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The magic circle lit up, and with a "bang," white smoke enveloped the Box of Ultimate Bliss, which appeared at the center of the circle.
"Summoning Jutsu?" Izuna asked.
"Indeed, it's a Summoning Jutsu," Kaito explained. "The Summoning Jutsu passed down by Onmyoji doesn't require blood. It only needs a small sacrifice of soul energy to summon the target."
He manipulated Susanoo to pick up the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
"Of course, the target of the summoning must have a soul-bound contract with the caster."
"So this is your backup plan? It seems more convenient than the primary plan," Izuna said, his tone relaxed now that the problem was solved.
"Isn't it normal for a backup plan to be better than the primary one?" Kaito replied, surprised. "Otherwise, how could it be called a trump card?"
Susanoo placed the Box of Ultimate Bliss in front of Enma.
"Sophistry," Izuna scoffed.
"It's troublesome that we can't use Ryūmyaku's power here," Kaito sighed.
"Indeed, not all backup plans can become trump cards," Izuna understood his meaning.
"Of course, since it's called a trump card, there naturally won't be too many of them," Kaito retorted habitually.
"What are you going to do?" Izuna was more concerned about how to handle Enma.
"Of course, I'll use spiritual power directly," Kaito said. "But..."
"But what?" Izuna was worried that this operation wouldn't yield the desired results.
"...But I'll be exhausted!" Kaito's voice was full of reluctance. "I haven't used my full spiritual power in a long time. Honestly, the feeling of spiritual power depletion is not pleasant..."
"Get to work!!" Izuna shouted, cutting off his complaints.
"Alright, alright, this place is too cramped."
Kaito manipulated Susanoo to flap its wings and fly up from the steps, landing in the spacious hall.
"This is much better."
"Now then..." Susanoo knelt on one knee, its palms pressing against the ground. Kaito's voice still carried a hint of reluctance. "Let's get to work."
Blue spiritual light glowed beneath his palms, and luminous spiritual power surged from his hands, spreading out in two perfect arcs from left and right.
Then, the spiritual power automatically drew more lines, patterns, symbols, and runes, rapidly spreading across the ground from beneath his palms.
Soon, a massive circular magic circle took shape.
"Done."
Susanoo stood up and flapped its wings, flying back up the steps.
"This is what you call exhausting?" Izuna couldn't help but complaints. "And if you have such a convenient way to set up the array, why did you always use a brush to draw it on the ground before?"
"Really, senior, you don't understand."
Susanoo walked up to Enma, picked it up, and slung it over its shoulder, then began descending the steps one by one.
"This time, it's just out of necessity. Setting up the array this way consumes too much spiritual power. Before, if there was a way to save spiritual power, why wouldn't I use it?"
Izuna didn't bother arguing with him. From his elevated vantage point, he could now clearly see the array in the hall.
"Is this... the Sun and Moon Diagram?"
"Correct."
Susanoo quickly descended the steps and placed Enma's body upright in the circular pattern representing the sun within the array.
"The body is yang, the soul is yin; the sun is yang, the moon is yin. To merge the power of the body and soul, we need to borrow the power of the sun and moon."
As he spoke, Susanoo took flight again, bringing the Box of Ultimate Bliss down and placing it on the crescent moon pattern. Then, it crouched and removed the four demon masks from the box, tossing them aside.
"Now, preparations are complete."
Susanoo clapped its hands and stepped out of the array.
"Are you ready?" A strange, elderly voice suddenly emerged from the darkness at the front of the hall.
"Who's there!" Kaito's heart tightened, and he instinctively guessed the identity of the newcomer.
"Hmm..."
The elderly voice chuckled, and the sound of footsteps mixed with the clinking of metal against stone gradually approached.
In the illusory space, Kaito spoke with grave seriousness: "This is bad. It's likely the Sage of Six Paths! And of all times, he shows up now!"
"Is he here to seize Enma's power?" Izuna also grew tense.
"I won't let him succeed!" Kaito gritted his teeth.
As he spoke, Susanoo formed hand seals.
*Boom!*
On the other side, the Box of Ultimate Bliss disappeared.
At the same time, a black staff had already reached Susanoo's forehead.
The Sage of Six Paths, clad in white robes, with horns on his head and holding a black staff, suddenly appeared in their field of vision.
Compared to the hundred-meter-tall Susanoo and Enma Daio, the Sage of Six Paths's figure was minuscule. However, Kaito's nerves were on edge, and he didn't dare let the staff touch Susanoo.
He manipulated Susanoo to dodge backward while rapidly shrinking in size.
In an instant, Susanoo shrank to the size of an ordinary person, putting distance between itself and the Sage of Six Paths.
The Sage of Six Paths didn't pursue. Instead, he stopped and hovered in the air, sitting cross-legged.
Susanoo also flapped its wings and hovered in the air on the other side.
"You teleported the Box of Ultimate Bliss away?" The Sage of Six Paths's voice was gentle, and his face bore a compassionate smile. "It seems you've made quite a few preparations, Uchiha Kaito."
"As expected of the legendary Sage of Six Paths. Nothing escapes your notice," Kaito, now calm, replied. "May I ask why you've come here?"
"Why ask when you already know?"
The Sage of Six Paths exuded an aura of compassion, looking at Susanoo as if it were a misbehaving child.
"Children, for the sake of the world's stability, Enma's power should return to the Pure Land, not remain in the hands of any individual."
"That's not necessarily true," Kaito's voice came through. "I, too, wish to save the world!"
The Sage of Six Paths shook his head.
"I won't force you. Think it over carefully."
In the illusory space, Kaito's voice rang out: "As expected, the Sage of Six Paths has been hiding in the Pure Land all along. It's highly likely that he's been trying to fully control the Pure Land all these years."
"So he will never give up Enma's power," Madara stated firmly.
"Indeed," Kaito sneered. "Before, he might not have had the means to fully purify Enma's dispersed power. But now, he's finally found the perfect opportunity."
"What do we do?" Izuna asked anxiously. They were facing the ancestor of all shinobi, and the pressure was immense.
"I was right to be wary of the Sage of Six Paths and his brother all along! No matter what, I won't let others reap the benefits of my hard work!!!" Kaito rambled on.
"Prepare for battle," Madara's voice remained steady. "Even if it's the legendary Sage of Six Paths, we can't retreat without a fight!"
"I'll leave the next part to you, Senior Madara," Kaito said, handing over control to Madara. "I need some time to prepare."
Kaito was well aware of his limitations. In his current state, without Ryūmyaku's power, fighting would put him at a disadvantage.
Letting Madara take control was the best option for now.
"Very well," Madara accepted readily.