Isshiki had traversed the world for over a thousand years, only stumbling twice.
One time, Kaguya backstabbed him, nearly turning him into fertilizer.
The other time is now. He chose a body that seemed good, was good in reality, but belonged to a lunatic.
He was baffled. Where did this guy named Kabuto get such powerful mental energy? Why couldn't he just crush him?
Not only was Isshiki being tormented to the brink of madness, but Orochimaru's mood hadn't been good lately either.
In the years since his "death," the Ninja World had undergone several updates, and the strength of an old hero like him was struggling to keep up.
Konoha became the leader of the Ninja World, and the Uchiha ascended to the Hokage's throne for the first time. None of these matters concerned him. What he truly yearned for was eternal life.
Orochimaru firmly believed that the human body was far too fragile.
Forget explosive tags, even a seemingly ordinary kunai could kill a Kage.
Many years ago, Orochimaru coveted Satoshi's near-perfect body, thinking it could last for decades. But now, Orochimaru became interested in the legendary Ōtsutsuki. That was a life form that transcended the mundane.
Maybe he could snatch an Ōtsutsuki's body from Konoha and obtain the secret of eternal life from them?
The more Orochimaru thought about it, the more excited he became, as if he could already see a beautiful future.
But then another problem arose: he had no inside help in Konoha.
The village wasn't quite an impenetrable fortress now, but it was heavily guarded, how could he sneak in?
In the middle of the night, Orochimaru stood in the snow, looking up at the moon.
"I need to plan this out carefully."
While Orochimaru was planning, Isshiki had already infiltrated Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure. He used his powerful ocular jutsu and unique techniques to control the leaders of the three villages.
As for Kirigakure, it was spared because it was still discussing cooperation projects with Konoha.
Later, Isshiki couldn't be bothered to go there. One more weak Mizukage wouldn't be much use.
Now, he was sitting on the highest sand sculpture in Sunagakure, reviewing the data from the three villages.
"These lower beings are each weaker than the last. Besides providing a bit of intel on Konoha, they're useless."
As Isshiki said, the Kage of the Ninja World were utterly powerless when facing the strength of an Ōtsutsuki.
If he had to make a comparison, they were like the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, who was controlled by Obito back then.
—
Time passed bit by bit, and about a month went by.
Isshiki believed the time was right. According to his plan, he decided to deal with Konoha's combat power in batches.
The first trouble to solve was Naruto and Sasuke, who had inherited the powers of Yang and Yin, respectively. After eliminating them, he would choose an opportune moment to challenge the Hokage to a one-on-one fight.
So, Sunagakure sent a letter. The gist was that they seemed to have discovered Isshiki's whereabouts and requested support, blah blah blah.
Konoha, upon receiving the information, as Isshiki expected, dispatched Konoha's strongest Chunin, Naruto and Sasuke.
Sunagakure.
Just before they stepped into the village's alert range, Sasuke suddenly raised his hand, stopping Naruto. "Wait, something's not right."
Naruto asked, "Not right? What's not right?"
"It's just not right." Sasuke gripped his Kusanagi Sword.
"Ever since we entered the Land of Wind, I've had a bad feeling."
He pointed to a few spots at the entrance. "Even if Sunagakure is in decline, they wouldn't not arrange any guards, right?"
Naruto blinked. "Maybe they made arrangements in advance, so there's no need to follow procedure?"
"Impossible." Sasuke shook his head.
"It's true Sunagakure lost to Konoha, but they're still defiant. They would never show their loyalty in such a matter."
"In this situation, they would intentionally display their strength."
With his words, Naruto understood.
Many years ago, when they were on missions, they had encountered similar situations multiple times.
Naruto vigilantly scanned his surroundings, his Chakra suddenly boiling, the golden light of his Nine-Tails Chakra cloak flickering.
"Retreat, report to Satoshi-sensei."
"Mm."
However, just as the two were about to move, a suffocatingly terrifying pressure descended.
Their movements froze simultaneously, and they abruptly looked up at the sky. There, a very strangely shaped man was floating.
"You are Ōtsutsuki Isshiki."
Isshiki looked down at Naruto and Sasuke. "It seems among the lower beings, there are a few with some brains."
"As expected..."
Sasuke sneered, "Let's go, Naruto."
"Alright, we can fight side-by-side again, Sasuke."
Naruto's golden Chakra burst forth like flames, and Kurama's phantom roared into existence behind him.
It was also at this moment that Kurama reminded them both. "Be careful, this guy is more troublesome than any opponent we've faced before."
"Got it, Kurama!"
"I'll go first, you cover me!"
"Rasengan!"
Naruto roared, his figure shooting straight into the sky.
The rapidly spinning azure Chakra sphere in his palm slammed towards Isshiki's seemingly unguarded head.
However, Isshiki merely sneered. Without even forming a hand seal, his left eye flickered slightly and the Rasengan in Naruto's hand suddenly vanished.
"What!"
Bang!
The next moment, a massive force slammed into his abdomen. Naruto crashed into the sand below, stirring up waves of murky sand.
"That hurts."
Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!
Dozens of Naruto appeared instantly amidst puffs of white smoke, rushing at Isshiki from all directions, attempting to overwhelm his movements with sheer numbers.
"Sasuke, I've got him!"
One of the Narutos roared, his hands tightly gripping Isshiki's waist.
"Nice work!"
The piercing cry of Chidori ripped through the sky.
Chidori!
Daikokuten!
Several enormous, jet-black cubes, inscribed with strange crimson patterns, appeared out of thin air. They rapidly crashed down towards Naruto and his clones.
"Damn it!"
Sasuke's pupils contracted sharply.
In the nick of time, he activated Amenotejikara, swapping his position with one of the cubes.
Boom!
The deafening roar made the earth tremble, and a sand tsunami surged skyward, the heavy black cube deeply embedded in the sand.
"Naruto!"
"I'm fine!"
A furious roar exploded from the dust, revealing a golden figure erupting with astonishing power, kicking the massive black cube off himself.
Naruto made a few leaps, then stood back-to-back with Sasuke, vigilantly scanning the dust-filled sky.
Isshiki had vanished.
After that last attack, his presence was completely hidden within the sandstorm.
The two took a deep breath, instinctively drawing upon the Yin and Yang power left by the Sage of Six Paths.
"I wonder how long this thing will last. It shouldn't be a one-time use, right?"
"Now's not the time to think about that."
Sasuke diligently searched for Isshiki's whereabouts while formulating a strategy.
"For now, let's assume he can nullify our Ninjutsu. Also, he didn't form hand seals when summoning those strange boxes, which means he can use jutsu without needing hand seals."
Naruto nodded. "His physical strength is incredibly formidable, just like when Satoshi-sensei punched me, and we can't be sure that was his full power."
After a brief exchange, the two comrades, who had fought side-by-side for many years, devised Plan A.
Naruto said, Sasuke, I'll be the meat shield and take the hits. You find his weakness and take him down."
Sasuke's lips seemed to twitch almost imperceptibly. "It's a bit unfair that you always take the beating, you know."
Naruto smiled. "Then treat me to a bowl of ramen when we get back."
"He's coming!"