Back at the center of Ama-No-Hoka,
"What?"
Sasuke and Naruto warily stare at the thick pillar of dark purple energy. A chill runs through their spine as the beam merges with the wormhole.
"Such evil energy!"
"We must stop them!" Sasuke resolutely clenches his fist.
Chirp… chirp… chii…
Purple lightning flashes between his fingers.
"Lightning Release: Purple Lightning Chidori Sharp Spear,"
Sasuke condenses another lightning spear and discharges it toward Kusuna.
"Protect Aniki!"
Gitai jumps in front of the lightning spear and punches his demonic fists.
"Earth Release: Negative Metal Body"
A dark shade of brown charka with a tint of violet wraps his body and forms a coating of metal around his fists. He punches toward the incoming lightning spear.
Poof…
The lightning spear dissipates into a cloud of white smoke as Naruto emerges from the smoke.
"Eat this! Wind Release: Reverse Spiral Rasengan,"
Naruto throws the Rasengan towards Gitai.
"Haah!"
Naruto joins his palms to guide the Rasengan.
Swoosh…
The Rasengan circles around Gitai and flies towards Kusuna, who is in the middle of the summoning ritual.
BANG…
Gitai's fists land on Naruto.
Bleurgh…
Naruto coughs up a mouthful of saliva.
Poof…
"A shadow clone!"
Swish…
A lightning spear arrives beside the clone and pierces through Gitai's chest.
Splash… Thump…
A mix of purple and red blood splashes from Gitai's chest. He falls to the ground while clutching his chest.
"Hiding in the shadow!" Sasuke murmurs silently.
"NO!"
Setsuna and Shizuku leap towards the wind Rasengan to stop it.
"Wind Release: Demonic Dark Wind"
"Water Release: Negative Riptide"
Both of them attack simultaneously to counter the Wind Release Rasengan."
Fwoosh…
Both jutsus clashes and negate each other.
Huff… huff…
Setsuna and Shizuku breathe heavily. They have expanded a lot of negative chakras in such a short amount of time.
Heh…
Sasuke, who has fallen to the ground, smirks.
"It's not the end yet!"
"Something is not right! Where is that yellow-haired brat?" An uneasy feeling rushed into Setsuna's heart.
Rumble…
Naruto leaps out of the ground near a defenseless Kusuna.
"Eat this! Cho-Odama Rasengan!"
He smashes a big ball Rasengan into Kusuna's back.
Rumble… rumble…
The Rasengan drills into Kusuna's back and sends him flying.
Bleurgh…
Kusuna spits out a mouthful of blood and smashes it into nearby walls. He slides down the wall as purple fumes rise from his body, slowly healing him.
"Argh… NOOOO!!!"
He clenches his chest and ferociously stares at Naruto and Sasuke.
"You insects have foiled the great plan of his majesty. We will tear you to shreds."
The features of the Gang of Four turn more demonic as dark purple scales all over their body as they morph into the second stage of their Demonification.
"This is not good!"
Gulp…
Naruto gulps his saliva as he supports an exhausted Sasuke.
"Damn it! Why can they transform again?"
"Naruto erects the barrier given by Izuna Nii-san. It will buy us enough time for the rest of the group to arrive." Sasuke takes out a black scroll from his pocket.
Naruto takes out another white scroll from his pocket.
Swoosh…
Both scrolls unfurl into the air to reveal a kanji of "Heaven" and "Earth".
"Ying Yang Release: Heaven Earth Mystic Formation"
A silver barrier surrounds them.
Bang… Bang…
The Gang of Four violently punches and unleashes a barrage of jutsus on the barrier.
Rumble… rumble…
Ripples spread through the barrier, but it stands perfectly fine nonetheless.
"Wow! Amazing!"
Naruto stares at the barrier with awe.
"Izuna Nii-san's jutsu is incredible. I wonder when I will become as strong as him. I also want to learn this barrier jutsu, but Izuna Nii-san told me that I have no talent in Fuinjutsu." Naruto scratches his head in embarrassment.
"It's because you are dumb!" Sasuke rolls his eyes and eats some chakra pills to replenish his chakra.
"Earlier, what was that terrifying chakra? I still get goosebumps just thinking about it!" Sasuke warily stares at the giant scar in the sky and shakes his head in fear.
"It's a very powerful evil entity! The one that feeds on the emotions. Kurama told me this." Naruto raises his head and stares at the giant scar in the sky.
Aah…
Suddenly, his body freezes on the spot. The pupil in his eyes constricts.
"Ssss… Sasu… Sassuuke!"
Naruto points towards the sky with trembling fingers.
"Huh! What happened Naruto?"
Sasuke turns his gaze towards the direction pointed by a trembling Naruto.
"Aah…"
His legs turn to jelly. An overwhelming sense of extreme terror and helplessness spreads through his being.
A gigantic eye appears near the previously opened portal.
Naruto and Sasuke fall into a daze as they stare at the giant eye. Kusuna and the rest of the gang's four members tremble in pleasure and kneel towards the giant eye.
Swoosh…
A beam of dark violet chakra shoots out of the eye and lands on the barrier protecting Naruto and Sasuke.
Crack…
Numerous cracks slowly spread through the barrier as it slowly falls apart.
Snap… Snap…
The bracelet around Naruto and Sasuke's wrists shatters into pieces. Numerous Fuinjutsu seals spread across the barrier to stabilize it.
"AH!"
Naruto and Sasuke break out from their daze and immediately turn their eyes away.
"What… what a powerful genjutsu? I almost died!" Sasuke wipes the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Don't stare at that eye." Yang Kurama warns Naruto and Sasuke.
The giant eyeball flickers rapidly to reveal a hint of emotion. It turns its attention towards the kneeling Gang of Four.
Swoosh… swoosh…
Violet fumes rise from their bodies as the group screams in pain. Their bodies decrepit rapidly, revealing their dried muscles and bones. In a few seconds, even the bones turn into ashes as the eye extracts the snake-like sentient chakra from them.
The chakra snakes merge into one to form a grotesque-looking creature. Twisted horns grow out of its head. Rotting flesh and barbed bones jut from the body. The creature immediately grows into a gigantic abomination with demonic features of every gang's four members.
Roar…
It roars and spread opens its arms to reveal a pair of flesh wings.
Flap… flap…
The creature flies towards the gigantic portal and starts to attack it to expand its size.
--
Hmm…
While flying through the chaotic space of the Hole, Izuna stares at the various images produced by Genryū.
'So, these snake-like creatures are Abyssal larkers. They don't have a physical form, so they possess others and feed on their chakra and emotions to produce negative chakra. Once they have enough negative chakra, they overwhelm the mind of the host and modify it according to their needs.
To advance further into nightmares and dreads, they either devour each other or continue to feed on the surrounding negative chakra. Abyssal dreads have enough appetite to devour the negative chakra of the large-scale continent.'
"Damn! The resource Genryū mentioned is the people of this world. If I let them run amok, they will gobble these shinobi nations like a snack. No wonder that old man prophesied the doom of the entire world. Their hunger is not the scary part, the scary part is their ability to multiply by possessing others. People with weak wills will instantly turn into an Abyssal demon."
Izuna helplessly shakes his head.
"Also, there is that sealed centurion in the isolated space of HOLE. I don't even know how strong he is!"
Whoosh…
Izuna arrives in front of the crimson barrier surrounding the Hole. He takes out the hexagonal sealing talisman key. The talisman sticks to the barrier and expands rapidly to form a gate in the barrier.
Swoosh…
Izuna flies inside the barrier.
Hmm…
A wave of overwhelming negative chakra greets him. Izuna's eyes constrict as he stares at the gigantic portal in the sky.
Shiing…
His eye spins and changes into Rinnegan.
"That is…"
Izuna notices the gigantic eye behind the portal and a humanoid monster smashing the walls of the space around the portal.
"This aura! Mōryō is a joke compared to this aura." Izuna's expression turns serious.
"And also, that humanoid abomination is almost on the verge of an Abyssal dread. Looks like it's being controlled by that giant eye. Oh! It noticed me."
The pupil in the giant eye spins and turns towards Izuna.
Rumble… rumble…
The space around the portal shakes violently, as if the eye is trying to forcefully break through the space.
"It's pissed at me!"
Izuna touches his face.
"Is it jealous of my handsomeness?"
"…"
Genryū, Kurama, and even Sin roles their eyes.
"It must have sensed the danger from you and thus is trying to break through the seal." Genryū coughs slightly.
Izuna also senses the chakra of the rest of the people in the Hole. He notices the presence of Kakashi, Shisui, Itachi, and the rest of the group.
"Naruto and Sasuke are close to the eye. Fortunately, they are safe for now. If that dread attacked the barrier instead of the sealing space, then I might be attending their funeral a few months later." Izuna murmurs.
"No! Others would be attending my funeral together with them." Izuna peeks inside his body and stares at the almost ruptured state of the chakra system.
'The battle with Mōryō pushed the deadline even closer. But I have a feeling that I will get the solution to my problem in this place. It will be a disgrace to the god who gave me a second chance to just die like that.'
Izuna clenches his fist and flies towards the group.
Hmm…
"This strange chakra…"
Hmm…
"This strange chakra… I see! So that's the bloodline of that Miko. It sure has some strange abilities. Abilities to reincarnate into the past, peer into the future, clairvoyance, and now even the ability to control samsara to a certain extent. This Miko's bloodline is worth studying. Too bad I don't have an opportunity now."
Izuna senses the bloodline of Miina.
'She seems to possess a connection with this place. Or perhaps the other key to this prison lies in her bloodline.'
Izuna speculates while observing the group from afar. He arrives in front of the group.
Huh!
Kakashi, Shisui, and Itachi sense his presence.
"What are you doing here? Aren't you on a special mission in the Land of Sky?" Kakashi questions him.
"I completed that mission and now I am your reinforcement for this mission." Izuna shrugs his shoulder and continues to stare at Miina.
Miina turns towards Izuna and cutely waves her hand.
"Hello, big brother!"
She feels a sense of intimacy with Izuna.
"What a cute little girl!" Izuna gently pats her head.
"You are…"
Dokku stands in front of Miina, shielding her from Izuna.
"I am with them." Izuna points towards the Konoha group as Kakashi nods in affirmation.
He sends the villagers away and turns to the group.
"This village is trouble!" Kakashi sighs helplessly.
Kakashi gives a detailed report of the previous few days to Izuna.
"Hmm… It's as I expected. But let me add a few more things."
Izuna recounts his experience and speculations of the Land of Sky and Land of Demons while hiding information about the Sage of Six paths and Genyrū.
"If what you say is true, then Ama no Hoko can't fall in the hands of those demons. We have to either kill that sealed demon or reseal it." Asuma lights up a cigarette while shaking his head.
"What a pain!"
"But we need all those rods to reinstate the seal, and Kabuto stole most of them." Kurenai points out.
"We don't have to worry about the sound rods, since someone is here to deliver them for us."
Izuna's smirk turns towards the space a few patches away.
"Ain't I right Hachou Village chief or S-rank criminal Disonasu?"
"What?"
Kakashi and the rest carefully look around but are unable to sense even a single soul. Even Shisui and Itachi are unable to sense his presence despite their Sharingan.
"Haha… as expected of a shinobi who single-handily defeated Pain."
Disonasu magically appears in front of the group. He lowers his robe to reveal his face and several scars on his head.
"What?"
The identity of Disonasu shocks the rest of the group.
"I have heard about it from my Anbu days."
Kakashi reveals the information about Disonasu.
"Previously, he was a temporary member of Akatsuki. He joined the criminal group together with Orochimaru. However, later they had some disagreements with Pain. He teamed up with Orochimaru to battle Pain, only to suffer a defeat in his hands, and thus, as a result, he left Akatsuki just after two months of his recruitment."
"What?! He is that strong." Kurenai stares at Disonasu in shock.
"Haha… you young people flatter me!" Disonasu laughs heartily.
"Pain! That person… he is not a human… he is a god with such divine powers." He clenches his fists.
"I suffered a humiliating defeat under his hands and have to tuck my tail between my legs to save my life." Disonasu strokes the scars on his head.
"So, to combat the power of a god; you went to seek the power of a god." Izuna calmly walks toward him.
"Somehow, or should I say someone purposefully led you to the information regarding the sealed ancient weapon, Ama no Hoko.
Ten years ago, you sneaked into the Hachou village; killed the previous chief, and stole his identity for yourself. Well, working with Orochimaru had its perks. I wonder how much of a discount he gave to you for plastic surgery."
Izuna chuckles as Disonasu's expression turns slightly pale.
"You slowly studied the seal around the Hole in an attempt to break it privy to the horror behind it."
'Why is everyone related to Orochimaru a nutcase? Be it Hiroku, Yomi, or Shinnō.'
"Haha… you have quite a thorough intel on me." Disonasu has a twisted expression.
"But it's too late! I have already unsealed the power of Ama no Hoko. Now, my master will rule this world once again."
Snap… Snap…
Disonasu's body makes a crackling sound as a large amount of negative chakra pumps into his body. His body expands rapidly to reveal dark scales and fine-toned muscles.
Bang…
Disonasu slams his fists together and hungrily stares at Izuna.
"I sold my soul to the devil to get this power to seek revenge on Pain. Since you defeated him; I will kill you to prove my strength."
???
Question marks appear on Izuna's hand as he angrily spats at Disonasu.
"Oji-san, if you have a problem, then go and seek your revenge on Pain. Don't drag me into your vengeance."
"I will kill him after I deal with you. You are the only obstacle that stands in my lords' way."
Bang…
Disonasu punches Izuna. Izuna dodges the attack as Disonasu's punch leaves a crater on the ground.
The nearby villagers and members of Konoha 12 rush towards the commotion.
"He is… the village chief."
Shiseru recognizes Disonasu from his tattered clothes.
"He is someone else disguised as the village chief!" Kurenai warns them.
Haha…
DIEE!!
Disonasu pulls out the Onikiri blade from his clothes and swings it towards Izuna.
Clang…
Izuna blocks the blade with a kunai as the sword slices through it.
'This sword can slice through my chakra.' Izuna narrows his eyes and cautiously stares at the blade.
"That's… that's grandpa's sword!" Leo yells and points toward the blade in Disonasu's hands.
"Why do you have grandpa's sword? Return it to me." Leo rushes towards Disonasu, but Dokku grabs him.
Tears flow through the villager's eyes as they understand the truth about the previous massacre of the village.
"Asuma, Kurenai! Lead the Konoha 12 members and villagers out of this place. There is going to be a big battle here soon. I have opened an entrance in the barrier. Use it to get as far away as possible."
Tch…
Asuma clicks his tongue and nods his head.
"Alright! I will follow your orders."
"No one is going anywhere!"
The monster turns towards the villagers and pounces on them.
Bang…
Izuna punches him in the gut and sends him flying.
"Kakashi, Guy, Shisui, and Itachi! You four handle this big guy while I fetch Naruto and Sasuke."
"Big brother Izuna!" Miina's feeble but sharp voice rings in the somber atmosphere.
"Miina!" Izuna turns towards the little girl.
Tap…
Miina gently taps Izuna's head.
Swirl…
A faint purple light shines on his forehead.
"I see!"
Miina loses consciousness and falls to the ground. Izuna quickly catches her and passes her to Dokku. He gently pats her head.
"Big brother will take care of the rest!"
Whoosh…
Izuna quickly flickers in the direction of the sacrificial altar.
'I can't stop the emergence of the Centurion since the seal is already broken. But I can unseal Ama no Hoko to fight with him on equal grounds.'
Seven transparent rods appear in Izuna's hands.
'Through some means, Disonasu obtained the power of demons. I suspect it to be the work of that lunatic Shinnō. From the information I got from Kakashi and the rest, he stole these sound keys during the massacre with the help of Kabuto.'
Tsk… Tsk…
'He is still aiming for the power of Ama no Hoko. He was intending to use us to clear the demons for him while he rob the power from Ama no Hoko. Too bad for him. He leaked his negative emotions and thus blew his cover.'
Izuna caresses the sound rods.
'What amazing material? It is a mix of chakra and some unknown metal. This is the work of some powerful civilization. I can't even scratch them despite using all my strength.'
"It's origin metal, the same material as the dragon blade."
Genyrū explains to him.
"While the dragon blade has some traces of the Origin metal, these rods are made of pure Origin metal." Genyrū has a shocked expression.
"Origin metal?!" Izuna and Kurama have curious expressions.
"Origin metal is condensed from the source energy of a world. Natural energy and chakra are just a derivative of it. What the Otsutsuki and the Abyss demons are after is the source of energy of a world. Origin energy gives them a chance to further evolve into a GOD."
"GOD?!"
"I don't have much information about the GOD. I only know that it is a higher state of being with the ability to control and alter the very fundamental laws of this universe." Genyrū shakes his head.
Hmm…
'GOD… is it similar to the GOD I met or is it something entirely different or a higher being?'
Izuna ponders the origin of the god.
"Anyway, for now I should focus on the problem at hand."
Izuna quickly arrives at the sacrificial altar. He throws a cursory glance at the altar and then turns his attention toward an unconscious Naruto and Sasuke.
There are several cracks in the protective barrier around them and it is barely holding out.
Izuna disperses the barrier and checks up on the duo.
"Sasuke has exhausted his chakra and Naruto has passed out from the backlash of the negative emotion sensing technique of Kurama. Other than that, they have some minor injuries which will heal in no time."
Swish… swish…
"Summoning Jutsu: Katsuyu"
Poof…
A white slug with a blue striped line appears in front of Izuna.
"Izuna-kun!"
"Lady Katsuyu! Take these two to safety and help me treat the rest of the villagers and shinobis. Also, Lady Tsunade's disciple is with them."
Katsuyu raises her antler and glances at the giant eye in the rift. She shivers at the sight of that frightening chakra oozing out from the centurion.
"Izuna-kun, take care!"
"Don't worry, Lady Katsuyu, I don't have any plan to die yet."
Izuna smiles at her and waves his hand as he mutters to himself.
'I might really die this time.'
He stares at the state of his body.
'Due to the influence of this negative chakra, the detriment of my chakra system has accelerated. Perhaps this will be my last fight.'
Izuna tightly clutches his fist.
'But somehow, I have a gut feeling that not only will I find a cure, but I will also get stronger if I survive this battle.'
Izuna closes his eyes and listens to the mysterious notes humming inside his mind.
'This must be the sound pattern for Saezuri to unleash the Ama no Hoko. But why does it feel like I have heard it before?'
Haah…
He shakes his head and opens his eyes, and glares at the giant eye in the sky.
'Since you want to desperately free yourself from this prison, I will lend you a hand.'
Izuna steadily walks on top of the reverse pentagon seal.
Bang…
He stomps on the ground and destroys the floor underneath to reveal a hidden alcove. There is an odd-looking device in the alcove.
Wham… wham…
The sound rods in Izuna's pocket fly on their own. The device also floats out of the alcove.
Clank… clank… clank…
Izuna grabs the rods and slots them in the keyholes. A futuristic panel appears on top of the ancient device. Izuna hums the melody sung by Miina and presses on the device accordingly.
Haa… Humm… Hoo… Haa…
The rhythm of the song echoes throughout the hole as the musical note enchants almost everyone.
Outside the barrier, Dokku and the rest of the villagers hear the melody of Ama no Hoko.
"That's the… that's the melody Miina usually hums." Leo instantly points it out.
All the villagers silently stare at an unconscious Miina.
"So, the legends are true. Our ancestors were the guardians of the HOLE."
Ausma and Kurenai stare at each other and shake their head.
"We must do what can we do in our power to fulfill our part of the responsibility." Kurenai sighs helplessly.
"The old man was right! Even if the sky falls one day, there will be someone to hold it for us." He lights up a cigarette.
--
Inside the barrier,
Kakashi, Guy, Shisui, and Itachi's combined effort easily subdues the demonized Disonasu. Itachi summons the Totsuka blade and pierces it through Disonasu to seal him in a gourd.
Kakashi stares at the giant rift in the sky.
"I have a bad feeling about this."
He turns towards Shisui and Itachi.
"I feel like Izuna is going to do something reckless again!"
Shisui and Itachi stare at each other and nod.
"We both also have this jittery feeling since the moment Izuna Nii-san appeared. Let's go and help him. We might not be able to help much, but at least we won't become a burden like last time."
All of them recall the previous encounter with Urashiki and Isshiki.
"We have grown a lot stronger since then!" Shisui clutches his fist.
"Let's go!"
--
Back at the Ama no Hoko.
Saezuri continues to produce the musical notes and slowly molds them into different shapes.
Bam… bam…
The mind-controlled demon who is hammering the seal around the rift pauses in its action. It slowly turns its head towards Izuna and growls.
Whoosh…
The demon lunges at Izuna as its entire body gets coated with the negative chakra.
"So, you sensed my intention!"
Izuna calmly raises his head and stares at the gigantic eye in the rift.
"Yes, I don't have any intention of resealing you; I will kill you and end it for once and for all."
SUSANOO!!
Izuna roars as a large amount of chakra pours out of his body to form gold and silver Susanoo. There is a gigantic black shield on Susanoo's back.
Whoosh…
The Susanoo stretches out his left palm. Five complete truth-seeking orbs appear on its fingertips. The Susanoo clenches its fist as the truth-seeing orbs fuse to form a blade.
'Sword of Nunoboko,'
The Susanoo wields a large, double-helix-shaped great sword.
"For the first time in my life, I will go all out!"
He swings the sword towards the rapidly approaching demon.
"Annihilation Release: Absolute Severance,"
All five types of elemental chakra condense on the tip of the Nunoboko blade. The elemental chakra harmonizes in such a destructive way that any sort of imbalance might trigger a collapse in their form.
BOOOMMM*
An ear-piercing, deafening explosion occurs at the tip of the Nunoboko blade as the condensed sword light forcefully pushes the air in its vicinity to create a vacuum.
The surrounding air compresses in a cone and blows backward like a powerful stream of jet, blowing everything to dust in its immediate surrounding.
The beam of sword light rapidly approaches the demon and drowns it in its radiance, annihilating it in the process.
BANG*
The annihilation beam hits the crimson barrier around the HOLE.
Crack… crack…
With a sound like the shattering of glass, numerous cracks appear all over the barrier as it is almost on the verge of collapsing.
Huff… huff…
Izuna breathes heavily as he stares at the aftereffects of his jutsu.
"Huff… huff… so this is the power of an offensive Kekkai Mora. If the power of a Kekkai Shi is vastly spread out, then the power of a Kekkai Mora is extremely condensed. Condensed to the point that it can distort the very reality and matter."
Izuna stares at the aftermath of the jutsu.
There are numerous chaotic space fragments in the wake of the impact. The annihilation beam has left a ravine of plasma in its path. Harmful radiation continues to leak out from the surroundings as nearby plants and other microscopic lifeforms wither and die.
"The demon and the barrier absorbed ninety-nine percent of the force of the jutsu, otherwise the situation might be even worse."
Izuna shakes his head and stares at the Nunoboko sword in his hands. There are multiple cracks in it.
"If truth-seeking balls are a utility type jutsu, then my annihilation release is a pure destruction type jutsu. After all, destruction is much easier than creation."
Izuna shakes his head in dismay.
"Kaguya was something else to create a powerful utility type Kekkai Mora, like Truth seeking balls. Later, Hagoromo, Hamura, and their descendants received it as an heirloom. However, for me… How could I be content with just the truth-seeking ball? I won't be a true sage if I didn't create my own Kekkai Mora. Besides, Kaguya took centuries, whereas it only took me ten years."
Sparks appear in between Izuna's fingers as the five elemental chakras perfectly synchronize with each other in harmony.
"There are still flaws in it. It's the reason I had to use truth-seeking orbs to stabilize it. Once perfected, it would be a grade above the truth-seeking balls. Still, if I use it at full power, I can easily cleave the entire shinobi world in half."
The previous attack wasn't a gamble. He consulted Genryū about the strength of the crimson barrier. Only after getting his confirmation did he release this jutsu?
Whoosh…
A fierce wind blows towards the vacuum created by the previous jutsu. Kakashi, Guy, Shisui, and Itachi are almost blown away by the winds.
Shisui and Itachi summon their Susanoo to shield Kakashi and Guy from the strong winds.
"This jutsu…"
Kakashi and Guy stare at each other with trepidation.
"This monster had long left us in the dust. We could only chase his footprints on the sand. But now, not even footprints are visible."
Both of them shake their head and give up any hope of catching up to Izuna.
"At least, he was never our target to surpass!"
Kakashi heaves a sigh of relief.
"With him around, Konoha will be safe from all sorts of otherworldly threats lurking in the dark."
Izuna"
"Nii-san!"
Kakashi, Guy, Shisui, and Itachi fly towards Izuna. Izuna turns towards them and smiles.
"This is not a battle you guys can participate in."
A shiver runs through their spine as the giant eye scrutinizes them. Izuna points his hand towards them.
"Almighty push!"
Fwoosh….
Shisui and Itachi's Susanoo are sent flying towards the exit on the barrier.
"Nii-san! You don't have to bear this responsibility on your own." Shisui shouts at him.
"Shisui is right! We can strategize and fight accordingly. All of us can play a part to the best of our abilities." Kakashi suggests to him.
"No!" Izuna shakes his head.
"In front of absolute power, no strategy or scheme stands a chance."
With that, he pushes them out of the Hole and closes the exit of the barrier.
'Also, I don't want any other causality in this battle.'
Izuna recalls the previous encounter with Isshiki.
'In the heat of battle and recklessness, I don't want to lose any of you. Also, I have a high chance to win this battle and survive. Though I can't say anything about the aftermath!'
He clears useless thoughts from his head and turns his attention toward the Saezuri. The Saezuri completes its transformation, leaving behind a peculiar weapon.
Izuna glances at the weapon.
It's dumbbell-shaped with a ribbed spherical head on both sides. The handle of the weapon shines with a metallic luster as it slowly rotates mid-air.
"How is this a spear? It looks like a freaking baton. Should I bash someone with its sharp end?"
Izuna holds the weapon in his hand and curiously inspects it. There are unfamiliar ruins intricately inscribed over the entire body of the weapon.
"So, how do I use this thing?"
Izuna questions himself.
He flips the ancient weapon into his palm.
"Maybe I should infuse some chakra in it, since it seems like a chakra weapon."
Izuna infuses his chakra into the weapon, but there is no change.
"Huh! No reaction?! Then what about nature energy?"
He infuses it with nature energy but there is no change whatsoever. Izuna furrows his brows.
"Could I be wrong about it? Could this thing might not be a weapon, but something else?"
"Try to infuse with light chakra!" Genryū suggests him.
"Alright!"
Izuna infuses the light chakra into the ancient weapon.
Wham… wham…
Ama no Hoko greedily sucks his light chakra. Half of the inscriptions on it light up.
Swoosh…
"It rapidly increases in size and fits in the hand of Susanoo.
Fwoosh… Fwoosh…
A beam of white light shoots out from the ribbed spherical ends. The entire weapon takes the shape of a glowing white thunderbolt.
"This… this is…"
Izuna is shocked by the sudden change of the weapon as it reminds him of an old legend in Indian Mythology in his past life.
"Vajra!"
An ancient powerful weapon of God king Indra, the ruler of the heavens. This mighty weapon was shaped in the form of a lightning bolt representing the divine punishment of heaven. This weapon was forged from the bones of an enlightened sage who readily sacrificed his life by self-immolation, leaving behind his indestructible skeleton.
The god of forgery used the spine of the sage to forge the heavenly weapon of retribution, Vajra. God king Indra used this powerful weapon to battle against the Vedic demon dragon serpent Vritra.
Izuna grips the lightning bolt and glares at the giant eye in the rift.
The full appearance of the centurion demon appears in his vision. The Centurion is a gigantic snake with draconic features. It has a single eye in the center of its forehead. There are four crown-shaped horns on its head.
Haaah…
Izuna takes a deep breath and aims the Ama no Hoko toward the giant serpent.
"Will I be able to repeat the legend of God King Indra and defeat my adversary?"
Swoosh…
The Susanoo launches the spear towards the giant rift in the sky.
Time seems to have slowed down as the spear approaches the barrier separating the shinobi world and the prison dimension.
Kacha… Kacha…
Like the shattering of glass, the thin barrier between dimensions shatters into thousands of pieces. Each broken piece represents a portion of space at those coordinates. A void forms in the place of shattered space.
Fwoosh…
The restrictions of the space instantly disappear, and so does the seal holding down the Centurion demon in its place.
Roar…
The serpent demon roar in anger as it stares at the rapidly approaching Ama no Hoko with fury. It opens its mouth and condenses a large amount of negative chakra into its mouth.
"Meikai no Bakufū," [Netherworld Blast]
He releases a violet beam of energy towards the incoming spear.
BOOM*
The impact between the two releases a deafening explosion that silences everything inside the crimson barrier.
Crack… crack…
Numerous cracks appear in the surrounding space as the prison dimension slowly starts to fall apart since the core holding it together is extracted.
The collision force of the two attacks utterly demolishes the pocket dimension from within, albeit offsetting the aftermath of the explosion as its cost. It collapses on itself into a singularity and disappears entirely while mending the void left behind.
'This must be one of the contingencies of the creator of this dimension.'
Izuna gravely stares at the collapsed space.
'If I was trapped within this space while it was collapsing, even a single atom won't be left of my body.'
Izuna turns his attention toward the giant serpent.
'But this snake…'
There are several heavy wounds on the serpent's body. Most of its scales have fallen off even revealing bones in some places. A dark violet light covers the wounds as it heals them slowly.
'This snake sure has some tenacity. If not, how could it have survived while being sealed here for eons? However, the injuries caused by the collapse of a chaotic void can't be treated so easily.'
Genryū reminds Izuna.
'Do you feel any brotherhood with this dragon since you are also a dragon?'
Izuna mentally asks Genryū while withdrawing Ama no Hoko to prepare for the next week.
'I have nothing but disgust for such a creature. I am a pure being formed by the virtues of a world, while this serpent is the personification of misery and anguish. There is no comparison at all.'
Genryū shakes his head in disdain.
'If I was in my prime, dealing with this lowly snake would be a piece of cake.'
Genryū raises his head like a prideful swan while looking at the Abyss centurion like roadside trash.
Izuna rolls his eyes at Genryū's remark.
'As if I would believe you.'
The Susanoo holds the Ama no Hoko in front of its chest.
Fwish… Fwish…
Several totem marking spreads across his body. Nine magatamas form a necklace around Susanoo's neck while a cyan cloak made of nature energy shrouds its back.
White lightning crackles through the entire Susanoo as its size slowly increases to match the size of the giant serpent.
The Susanoo in its current state easily overshadows the nearby mountains and hills. Its size is comparable to Hagoromo's Susanoo in his fight against the ten-tails.
Swirl…
The Susanoo twirls the Ama no Hoko in its hand and aims it toward the serpent demon.
--
Outside the barrier,
Argh…
Shisui and Itachi are sent flying out of the barrier, which completely closes itself after spitting them out.
Both of them dispel their Susanoo and jump on the ground with Kakashi and Might Guy.
"Damn that Izuna!" Kakashi's right eye turns red in anger.
"It's the rebellious phase of his youth!" The guy shakes his head.
"Shut up!"
Kakashi and Shisui shout at him at the same time.
Swoosh… swoosh…
Asuma, Kurenai, and Konoha 12 members flicker towards them.
"What's the situation, Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke asks Kakashi.
"Where is Izuna Nii-san? I thought I heard his voice when I passed out." Naruto looks around.
Sigh… sigh…
Kakashi helplessly rubs his forehead.
"If you are asking me, then whom should I ask?" He makes a long face.
Fwoosh… Fwoosh…
Minato, Kushina, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Mei, Roen, Ayaka, Hanabi, and Yakumo arrives at the same time.
All of them turn their eyes toward Kakashi with threatening gazes.
Gulp…
Kakashi gulps his saliva.
"KAKASHI HATAKE! Report the situation immediately."
Three threatening voices ring in Kakashi's ears at the same time as Tsunade, Kushina, and Mei glare at him with a piercing gaze.
'Damn you, Izuna! Even if you won't die, after this is over; I will murder you with my own hands.'
Bzzt… BOOM… Crackle*
White lightning channels through Izuna's entire Susanoo. He points the tip of the Ama no Hoko towards the giant serpent, Susanoo.
"DIE!"
Crackle… Crackle… Swoosh…
The lightning condenses on the spear and Izuna wields it and swings it towards the giant serpent again.
HISS…
The giant serpent flickers its tongue and opens its giant mouth to reveal its mouth full of sharp teeth. It condenses another ball of negative chakra in its mouth and shoots it towards the upcoming spear in form of a beam.
BOOM…
The spear splits the beam into multiple smaller beams, which razed the nearby ground into dust.
HISS…
The snake hisses in anger and swings its tail to attack the Susanoo from behind.
BAM…
The hit from the tails sends the Susanoo flying towards the border of HOLE.
Rumble… rumble…
The ground trembles from the impact as the borders of the HOLE slowly crumble apart. It broke a small portion of Susanoo at the point of the hit.
So, this is the power of an Abyss Centurion? Just hit and he caused this much damage to my Susanoo while being injured!"
The Susanoo slowly stands up and repairs itself by channeling more chakra through the broken part.
Crackle… Crackle…
The Susanoo clutches its fist and slowly stands up.
"Reality Slash"
He swings the Ama no Hoko like a sword and releases the powerful kenjutsu technique of Six Paths in the form of multiple crisscrossed slashes.
Swoosh…
The sword dismantles nearby hills to dust as the giant serpent slithers through every slash.
"Annihilation Release: Absolute Severance"
The Susanoo summons a giant truth-seeking orb in its other hand and condenses them into a giant energy blade to slash at a tricky angle.
Slash…
The energy blade rips apart along the way and land on the giant serpent's head.
Splat…
Corrosive purple blood gushes out from the serpent's head as the energy blade creates a small gash of a few meters.
Sizzle… sizzle…
White smoke rises from the gash as it slowly recovers.
"Not enough!"
Izuna frowns as he stares at the amount of damage he dealt to the giant serpent.
'At this rate, I will exhaust myself before I could even deal any significant damage to it.'
Whoosh…
The giant serpent hisses and quickly slithers towards the Susanoo. It agilely coils around the Susanoo and tightens its hold on Susanoo in an attempt to crush it to pieces.
Crack… crack…
Numerous cracks spread through the Susanoo as it slowly starts to fall apart, receiving fatal damage.
Fwoosh…
Izuna quickly dispels the Susanoo and teleports away from the Snake's grasp.
Huff… Huff…
Izuna breathes heavily and stares at the giant serpent charging toward him.
'What should I do? The Kekkei Mora has little to no effect on this snake. Only this Ama no Hoko can deal some damage to the snake but easily avoid or deflect the attack of the spear.'
Izuna resummons his Susanoo as he stares at the Ama no Hoko in his hand. Half of the inscriptions on the Ama no Hoko are lit up, forming up the spear.
'Am I using this weapon correctly?'
Izuna questions himself.
'It can channel Light chakra through it, then what about the darkness chakra?'
Izuna stops supplying the light chakra to Ama no Hoko.
Wham…
The light inscriptions fade away as the Ama no Hoko returns to its former state. Izuna infuses it with the Darkness chakra.
Wham…
The other half of the inscriptions lights up with a black aura as the shape of the Ama no Hoko slowly changes into that of a bow.
'It does work…"
Izuna is pleasantly surprised.
"… but that still is only half of its power!"
Izuna stares at the remaining inactive inscriptions on the bow. The Susanoo holds the bow and rapidly shoots a flurry of dark arrows empowered by Ama no Hoko towards the charging serpent.
Swoosh…
The giant serpent dodges most of the arrows, but still some of the lodges into its body and slowly corrode the protection of purple negative chakra around its body.
Hiss… Hiss…
The snake writhes in pain. It twists and turns to get rid of the arrows lodged in its body. The dark arrow slowly fades away, revealing several holes in its body.
Sizzle… sizzle…
White smoke rises from the holes to heal the wound and remove the corruption brought by the arrows of the darkness.
"Human! You have managed to anger me."
The giant serpent raises its head and glares at Izuna. Its eyes glow red and it opens its mouth to charge up a powerful attack.
Rumble… rumble…
The nearby ground crumbles to dust just from the intensity of the Negative chakra released by the giant serpent. A giant crater forms at its position as the size of its energy attack exceeds the size of its body. It uses most of its recovered negative chakra to launch a deadly attack at Izuna to wipe this pest buzzing around it.
"Shit! I can't dodge this attack or else it will destroy the barrier and everyone else present just outside the barrier."
Izuna clenches his fist and removes the tower shield from the back of his Susanoo.
He infuses almost all of his chakra into the towering shield.
"Yata no Kagami"
He drops down the colossal towering shield in front of his Susanoo. The eyes of the Yaksha on the shield glow brightly with a green hue as numerous inscriptions representing Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and Lightning lights up. An additional five layers of the elemental barrier are erected in front of the tower shield.
'This shield is one of the treasures I got from the collection of beasts in Shikkotsu Forest. It should be one of the failed products of that Traveler. I hope it's enough to block the impact of the upcoming attack. It has to!'
Izuna clenches his teeth as he borrows chakra from Kurama to provide the seal with more chakra.
"Yata No Kagami: Ordnance Breaker"
The five elemental barriers merge and form a screen of thin but sturdy energy barriers in front of the shield.
He ducks behind the barrier as the beam of attack rapidly approaches him.
BOOM…
A deafening explosion occurs at the point of impact. At ground zero, the explosion violently pushes away the surrounding air. The gust of air forms a conical shape behind Izuna, blowing the ground into two large ravines.
Crack… crack…
Cracks appear on the energy shield formed by the power of five elements.
Bleurgh…
Izuna spats a mouthful of blood as the shockwaves from the blood travel through his body. Numerous bloody cracks appear on his left shoulder around the area of his lost arm.
Izuna's eyes turn red as the pain becomes unbearable to him.
Argh…
He roars in pain and bites his tongue to keep himself awake. Blood trickles from his mouth as the cracks slowly spread throughout his body.
'It has started, the deterioration of my body. NO! I can't fall here…'
Izuna takes out a small crystal-clear fruit from his storage.
'I hope this incomplete chakra fruit will provide me enough energy to sustain myself for a bit longer.'
Gulp…
He swallows the chakra fruit. A burst of energy rushes through his body towards the left shoulder. It halts the process of deterioration to a small extent.
Sigh…
'My guess was right! This amount of energy isn't enough to treat my body. I need a higher level of energy to repair my body.'
Izuna remembers the Origin energy present in the Dragon blade and Ama no Hoka.
'Regretfully, I don't have any means to extract that energy. But this should buy me enough to…'
BOOM… Crack…
The energy shield around the tower shield crumbles apart. The energy beam bombards the physical body of the colossal shield. Izuna is pushed to the end of HOLE from the blast as his Susanoo is held against the last layer of defense of the HOLE- the crimson barrier.
The green glow in Yakasha's eyes dims down as it suffers the brunt of the attack. The corrosive power of the negative chakra slowly eats away the elemental chakra in the shield. Both forces slowly neutralize each other to an extent as the negative chakra beam slowly gains an upper hand.
Haaah…
Izuna pushes the shield forward in an attempt to repel the force of the energy beam.
HEH…
The giant serpent smirks at Izuna's futile effort.
'Is this the final struggle of an insect near death's door?'
BOOM…
The negative energy bomb explodes and engulfs the shield and Susanoo releases a blinding light in its wake.
BANG…
The crimson barrier shatters into fragments, revealing the state of HOLE to the outside world.
BOOM…
Shockwaves travel across the border of the Hole, pushing back the reinforcements camping outside the barrier. Multiple shinobis erect earth walls to face the onslaught of the aftermath of the battle.
BANG…
Tsunade punches the ground and lifts a giant chunk of earth to form a barrier. Mei reinforces the walls with her lava and boil release. Even after so many countermeasures, the shinobis barely survive the shockwaves.
Sigh…
Sakumo Hatake sighs as he shakes his head in dismay. The entire shinobi army of Konoha, Kiri, and Suna has fallen in disarray.
It has been two days since Izuna pushed them out of the barrier. After neutralizing the threat of the rock soldier army, Konoha and its allies formed a barricade around the HOLE.
After the dust from the shockwaves settles down, Tsunade, Mei, and Rasa approach the Intelligence Division.
"How is the situation near the barrier? Can the sensor keep track of it after the explosion?" Tsunade asks Shikaku, who is the head of the intelligence team.
Shikaku turns to Inoichi for the intel regarding the sensory division. Both of them converse for a while before Shikaku turns to the Kages.
"Ahem… Hokage-sama! Regarding the situation of the battle in the Hole, we can't provide a current detailed report since the previous explosion blew up all of our sentries and scouting formations."
"What?!"
Mei's expression turns ugly.
"Then what's the use of sensory division if they can't even report on the battlefield!"
"Ah! Well… Mizukage Sama…"
Shikaku tries to calm her down.
"Shikaku-sama… I have something to report," a sensor sand shinobi barges into the room.
Rasa and Tsunade turn towards him.
Gulp…
The sensor ninja gulps his saliva in fear.
"Let's hear him out!" A silent Rasa speaks up.
"Kazekage sama… One of the sensory shinobi in my team has very powerful eyesight. He can track the movement of any living being from kilometers away. I thought he might be able to help out."
Hmm…
Tsunade, Rasa, and Shikaku turn towards each other and nod.
"Alright! Send him here."
"Yes, Kazekage sama, Hokage-sama, Shikaku sama."
Soon, a pair of father-daughter enters the room of the sensory unit.
The father quickly arrives before Rasa and bows down.
"Kazekage-sama… I am Yoshi and this is my daughter Yome. We have a special visual prowess called Water Droplet Reflection Sight. This allows to track down anyone within a radius of ten kilometers via the reflection of the tiny droplets."
Mm…
Rasa nods his head and turns to Shikaku.
"We might be able to enhance their ability using our sensory formation and I will personally project the image perceived by their brain on a visual projection," Inoichi explains to the group.
"Alright! Then let's do it."
Inoichi signals one of the nearby sensor shinobi. The sensor shinobi brings out a strange helmet-like device with various wire and pipe-like protrusions connected to a central unit.
"This is the core of the Sensory Formation. Both of you wear this helmet and I will be able to project a live feed of the battle." Inoichi asks them.
"Ah…"
The girls shriek and hide behind Yoshi.
"Everything is alright, Yome." Yoshi pats her head and both of them wear a helmet.
Buzz… Crackle… crackle…
With a static noise, a projection of battle appears in the sensory bubble. Minato and the other members of In-Yōalso arrive in the sensory hall to look at the battlefield.
A scene of desolation appears in their vision as the area around the Hole is beyond recognition. There are numerous lava pits in the area. Several bottomless ravines, smoke, and ashes are scattered throughout the battlefield.
"This looks like hell if hell was present in the world," Sakumo states the fact.
Soon, the scenario changes to the center of the Hole. There is a massive crater huge enough to fit several mountain series in it.
Gulp…
"What terrible destruction!" The group gulps their saliva as they recall the condition of the HOLE before they left it.
Hmm…
"What's that?" Kakashi points towards a corner.
"That is…"
Yoshi and Yome turn their vision towards the corner. A giant serpent with several wounds and holes is writhing in pain as purple blood flows out of its body.
Aaah…
Yome screams and passes out as the device connected to her shatters.
"Yome!" Yoshi turns to Yome.
"Quick! Check the condition of the girl." Shikaku commands nearby medic-nins.
Tsunade quickly picks up the girl and inspects her condition.
"She is exhausted from mental stress brought by the sensory barrier. She will be alright after a day's rest." Tsunade assures him.
Yoshi breathes a sigh of relief and grimaces.
"Don't worry, after this battle; your and your daughter's contribution will be rewarded accordingly," Rasa assures him.
"Thank you, Kazekage-sama." Yoshi nods his head in pleasure and turns his attention toward the battlefield.
"What was that giant serpent?" Kushina raises a question.
"It's the enemy Izuna-Nii san is fighting against." Naruto's feeble voice rings in the room.
Hmm…
All the eyes in the room turn to Naruto, who scratches his head in embarrassment.
"What's going on Naruto? How do you know about this?" Minato calmly asks him.
"Umm… it's the Kurama. He told me about that giant snake. Kurama says that it has some sort of mental connection with its other half. But since the distance is too large, it can't maintain a stable connection."
"I see!" The group nods in understanding as they recall the other half of Kurama sealed with Izuna.
"Is that Izuna Nii-san?" Sasuke points towards a dust cloud.
Hmm…
The group focuses their eyes on the sensory bubble. The dust slowly clears out to reveal a severely damaged Susanoo and chakra flames flickering around Izuna.
Whoosh…
The Susanoo disperses to reveal a heavily injured Izuna. There are multiple jarring scarlet cracks on the left side of Izuna's body. Blood leaks out from Izuna's closed left eye. There are numerous scars over his entire body. All of his clothes are tattered and the totem seals around his body are slowly fading away. White lightning crackles around him as he barely supports himself on the ground with the help of Ama no Hoko.
Bleurgh…
Izuna spats out a mouthful of blood and falls to the ground.
"IZUNAAAA!!!"
Mei screams in horror after looking at his current condition. She weakly falls to the ground with tears flowing from her eyes. Kushina and Tsunade hurriedly support her.
"Izuna… why… why…"
She weakly mumbles to herself as tears keep flowing through her eyes.
"Izuna! Nii-san!"
Kakashi, Guy, Shisui, Itachi, Naruto, and Sasuke tightly clench their fists to the point of producing popping sounds. Even Minato and Sakumo are affected by the current state of Izuna.
"Why? Why… why must you bear everything by yourself?" Akira spats out these words.
"Is it because all of us are too weak to shoulder your burden?" He punches the ground, creating a small crater.
"I have failed you as a father!" Tears flow from Akira's eyes. Yagami, who is standing beside him, slowly supports him.
BANG…
The ground near Tsunade explodes in the dust.
"This idiot! This idiot discipline of mine… always… always shouldering everything by himself. I will teach him a lesson after this battle." Tears flow from Tsunade's eyes. Since she knew Izuna's condition better than everyone else. The scarlet scars around his body are a sign of an extremely rare condition.
Previously, before the shinobi war; she inspected Might Duy's charred body after opening Eight gates.
Similar scars were present all over Might Duy's body as a result of opening the Death Gate. However, the scar around Izuna's body is much, much severe.
The atmosphere turns somber as everyone stares at the sensory bubble while praying for Izuna's safety.
--
On the battlefield,
Cough… cough…
Izuna coughs out another mouthful of blood as he slowly sits up using Ama no Hoko as support. He silently stares at his tattered conditions.
'This is the first time I am so close to death in this world.'
He mumbles to himself.
'No, I might really die this time.'
He glances at numerous cracks around his left shoulder.
"I can't even feel anything on the left part of my body."
Cough… cough…
He slowly stands up and stares at the giant serpent, slowly healing itself from the injuries.
'At this rate, it will heal itself in a few years and by then… the shinobi world!'
Izuna clenches his teeth as a sense of powerlessness spreads across him.
'In the end, I was not strong enough!'
Izuna slowly closes his eyes as his consciousness turns blurry.
"Izuna! Izuna! Wake up Izuna!"
A draconic voice rang in Izuna's ears.
'Ah… looks like I am hallucinating!'
Numerous memories of his life slowly fade from his mind as the cracks spread over to his left eye.
"IZUNA! I have a way to kill this Abyss centurion."
Genryū's roar sobers him slightly.
IZUNA! I have a way to kill this Abyss centurion."
Genryū's roar sobers Izuna slightly.
"I am ready to pay the price!" Izuna agrees without any hesitation.
"Are you sure? It will accelerate the process of your cell deterioration." Genyrū reminds him.
"I am willing! Besides, I only have a few days to live. If I can take down this monster with me to buy more time for this world; then it's worth it." Izuna shakes his head.
"Hmm… I commend your resolve. My decision to help you back then was right," Genryū approves of Izuna's sense of honor and sacrifice.
"Use the remaining origin power in the Dragon Blade. I will help you channel it as a Light chakra. We might be able to finish this abyss centurion off with it." Genyrū remarks.
"But… that is your source. If I use it, then you might…" Izuna hesitates a bit.
"What's there to worry about? I already sacrificed myself once to save my world. I could do it again to save another world." Genyrū shrugs him off.
"Thank you…" Izuna mumbles and summons the Dragon Blade.
Swoosh…
The orb from the Dragon Blade flies out and enters the runes on Ama No Hoko. The Light runes on Ama no Hoko glows with a never seen before shine. Izuna feels a warm current surging through his battered body.
He clenches the bow and aims it toward the Abyss Centurion. A light arrow forms on the notch of the bow. He aims the arrow toward the head of the Giant serpent. Izuna closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.
Fwoosh…
Black Darkness chakra flows out from the Sin grimoire and channels through the Ama No Hoko. The remaining runes on the Ama No Hoko also light up. A pitch-black horn forms on the right side of Izuna's head. The darkness chakra infuses into his left shoulder and forms a dark black chakra arm with sharp claws.
Izuna grasps the bow with his chakra arm while he stretches the strong with his right arm. Darkness chakra and Light chakra intertwine with each other in perfect harmony. A gigantic Sin eye appears behind Izuna as it casts its gaze on the giant serpent rooting it in a place.
"What?"
The eyes of the giant serpent dragon widen in shock.
"How… how is this possible? How do you come in possession of the divine *@#*#@*…"
The giant serpent's voice sounds like gibberish in Izuna's ears.
"Light-Darkness Release: Destiny Arrow,"
Izuna mumbles and releases the tension in the string.
Swoosh…
Together with the release of the bowstring, life also slowly drains from Izuna's body like an arrow at the end of it's flight. His consciousness, which was barely holding up, turns blank. The pupil in Izuna's eyes turns blank as the scarlet cracks spread all over his body.
BANG…
Izuna lifelessly falls to the ground.
Fwoosh…
The destiny arrow tears through the arrow, forming a gigantic rift in space-time as it shoots towards the Abyss Centurion.
BOOM…
The arrow hits the giant serpent, releasing a blinding white light.
Argh…
Blood leaks out from the upper orifices of the sensors in the Intelligence unit.
Bang… Bang… Bang…
One by one, every member of the Sensory division, including Inoichi and Yoshi, falls unconscious.
BANG…
The sensory bubble shakes violently and explodes into countless particles. The ground trembles violently as the area around HOLE slowly disintegrates.
"IZUNA!!!"
Mei also faints from the shock.
"Everyone… hurry up and evacuate the area!" Shikaku immediately releases a new order.
Sakumo also orders every combat division to vacate the area around the HOLE.
Swoosh… swoosh…
All shinobi units hurriedly escape from the vicinity of the HOLE as the gigantic column of white light slowly approaches them. The shinobis desperately use every means in their arsenal to escape from the impending death.
After a few minutes, the giant white pillar of light slowly stops expanding after covering a radius of ten kilometers.
The shinobi army of the three nations slowly gathers at the foothill of a nearby hill.
"How is the situation with the various divisions? Report the number of causalities!" Sakumo orders the vice-commander under him.
"Yes, Sir!"
Three shinobis from Konoha, Kiri, and Suna each salute him and head towards the scattered army.
After fifteen minutes, each of them appears with a report in their hand with a grim expression. Sakumo frowns and reads the report.
Sigh…
He sighs slightly and falls back on a nearby stone.
"How is the situation Sakumo?" Rasa asks him.
"Kazekage Sama, in the previous explosion alone, we lost 30 percent of our men, which sums up to 1000 elite shinobis. Summing up the numbers, we lost a total of 1286 shinobis in this operation. This is an immense blow to our alliance."
Gasp…
Rasa sucks in a breath of cold air.
"The foundation of our three villages suffered severe damage. This is almost the same number as a Shinobi War. I am afraid we have to avoid any war at all costs, or else it will reduce the five great nations to two."
"You are right, Kazekage-sama!" Sakumo also sighs helplessly as he mumbles.
"This is just the number of casualties caught in the aftershock of the battle. I can't even imagine what would have happened if they fought near the Alliance Army. I am afraid none of us would survive to tell the tale."
Rasa also shakes his head as he recalls the incident five years ago.
'I was a fool back then to attack Konoha with such a monster guarding it. At that time, he could have easily wiped out Suna from the face of the Shinobi world.'
"Let's pack our supplies and retreat to our villages. We still have to handle the post-war amenities of all injured and casualties."
Back In In-Yō headquarter, Minato heaves a sigh of relief as he looks around.
"Thankfully, there was a mass teleportation formation engraved here. With the help of Flying Thunder God jutsu and the teleportation formation, I was able to teleport everyone in the vicinity of fifty meters with me."
He turns to Kushina and Tsunade.
"Lady Fifth… Kushina! Take care of Mei… I am afraid she won't be able to handle the stress. It won't be good for the twins."
"Rest assured, Minato! I won't allow anything to happen to her and her unborn kids." Tsunade quickly takes Mei to the nearby medical facility. Kushina also follows after her.
Minato turns to the rest of the people.
"All jounins will follow me back to the battlefield to get a report of the situation. We also have to seal the area around the Hole and declare it as a death zone of the Shinobi World."
With these words, Minato and the rest teleport back to the Alliance army, leaving behind members of Konoha 12.
"Sasuke, what should we do?" Naruto turns to Sasuke for advice.
"Let's head to the clan and inform Aunt Aiko and Aunt Fumiko about Mei nee-san's condition. They must know about the situation. I will head towards my house to inform the mother." Sasuke replies in a solemn tone.
"What about us?" The rest of the group questions.
"Head back to your respective clan elders and brief them on the situation. We have to strengthen the village defenses in case of an emergency." Shikamaru walks towards the exit.
Ino and Choji quickly follow him.
--
Soon, chaos ensues in Konoha and other shinobi nations as the news of the battle at HOLE spreads throughout the entire shinobi world.
The area around the HOLE became known as 'Shi No Sakeme' or 'the Chasm of Death', also commonly called the 'Death Crevice'.
Another great news also spread throughout the Shinobi World- Izuna Uchiha, the great hero of Konoha, the Grim Reaper of the Shinobi Nation was declared MIA by Konohagakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure.
This news created a tremendous commotion in the shinobi world, greatly shaking up several small and large nations. Kumogakure and Iwagakure were also greatly perturbed by the news. They even sent their elite shinobis to survey the area around the death crevice.
The report was so exaggerated that Onoki and A had to personally visit the area to confirm the truth. Even still, it shocked them to their very core as both of them wondered, 'Could a normal shinobi even wield such great power? Only a God could possess such absolute power.'
This further pushed their resolve to prepare countermeasures. Kumogakure invested most of its funds in the 'Project Chakra Cannon' while Iwa also secretly started a new top-secret project called 'Project Gaia'.
A few days later, Konoha held a funeral ceremony to honor the casualties of the previous Demon War.
--End of the Arc--
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