(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
****************
The nine-tailed beasts were all brought to life through the Yin-Yang Release technique of the Sage of Six Paths.
For them, the Sage of Six Paths was akin to a fatherly figure.
"Kurama, Gyūki, Chōmei..."
The Sage of Six Paths called the names of the tailed beasts one by one.
Every time a name was called, the corresponding tailed beast responded.
Even Shukaku, usually the most violent, became unusually docile.
"Lend me your power. The world needs you," the Sage said calmly, asking for their chakra to create an alternative Gedo Statue with his body and return to his peak.
Without hesitation, the tailed beasts agreed, and several pillars of light connected them to the Sage.
Suddenly, the once-ethereal body of the Sage of Six Paths became solid.
Noticing the change, Colt raised his hands.
Two Planetary Spiral Shuriken emitted a piercing sound, and the sharp aura seemed to tear through space.
"Hold on!" the Sage of Six Paths said again.
"Please allow me to make more preparations."
Colt's brow twitched in annoyance, black lines forming on his forehead.
'Why is this old man dragging things out so much?'
Despite his frustration, Colt resisted the urge to attack, wanting to see what the Sage had up his sleeve.
After absorbing the tailed beasts' chakra, the Sage moved quickly, and soon the two landed at the Valley of the End.
The tailed beasts had handed over nearly all their chakra to the Sage, leaving them barely able to maintain their forms.
They did not follow.
"Old man, why did you bring me to this place?" Colt asked, frowning.
He couldn't understand the purpose behind it.
The Valley of the End was a historically significant location—where Uchiha Madara had fought Senju Hashirama, and where Naruto and Sasuke later battled.
Now, the Sage of Six Paths had brought him here.
'Could it be destiny?'
The Sage of Six Paths smiled faintly, forming a Summoning seal with his hands.
"Your Sage Mode is strong, but in my current state, I can't enter the Sage Mode on my own. I need the help of an old friend."
Hearing this, Colt realized what he was planning.
"Summoning Technique!"
A huge old toad appeared in their field of vision, surrounded by smoke.
"Hagoromo? I didn't expect to see you once again," the massive toad said, surprise thick in its tone.
"Gamamaru, it's been a thousand years. You've grown old," the Sage said, his voice carrying a sense of nostalgia.
When they first met, Gamamaru was an ugly, yet endearing, newborn toad.
Now, his aging appearance and size carried the weight of time with it.
The two didn't exchange many words, just brief pleasantries, before the Sage of Six Paths explained his purpose.
Gamamaru turned his gaze toward Colt, his already narrow eyes narrowing further.
'The boy who had appeared in the prophecy, with powerful eyes...'
Colt, in turn, observed the toad who seemed to be the biggest orchestrator behind the scenes.
Mount Myōboku had always been driven by a strong sense of purpose.
Whether it was the Sage of Six Paths or Jiraiya, Mount Myōboku guided their destinies.
"You seem to have a deep hostility toward me," Gamamaru said suddenly.
Mount Myōboku's senjutsu carried a deep sense of intuition.
Colt nodded, then shook his head.
"It's not hostility. I just feel like I should keep my distance from a gloomy toad like you."
"After all, most things in this world were a result of your 'guiding'"
"Even a son, sealing his own mother...!"
Colt didn't hide his attitude in the slightest.
Gamamaru sighed heavily as if even this brief exchange had taken a toll on him.
Then he spoke again: "Some things are decided by fate."
'Fate?'
"What do you think my fate is, then?" Colt snorted.
Fate might exist, but since he had come to this world, all predestined outcomes would be nullified.
Gamamaru closed his eyes, pondering for a moment, his large, round head reflecting the weight of his thoughts.
"I can't see your fate, but... a being like you was never meant to exist in this world."
Colt grinned.
"I'll consider that a compliment. But don't expect mercy from me."
"Gloomy toad, don't blame me when you die."
The atmosphere grew tense as if the air had frozen.
Gamamaru hopped a distance away and assumed a strange sitting posture.
A large surge of sage chakra began to rise, and a blue curtain of light fell over the Sage of Six Paths, causing his Haori to flutter.
Colt moved swiftly, condensing two lightning spears and hurling them at the Sage of Six Paths.
A wall of light appeared out of thin air.
With a simple swing of his staff, the Sage of Six Paths condensed the sage chakra into an absolute defense, blocking the spears completely.
In an instant, his body appeared behind Colt, undeterred.
His hand reached for Colt's head.
Swish!
An afterimage was pierced, and Colt was already in the air, two pairs of light wings glowing behind him.
Sage Mode, Phase 2!
Colt's palm pressed down slowly, like swatting a fly, and the water surface in the Valley of the End sank, leaving a massive handprint in the world below.
Bang!
The Sage of Six Paths' pupils shrank as he unleashed Shinra Tensei.
A powerful repulsion pushed against Colt's attack, but the barrier held for less than a second before it shattered.
The Sage was sent crashing into the bottom of the lake.
"I've been itching to beat the living shit out of you, old man!" Colt yelled, waving his hand.
The statues of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama crumbled into mere rocks!
When the Sage of Six Paths reemerged from the lake, hundreds of lightning spears were already aimed at him.
Crash!
The lake water surged upward, forming a waterspout that shielded him from the barrage of lightning.
Colt dove from the sky, the powerful air currents creating a vacuum around him.
Blazing flames erupted from his fist as he delivered a punch that sent the Sage of Six Paths flying once more.
Rumble!
Water exploded around them, scattering into rain as their clash created massive craters in the Valley.
In the distance, Gamamaru continued to absorb sage chakra for the Sage of Six Paths.
The landscape around them transformed into ruins.
Compared to Colt, the Sage of Six Paths was lacking in both strength and chakra.
After a brief exchange, the Sage was struck in the head, sending him flying like a cannonball into the earth below.
"Susanoo!"
Even the Sage of Six Paths couldn't tolerate being beaten like this.
Anger rose within him.
'Doesn't this brat know not to hit people in the face?!'
A thousand-meter-tall Susanoo warrior stepped onto the battlefield, the Sage of Six Paths standing inside its crystal core, glaring at Colt with fury.
"What are you looking at? Tsk," Colt shouted.
"Ultimate Susanoo!"