Gamamaru swallowed all the words he was about to say.
His wide toad eyes bulged as he stared at the two figures who had suddenly appeared before him.
As fellow Sages from the Three Great Sage Regions, they were all far too familiar with one another.
And their relationship… wasn't exactly friendly.
What the hell were those two doing here?
Even more baffling—Funan had summoned them with his own summoning technique?
"Yo, old friend, long time no see!" said the White Snake Sage. It had been dozing peacefully just a moment ago, only to find itself suddenly brought here. But the moment it saw Gamamaru, its eyes lit up.
"Hehehe! … Uchiha Funan, is this your gift to me?" The White Snake Sage's eyes gleamed as it grinned at the Great Toad Sage. "If so, then I thank you!"
"Heh." Funan gave a faint smile and said, "I'm in the middle of a battle with Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo. He summoned Gamamaru to help him, so I figured I'd call in the two of you."
"Oh?"
The White Snake Sage smiled with satisfaction.
That single line contained a lot of useful information.
Hagoromo had summoned Gamamaru first.
Which meant that, at the very least, he was at a disadvantage in his fight against Uchiha Funan.
Gamamaru had always had close ties with the Sage of Six Paths, and the White Snake Sage had lived in that same era.
It didn't exactly fear the Six Paths Sage.
And it already had a good sense of Uchiha Funan's strength.
If even the Sage of Six Paths was being suppressed by Funan, then there was no more room for hesitation.
Sooner or later, it would have to choose a side.
The White Snake Sage stared coldly at Gamamaru.
The Slug Sage, however, looked a bit helpless. "Funan… I don't want to fight."
"Just this once," Funan said with a cheerful smile. "Slug Sage, if you don't step in now, do you really think that would be appropriate?"
"…Fine," the Slug Sage replied reluctantly. "Once we're done dealing with Gamamaru, I'm leaving."
"Deal."
With that, both Sages turned their eyes toward Gamamaru.
The Great Toad Sage sighed inwardly.
"Fuuuh..."
The White Snake Sage took a long drag from its pipe, then blew smoke directly into Gamamaru's face.
"You damned overgrown worm! Are you looking to die?!"
A flash of murderous intent flickered through Gamamaru's eyes at the provocation.
"I am looking to die!" the White Snake Sage chuckled darkly. "Come on then, kill me already, you overgrown toad!"
Suddenly, the Sage of Six Paths spoke up. "Have Ryūchi Cave and Shikkotsu Forest made their choice?"
"Oh?"
The White Snake Sage shot him a sideways glance and sneered. "Are you trying to threaten us now?"
"You both have many clansmen behind you," the Sage said calmly. "I don't think stepping into this fight is a wise decision. Don't you agree?"
"Heheheh…"
The White Snake Sage grinned, turning back toward Gamamaru. "Hey, old toad—you heard that, right? Even if you won't think for yourself, at least consider Mount Myōboku. Is standing with Hagoromo really the best move?"
The Sage of Six Paths' expression darkened.
"Enough talking," the Slug Sage cut in coldly. "Let's end this quickly. I still need to get back."
[Splurt!]
Just as the words fell, a torrent of corrosive fluid sprayed forth from its mouth, raining down like acidic drizzle.
But the Great Toad Sage moved with surprising speed for his age.
[Whoosh!]
He suddenly shot forward, wielding his massive broadsword, dodging all the acid and charging straight at the Slug Sage.
But—!
Someone was even faster than him.
The White Snake Sage.
In a blink, it moved across the battlefield like lightning, trailing a faint blur as its body zipped forward with explosive speed.
[Boom!]
With a dull thud, the Great Toad Sage was sent flying.
Still midair, he opened his mouth and unleashed waves of fire, engulfing the White Snake Sage in a blazing inferno.
But the serpent was already shedding its skin, slipping out of the flames unharmed.
The Slug Sage launched another attack.
And just like that, the three Sages—masters of the Three Great Sage Regions—were locked in all-out battle.
As the three Sages clashed violently, Funan spared them only a brief glance before continuing his confrontation with the Sage of Six Paths.
"I don't get it," he said. "What was the point of summoning Gamamaru? Do you seriously think he could help you?"
"Hmph." The Sage let out a cold snort. "Don't underestimate him. Gamamaru is far from weak. I just didn't expect… that you had ties to the other two sage regions as well."
"You're wrong," Funan said with a faint smile. "It's not just two. I've made connections with all three. Gamamaru chose you. The other two Sages chose me."
"Then they've made a grave mistake."
"Mistake?" Funan gave a light laugh, unconcerned.
[Boom!]
Another heavy blow landed.
The Sage of Six Paths stumbled backward, gasping for breath.
The two of them had been locked in a relentless clash, constantly pushing to drain each other's strength.
It had only been a few days—but it was somehow even more exhausting than the months-long battle against Kaguya had been.
"Uchiha Funan… there's still a way out," the Sage said suddenly. "If you retreat now, you can rule the shinobi world. I'll keep control of the Pure Land. We won't interfere with each other."
"Wow… you really don't give up."
Funan scoffed. "Even now, you're still holding onto those kinds of fantasies. I honestly don't know what to say to you—or whether I should just insult you outright."
Was that a surrender?
A retreat?
Whatever it was, Funan wasn't going to take the bait.
He knew exactly what kind of person the Sage was.
This man had plotted against him countless times already.
[Bang!]
Funan, cloaked in his Susanoo, swatted Hamura aside with a casual backhand. Then he locked eyes with the Sage of Six Paths and said slowly, "Sage… this battle has dragged on long enough. Don't you think it's time we brought it to an end?"
The Sage nodded solemnly. "Indeed. It's time."
[Buzz…]
A subtle shift flashed in the Sage's eyes—his Rinnegan now lined with a growing number of tomoe.
Funan gripped his longsword tightly.
From the center of his brow, a vertical slit slowly opened, revealing a single eye.
The Sage stared at him, murmuring, "It's almost like looking at a pure-blooded Ōtsutsuki…"
"Ōtsutsuki?" Funan let out a quiet laugh and replied flatly, "What are they to me? I am of the Uchiha clan. Uchiha Funan—King of the Uchiha!"
The Sage responded coldly, "The Uchiha bloodline originates from the Ōtsutsuki."
"Then let me make one thing clear."
Funan pointed directly at the Sage, his tone sharp and biting.
"Even if our bloodline traces back to the Ōtsutsuki—that doesn't mean the Uchiha can't surpass them."
Funan lifted his greatsword.
An endless surge of chakra poured into it.
Within moments, the blade was wrapped in a burning crimson aura.
The Sage, too, powered up—his own sword now marked with tomoe along the length of its edge.
The next moment they both launched an attack, and the moment both blades struck, an immense shock wave was produced.
[RUMBLE!!!]
The Sage's Susanoo was filled with cracks.
His whole body was sent flying.
[Slash!]
Funan roared, unleashing six massive swords with his six arms—all came slashing down.
[Boom!]
The Sage blocked them.
The impact sent the Sage flying into the air before he crashed back down onto the ground.
"Flea—your turn!"
Funan swung his sword backward and slashed upward.
His target—was none other than Hamura.
[Whoosh!]
Hamura was small in size, which made him incredibly fast. His Body Flicker Technique was nearly indistinguishable from Flying Thunder God.
"Fire Release—"
Hamura narrowly dodged the deadly flames, moving at high speed.
He needed to get away from Uchiha Funan!
That guy was lethal. He might just be a support attacker, but the real threat was still his elder brother, Hagoromo.
But—
This time, Uchiha Funan locked onto him like a madman, launching a frenzied onslaught.
Hamura instantly felt a splitting headache.
He even shouted, "Why aren't you fighting my brother?! Why are you targeting me?!"
The Sage, hearing this, could not help but have a gloomy expression.
Sure, it was true—but did you really have to say it out loud?
Funan only let out a cold laugh.
"I know. But you're like a flea—annoying as hell. I've decided to get rid of you first, then I'll focus fire on your big brother."
"You…"
Hamura panicked and cried out, "Big Brother!"
"I know!"
Suppressing the rising frustration in his chest, the Sage shouted back, launching an assault toward Funan.
"Little cutie, don't run!"
"Come, let big brother take good care of you!"
Funan's voice, like a ghost's whisper, sent chills down Hamura's spine.
Goosebumps rose all over his body.
Because he was scared!
Funan really wanted to kill him!
And he was about to succeed.
"Brother, help me!"
Hamura couldn't help but scream miserably.
His Body Flicker Technique was already decent, but in front of Uchiha Funan, it was completely useless.
His Body Flicker was practically like teleportation—with afterimages trailing behind.
Hamura was utterly trapped, with nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. All he could do was cry out to his beloved brother.
The Sage of the Six Paths, hearing that desperate cry, felt his heart clench, and he cursed silently several times.
Useless!
Truly useless!
Defenseless, he had to unleash a burst of chakra to stand before Funan.
Funan frowned slightly.
He had to admit, the chakra inside the Sage was truly immense.
Even after all this time, he still had that much left?
Funan had already consumed a fruit to replenish himself.
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