A Sage's Pursuit of Power

Asura and Indra are essentially the Sage of Six Paths' representatives in the ninja world.

For some reason, the Sage of Six Paths always divided the Six Paths power into Yin and Yang, passing it on to two individuals.

At the current stage, in theory, Asura and Indra should be Naruto and Sasuke.

However, with both Hashirama and Madara still present, the situation becomes much more interesting.

Based on certain details in the storyline and Aoba's own understanding, the so-called reincarnation of Asura and Indra is likely a legacy of two unique chakra types.

Whoever inherits this special chakra is the reincarnation of Asura or Indra.

Logically, this chakra should now belong to Sasuke and Naruto. However, since they are still young, their powers have likely not fully awakened yet.

Additionally, as the previous inheritors, Hashirama and Madara probably haven't completely lost their connection to that chakra either.

Even after being revived, they likely wouldn't be free from its influence.

However, traditionally, the Sage of Six Paths has never favored Indra. This likely means that his control over Indra's chakra is far weaker than over Asura's.

In the ninja world, this manifests as Madara never being able to truly defeat Hashirama, just as Sasuke can never surpass Naruto.

It's not that they can't win, it's that someone doesn't want them to win.

The Sage of Six Paths would rather watch Madara get schemed against and killed without offering a single hint to help him. By all logic, Madara is still his descendant.

Yet, he places all his hope in two young boys, Naruto and Sasuke.

Even after Aoba's interference, the storyline has changed beyond recognition. However, some things remain the same. For instance, Madara is still unaffected. The Sage of Six Paths' focus is still on Hashirama.

To be fair, Hashirama doesn't have the Mangekyō Sharingan or the Rinnegan. Yet, the pressure he exerts on Aoba is unprecedented.

In the original story, Hashirama never displayed much in terms of basic ninja skills. This is mainly because whenever he made a move, 99% of regular ninja abilities became meaningless.

But that doesn't mean he lacked those abilities.

Take the Wood Dragon Technique just now, for example.

Not only did it interrupt Konoha's siege on Obito, but it also forced all the Konoha ninja to retreat, without injuring a single one of them.

Such precise chakra control is beyond what ordinary ninjas can achieve.

Aoba, of course, wouldn't just stand by and let Hashirama take Obito away. Even though he knew the chances of keeping Obito here today were slim, he had long wanted to battle Hashirama.

"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!"

Seeing that Aoba had no intention of backing down, Hashirama immediately used Wood Release, transforming the entire battlefield into a vast sea of trees.

The sheer scale of this battle was overwhelming, even Kakashi couldn't withstand it and had to keep retreating.

Though Kamui was powerful, it was suited for one-on-one fights, small-scale battles, or escaping. It couldn't deal large-scale damage, and even if it could, the chakra consumption was too high. His chakra cloak wouldn't last.

In the blink of an eye, Konoha's carefully laid trap was completely shattered by Hashirama. However, Aoba did not give up. Instead, he charged forward in his "mecha," cutting through the advancing Wood Release with a single slash of his katana.

"Come on, let me see what the legendary God of Shinobi is truly capable of."

As Aoba spoke, he activated Sage Mode. Sage Chakra fused with his Susanoo, creating an even stronger state.

Seeing this, Hashirama's expression grew solemn.

Back then, he had been able to defeat Madara mainly because of his advantage in Sage Mode.

But this time, his opponent also had Sage Mode, and was not weaker than him.

After a moment of hesitation, Hashirama activated his own Sage Mode.

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Currently on Chapter 328 - Ōnoki