The ground was cracked. Shockwaves of terrifying power rippled outward.
Looking at the man falling from the sky, Ephemeral and Hotaru were startled.
How could anyone survive a fall from that height?
Seeing their cautious expressions, Mirai Uchiha showed a faint smile on his face.
"Let's strike a deal."
"Will you willingly hand over the Six-Tails?"
Hearing Mirai Uchiha's request, Ephemeral's expression turned even darker.
Asking him to surrender the Six-Tails voluntarily—wasn't that the same as asking him to commit suicide?
"Lord Ephemeral, what should we do now?"
Hotaru's expression was somewhat panicked.
She had just thought Lord Ephemeral was being overly paranoid—how could merely saying the wrong thing lead to a relentless hunt?
But now it seemed like Ephemeral truly had the foresight.
Unfortunately, even though they ran away immediately, they still got cornered by the other party.
Ephemeral said solemnly, "Hotaru, step aside. Don't get in the way."
"Lord Ephemeral, please be careful."
Hotaru obediently retreated into the distance.
She also knew that staying here would only be a burden to Lord Ephemeral.
"It seems like you're not very interested in my proposal."
"What a shame..."
Seeing Ephemeral draw his weapon, Mirai Uchiha couldn't help shaking his head.
Seeing this, Ephemeral asked, puzzled, "A shame for what?"
Mirai Uchiha smiled, "A shame that I can only kill you."
As the words fell, a powerful aura erupted toward the sky.
Brutal ocular power, terrifying chakra...
Instantly, Ephemeral felt a suffocating pressure, like being constricted by a python.
"So strong!!!"
Ephemeral's heart sank.
This ninja in front of him was terrifyingly strong.
Stronger than any ninja he'd seen before!
[Water Release: Bubbles Technique — Drift]
Ephemeral struck first. Using the ninja tool he had just prepared, he blew out countless bubbles, instantly engulfing Mirai Uchiha.
"Kai!"
With a low shout, all the bubbles exploded at once.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The earth began to tremble violently. The explosion's shockwave spread rapidly in all directions.
Ephemeral had used his full strength right from the start.
"We did it! We won!"
From afar, Hotaru couldn't help but cry out in excitement.
Such a massive area and devastating explosion—there was no one who could survive it.
No wonder Ephemeral truly lived up to his reputation. With one move, the enemy was eliminated.
Unlike the overly optimistic Hotaru, Ephemeral's expression remained grim.
Ephemeral couldn't shake an uneasy feeling.
Soon, the thick smoke and dust dissipated.
Ephemeral's and Hotaru's expressions darkened simultaneously.
Before them, Mirai Uchiha was now covered by a transparent, blood-red skeleton.
Protected by this skeletal frame, Mirai Uchiha remained completely unharmed.
["Susanoo..."]
"You're Mirai Uchiha!"
Ephemeral finally recognized the man standing before him.
A sudden sense of despair washed over him, and he felt his fighting spirit slipping away entirely.
He had traveled across the ninja world, hearing many stories about this man.
Even though he usually had great confidence in his own strength, he couldn't imagine surviving against this man who many called "god."
"Already given up on resisting?"
Mirai Uchiha clicked his tongue. Instantly, Amenotejikara activated.
Ephemeral's body was forcibly teleported directly in front of Mirai Uchiha.
Crack!
Caught by the neck, Ephemeral was lifted into the air by Mirai Uchiha.
[Blocking Technique Absorption Seal!]
In an instant, Ephemeral's chakra was completely drained. Then Mirai Uchiha tossed him onto the ground.
"No!"
"Don't kill Lord Ephemeral!"
Hotaru's voice rang out from a distance.
Watching Hotaru run toward them, Mirai Uchiha raised an eyebrow. "I gave him a chance. He asked for this."
"Lord Ephemeral is a good ninja. He has never committed any evil acts."
"Why do you all want to kill him?"
Facing Hotaru's accusation, Mirai Uchiha replied quietly, "Even if I explained it to you, you wouldn't understand."
"I'm doing this to obtain greater power, but more importantly, to prevent the ninja world from perishing."
"The ninja world... will perish?"
Hotaru froze momentarily, struggling to grasp what Mirai Uchiha meant.
The ninja world is thriving—how could it possibly face destruction?
Besides, hadn't he already obtained power capable of defeating even Lord Ephemeral so easily? Wasn't that enough?
Seeing her reaction, Mirai Uchiha didn't bother elaborating further. Instead, he said with mild interest, "If you can offer me something valuable, I might consider sparing his life."
Upon hearing this, hesitation appeared on Hotaru's face.
But only for a moment. Soon, she wore a determined expression as she spoke solemnly, "I carry the secret kinjutsu passed down by the Tsuchigumo Clan."
"When enough spiritual energy gathers, it can destroy areas spanning hundreds of thousands of kilometers!"
"If you're willing to spare Lord Ephemeral, I'll hand over the Tsuchigumo Clan's Secret Art."
After saying this, Hotaru adjusted her collar, exposing the markings on her back.
There was an eye-like object embedded in her back, surrounded by grotesque blue veins.
"[Hair of Fury Explosion]..."
A long-buried memory hidden deep within Mirai Uchiha's mind began to surface clearly.
He remembered now. The Tsuchigumo Clan indeed possessed a secret art called [Hair of Fury Explosion], said to store gas internally before triggering a massive detonation.
The longer the gas was stored, the larger the resulting explosion.
According to legend, its maximum radius could reach millions of kilometers!
Of course, Mirai didn't believe this rumor.
If the Tsuchigumo Clan really had such power, they wouldn't still be struggling for their next meal.
Still, he found the item used for storing gas in [Hair of Fury Explosion]—the eye-like object embedded on Hotaru's back—quite interesting.
To realize his plan of collecting all the chakra from every ninja across the ninja world, he needed a container powerful enough—something similar to the Ten-Tails—capable of storing massive quantities of chakra.
This medium used for gas storage in [Hair of Fury Explosion] might be worth taking back for Orochimaru to study.
Thinking thus, Mirai Uchiha spoke indifferently, "Then you'll follow me from now on."
Hotaru nodded. "Yes!"
After securing Hotaru's agreement, Mirai turned his gaze toward Ephemeral once again.
Sensing Mirai's stare, Hotaru anxiously pleaded, "Lord, aren't you going to spare Lord Ephemeral?"
"I will spare him," Mirai replied coolly. "But I must take the Six-Tails with me. It's for the future of the ninja world."
"But..." Hotaru was nearly in tears. "The jinchuriki will die if separated from the tailed beast!"
Seeing Hotaru's distress, Mirai gently patted her head and softly said, "I will bring him back to life."
Bring him back to life?
But resurrection...
Stunned, Hotaru wanted to speak again but heard Ephemeral say, "Hotaru, don't plead anymore."
"You don't understand who he truly is. Things others see as impossible—he makes possible."
Hearing these rare words of praise from Ephemeral—who usually remained cold and silent—Hotaru couldn't hide her shock.
"Lord Ephemeral, you know him?"
Ephemeral nodded. "He is the one who holds the title of Emperor of Shinobi—"
"Mirai Uchiha!"
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