Sasuke firmly braced himself against the Thousand-Armed Buddha's palm, his eyes almost bleeding. He finally managed to repel the palm, but he was also forced back a thousand meters by the residual force.
After that single exchange, Sasuke was certain he was absolutely not a match for this Thousand-Armed Buddha. Moreover, his purpose for coming here was already fulfilled. Thus, taking advantage of his backward momentum, he fled towards the exit of the spatial secret realm at high speed.
"Gracious Deity Gates."
However, just as Sasuke was fleeing, a fierce wind suddenly surged above him. Lifting his eyelids slightly, he saw two Wooden Release Gracious Deity Gates appear abruptly above his head, smashing down furiously towards him.
"Lightning Release: Chidori Sharp Spear."
Sasuke clenched his teeth and controlled Susanoo to unleash the Lightning Release technique he was most proficient in. A lightning spear hundreds of meters long swung upwards, slicing the Gracious Deity Gates into four pieces.
But at this moment, the Thousand-Armed Buddha was already poised to strike. Its thousands of arms were clenched into fists, ready to swing at Sasuke and pound him into mincemeat at any moment.
"Damn it."
Sasuke felt the immense killing intent behind him. He looked at the space gate close at hand, gritted his teeth, and charged forward regardless of everything!
But how could the Thousand-Armed Buddha let him go so easily? The thousands of arms, like a steel storm carrying earth-shattering power, roared towards Sasuke.
"Boom!" The first fist smashed heavily onto the spot where Sasuke had just been. The massive impact made the entire spatial secret realm tremble. Sasuke narrowly dodged sideways, but more fists rained down on him densely.
The Thousand-Armed Buddha's fists were like ceaseless heavy hammers, smashing at Sasuke one after another. Each punch contained enough power to destroy a mountain peak. This barrage continued for a full ten minutes.
When the Thousand-Armed Buddha finally stopped, there was no trace of Sasuke left, only a trail of blood floating in the void.
...
On the small island, Sakura was still anxiously waiting for Sasuke's return. More than half an hour had passed since Sasuke entered the sea, but the sea surface remained calm.
Suddenly, the calm sea began to churn violently like boiling water. Huge bubbles constantly rose from the seabed, making gurgling sounds.
Immediately after, a massive black shadow rose rapidly from the depths. Before Sakura could react, the enormous Susanoo burst out of the sea without warning, carrying a large amount of seawater with it.
Susanoo traced an arc in the air and then crashed heavily onto the beach. With a loud "Boom!", a huge crater was smashed into the sand. The surrounding sand flew in all directions like startled birds. Sakura was knocked back several steps by the sudden shockwave, hurriedly covering her face with her arms to prevent sand from getting into her eyes.
After crashing onto the beach, the light of Susanoo gradually dimmed, and Sasuke's figure slowly appeared. He covered one eye with his hand, blood gushing out from between his fingers. The pain made it impossible for him to open his eyes.
"Sasuke-kun!"
Seeing that figure, Sakura's expression changed instantly, and she rushed forward to support him.
"Sakura, quickly notify Tsunade-sama. The Sage of Six Paths' cave dwelling is right here."
Sasuke struggled to spit out these words before fainting from exhaustion.
"Sasuke-kun!"
Sakura was startled and hurriedly used the Mystic Palm Technique to treat him. She couldn't imagine what Sasuke had encountered to be so heavily injured...
People outside the Skyscreen also couldn't imagine it. That man, whom they regarded as a god, had actually encountered an even more powerful Buddha and was defeated in an instant.
"Um, did I hear that correctly?"
"What he just said was..."
"The Sage of Six Paths?!"
"..."
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! The Sage of Six Paths is just a legendary figure; how could he leave behind a dōjō?!"
"Is it possible that the Sage of Six Paths really existed? After all, Uchiha Sasuke said that the Uchiha are descendants of the Sage of Six Paths."
"I don't believe it, I don't believe it, unless you make him come out and talk to me himself!"
"..."
...
**Outside the Akatsuki's Secret Base**
Black Zetsu, who was about to execute the mission assigned by Nagato, emerged halfway from the ground, looking at the Skyscreen with a gloomy expression.
"I didn't expect that traitor Hagoromo to leave behind such a thing. I must destroy it quickly. No one will hinder me from rescuing Mother."
Black Zetsu silently cursed the Sage of Six Paths in his heart, then submerged back into the ground, heading towards the sea.
...
**Iwagakure**
"Immediately dispatch personnel to the seaside to gather intelligence. Focus on searching for those uninhabited small islands, record their locations, and send the information back to the village!"
The Third Tsuchikage loudly issued orders to his subordinates. Although he couldn't determine if the content played on the Skyscreen was true or false, such an important matter could not be ignored.
The Sage of Six Paths' dōjō—it sounded like there were many good things inside. If it was true, then even if Iwagakure couldn't get them, they couldn't let others get them either!
...
**Konohagakure**
Namikaze Minato, who had just brought Uchiha Fugaku to the Hokage's office, immediately said after seeing the subsequent plot on the Skyscreen: "I will go invite Orochimaru-senpai."
He remembered Sasuke saying earlier that Orochimaru brought him to that island. This meant Orochimaru likely knew the specific location of that island.
The Third Hokage nodded. The existence of the Sage of Six Paths' dōjō in the Ninja World was simply shocking. They had to find its specific location as soon as possible and not let others get there first.
Compared to others, the Third Hokage trusted the Skyscreen more because what it showed hadn't exceeded his understanding. His teacher, the Second Hokage, had specifically taught him about the Uchiha clan's Mangekyō Sharingan and Susanoo. The two names that appeared in the Skyscreen, Orochimaru and Tsunade, were his disciples.
Even the Thousand-Armed Buddha... Although he hadn't seen the True Several Thousand Hands used by the First Hokage, he could recognize that the Thousand-Armed Buddha was created by Wood Release, which was within his scope of understanding. So far, his understanding and trust in the Skyscreen's content far exceeded that of others.
Although the Skyscreen didn't explicitly state many details, he could analyze them. For example, Sasuke addressed Tsunade very respectfully in the Skyscreen, and Orochimaru had led him in training. This indicated that the Sannin had returned to the village and held high status, capable of nurturing and earning the respect of an Uchiha genius.
The Third Hokage speculated that the Skyscreen was likely playing future content. Perhaps the Skyscreen wanted to tell them about major events that would happen in the future so they could prepare early.
Namikaze Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to leave again, leaving only the Third Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku, and Kushina in the office. However, Kushina had the foresight not to get involved in men's affairs and had already moved far away to watch the Skyscreen.
Uchiha Fugaku had kept a straight face since arriving. Ever since Susanoo appeared on the Skyscreen, he anticipated the village would have something to say. Sure enough, before he could even change his clothes, the Fourth Hokage appeared outside his house.
"Clan Head Uchiha, do you have any views on the Uchiha youth on the Skyscreen and the abilities he displayed?"
As expected, the moment the Fourth Hokage disappeared, the Third Hokage walked up to him smilingly and asked.
"Fake. Since Madara passed away, no one in our Uchiha clan has been able to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. Even the records regarding this part have been lost. The content on the Skyscreen must be fake."
Uchiha Fugaku said without changing his expression.
"It's good that you understand. However, Clan Head Uchiha should also urge and guide the ninjas within the clan to prevent them from being misled by rumors."
"Please rest assured, Hokage-sama. I will discipline them severely when I return."
...
**Orochimaru's Home**
Ever since his name appeared on the Skyscreen, Orochimaru knew the Hokage would definitely come looking for him. Sure enough, not long after, there was a knock on his door.
Orochimaru smiled lightly and opened the door, then his expression froze. He didn't expect Namikaze Minato to come personally.
"Orochimaru-senpai, I came to invite you to the Hokage Building to discuss matters. Is it convenient for you?"
Namikaze Minato asked in a gentle tone.
Orochimaru composed himself, then smiled and said, "Of course, no problem. However, let me state in advance, I don't know Uchiha Sasuke, nor do I know where that island is."