooding his limbs and bones in an instant.
But it wasn't enough.
The darkness couldn't fully envelop the Expensive Truth Seeking Ball. It only managed to siphon off a small portion of its power—far too little to restore Yusuke to fighting condition.
Just as his Armament Haki hit its absolute limit, the Expensive Truth Seeking Ball suddenly began to glow with a blinding white light.
Space itself started to collapse.
Layer after layer of reality peeled away, folding inward as if the world were being crushed by invisible hands. The white light grew more violent, more ferocious, until it finally swallowed Yusuke whole.
---
Meanwhile, in the Ninja World…
Thanks to Naruto's warning, Sasuke managed to evade the attack. But Naruto himself wasn't so lucky. Ōtsutsuki Kaguya dragged him away into another dimension.
Sasuke and Toneri, both suffering from severe chakra depletion, were in no condition to challenge Kaguya head-on.
In an instant, Black Zetsu restrained them both.
Kaguya stood there, staring at the two of them. For a fleeting moment, she saw the shadows of her sons—Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo and Ōtsutsuki Hamura—overlapping their figures.
Tears slowly slid down her cheeks.
"Hagoromo… Hamura… you are my children," Kaguya whispered, her voice trembling. "Come back to Mother's side."
The sight shook both Sasuke and Toneri to their very cores—body and soul.
For a brief, dizzying instant, they almost felt as though they truly were Hagoromo and Hamura themselves.
But the illusion shattered just as quickly.
The two snapped back to their senses. Seizing the moment when Kaguya faltered, Toneri formed a Chakra Hand, ripping free from Black Zetsu's grasp. In one swift motion, he reached out and helped Sasuke break free as well.
Kaguya watched them without another tear.
Her face returned to its empty, emotionless state, as if the woman who had been crying moments ago had never existed.
Before long, several attacks began flying toward her from different directions. But with Naruto gone, Kaguya felt no need to rush.
---
At the center of the devastation left behind by the Expensive Truth Seeking Ball, the world had become nothing but chaos and ruin.
And within that chaos, a single figure stood.
A handsome man.
His clothes had been completely obliterated. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
Yusuke looked down at his own hands, then clenched them into fists.
"I honestly thought I was about to be half-dead," he muttered with a self-mocking laugh. "Didn't expect my final seal to break open at the last second instead."
He snapped his fingers.
In an instant, a fresh set of clothes formed over his body, as if they'd been there all along.
(And no, don't ask. In the world of pirates, there's a Devil Fruit for literally everything—even changing outfits.)
"Well then," Yusuke said, rolling his shoulders, "beating Kaguya just got ridiculously easy."
He shook his head lightly.
Truth be told, he knew Kaguya was someone worthy of pity. But he had no intention of getting tangled up in someone else's family drama.
"…That said," Yusuke muttered, frowning, "why does that brat's aura feel so weak?"
He could sense Naruto's condition—and it was terrible.
"Air Door."
Space tore open in front of him, forming a shimmering gateway. Yusuke stepped through without hesitation.
The moment he entered, his face twisted.
"—What the hell is this?!"
A terrifying gravitational force slammed into him.
Completely unprepared, Yusuke was driven straight into the ground, crashing down hard. His vision flicked sideways—and he spotted Naruto lying nearby, sprawled flat on the floor. The boy had already fallen out of Six Paths Chakra Mode.
"Damn it… good thing nobody saw that," Yusuke groaned internally. "If they did, my dignity would be completely shattered."
He'd planned to make a cool, dramatic entrance.
Instead, he'd face-planted like a dog slipping in the mud.
Thankfully, Naruto's angle on the ground meant he couldn't see a thing.
"…Still," Yusuke muttered, pushing himself up, "this place is seriously heavy."
With a sharp motion, he sprang up to his feet in a single smooth movement, standing tall as if the crushing pressure didn't exist at all.
And yet, even Ōtsutsuki Kaguya herself would have been pinned to the ground by this gravity.
For Yusuke, though, it meant nothing.
His body came from the world of pirates—a body strengthened by countless Zoan-type Devil Fruits fused into his very being.
It wasn't even a comparison.
Kaguya possessed a True Sage Body, the status of the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki, and an overwhelming amount of chakra—and even she couldn't stand in this place. The only reason Yusuke had fallen earlier was because he hadn't prepared himself at all.
"Good grief…" Yusuke sighed as he slowly crouched down in front of Naruto. "Naruto, you look absolutely miserable. By the way, why are you all alone?"
"U-Uncle… thank goodness you're okay," Naruto said through gritted teeth, anger flashing across his face. "That woman… the mother of Grandpa Six Paths—she attacked me from behind. If she hadn't, I wouldn't be stuck here."
"Idiot," Yusuke said flatly, staring at him. "Since when do ninja not use sneak attacks?"
"Gaaah! That hurts, Uncle!" Naruto yelled.
"Oops. Forgot the gravity here isn't the same as outside," Yusuke said casually, withdrawing his hand.
"Then… why are you totally fine?" Naruto asked, struggling just to breathe, let alone speak.
"Hah. You really think your bodies can compare to mine?" Yusuke snorted. "Relax. Looking at you, you're not dying. I'll head back first. Take your time crawling."
He stood up, already turning away.
"Wait, Uncle! Take me back too! Just breathing here is hard enough!" Naruto pleaded.
"You've got to handle your own problems."
"Wait! Uncle!" Naruto blurted out. "I know a place that sells insanely good sweet food! I swear I'm not lying! Ayame-nee told me about it!"
Yusuke paused.
Of course he knew who Ayame was—Teuchi's daughter.
"…Why are you bringing that up, kid?" Yusuke asked, looking back at him.
He knew Naruto hated sweets. The boy only ever cared about ramen, just like Kakashi. That alone had earned them both Yusuke's long-standing, silent contempt for "not knowing how to enjoy life."
"Uncle…" Naruto said quietly. "Isn't your birthday coming up soon? I can't afford anything expensive, so I thought… maybe I could at least treat you to something."
Yusuke froze.
Only then did he realize—yeah. It really was close.
"…Hmph. This brat's got some manners after all," Yusuke muttered. "Not bad."
He bent down and lifted Naruto straight off the ground.
Don't be fooled—Naruto only weighed around a hundred jin normally. But in this place, that was the equivalent of lifting a small mountain.
Even so, Yusuke hoisted him up with ease and stepped back into the spatial gate.
---
Back on the battlefield, Toneri and Sasuke were already in terrible shape.
Kaguya, on the other hand, hadn't suffered a single wound.
Just as the three prepared to clash again, a familiar voice cut in.
"Oh wow, oh wow… this is just sad," Yusuke said lazily. "Toneri, Sasuke, you can't let it end like this. I need to save this moment as a memory."
As he spoke, he pulled out a camera and started snapping pictures nonstop.
Click. Flash. Click.
Naturally, Naruto didn't escape the photo session either.
When Yusuke finally lowered the camera, he wore a satisfied grin. Toneri and Sasuke, meanwhile, were completely speechless.
This guy seriously had no sense of urgency at all.
"Y-You…" Kaguya stared at him in disbelief. "You're not dead?"
Even she hadn't been confident she could survive that attack.
And yet this man—who had clearly been at his limit—was standing there like nothing had happened.
"Surprised?" Yusuke said casually. "Let me tell you something. I'm unbeatable."
"Mother," Black Zetsu hissed, "he has to be killed. This man cannot be allowed to live."
Kaguya gave a slow nod and prepared to move.
But in the very next instant—
Yusuke was already standing in front of her.
With a single, effortless swing of his hand, Kaguya's arm—along with the Black Zetsu attached to it—was cleanly severed.
"How is this possible…?" Black Zetsu gasped, his voice filled with shock.
"You talk way too much," Yusuke said, looking down at him with open disdain.
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