Time rewound to half an hour ago.
In the Hidden Sound Village, deep within a secret underground base, Naruto sat cross-legged in a quiet chamber, wearing a loose kimono.
Surrounding him were numerous training dummies, seemingly arranged for practice.
Suddenly, Naruto opened his eyes.
Deep within his cerulean gaze, layers of light seemed to ripple and swirl.
The next moment, he vanished from sight.
Swish, swish, swish.
Naruto's figure flickered through space, appearing to leave multiple afterimages behind.
Inside the chamber, dozens of training dummies were suddenly sliced in half at the waist.
From an outsider's perspective, it looked as if all the dummies had been cut simultaneously in an instant.
Clap, clap, clap.
At that moment, applause echoed from the doorway.
"Not bad. You've already become quite proficient in controlling the abilities of a 'Sequence 5' Traveler."
The hoarse voice carried clear satisfaction.
Hearing the praise, Naruto seemed indifferent.
He glanced toward the door with a calm expression.
"Orochimaru, what brings you here?"
"I have good news for you."
Orochimaru leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, a half-smile playing on his lips.
"The opportunity you've been waiting for has finally appeared."
Naruto's eyes flickered with a faint light behind his cold gaze.
"Where?"
"Heh. Conveniently, it involves your friends."
Orochimaru licked his lips and smiled meaningfully.
"It seems they've run into a little trouble. That thing followed them all the way to the border of the Hidden Sound Village. It's a 'Sequence 4' Black Knight."
"Black Knight? Someone from the Aurora Order?"
The Black Knight was a sequence from the "Hanged Man" pathway, and Naruto naturally guessed its origin.
"Something like that," he said.
Orochimaru nodded slightly, a hint of disdain in his expression, and sneered.
"Aurora Order has produced a massive number of White Zetsu, like raising insects, constantly encouraging them to fight among themselves. The one sent this time should be considered rare, having already reached Sequence 4."
"I understand," Naruto replied with a slight nod. His eyes flickered, layered with shimmering halos. "I'll be back soon."
"Good. I'll wait for your good news," Orochimaru said with a thin smile.
Naruto activated the "Traveler's Gate" and stepped through, his figure vanishing instantly.
"What a convenient ability," Orochimaru murmured.
No matter how many times he saw it, the Beyonder powers of the "Door" pathway always made him envious.
The reason was simple—too convenient, too efficient.
Time returned to the present.
The White Zetsu, surrounded by starlight, glared at Naruto with a feral intensity. "Do you think a mere seal can hold me?!"
As it spoke, thick black mist surged like flowing water, erupting violently.
The White Zetsu tore chunks of its own flesh and hurled them outward. The blood and tissue transformed into a storm, highly corrosive, almost breaking through the starlight confinement.
"Of course I wouldn't expect such a simple seal to trap you," Naruto said coldly, but he showed no hesitation. He calmly raised his hand. "The seal I truly prepared is this!"
In the next instant, countless blazing-gold chains shot out from every direction.
The chains pierced the starlight barrier, binding the resisting White Zetsu. Their suppressive force completely countered the creature's regenerative abilities.
"That is… the Adamantine Sealing Chains, a secret technique of the Uzumaki Clan?!" Jiraiya's eyes widened, astonishment written across his face.
It was known that this secret technique could only be wielded by pure-blooded red-haired members of the Uzumaki Clan.
Although Naruto possessed Uzumaki blood, he was not red-haired. By all logic, he should not have been able to perform the Adamantine Sealing Chains!
But then, something even more shocking happened to Jiraiya.
After performing the Adamantine Sealing Chains, Naruto held a book in his left hand and slowly flipped to the next page.
"To deal with 'Sequence 4,' I've spent a full six months preparing, gathering over a hundred methods."
"Decree: Local Beyonder power weakened!"
"Spiritual Whip!"
"Weaken!"
"Chaos!"
"Curse!"
With Naruto's voice, the pages of the book vanished at an incredible speed.
At the same time, White Zetsu's inner fear grew boundlessly. This guy had actually recorded multiple Beyonder abilities to counter it!
The Beyonder power weakened, and it could no longer maintain its mythical form.
The Spiritual Whip inflicted excruciating pain on its spirit, leaving its consciousness in chaos, screaming meaningless roars of rage.
Weaken, Chaos, Curse—three layers of negative effects pressed down, erasing the last shred of White Zetsu's hope for resistance.
Looking into White Zetsu's resentful eyes, Naruto calmly closed the book and said lightly, "Don't look at me like that. The Door Path isn't strong in direct combat, so I had to use this method."
As a member of the "Three Cowardly Pathways," as long as the Door Path could record a large number of Beyonder abilities, it was truly formidable.
"Don't bother struggling anymore."
Naruto extended his hand, and a layer of radiant light bloomed in his eyes.
"White Zetsu, I want you to help me become a demi-god!"
"Ahhh—!!!"
In the next moment, White Zetsu's piercing roar was completely sealed by the shrinking starlight barrier.
"This… should do it."
Naruto muttered to himself, feeling his spirit undergo a monumental transformation.
It was as if he had leapt from an ordinary human across a vast chasm.
"Next, I just need to return and drink the potion to complete the ascension ritual."
After sealing White Zetsu's essence into the book, Naruto finally turned to Jiraiya, Sakura, and the unconscious Sasuke.
"Naruto…"
The moment Sakura saw that Naruto had saved them, tears instantly welled up, and she could no longer hold them back.
"How embarrassing… and we actually needed you to save us," Jiraiya sighed in relief, glancing at Naruto. "Did Orochimaru send you?"
"This isn't the place to talk," Naruto replied.
He turned and raised his hand. A shimmering gate, like a wall of water, suddenly appeared before them. "Follow me. We'll talk once we get to the Hidden Sound Village."
"Perfect timing. I've been wanting to see Orochimaru too," Jiraiya said.
He exhaled heavily and gestured for the two Toad Sages to temporarily return to Mount Myoboku, then nodded at Sakura.
The group followed Naruto and stepped into the glowing gate.
In an instant, it felt as if they had crossed the stars. When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves inside a secret underground base.
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