With the decorative stone blocks shattered by the Dark Chakra, two figures leapt from the side entrance.
"Sasuke!?"
Naruto instantly recognized one of them—the black-haired, dark-eyed teen he had been chasing all this time: Sasuke Uchiha.
Shinnō's eyes, meanwhile, locked immediately onto the source of the "Light Chakra"—a blond-haired, blue-eyed woman dressed in monk robes and a sash.
"A monk? No… a ninja monk!"
In his 14 years of wandering the nations, Shinnō had gathered quite a bit of obscure intel.
"I've heard rumors of some ninja monks possessing something called the 'Gift of the Celestial Clan'… So that must be Light Chakra…"
Though ninja monks use chakra just like shinobi, their cultivation methods are different, resulting in distinct manifestations of power.
That power was known as the Gift of the Celestial Clan.
Taking Moss's aura as confirmation, Shinnō muttered, "I'll need to eliminate this ninja monk first."
As the wielder of Dark Chakra, the light she radiated was too dazzling to bear.
"You'll be the first to go," Shinnō said, raising his right hand and aiming his palm at Moss.
At that very moment, Sasuke activated his Sharingan. His black irises turned blood-red, with three tomoe spinning around his pupils.
Boom!
Dark Chakra burst forth from Shinnō's hand—not as a visible, black projectile, but as something invisible and colorless.
Sasuke thought, "Without a visual dojutsu, you'd never see that attack coming, let alone dodge it…"
If you couldn't evade it, the only option was to tank it. And if your body wasn't tough enough, just one hit might take you down.
Moss raised her right hand.
Crack!
A clean hole about the size of a head opened in the ceiling of the throne room, sunlight pouring in from outside the fortress.
Sasuke was stunned. "She's definitely not someone ordinary…"
Thanks to his Sharingan, he had seen everything clearly. Moss had simply waved her hand and slapped the Dark Chakra attack aside like it was a fly.
"What?" Shinnō's face twitched. He quickly fired three more Dark Chakra blasts from different angles.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three more holes opened in the ceiling.
Moss's expression didn't change. She batted all three away with the same ease, her movements fluid and elegant.
Shinnō's expression darkened. His eyes flicked toward Amaru. He shouted, "Amaru! Shinnō never existed! I've been using you from the very beginning! I coddled you and then threw you from heaven into hell! A girl like you, full of emotion, will produce even more despair!"
"AAAH—!"
Amaru, still dazed, clutched her head and screamed. It was like the tide of emotional agony inside her was trying to burst out.
Her anguish caused the black mist of Dark Chakra around Shinnō to double in intensity.
Moss sighed, "That's some potent emotional energy… If that girl were an Uchiha, she would've awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan already."
"Huh?" Sasuke frowned in surprise.
This "Moss" even knew about the Mangekyō Sharingan? He himself, a real Uchiha, barely understood it.
"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, his tone sharp.
What did she mean by that comment about Amaru being able to awaken the Mangekyō? Did this strange monk know the conditions for unlocking it?
Moss answered without turning her head, "I wasn't talking to you."
Sasuke was left speechless.
On the other side of the room, Naruto, furious that Shinnō kept tormenting Amaru with his words, formed hand seals and activated the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, rushing forward with dozens of fists flying. "You bastard, shut up already!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Idiot."
That kind of crude tactic wasn't going to work.
Sure enough, Shinnō remained calm and simply waved his hand. From his palm, Dark Chakra lashed out like invisible whips.
Boom boom boom…
In a matter of seconds, the clones were wiped out.
Naruto's real body, hidden among them, lunged forward with a swirling blue chakra ball in hand.
"Rasengan!"
BOOM!
Right then, Shinnō's body erupted in a blazing aura. The pressure alone sent Naruto flying backward. His Rasengan hit the ground behind him, leaving a one-meter-wide crater.
"Ha!"
Shinnō grinned. His white hair turned black, and his upper garments burst open, revealing a grotesque, root-like muscular build.
"With Dark Chakra, I've activated both Cellular Revitalization and Regeneration. But more than that… I've achieved Physical Ascension!"
He spoke like a proud researcher showing off his years of work.
"Not only can it reverse aging and rejuvenate cells, it can strengthen damaged muscles and bones, turning the user into the ultimate lifeform!"
Regenerative enhancement?
That meant the more he fought, the stronger he'd become?
Sasuke realized: if they were going to take him down, it had to be fast.
Clenching his fists, Shinnō's aura surged again. He now looked more like a beast than a man, his presence ten times more fearsome than before.
"Not only that," he added with glee, "I can fully open all Eight Gates without dying!"
Just then, Naruto attacked again.
This time, Shinnō countered with explosive force, landing a palm strike on Naruto's chest and launching him far across the room.
"…." Sasuke watched in silence.
Rather than Naruto's condition, he was more curious about what Moss would do next.
Would this strange monk just stand by and watch, or would she intervene?
Moss was thinking, I could beat this man with brute force if I had to.
Lucy the Angewomon commented, "But that wouldn't help with the 81 Trials training."
In Journey to the West, Sun Wukong had incredible powers like growing extra arms and turning his staff into countless weapons. Yet he rarely used those in the pilgrimage, because the point was to undergo the 81 spiritual trials.
Moss considered this, then began to walk forward.
Sasuke thought she was heading toward Shinnō, but to his surprise, she went toward Amaru instead.
What's she doing? he wondered, watching with interest.
Moss knelt beside Amaru and said softly, "Young lady… Shinnō doesn't exist."
"…!" Amaru's body trembled. She clenched her teeth, shut her eyes, and bowed her head—like someone had just poured salt into an open wound. Her despair deepened further.
And in response, the black mist around Shinnō thickened even more.
"Foolish!" Shinnō sneered.
Seeing where Moss was going, he had figured it out.
"You want to dispel her darkness with words? That's impossible now!"
Just a while ago, Amaru had snapped out of her despair thanks to Naruto's encouragement. But this situation was completely different.
The last 14 years of her life—everything she'd cherished—had been fake. The teacher she idolized was a lie. It was all an illusion.
No mentor. No legacy. Nothing was real.
Anyone would break under that kind of blow.
"But…"
A soft golden light began to shine from Moss's body. She radiated a holy aura, calm and pure.
"Just like Buddha and Bodhisattvas didn't physically exist at first, but people believed in their teachings and practiced their principles—eventually, they became real."
"…?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Most monks wouldn't openly say Buddha and Bodhisattvas didn't originally exist.
Then again, nothing about this woman had been normal so far.
She's weird—but in a way that almost reminded him of Naruto.
"Tch. Why'd I think of that idiot again?" Sasuke muttered to himself.
"Practice, huh…" Naruto echoed, looking thoughtful.
Moss continued speaking gently to Amaru. "Humans are amazing. Through imagination, they can set goals and keep moving forward, step by step."
With the combined influence of her words, sacred aura, and resolve, Amaru slowly raised her head and met Moss's clear blue eyes.
Moss, in turn, looked into Amaru's emerald green eyes and said, "Brave girl… If the old Shinnō wasn't real, then become him yourself. You can be the real Shinnō."
"Me…?" Amaru shivered, but her eyes began to light up.
There was no real Shinnō—but maybe she could become him.
Can I really…?
She looked toward the other Shinnō.
"…" Shinnō himself was stunned to see Amaru stirred by Moss's words.
This monk's… not bad with words, he thought.
But then—
It's pointless!
Shinnō laughed derisively. "Buddhas and Bodhisattvas? Hah! That's nothing but hot air. As if you could actually pull it off! You're just a deluded little girl."
His mocking echoed through the chamber, and Amaru's gaze dropped again.
Right… how could I ever become someone like Shinnō…?
But Moss remained unshaken. Instead, she smiled knowingly. "Alright then. I'll show you what a Bodhisattva looks like."
"…Huh?" Shinnō's laughter paused briefly, then resumed louder than ever.
A little blonde brat like you, a Bodhisattva? If you're one of those, then I'm the real Shinnō!
"Dual Reception—Venusmon's Soul."
With that whispered invocation, a magic circle filled with golden light appeared above Moss's head. The essence of Venusmon enveloped her body.
Everyone squinted against the dazzling glow. When their eyes adjusted, they were stunned.
"Guanyin… Bodhisattva?"
"No way…"
Moss had already been channeling the Soul of Sanzomon. Now layered with Venusmon's soul, her clothing transformed: the light yellow robes replaced by pure white garments.
A white veil formed from what had once been her blindfold, and she tilted her head, wearing a serene, compassionate smile.
She truly looked like the Goddess of Mercy.
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