Sasuke stepped through the front gate of the palace's main hall, but the scene before him suddenly shifted.
Instead of the expected pavilion-like interior, he found himself in a pitch-black void.
There was nothing visible around him.
Even activating his Rinnegan proved futile.
He also noticed that Naruto and the others hadn't followed him.
Left with no other choice, he proceeded cautiously, remaining on high alert.
"Why? Why are you trying to stop me?!"
Suddenly, an enraged voice echoed from all directions.
Sasuke halted, his mind tense.
What he was facing now was something he had never encountered before, leaving him no room for carelessness.
"What exactly am I stopping you from?" Sasuke asked calmly.
"I will become the one and only god! Omniscient, omnipotent—the supreme true god!"
The voice continued to resound from every direction, filled with resentment and fury.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes and sneered. "People like you, the more they act like this, the weaker they are inside. Orochimaru, your broken self is truly boring to me."
He had realized that the person speaking to him was Hakuryu, the entity that had previously possessed Nagato's body.
Its personality was extreme, consumed by boundless greed.
"You know nothing!" Hakuryu roared in fury.
"No one in this world understands me. They all see me as a villain! Even Hyuga Makoto considers me a madman, a mere tool!"
Sasuke remained composed. "Orochimaru, are you doing all this just to prove something to others?"
Hakuryu laughed angrily in response. "They are unworthy! None of them are worthy!"
An extreme and foolish lunatic—this person was no longer the Orochimaru that Sasuke had once known.
Gazing at the surrounding darkness, Sasuke slowly closed his eyes.
His Rinnegan faded, and when he reopened them, the void around him transformed into a dimly lit room.
The floor beneath him was covered in writhing masses of flesh.
Hakuryu suddenly realized, to his horror, that he was entangled in the grotesque, pulsating flesh, unable to move.
"What is this?!" he exclaimed in shock.
"What's wrong? Don't even recognize your own technique?" Sasuke stood not far away, speaking calmly.
Living Corpse Reincarnation—Orochimaru had once attempted to use this technique to seize Sasuke's body.
However, Sasuke ultimately turned the technique against him, causing the ritual to fail.
As a result, Orochimaru's consciousness was later sealed within the Heaven Curse Mark on Sasuke's body.
"When did I ever create this technique?!" Hakuryu's voice carried a hint of fear.
Sasuke looked at him indifferently. "It seems you're even more pathetic than I thought."
............
Naruto suddenly found himself back inside the temple of Ryuchi Cave, standing before the enormous eight-headed white serpent.
As confusion filled his mind, he suddenly sensed hostility emanating from the white Orochimaru.
"Humans! Kill the humans!"
A woman's voice rang out from the side—it was the three Snake Princesses who had previously welcomed them.
However, at this moment, they had terrifying snake-faced human forms.
Naruto quickly spoke up, "Wait! Don't you remember me?!"
He leaped aside to evade the Snake Princesses' attacks, constantly trying to explain, "We just met!"
Their voices remained chillingly cold: "Our lord despises humans!"
The eight-headed serpent let out a series of ear-piercing hisses. Naruto gradually steadied himself.
Just moments ago, he had been in the Konoha Palace—there was no reason for him to suddenly appear here.
Moreover, hadn't the soul within the white snake already entered Anko's body?
Was this an illusion...?
He calmed his mind and called out to the Nine-Tails within him, "Kurama?"
"It's not an illusion, Naruto. Stay sharp!" the Nine-Tails warned.
Time manipulation, space manipulation, soul fragments... Too many incomprehensible phenomena had occurred since arriving in this world.
Realizing that his current situation defied conventional logic, Naruto's expression grew serious.
The chakra of the Tailed Beast surged from his body, and in an instant, he entered Sage Fox Mode.
He was now in his thirties, in the prime of his life.
In his world, aside from Sasuke, no one could match him.
"Let's subdue them with force first."
...............
Inside the lavish palace hall, a beautiful woman sat alone before the dressing table, gazing at her reflection in the mirror, her expression filled with sorrow.
"Lord Minamoto said he would be visiting the queen today and won't be coming," a maid reported from the doorway.
Hinata watched as the woman's mournful expression shifted from resentment to hatred.
"Not coming again… not coming again..." the woman muttered under her breath.
"So many people… must I really kill them all, one by one?"
As she spoke, she suddenly took a dagger from the drawer and hid it within her sleeve.
Then, lifting the hem of her luxurious gown, she strode quickly out of the hall.
Hinata's heart tightened with alarm.
Without hesitation, she followed, determined to see what the woman intended to do.
The woman moved swiftly through the daimyo's residence, ignoring the many people along the way, heading straight for the queen's chambers.
The guards attempted to stop her, but the moment she cast a single glance at them, their expressions turned vacant, leaving them frozen in place.
The queen's face twisted in terror as she watched the woman approach, dagger in hand.
"Witch! Witch! What are you trying to do?!"
The cold gleam of the blade reflected a chilling light, while the woman's stunning features were contorted with jealousy and hatred.
"You're the witch! Always seducing Lord Minamoto!"
Hinata vividly remembered how gentle and graceful this woman had seemed when they first met at Ryuchi Cave.
But now, witnessing this scene, she was completely unrecognizable.
Just as the dagger was about to pierce the queen's body, Hinata seized the woman's arm in a firm grip, stopping her in her tracks.
"Why are you stopping me?!" The woman turned to glare at Hinata, her eyes flashing with an icy, bone-chilling coldness.
"Why do you want to kill her?" Hinata asked in return.
"She has been seducing Lord Minamoto! I am merely eliminating the threats around him!"
The queen, having narrowly escaped death, cried out in alarm, "This witch has already murdered many concubines—she is the true threat by Lord Minamoto's side!"
But the woman, as if driven mad, screamed in fury, "Lord Minamoto belongs to me! Me alone! They all deserve to die! You all deserve to die!"
...........
Tsunade, stepped through the main gate and found herself in a somewhat familiar place.
Upon closer inspection, she realized it was Konoha's old Memorial Stone.
Beside the Resting Place of Konoha's Heroes, a frail, long-haired boy stood alone before a gravestone.
Tsunade silently observed him for a long time before slowly approaching.
Glancing at the name on the tombstone, she asked, "Are they your parents?"
"Mm," the boy responded softly.
"You've never mentioned them before," Tsunade remarked.
"The dead are gone. What's the point of talking about them?" the boy said.
Tsunade gazed at him and replied, "Even if they have passed, as long as someone remembers them, they still exist in this world. But if no one remains to think of them, that is when they truly die."
The boy was momentarily stunned, then turned his head to look at Tsunade.
"Do you also have someone you will always remember?"
"…Of course."
The boy slowly continued, "Sarutobi-sensei once said that maybe they have already been reborn somewhere, waiting for me to meet them again."
"Perhaps."
The boy added, "You, too, will meet those you remember again one day."
Tsunade was briefly taken aback before replying, "The ones I meet are those worth remembering in the future. As for the people of the past… they no longer matter to me."
...............
"Master, what's wrong?"
Kaguya looked at Makoto in astonishment.
Just moments ago, he had been resting on her lap, yet in the blink of an eye, he was now standing by the window as if he had appeared there out of thin air.
Makoto cast her a glance and said, "It has weakened. Can't you see it?"
"See what?" Kaguya asked in confusion.
The black mist that enveloped the entire pavilion.
Standing by the window, Makoto could see the buildings of Konoha, but also the impenetrable darkness obscuring everything else.
Every 30 minutes, time in this place would reset.
He had previously tried to open a space-time portal to leave, but once 30 minutes passed, he would find himself right back here.
To traverse time itself, he needed the Golden Tenseigan on the moon.
He had used one of these 30-minute intervals to reach the moon, yet he was unable to open a door across time.
Makoto realized that he was trapped—not just in a prison of time but in an entirely isolated and self-contained world, like a mere projection of reality.
As for who had done this, he still didn't know.
His assailant had launched a sudden attack, and he had been caught completely off guard.
Now, however, the black mist shrouding this space had begun to weaken, and the distortion in the surrounding space was subsiding—meaning that it might now be possible for someone from the outside to enter.
He was already in a precarious situation.
Sitting idly by and waiting for rescue was no longer an option.
Who could guarantee what would happen in the future?
"Your Majesty, I have come to report on the operations in the Soul Society," Unohana announced.
He had heard this exact line countless times by now.
Paying her no mind, Makoto instead shifted his gaze toward the teacup on the table.
In an instant, the teacup shattered into countless fragments.
Both Kaguya and Unohana looked on in bewilderment.
Makoto then extended his hand, attempting to reverse the flow of time on the teacup.
The shattered fragments began to move—piece by piece, they reassembled until, before long, the teacup was whole once again.
"Captain Unohana, what were you doing half an hour ago?" Makoto suddenly asked.
Unohana pondered for a moment before replying, "Half an hour ago, I should have just arrived in Konoha from Seireitei."
Makoto raised his palm toward her, channeling the power of time.
He rewound her time alone by thirty minutes.
In an instant, Unohana vanished into thin air, leaving only Makoto and Kaguya in the pavilion.
Time continued to tick away.
The hands of the clock on the wall moved steadily forward, but Makoto remained patient.
Then, after a little more than twenty minutes—
Unohana reappeared in the room.
"Your Majesty, I have come to report on the operations in the Soul Society."
"..."
Makoto let out a long breath.
He was starting to wonder if he had fallen into Izanami—this scene was simply too identical to before.
But no one in this world possessed the Sharingan anymore.
Even Shisui's ocular powers were no longer enough to affect him.
"Master, what's wrong?"
Makoto turned to look at Kaguya thoughtfully.
Then, he suddenly stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder.
A torrent of chakra surged from his body into hers.
He transferred more than half of a Tailed Beast's chakra to her before finally stopping.
"Can you see it now?" Makoto asked.
Kaguya seemed to perceive something and murmured, "Time… has stopped. I can feel my body in stasis."
Makoto frowned. "You still can't see the black mist outside?"
Kaguya gazed calmly out the window, then shook her head. "What exactly is happening?"
.............
Amidst the endless black mist, Anko continued to move forward, feeling a familiar force calling out to her.
She didn't know how long she had been walking, but finally, within the shroud of darkness, a faint light appeared.
Though weak, it was enough for her to make out other shapes.
A colossal figure loomed ahead—roughly three to four meters tall when upright.
It was a middle-aged man, curled up and floating in midair, his entire body emanating black energy.
"Lord Orochimaru!"
Upon seeing the figure, Anko immediately called out and rushed toward it.
As she neared, she noticed something peculiar—a pulsating heart, black and red in color, connected to the enormous form of Orochimaru.
One end was embedded in his chest, while the other extended into the depths of the black mist.
"Lord Orochimaru…" Anko murmured.
But the curled-up, gigantic figure did not respond.
His eyes remained tightly shut, as if he were in a deep slumber.
Glancing at the heart, Anko seemed to realize something.
Without hesitation, she reached out and grasped the end stretching into the black mist.
The moment she touched it, a shudder ran through the other soul residing within her, and the massive figure trembled with an expression of sorrow.
Clenching her teeth, Anko tightened her grip—then, with a sudden forceful yank, she ripped the connection apart.
Boom!
Instantly, the surrounding black mist churned violently.
Yet, despite the turbulence, there was no sensation of wind, no force pushing against her.
It was as if the entire scene was merely an illusion.
Anko still clutched the other end of the heart tightly, as strange, intricate curse marks from the Ryuchi Cave reappeared on her body.
The colossal figure of Orochimaru began to glow, the light growing increasingly intense, while the surrounding black mist rapidly receded.
As the brilliant radiance completely enveloped Orochimaru, his eyes slowly opened.
"Lord Orochimaru, are you afraid?" Anko, now extremely weak, murmured.
"Don't be afraid, Lord Orochimaru... Soon, you will be yourself again."
"I've always… always…"
Her voice grew fainter and fainter until it became completely inaudible.
The massive orb of light then gradually merged into Anko's body.
In an instant, her delicate features transformed.
Her short black hair lengthened, falling past her shoulders, her face became sharper and colder, and her once-human eyes were replaced by serpent-like pupils.
He lowered his gaze to his own hands, his expression tinged with complex emotions.
"I never thought I'd end up using this body after all, Anko…"
At that moment, time itself came to a halt.
The once-dispersed black mist rapidly gathered, condensing into a massive shadow.
Orochimaru hovered midair as everything beneath him remained completely still.
Slowly, his figure descended before the grand hall of the imperial palace.
Ignoring the frozen figures of Kakashi, Jiraiya, and the others, he pushed open the doors and stepped inside.
The room was eerily silent, containing only three individuals.
Here, time still flowed—or rather, it was time itself that had been stopped.
"It's been a long time, Makoto."
--------------
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