Chapter 754: Sasuke Is Dead, I No Longer Care If It’s True or False!
Since Kaguya descended on Konoha and used Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees to absorb the village’s chakra, under Black Zetsu’s command, she secretly used that chakra to gather an Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball in her Primal Dimension.
The size of this temporary Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball was limited.
Far from what was amassed during the Fourth Ninja World War, it couldn’t destroy or create a world.
But its explosive power was truly terrifying—far more dreadful than the giant Bijū Bomb gathered by the Ten-Tails, capable of obliterating several moons in one blast.
Toneri, merely glimpsing this massive Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball, instinctively sensed lethal danger.
Damn!
Utterly damn!
That thing was unstoppable, and in the enemy’s dimension, he had nowhere to run!
Was this the true power of the Rabbit Goddess?
No hope of winning!
Toneri retreated at high speed, controlling his Tenseigan Truth-Seeking Balls to form a defensive wall, attempting to withstand the Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball’s explosion.
Though the odds were slim, he couldn’t just wait for death.
But after flying a short distance, he suddenly realized.
Kaguya had vanished again!
Along with her, the colossal pitch-black Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball disappeared too!
Only Toneri remained, bewildered in the empty, cold Primal Dimension...
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Meanwhile, outside Konoha’s ruins.
Sasuke also noticed the shift after Isshiki’s return, seeing him attack Momoshiki and seize Boruto.
He didn’t know Isshiki returned in distress, only worrying if something had happened to Naruto—had he been defeated by Isshiki?
The likelihood was low but possible.
"Something’s off! Sasuke-kun, what’ll you do?"
"Retreat!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth and decided. Konoha was already destroyed, nearly everyone dead, so lingering was pointless.
With Isshiki and Kaguya allied, even if Naruto returned, their side might not defeat the enemy.
He’d come prepared to die. Having completed his mission and able to retreat alive, he was already lucky.
After retreating, they’d regroup.
In the future, Sasuke, Naruto, Toneri, Daemon, plus Eida’s Senrigan—a luxurious lineup—could surely defeat Isshiki and Kaguya!
No need to linger here fighting to the death.
As for captured Boruto? He wouldn’t die soon. With long-range surveillance, they could ambush to reclaim him.
With this in mind, Sasuke controlled Susano’o, flying back at full speed.
But at that moment...
Isshiki and Kaguya seemed to reach an agreement. Isshiki vanished again, charging at Sasuke.
Meanwhile, Kaguya forcibly activated her space-time ability, taking Toneri away.
*WHOOSH!*
Sasuke and Kabuto didn’t even have time to dodge before Isshiki appeared before them.
*BOOM!*
The giant perfect Susano’o was shattered by Isshiki’s kick, without resistance, as smooth as popping a water balloon.
In reality, Isshiki’s numbers and power were overwhelming.
Opponents below Six Paths level could be killed in one strike!
After shattering Susano’o, Isshiki swung another punch at Sasuke!
But Sasuke was kicked away by Kabuto from behind.
*BANG!*
Isshiki’s fist hit Kabuto, obliterating him instantly into countless droplets and slime.
"Uchiha Sasuke, die!"
Isshiki ignored Kabuto, continuing his assault on Sasuke, vowing to destroy him completely!
But at that moment, Kaguya returned!
And she brought her fully gathered colossal Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball!
Clearly, this Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball wasn’t meant for Toneri. Why would Kaguya waste so much chakra on an ordinary Toneri?
In Black Zetsu and Kaguya’s original plan, this Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball was reserved for Isshiki. After eliminating enemies like Sasuke, Momoshiki, and others, they’d use it to severely wound or bury Isshiki last.
Then Kaguya, Mama, would be the sole victor!
But now, plans changed. Had the Sage of the Six Paths given Naruto another cheat? This uncertain threat forced Black Zetsu to revise the plan again.
Persuading Mama to have Isshiki attack Sasuke, then seize the chance to ambush with the Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball!
That way, Isshiki, Sasuke, and Boruto—potentially Momoshiki—could all be wiped out in one sweep!
Wasn’t that beautiful?
In the end, even if only Six Paths Naruto remained, without sealing techniques, Kaguya and Black Zetsu wouldn’t fear him.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Seeing Kaguya and the Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball appear nearby, Isshiki froze, subconsciously halting his pursuit of Sasuke.
He stared at Kaguya with suspicion until the Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball activated and exploded.
Extreme horror and rage engulfed Isshiki.
"Kaguya! You damned***&...%*&%%——!"
Isshiki’s roars were drowned out.
The giant pitch-black Truth-Seeking Ball’s core suddenly expanded and detonated, with circling electric currents and momentary silence. Even the explosion’s sound was swallowed by the cataclysmic destruction.
*BOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!*
Blinding white light erupted, swallowing mountains, melting metal, eroding iron—contours of everything vanished.
Shockwaves spread like a colossal apocalyptic wheel, flattening the earth. The crust groaned, torn into chasms. Giant dust pillars pierced clouds, blotting out the sky, annihilating everything.
The impact’s range was immense!
Far greater than before!
Not just Konoha’s ruins but tens of thousands of meters around were consumed and erased, reduced to apocalyptic scorched earth.
This was because the Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball focused on destructive power, not explosion range like a Bijū Bomb.
Otherwise, its coverage would’ve been exponentially larger...
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
The explosion’s rumbling echoed endlessly.
After it ended, all air in the range was decomposed, forming a vast vacuum.
Then, hundreds of billions of tons of surrounding air rushed in, forming visible tornadoes in the blast zone, converging into a giant suction vortex, like an abyss swallowing everything nearby, evoking terror.
Kaguya hovered tens of thousands of meters high, overseeing the blast site.
Before the Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball detonated, she’d opened a Yomi Hirasaka gate, escaping the blast range.
Honestly, this was her first time unleashing an Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball attack, and its power shocked even her.
And this was an incomplete version.
A complete one could likely destroy the Fire Country’s entire landmass in one blast.
Blame her past softness, reluctance to kill Hagoromo and Hamura—otherwise, one Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball blast would’ve left nothing...
"Mother, can you still sense their chakra auras?"
"All gone!"
"Good, good, good, it’s all over! We’ve finally won!"
Black Zetsu grinned proudly.
What Isshiki, Momoshiki, Sasuke—didn’t they all fall to Mother’s wisdom and power?
Though it was a pity not to absorb their chakra, Mother’s safety came first.
In the end, only Naruto remained—no cause for concern!
"What’s next?"
"Wait for the storm to subside, then we’ll check."
"Alright."
Black Zetsu was cautious, unwilling to give Isshiki a chance to revive.
By his calculations, Isshiki’s temporary host body couldn’t possibly withstand the Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball’s annihilation.
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At the blast’s center, on glowing red apocalyptic scorched earth, all signs of life had vanished.
Even the Hokage head statues, standing firm until then, had melted. The site held only a massive crater nearly a thousand meters deep and tens of thousands wide.
In the crater’s center, a writhing, grotesque flesh lump showed tenacious vitality.
Soon, the flesh expanded, grew, and repaired, gradually regenerating into Isshiki’s head!
Clearly, this Ōtsutsuki Endurance King hadn’t died completely.
Under the Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball’s properties, all matter should be annihilated, even Isshiki shouldn’t survive.
But Isshiki was different—he’d consumed a growing Ten-Tails.
With the sealing vessel’s super defense and the Ten-Tails’ potent regeneration, he stubbornly endured, preserving a flesh fragment and barely surviving.
"Aaaah~"
Isshiki regenerated his head and body, groaning in agony.
Pain, excruciating pain!
This time, he nearly died.
Worse than when Sasuke gravely wounded him last time!
"Bastard!"
"Kaguya! She attacked me again!"
"That was an Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball prepared long ago—she planned to silence me from the start!"
"And Black Zetsu, that beast!"
"Damn it, driving me mad!"
"And my resurrection vessel!"
"Boruto, my resurrection hope, gone too..."
"Damn damn! I must kill that beast Black Zetsu—it must’ve incited Kaguya!!!"
Isshiki’s rage made him fume, never so eager to kill Black Zetsu.
But compared to his injuries, he grieved more for Boruto’s loss!
His hard-won second vessel, reduced to ash by the blast...
This feeling of soaring to heaven then plummeting to hell.
It truly made Isshiki ’overjoyed,’ in the negative sense...
He should’ve taken Boruto to his personal dimension first, but Kaguya’s presence prevented him from using spatial abilities.
Unconsciously, he brought Boruto to attack Sasuke.
As a result, when Kaguya appeared and instantly detonated the Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball, he couldn’t send Boruto away.
Boruto was obliterated completely...
Furious Isshiki didn’t dare linger. Severely injured, if Kaguya attacked again, he’d surely die.
He had to escape now!
As Isshiki prepared to activate his space-time ability, nearby, a hundred meters away, an illusionary distortion flickered.
Two vanished figures gradually solidified, forming Sasuke and Boruto.
Boruto remained unconscious.
And Sasuke’s right Mangekyō Sharingan was completely blind and white...
Izanagi!
The Uchiha clan’s strongest forbidden technique once again showcased its extraordinary combat record.
Even against the Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball’s instant kill, it fully altered the reality of death, reviving Sasuke and Boruto...
However, if Sasuke used Izanagi alone, he could maintain invincibility for minutes.
But to reverse harmful reality and revive a teammate, Izanagi had only one use, blinding the eye afterward...
"Y-you?"
"How aren’t you dead? How aren’t you dead?!!!"
Isshiki stared at the revived Sasuke and Boruto, eyes bulging.
He couldn’t comprehend.
He nearly died to the Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball—how did these frail human ninjas survive?
What ability was this? What jutsu?
This forbidden dōjutsu, created in the ninja world, still gave Ōtsutsuki a slight shock.
But after the shock, Isshiki was ecstatic.
"Hahaha!"
"Not dead is good, not dead is good!"
"I can still resurrect!"
"Uzumaki Boruto is mine! He’s mine!"
He thought Boruto’s vessel was destroyed, but now it was revived—a clear boon for Isshiki, thrilling him.
As long as he reclaimed Boruto, his resurrection plan could continue.
After perfect resurrection, Naruto, Kaguya—he’d crush and torture them all to death!
Isshiki’s legs hadn’t fully regenerated; his injuries were too severe. Despite the Ten-Tails’ regeneration, recovery was slow.
But he couldn’t wait, flying at Sasuke, ready to finish him and seize Boruto!
Sasuke’s eyes were blind, unable to see Isshiki, but he sensed his movements.
Even a world-destroying move like the Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball couldn’t fully kill Isshiki, leaving Sasuke nearly despairing. He could only use his remaining strength, holding Boruto and retreating.
But in less than two seconds, Isshiki caught up, slicing off Sasuke’s right arm in one strike, seizing Boruto, and pinning Sasuke to the ground with black rods.
"Uchiha Sasuke, I acknowledge you!"
"As the only human to defeat me, you’re far stronger than trash like Momoshiki and Urashiki."
"Unexpectedly, you left Boruto as a gift for me."
"Rest easy, I’ll give you a painless death!"
Isshiki held Boruto, with an arrogant, eerie victory smile, declaring his final triumph.
He deeply hated Sasuke.
But compared to Kaguya’s repeated attacks and trash like Momoshiki and Urashiki, this human ninja Sasuke was far more remarkable.
With a subordinate like him, the ninja world might’ve been destroyed long ago, not dragging on until now!
"Your terror won’t end here, Isshiki..."
Sasuke showed neither sorrow nor joy, knowing he’d completed his mission. Naruto would handle the rest!
"Shut up, die!"
Enraged by Sasuke’s cold taunt, Isshiki didn’t linger, swinging a punch at Sasuke’s head!
"Isshiki—Stop!!!"
At that moment, from the horizon, a loud roar echoed, but faster than the sound was a blinding golden flash.
*BOOM!*
Isshiki’s punch struck Sasuke, shattering him into a blood mist, the surrounding ground sinking deeper!
*WHOOSH!*
The terrifying golden light approached, making Isshiki’s scalp tingle with fear.
He knew Six Paths Naruto had arrived!
Isshiki didn’t dare hesitate, clutching Boruto, opening a space-time gate, charging through, and escaping to his personal dimension.
*BANG!*
The golden light tore through the storm and dust, arriving instantly.
But Isshiki and Boruto were gone, leaving only a nearly closed spatial rift.
Blood everywhere, and Sasuke’s shattered lower body.
"Sasukeeee!!!"
"No, don’t, you can’t die!!!"
Naruto rushed to Sasuke’s remains, wailing in agony, frantically injecting abundant Six Paths Yang chakra into the corpse.
Sadly, it had no effect.
They were mere humans, lacking immortal body traits, especially with his head and upper body destroyed.
Sasuke was truly dead, utterly unsavable by healing ninjutsu.
"Aaaah!!!"
Naruto roared in pain, a torment he’d never felt.
More agonizing than any moment in his life, the bone-piercing, soul-searing pain made his brain tremble!
Yet Naruto didn’t cry.
Not because his tears had dried, but because he knew it wasn’t time to weep!
"Isshiki!!!"
A cold, vengeful voice rang out. Naruto had never so purely craved to kill, to exact revenge.
He wrapped Sasuke’s remains in his cloak. Then he pulled out the Rinnegan Kabuto had given him—Sasuke’s final gift!
The next second, Naruto gouged out his left eye with one hand, replacing it with Sasuke’s six-tomoe Rinnegan.
Instantly, Six Paths chakra and the six-tomoe Rinnegan’s power fused perfectly, pushing the extreme form beyond the Six Paths Sage to its peak.
At the same time, Naruto’s cold, murderous gaze evolved further into a ruthless visage!