With the disappearance of the White Snake Sage and the others—
Chaos had long since erupted.
The few snakes that managed to escape during Brogy's massacre returned—and threw themselves into the most brutal, blood-soaked slaughter imaginable.
As for their purpose? Simple.
To seize the title of Sage of Ryūchidō.
They believed the White Snake Sage and the others wouldn't be coming back.
From a portal in the air, Imu stepped forward.
Not a single snake caught in the slaughter below noticed his arrival.
Imu made no move to stop them, nor did he bother to clear them out.
For one, this vicious competition might reveal snakes with real talent.
For another, they could be repurposed for Umigakure. All they'd need was relocation.
Standing behind Imu was Kukulkan—once the giant serpent Nola, now in human form. He stood 3 meters tall and possessed a powerful physique. His hair was stark white, and his skin a greenish hue, patterned with deep blue stripes. His vertical, amber-gold pupils made him look more like a species from an alien civilization.
Recently, under Imu's command, Kukulkan had married one of Charlotte Linlin's three daughters—Amande. Through this, he gained control over the entire Snakeneck Tribe, finally establishing a force of his own.
"Kukulkan, from now on, these snakes will be yours and the Snakeneck Clan's to manage. Look for any with potential and do your best to protect them."
Imu gave his instruction calmly as he gazed down at the battlefield below.
"Yes, I shall obey Lord Imu's command!"
With that, Kukulkan blurred into a streak of blue-green light and darted out into the fray.
Imu withdrew his gaze and looked up to survey the Ryūchidō space.
Imu immediately unleashed his spatial domain—
A pale blue glow radiated outward, spreading in all directions and extending deep underground as well.
He wanted to see just how large this Ryūchidō space truly was.
And while he was at it, he'd take advantage of the awakened power of the Op-Op Fruit, which allowed him full control over everything within his ROOM—
To examine every aspect of this subspace, inside and out.
"Nearly 40,000 square kilometers… No starlit sky above, no planetary core below.
This must be what they call a 'plane.'
Interesting."
Imu murmured to himself, clearly intrigued.
Then he slowly closed his eyes and stood perfectly still.
But the ROOM did not dissipate.
Behind him, Oimo remained standing in the gateway, silently fulfilling his duty as a bodyguard, alert to any disturbance in the surroundings—
Ready to act should some foolish serpent dare to interrupt Lord Imu.
Imu, however, paid no attention to the outside world.
His entire consciousness was immersed in comprehending this subspace.
On the back of his right hand, the Stigmata Pattern of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, bestowed by "Truth," began to glow with a brilliant white light.
A clear sign—Imu was also drawing upon the power of Stigmata Alchemy.
The stigmata pattern, once activated, greatly enhanced both the speed and efficiency of thought.
As for Imu's goal—
He wanted to see if it was possible to absorb Ryūchidō into himself.
Put simply, he was trying to make it his personal pocket dimension.
In fact, ever since he entered the Shinobi World, he had been considering this idea—
inspired by the dimensions Kaguya once controlled.
So when Brogy and Dorry captured the White Snake Sage and brought him before him,
Imu immediately thought of Ryūchidō becoming a masterless place—
And the possibility of turning it into his own pocket dimension.
Now, it seemed entirely feasible.
As long as he could sever the spatial connection between Ryūchidō and the shinobi world,
And bind it to himself,
He would be able to enter and exit this miniature plane at will.
Of course, that was easier said than done.
Even just severing the spatial link between the two wasn't something that could be accomplished in a short time.
After a few trials, Imu estimated that the first step alone would take about one month to complete.
As for the binding process—
That part was still unclear for now.
But in his view, spending two or three months to acquire his own pocket dimension was more than worth it.
At that moment, Imu opened his eyes and gave an order to Oimo: "Tell Stussy that I won't be returning for the next two or three months. She's to take charge of Noah's Ark in the meantime."
"Understood, Lord Imu!"
Oimo obeyed immediately, closing the air portal and vanishing without a trace.
"Then let's begin."
The corners of Imu's lips curled up in anticipation.
Even if the process would be dull and arduous, he was still eager to begin.
After all—this was a pocket world!
...
Imu's seclusion had little impact on the outside world.
The World Government, still centered around Rōran, continued its meticulous restructuring of every facet of the Shinobi World.
First, the main combat force—nearly 60,000 troops from the First Main Battle Corps—successfully returned to the Titan World's Canberra Continent through the massive medium-sized Dimensional Gate.
Next, Rōran would be fully taken over by Umigakure.
As for the shinobi who had participated in the war against the devils, they each returned to their respective villages.
Having endured multiple brutal battles, they were more than eager to go home and reunite with their loved ones.
However, high-ranking leaders such as Ōnoki, A, Rasa, and others had been invited to Rōran by the Other Worlds Strategic Committee.
Among them, Hanzō—who had lost an arm—and Uchiha Fugaku—now blind in both eyes—were to travel to the World Hospital on the Canberra Continent for treatment.
This could be considered the first real benefit they'd received after joining the World Government.
Also gathered in Rōran City were the Jinchūriki of the Tailed Beasts, as well as White Zetsu, who had become the Jinchūriki of the Seven-Tails.
The World Government had finally assembled all nine Jinchūriki from the Shinobi World.
Moreover, over the past few days, Uzumaki Kushina had worked with skilled seal masters from Sunagakure and alchemists from the Teigu World to develop a new unsealing formation—one capable of extracting Tailed Beasts from Jinchūriki without causing death.
...
At that moment, outside Rōran City—
A vast field of rich, black soil had been prepared, with nine massive circular arrays drawn upon it.
The runes and patterns within the circles were complex.
"The time has come! Everyone, take your positions!"
Uzui Tengen cast a quick glance at the blazing sun overhead, then raised his voice to alert those gathered around him.
"Father, I'm going."
Terumī Kaoru offered a soft smile as she met her father Terumī Daichi's deeply worried gaze.
"Mm. It'll be fine. But if it starts to hurt, just think about Mei. She's only eight this year, you know? She's probably at home missing you already."
Not far away, the current Third Mizukage was also gazing at his daughter, letting out a weary sigh.
Under the watchful gaze of Aramaki, Namikaze Minato, Jiraiya, Ōnoki, and the others, the nine Jinchūriki soon stepped one by one into the centers of their respective circles, each according to the number of tails within them.
All except White Zetsu.
Around each Jinchūriki's neck hung the same kind of necklace.
Dangling from each was a ruby that glittered in the sunlight.
These were fragmented Philosopher's Stones.
They served as the final safeguard, personally provided by Director Isaac.
In the event of some unforeseen accident—whether during or after the extraction—the Philosopher's Stone, with its so-called "universal cure-all" property, could step in as a failsafe.
No matter what kind of damage the body, mind, or soul might sustain, the Philosopher's Stone could instantly restore it.
At the same time, the nine shinobi responsible for activating the array were already in position.
Uzui Tengen exchanged a glance with Aramaki and Director Isaac, then shouted: "Begin the Tailed Beast extraction!"
In the very next moment—
Jiraiya and the others, already fully prepared, channeled their chakra rapidly through their meridians, concentrating it into their palms before striking the outer rim of the circular arrays with force.
[VMMM————]
The intricate, symmetrical twin-ring formations burst into a radiant white glow.
At that same moment, the Jinchūriki within the arrays instinctively shut their eyes, their consciousness slipping into darkness.
Their bodies slowly began to float above the ground, and from their abdomens surged streams of crimson energy.
As more and more crimson chakra poured forth, the energy began to coalesce—gradually forming outlines that hinted at each beast's distinct shape.
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