These were all contingencies you left behind using Inorganic Reincarnation—turning a fragment of your soul along with some of your bloodline-infused flesh into stone, then cloaking it completely with the power of the Void Rule.

As expected, without a physical body, the Sage of Six Paths' power can barely manifest in the real world unless anchored to something like "Naruto."

Your avatar managed to escape capture, and after your main body fell, it awoke.

Feeding off the scattered chakra and natural energy on the battlefield, your inorganic body gradually reverted to flesh.

Then, your cells began to rapidly divide, regenerating a new body. You opened your golden, slit-pupiled eyes and examined it.

"Heh... so weak."

Though your death gave you deeper insight into the Void Rule, all it did was make it easier to use.

This rule power still hasn't been tempered into your body, nor has it fused with your soul—let alone met the conditions necessary to merge with a divine persona...

And now, this newly reborn body feels utterly fragile.

It holds no trace of the Sharingan, nor even a sliver of the Tenseigan's power.

Even the perfected mastery of the Fire Rule and the Death Rule you once fused into your flesh—gone, detonated along with your divine persona!

Now, what you have left is a portion of the dragon bloodline, some remains of the Shikotsumyaku, and a bit of life-saving Wood Release.

And because this is merely a soul fragment, your spiritual strength is at rock bottom...

The only thing worth noting—is that divine tree seed.

Lying naked against the ground, you petrify your body's surface to remain hidden, silently observing the "Naruto" in the distance.

The same "Naruto" your main body once obliterated using the power of the Dragon Vein… now fully revived again, thanks to the power of his Taiji Rule and the intervention of the Sage of Six Paths.

Not only that, he even absorbed the energy of the Dragon Vein and made it his own.

At this point, his power has reached the absolute limit of what a mortal can achieve. Among demigods, he's terrifying. Even your true self, before sublimating your authority into godhood, never had such might.

Yet... "Naruto" seems bizarrely unresponsive—motionless, completely unaware of his surroundings.

His power fluctuates wildly, as if something unimaginable is brewing within.

Just looking at him stirs a burning restlessness in your heart, like fire flickering through your veins.

As the Sage of Six Paths once said… this is a fruit on the verge of ripening!

Eat him!!!

The thought alone is enough to make you lose control.

Clutching the red-and-white divine tree seed in your palm, you slither silently across the ground like a snake, pressing yourself low to avoid alerting the entranced "Naruto."

One kilometer... one hundred meters... ten meters... one meter—now!

You erupt from your hiding place, pouring every last trace of chakra and natural energy into the divine tree seed.

At the same time, your right hand morphs into a bone dragon claw and plunges into Naruto's back.

Splurt!

Wood Release: Piercing Technique!

The divine tree seed lives up to its name—even after burning your bloodline power to its limit, you could barely pierce Naruto's back...

But once catalyzed by the Piercing Technique, the seed sprouted—and the first spike it produced effortlessly skewered his body.

The divine tree's main root split into two branches:

One jabbed straight into his heart.

The other surged upward through his neck—piercing his very soul!

The remaining tendrils quickly spread through his blood vessels and chakra pathways, rooting across Naruto's entire body in an instant—greedily devouring every ounce of power within him, whether divine rule energy or chakra!

No wonder it could root itself atop the Dragon Vein and consume it.

Turning a human into a fruit is child's play.

You collapse onto a pile of shattered rocks, clutching your sunken chest—after the sneak attack, Naruto still struck back, landing a blow that left you paralyzed.

But you watched... as the divine tree's trunk burst from his chest.

Upon contact with the sky's mingled sunlight and moonlight, it grew at terrifying speed—

In the blink of an eye, it passed through its entire lifecycle: sprouting, branching, blossoming, and fruiting.

And when it was done, as the sun rose, the divine tree instantly withered—its leaves shriveling into a dried stump.

At its peak hung a plump, gleaming fruit, black and white hues swirling around each other—irresistibly alluring.

This... is the divine tree fruit containing everything—everything—of Indra and Asura.

If you can eat it... you can rebuild yourself. Be reborn.

And gain a power and talent surpassing even before!

You beckon. Activating the imprint you left within the divine tree seed long ago, the fruit detaches naturally from the branch and floats down slowly...

Just as you're about to touch it—

"No!"

The Sage of Six Paths' furious voice booms from the sky.

A massive translucent hand extends from the Pure Land, reaching to seize the fruit.

But just then—

A green beam of light bursts from the earth beneath the ninja world and intercepts the hand midair.

It's the Slug Sage, guardian of the Dragon Vein.

The Slug Sage would never allow anyone to take a piece of the Dragon Vein away from the ninja world.

Since "Naruto" absorbed its power, the fruit is now under her domain!

But how could the Sage of Six Paths tolerate the fruit of his millennium-long plan—key to rebuilding his body and forging the future—fall into another's hands?

The two clash directly, and the shockwave alone sends shinobi across the world sprawling.

The blazing sun above wobbles, and the entire star system is shaken!

Though the Sage of Six Paths far surpasses the Slug Sage in power, both exist on the same transcendent level.

And since he lacks a physical body, the Sage cannot descend fully into the world—so their struggle is at a stalemate for now.

Both carefully keep their battle outside the ninja world—after all, this is the only life-bearing planet in the system. Their foundation.

...

While they fight, you cradle the divine fruit to your chest—only now realizing its size.

It's massive—bigger than two or three basketballs combined.

How are you supposed to eat something like this, let alone refine the power within?

Maybe...

You glance skyward at the two figures locked in combat across the galaxy.

And suddenly... you feel tired.

A void stirs deep in your heart.

Even if you ate this fruit in your broken state… you could never reach their level.

"So be it. I'll just... take it away."

Annihilation.

With your decision made, you no longer desire anything from this world.

You unleash the Void Rule to its maximum, turning even the rule itself to nothingness.

From your body to your soul, an unfathomable emptiness begins to spread.

Your form vanishes completely—leaving not even a molecule, not even an atom.

Even your memory... in others' minds... is slowly fading away.

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Check out my new fanfic, Learning Ninjutsu in a Single Glance. For me personally, this is the kind of fanfic you read in a single breath, featuring an over-talented MC and packed with events. It's an enjoyable read where you don't need to overthink anything; you just keep going until the very end. You can find it by searching for the title.

Fanfic is finished on Patreon (324 chapters in total.)

Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)