Even though the pressure wasn't directed at them, just the slightest trace of that Six Paths Level aura—amplified through the diary's projection—felt like a mountain pressing down on their chests.
Everyone present, aside from Uchiha Sasuke, stood among the strongest in the shinobi world. Each of them had already reached the Kage Level.
All Kage Level… except Sasuke, who lagged behind.
And yet, in the face of this Six Paths Naruto, even they found it hard to breathe. It was an indescribable weight.
For people like them, they were used to being the ones who crushed others with their presence. To be on the receiving end of such overwhelming pressure… that was a first.
"So this… is his strongest state?"
Uchiha Sasuke's eyes widened as he stared at Uzumaki Naruto in the video, disbelief written all over his face. He had never imagined Naruto could become this powerful.
This was already a level he couldn't even comprehend.
The Nine-Tails Chakra Mode that had appeared before, or even the later Sage Tailed Beast Mode—those had been powerful, yes, but still within the bounds of understanding.
But this Six Paths Sage Mode… it completely shattered that.
Even when he had faced Uchiha Itachi as a child, he had never felt such utter helplessness.
The kind of helplessness that defied description.
"What kind of power is this… I've never seen anything like it. That chakra… it's massive."
Uchiha Itachi's expression shifted slightly, genuinely shaken. He had never expected that the boy who had once been his younger brother's classmate would reach such a height.
But soon, a faint smile touched his lips.
He suddenly recalled that Kaede Kitahara had once called both Uzumaki Naruto and Sasuke "saviors." If Naruto could reach this level…
Then Sasuke, in the future, might be able to as well.
"In that case… restoring the clan might truly be possible."
Uchiha Itachi spoke softly, a hint of relief in his voice.
"This form… is it Sage Mode combined with the Nine-Tails' chakra?"
Namikaze Minato could clearly sense the presence of the Nine-Tails' chakra within that overwhelming energy, along with the fluctuations of senjutsu chakra.
But there was something else mixed in—something unfamiliar.
"Being able to fuse the Nine-Tails' chakra with senjutsu chakra… just as expected of my son."
Minato said, pride evident in his tone.
"To think Naruto could become this strong in the future… it's beyond anything I could've imagined."
Jiraiya couldn't help but sigh in amazement.
But then his gaze caught a fleeting glimpse of Nagato in the video—a skeletal, emaciated figure.
"How did he end up like that…?"
In Jiraiya's memory, Nagato had never been particularly well-built, but this… this was beyond thin. It was almost unnatural.
He looked like he could collapse at any moment.
"Is that the price of maintaining the Rinnegan?"
The thought struck him suddenly.
He remembered the battle between the Uchiha brothers—how Uchiha Itachi had suffered from a Kekkei Genkai Disease just to sustain his Mangekyō Sharingan, deteriorating to the point where even walking had become difficult.
If that was the case…
Then someone like Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, might also be paying a terrifying price.
At that moment, Uzumaki Naruto in the video finally made his move.
The moment he attacked, he unleashed a Truth-Seeking Ball Rasenshuriken—the most powerful and most extraordinary Rasengan he had displayed so far.
The sheer pressure it carried erupted outward as he hurled it forward.
The Preta Path tried to absorb it—
But it was completely ineffective. The attack couldn't be absorbed at all.
In an instant, the remaining Paths of Pain were wiped out.
The Deva Path attempted to use Shinra Tensei, but before he could even complete it, Naruto closed the distance and kicked him away, interrupting the technique mid-cast.
"Chibaku Tensei!"
Sent flying, the Deva Path immediately retaliated. A singularity formed, pulling countless chunks of earth upward as the mass began to take shape, his expression twisted with strain.
Naruto didn't hesitate.
In his perfect jinchūriki state, he unleashed a Tailed Beast Ball, destroying the forming Chibaku Tensei in an instant.
At this point, Nagato—having used his final technique—had reached his limit.
Only now did everyone see his true body clearly.
Deep within the underground chamber, Nagato's frail frame hung by a thread of life, skin stretched over bone, as though death could claim him at any moment.
Naruto dispelled his Six Paths state, stepping forward calmly.
A Rasengan formed in his hand as he charged toward the Deva Path.
But in the Deva Path's eyes—no, in Nagato's eyes—the figure rushing toward him seemed to blur…
And for a fleeting moment, it looked like Jiraiya.
The Rasengan slammed down, driving him hard into the ground.
What seemed like a long sequence of events had actually unfolded in mere moments.
Everyone could only watch as the Six Paths of Pain—who had just moments ago beaten Jiraiya to the brink of death and cast a heavy shadow over their hearts—were effortlessly annihilated by Uzumaki Naruto in just a few moves.
It was absolute power disparity.
The same kind of overwhelming gap they themselves displayed when facing weaker opponents.
And yet, the Six Paths of Pain were already at the Super Kage Level. Even if, as Kaede Kitahara had once put it, they were merely gatekeepers of that tier, they were still strong enough for Nagato to call himself a god among men.
But in front of Naruto…
They were utterly insignificant.
The other Paths, which had displayed terrifying strength before, were wiped out instantly. Even the Deva Path didn't have the chance to unleash his strongest move before being crushed.
It took only a single Rasengan.
Thinking back to Jiraiya's struggle against the Six Paths of Pain, his powerlessness had been evident. While he had been caught off guard to some extent, even without that disadvantage, he likely wouldn't have been able to defeat them.
He had already given it everything he had, yet two Paths hadn't even entered the fight.
The gap in strength was obvious.
"This… this is even more impressive than my grandfather at his peak."
Tsunade spoke in shock.
Her memories were faint after so many years, but the power Naruto displayed now felt like a reenactment of her grandfather's might—no, perhaps even beyond that.
"What level… is this?"
Hatake Kakashi was still reeling.
He had already been stunned once by the strength of Seventh Hokage Naruto, who had suppressed the Nine-Tails almost single-handedly.
But compared to this Six Paths Naruto, that seemed insignificant.
He quickly recalled what Kaede Kitahara had mentioned—Kage Level, Strong Kage Level… and beyond that—
Six Paths Level.
Was this it?
The Six Paths Level Kaede Kitahara had spoken of?
Why that name?
Did the Sage of Six Paths truly exist?
He had always dismissed the Sage of Six Paths as nothing more than a myth. Anyone with common sense wouldn't take legends at face value.
But now…
With the appearance of the Rinnegan, and Kaede Kitahara's mention of Six Paths Level, he had no choice but to reconsider.
If the Sage of Six Paths had truly existed, then this level of power…
Had once been achieved by a human.
That meant it was a realm people could actually reach.
Kaede Kitahara had once joked that this world was a "legend of eyes," yet Naruto, who possessed no dōjutsu Kekkei Genkai, had reached this level regardless. That alone proved the statement wasn't absolute.
What truly unsettled Kakashi was something else.
If Naruto possessed such overwhelming strength—and Uchiha Sasuke likely stood on the same level—
Then even the two of them together couldn't protect the world?
Just how powerful were the Otsutsuki Clan, those beings said to have crossed the stars?
He remembered another entry from Kaede Kitahara's diary—
Naruto and Sasuke, together, being utterly defeated by a being named Otsutsuki Isshiki.
Was that really possible?
And what about the mysterious Kara, which hadn't even appeared yet?
How deep did the waters of the shinobi world run?
No wonder Kaede Kitahara had once said that without reaching Kage Level, one didn't even have the right to speak.
By that standard, Kakashi had once been among those who didn't qualify.
A wry smile tugged at his lips.
The bar for having a voice was truly high.
At that moment, the scene in the video shifted.
Uzumaki Naruto had already arrived at Uzumaki Nagato's hiding place.
Konan stepped forward to block him, but Nagato immediately stopped her.
"It's fine. Besides… he's not someone you can defeat. The strong have come to discipline the weak."
Nagato faced it calmly. If even the Six Paths of Pain had failed, then he had nothing left to be proud of.
"I came here to talk."
Naruto said.
Looking at the senior brother before him, Naruto knew that in this timeline, Nagato hadn't yet committed his greatest mistakes. Even the Nagato from his own timeline had been someone he could forgive—so this version, even more so.
"At this distance…"
Nagato began calculating how to strike—
But then he noticed something in Naruto's hand.
A bouquet of paper flowers.
"Please… believe me."
Naruto said sincerely.
"Konan's chakra… how is this… you…"
Nagato seemed to confirm something and finally nodded.
The paper flowers transformed into a bouquet of roses, with a small tag attached—
"Guaranteed to lose every bet."
Clearly, it was something Jiraiya had once given Tsunade, and her face flushed red instantly.
"Oh? Sasuke and Orochimaru are back too, huh?"
Under the dim lamplight, Jiraiya sighed with emotion.
"This has to go into my next book."
"Heh… I've gotten a bit stronger, right?"
Naruto grinned, a trace of pride in his voice.
It had been a long time since he had smiled so freely.
"Yeah. You've grown to a level I can't even imagine anymore."
Jiraiya said, still recovering.
"Come on, don't say that…"
Naruto scratched his head, waving it off.
"Here, have some of this."
Jiraiya pulled out a twin popsicle, offering to share it with him.
The moment Naruto saw it, he was reminded of the Jiraiya from his own timeline—
And his chest tightened as tears nearly spilled over.