Naruto: Drop System

"No way… For this generation's Asura reincarnation to have such power at his age is already practically unheard of in a thousand years. Are you telling me… this generation's Indra reincarnation has also grown up ahead of schedule?"

So thought Black Zetsu, utterly disbelieving.

Yet that intense aura, which only he and the Ōtsutsuki clan could sense, felt undeniable to Black Zetsu.

It wasn't coming from Yagyu; only when "those two" stood together did that invisible field manifest.

Before now, even when Yagyu stood with Uchiha Sasuke, Black Zetsu felt nothing. Because the gap between Yagyu and Sasuke was too huge, not even on the same dimension.

Black Zetsu was certain Yagyu was the Asura reincarnation for this generation but hadn't determined who was Indra's: Sasuke or Itachi, or maybe some wandering Uchiha out there. He even suspected there might be another Uchiha in exile more likely to be Indra's host.

Historically, the Asura and Indra incarnations never lagged too far behind each other. If one side was left trailing far behind, that meant the other couldn't be the reincarnation.

But after Sasuke slew Itachi—furthermore, he was Yagyu's peer—Black Zetsu mostly concluded Sasuke was Indra's reincarnation.

Hence he believed that Yagyu's extraordinary might sprang from his "special reincarnation"—even rarer than Hashirama.

Now, a fresh yet familiar aura had appeared, implying that the other sworn foe had caught up.

Recalling how Yagyu had taken Sasuke and Itachi's corpses, Black Zetsu guessed Sasuke might have integrated Itachi's Mangekyō, obtaining the Eternal Mangekyō in record time:

"Not so long ago, he fully awakened his Mangekyō… and in this short interval, he's already merged Itachi's ocular power with his own?! What infernal luck! Could it be Indra's Yin chakra at work? Or Hagoromo's hidden arrangement?"

Whichever it was, it put tremendous weight on Black Zetsu's mind. This era, after all, was the best chance in a thousand years. Missing it meant who knew how long until "Mother" could be resurrected. At this crucial juncture, two massive obstacles had emerged—enough to leave him deeply uneasy.

Thus, Black Zetsu once more used Yin–Yang Release to commune telepathically with White Zetsu, urging them to dispatch a clone to Orochimaru's underground base and goad him into swift action.

"So the battle resumes at last?"

Orochimaru hissed out his tongue, sneering eerily:

"In that case, let me lend you a hand."

He formed seals with both hands, slamming them to the ground as he proclaimed:

"Edo Tensei no Jutsu!"

All at once, hundreds of coffins erupted across the gloomy, rain-shrouded Land of Rain. Once the lids crashed to the ground, cracked bodies—animated by Edo Tensei—stepped forth.

Unlike Yagyu's "elite undead" whose eyes were blank and minds stripped, Orochimaru's reanimated corpses initially appeared dazed, but soon the characteristic "Edo Tensei eyes" lit up with intelligence.

"This is… the living world?!"

"Rain… so familiar… I've returned!"

"But I died… how am I alive again?"

"Wait—why is my body moving on its own?"

"That's Edo Tensei… is this Tobirama controlling us?"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

While these undead muttered questions, their bodies suddenly lurched beyond their control, flitting in black blurs out in all directions toward the various battlefronts of the Land of Rain. Along the way, they cried out in alarm. Only one presence, a corpse of low profile, was blank-eyed—stripped of awareness by Orochimaru. Their target battlefield: Konoha's front. Clearly Orochimaru had grown restless, ready to watch the conflict himself. He wished to see who was stronger—Pain with the Rinnegan or Yagyu with his Wood Release. Which legendary kekkei genkai would reign supreme?

But things didn't unfold as Orochimaru expected.

When the Edo Tensei army joined the fight, mixing among the White Zetsu forces as they clashed with Konoha, a separate area on that battlefield remained conspicuously avoided by both the living and the undead. There, a battle so astonishingly one-sided raged, it left spectators dumbfounded—an almost otherworldly class of combat with only eight participants: the Six Paths of Pain vs. Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. Yet far from an even match, the Paths found themselves at a stark disadvantage—outnumbering the enemy but on the brink of collapse.

"Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan!"

Naruto, cloaked in golden chakra mode, brandished a gigantic swirling sphere, smashing it down on the Preta Path that could absorb chakra. Through intelligence painstakingly deciphered from Jiraiya's notes, he knew every detail of Pain's six bodies. Among them, Tendo was strongest, but Preta Path (absorbing all ninjutsu) and Naraka Path (able to resurrect the others) were the biggest headaches. Finishing them meant crippling the Six Paths' flawless synergy.

Once you remove two from the formation, the "invincible wall" is incomplete. The remaining Four Paths would be far easier to handle.

Boosted by both Sage Mode and Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Naruto's physical attributes now eclipsed the Five Kage's, approaching the threshold below "Eight Gates Formation." Combined with his golden chakra cloak that could sprout arms to form Rasengan without clone help, Naruto could leap and quickly conjure an Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan—like dropping a small "sun" on Preta Path.

Facing the rapidly magnifying golden figure, the Preta Path was caught off-guard. Overconfident in his powers, he raised his hands to absorb Naruto's ninjutsu. If he touched Naruto, he might even drain all of Naruto's golden cloak in seconds. In fact, as the swirling orb neared, a translucent white barrier formed at the Preta Path's palms. The sphere struck it yet didn't destroy it, rapidly shrinking as if water draining from an inflated balloon.

"Amaterasu!"

Just then, Sasuke's voice rang out. In that moment, black flames materialized in the air around Preta Path and Naruto, curving around them both, then igniting the Preta Path from behind—turning him into a "black torch." Being just a corpse, he gave no scream of agony. But his clothes and flesh began to burn at a horrific rate. If he didn't snuff out the flame soon, he'd be charred entirely.

So the Preta Path freed one hand, continuing to absorb Naruto's Rasengan, while also absorbing the black flames licking his back.

Boom—crunch!

Right then, a massive golden arm extended from Naruto's body. Before Tendo Pain's Simulacrum Summon could use Banshō Ten'in to pull Naruto or the Preta Path away, that golden fist hammered directly into the Preta Path's face. With one hand lowered, the protective barrier vanished, leaving him no way to absorb the gilded blow. The energy blasted his face dead-on. But instead of sending him flying, a shockwave rippled from his face, fracturing bones audibly. Iron rods embedded in his body scattered like bullets. Preta Path's entire torso twisted grotesquely, crumpling to the ground and gouging a large crater. In a single punch, Naruto had "burst" the Preta Path. That was Naruto's current power.

In the original story, upon returning with newly learned Sage Mode, a single punch from Naruto had annihilated the Asura Path. Now that he had combined Sage Mode and Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, his strength bordered between "Kage pinnacle" and "super Kage gatekeeper." If he unlocked Kurama Mode next, or layered it over Sage Mode, he'd jump two levels to a true super Kage tier. Still, at present, "Tendo Pain's Six Paths" in a mere Simulacrum Summon was no match for Naruto. Only an Edo Tensei'd Nagato, unified as a single body bearing all Six Paths' power (thus restoring his youth and removing his disability), might be able to beat or restrain Naruto.

"Banshō Ten'in!"

"Shinra Tensei!"

Tendo Pain hadn't expected his foe to be Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchūriki instead of Yagyu, let alone for the Jinchūriki to be so absurdly strong. Already, Naruto had destroyed the two vital paths—Preta and Naraka—while Tendo Pain was left stunned at how swiftly Naruto's speed outstripped his reaction. Desperate, he exerted gravity to drag Preta's corpse and the other Paths together, then converted attraction to repulsion, flinging Naruto and Sasuke away like a hurricane.

Slap!

In the next moment, Tendo Pain brought his palms together and then spread them apart, forming a black energy sphere:

"Chibaku Tensei!"

He tossed the black sphere skyward, unleashing his strongest technique aside from "Super Shinra Tensei." Boom, boom… Overwhelming gravity enveloped the land, causing violent quakes. With a crack, crack, chunks of rock tore free from the ground, floating skyward. Soon, that swirling black orb was swathed in boulders, forming a huge asteroid.

Whoosh—boom!

Yet before it fully coalesced, a piercing noise shook the entire battlefield. A purple beam shot into the sky like a meteor, tinted with dark highlights, crashing into the forming asteroid. In a flash, it exploded into a hail of rubble. Some chunks were even licked by black flames, turning into fiery rain. Every shinobi and White Zetsu clone far from that battleground felt relief at being out of range. The Edo Tensei troops under Orochimaru's control, and the stronger nin present, gazed on in awe.

They focused on the half-formed purple giant responsible for the projectile. That arrow had smashed the asteroid. Those without knowledge of this ninjutsu stared blankly, while the more experienced recognized it as Susano'o—Uchiha's legendary power. They hardly dreamed they'd witness the "godlike might that ensures whosoever sees it must die." Yet some jōnin who had once witnessed Yagyu's Wood Release were rather puzzled. This was the power with which Madara once rivaled the First Hokage? Its size was intimidating, sure. But compared to Yagyu's Wood Release, it appeared unimpressive. Perhaps this was still an incomplete Susano'o?

"So that's Susano'o?"

Tendo Pain blinked in disbelief that his Chibaku Tensei had been so easily canceled.

Boom!

While Tendo Pain stood stunned, Naruto had already closed in on the Naraka Path. He punched again, albeit Naraka Path managed to jerk his head to the side—but the next second, half his face caved in. Another shockwave popped out his iron rods. That blow happened to be Naruto's "Frog Kata" from Mt. Myōboku.

"Amaterasu!"

Seeing Naruto had dispatched the two biggest headaches—Preta and Naraka—Sasuke released another surge of ocular might, conjuring black flames to form a towering ring of fire, a barrier over ten or twenty meters tall, completely sealing off the Six Paths' escape.

"Sage Art: Wind Release—Rasenshuriken!"

No more worry of ninjutsu absorption or resurrection, so Naruto readied his strongest move. Four golden chakra arms emerged, instantly shaping four giant swirling spheres that howled through the air toward the remaining Paths. Realizing those orbs—and glimpsing the looming purple "wargod" behind them—Tendo Pain slowly lowered his raised hand, abandoning thoughts of Shinra Tensei. He let the orbs swallow them whole.

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