24 Chapter 24: Dark Half, True Power

## Previously ##

Senshi reached out toward the light, and as soon as he touched it, everything around him turned black as he felt himself dragged into his mindscape.

## Now - Mindscape ##

Senshi woke up in his mindscape which this time had a waterfall in front of him and he was in a clearing surrounded by trees. Senshi got up and looked around, and then he looked at the waterfall to see someone come out of it. He gasped as he noticed that 'someone' was HIM. A perfect replica of Senshi himself. Senshi asked, "Wh-who are you?!", and the replica replied, "Don't you know?", and the replica opened his eyes, and Senshi gasped again. It was the Sharingan, but with red tomoe, black pupils, and red sclerae. The replica continued, "I am the representation of your fears, doubts, inhibitions and hate. I am your Dark Half.", and Senshi asked, "But why are you here?!" Dark Senshi chuckled before saying, "Oh, Senshi, you naïve fool. You tried to access that power. You have to beat me first to gain it." Real Senshi let out a guttural yell before charging toward Dark Senshi, Rasengan in hand. Dark Senshi mirrored it perfectly and the two met with Rasengans clashing, before an explosion from the spheres of chakra propelled them both away from each other. Both got up and charged at each other, clashing with their swords and forcing each other back. Both then charged up chakra in their blades before simultaneously shouting, "Buredo-Ha (Blade Wave)!", and sending sharp waves of chakra which cancelled out each other. Real Senshi and Dark Senshi simultaneously used chakra to split Fune into two different swords, and with two katanas in hand, both of them rushed and clashed with the blades before pushing each other away. Real Senshi then remembered his Sage Mode. Real Senshi fused the blades back into Fune, sheathed Fune, clapped his hands together, closed his eyes for a minute and entered Sage Mode. Feeling the new power rushing through him, he opened his eyes, now surrounded with black pigment and with toad-like irides, and then Real Senshi quickly weaved hand seals while shouting, "Bird -> Boar -> Horse -> Tiger! Sage Art: Scorch Style: Mosho no Funmu (Searing Heat Spray)!", before kneading scorch chakra in his lungs, infusing that chakra with natural energy, and spraying the fiery chakra concoction at Dark Senshi, who also entered Sage Mode and fired the same Scorch jutsu at Real Senshi. The two sprays of flame vied for dominance, and deciding to finish it quick, Dark Senshi activated his Mangekyo, closed his right eye and shouted, "Amaterasu!", and blood trickled from Dark Senshi's right eye, before black fire started consuming Real Senshi's flames. In reply, Real Senshi activated his Mangekyo, closed his left eye and shouted, "Kamui (Authority of The Gods)!", and a portal appeared and sucked up the flames. Both of them clutched their used eyes in pain as they deactivated their Mangekyo and Dark Senshi said, sounding smug, "You can't beat me. I know your moves and you know mine. It's a stalemate. There's no use, you can't beat me in a fight. I'm why you're strong in the first place." Real Senshi replied, "You're right.", causing Dark Senshi to become confused and go, "Wait, what?", and Real Senshi continued, "There's no way to beat you. But there's a peaceful way to all of this. You made me strong. I thank you for that." Dark Senshi then asked, "Then what is my purpose now?! WILL I JUST BE CAST ASIDE LIKE GARBAGE?!", and Dark Senshi charged, sword in hand, ready to cut Real Senshi in half. Senshi just softly said, "All you need to do..", and suddenly, Real Senshi stepped forward and hugged Dark Senshi, who flinched and in surprise, dropped the blade and gasped as Real Senshi said, "Is to let go. Anger only causes hate. Thank you for everything." Tears flowed down Dark Senshi's cheeks as he hugged Real Senshi back before turning into particles of light. Senshi then saw the sphere of light and he grabbed it, and then Hagoromo appeared before Senshi. Senshi stepped back in surprise before kneeling and saying solemnly, "Hagoromo-sama." Hagoromo replied, "Rise.", and Senshi rose, and then Hagoromo said, "Good job, Senshi. You have unlocked some of my power. You broke past your inhibitions and became stronger. You stopped violence with peace, like I have. You have shown you deserve this power. Do you accept it?", and Senshi replied, "Yes." Hagoromo then held Senshi's hand with the Yang Power, the palm open and facing up, before infusing his hand with Six Paths chakra and sending the Six Paths chakra into Senshi's Yang Power. Senshi felt even more power flow through him and transform him as a flash of blinding light as bright as a supernova came from the hand, and everything was engulfed in white.

## Real World ##

As Fukasaku watched Senshi meditating in Sage Mode, he thought to himself, "What is the boy doing? He's already in Sage Mode, so why is he meditating?", and then suddenly, a burst of chakra, power, and air pressure came from Senshi, so intense that Fukasaku felt it from down there. The old toad then watched in astonishment as Senshi's skin paled, and black and white robes with tomoe around the cuffs of the sleeves and the neck manifested, clothing Senshi, as long black gloves and boots appeared on Senshi's hands and feet and horn-like protusions manifested and came out of Senshi's forehead. Senshi opened his eyes and Fukasaku gasped, for Senshi's toad-like irides now had an extra slit in them and the pigment was gone, signifying a stronger form of Sage Mode. Senshi got up, still balancing on the board and stalagmite, before jumping and landing on the ground on one knee, and the impact of the drop created a crater under Senshi. Senshi got up, looked at his hands in astonishment, before looking at Fukasaku and asking, "What is this, Fukasaku-san?", and Fukasaku, awestruck, replied, "That is the Sage Mode.. of the Sage of Six Paths."