Even though Ryoma himself could reincarnate and resurrect indefinitely, Kushina and Mikoto did not share that ability. He did not want to stand by helplessly as his loved ones aged and died one by one.
That was why he had to complete the Life Elixir. Failure was not an option.
After giving Orochimaru several last instructions, Ryoma prepared to leave. Just as he turned, the Sannin stopped him.
"You're planning to head for the Land of Demons, aren't you?"
Orochimaru's golden eyes locked onto him, his tone holding a rare hint of helplessness.
"Even if you're already invincible, and can come and go as you please," he continued, "overprotecting the new generation will only stunt their growth. A shinobi cannot become excellent without experiencing true life-and-death battles."
Ryoma waved dismissively as he opened Yomotsu Hirasaka, the dimensional rift yawning before him.
"You're overthinking it. That fellow Yomi is just a monster from another world, isn't he? I'm only going to drag him back and study him."
With that, Ryoma stepped into the rift and vanished from Orochimaru's sight.
Deep in the valley, an army of spectral soldiers stood in perfect silence.
At their center, Yomi sat cross-legged in meditation, eyes closed.
Even with the support of dark medical ninjutsu, keeping Mōryō sealed inside his body placed a tremendous burden on him. He could not move lightly.
A cold breeze stirred his black hair as he finally opened his eyes.
"Where is the Four Celestial Beasts?"
No sooner had he spoken than four white-clad figures descended from the sky, kneeling before him.
"Already waiting outside the imperial hall," reported Kusuna, her long pink hair swaying slightly as she bowed.
"Then depart," Yomi commanded. "Go to the Land of Demons… and kill the shrine maiden who carries the sealing technique."
"Yes, my lord."
Yomi extended his left hand.
"Take these."
At once, four pitch-black, centipede-like creatures screeched and shot toward the Celestial Beasts, burrowing into their bodies.
"You already know how to use the technique I taught you," Yomi reminded calmly. "Go."
The Four Celestial Beasts vanished into the night.
Inside the palace of the Land of Demons, a young girl with long gray-white hair and violet eyes jolted awake.
"Did you have a nightmare, Lady Shion?"
A bespectacled young guard—Ashiho—stood quietly in the corner of the room.
"Ashiho… I saw you in my dream…"
Shion bit her lip, eyes reddening, unable to continue.
As a shrine maiden, she possessed two abilities:
the power to seal resurrected demons, and a terrifying gift—the ability to foresee the death of others.
In her latest vision, the palace was littered with the corpses of countless guards.
She was only twelve or thirteen at this time, far too young to withstand such horrors, and tears welled uncontrollably in her eyes.
(In the film continuity, she is sixteen.)
Ashiho hurried to comfort her.
"Please don't worry, Lady Shion. The ninja Konoha dispatched should arrive soon. We will be safe."
But neither of them knew that, just beyond the palace walls, four pairs of malicious eyes had already fixed on their target.
"So this is the place," Kusuna murmured.
She raised both arms. Instantly, three shadowy centipedes shot toward her three teammates, burrowing into the backs of their necks.
The effect was immediate—chakra erupted violently from each of them as their flesh twisted and transformed.
Gray lines crawled across Weiyan's face, his fist swelling to the size of a boulder.
Shizuku's orange hair grew longer, her skin patterned with blue-white markings, and sharp bone-like barbs jutted from her elbows.
"Our chakra attributes are just as we planned," Kusuna said coldly. "Move. Finish this quickly."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Four Celestial Beasts launched their assault.
Four shrill bursts of wind cut through the night as the Four Celestial Beasts shot toward the palace like arrows loosed from a bowstring.
"Enemy attack!"
The palace guards spotted the intruders descending from the sky and immediately raised their bows, loosing volley after volley. Other samurai sprinted toward the shrine maiden's chambers to reinforce the inner guard.
"Lady Shion, stay here! Do not move!"
Ashiho and several guards hurried to the doorway, taking defensive positions. Their duty was clear—protect Shion at all costs.
Outside, arrows rained down like a shimmering net, but Kusuna calmly manipulated his puppet to shield their formation. With a single gesture, the puppet's limbs elongated, its body spinning rapidly like a whirring drill.
Under Kusuna's control, the spinning form shredded the arrow rain completely.
"What a nuisance."
With the barrage cleared, his eyes flashed with killing intent. Kusuna formed a rapid sequence of hand seals and thrust both palms forward.
"Fire Release: Kōfu Shirenben!"
BOOM!
A pillar of scorching flames erupted across the courtyard, instantly turning several samurai to ash. The intense heat swallowed the square in a blazing inferno.
"In an instant, don't use Fire Release here," Kusuna scolded. "If you burn too much, the smoke will choke us as well."
The moment they landed, Shizuku stepped forward, raising both hands. A surge of water burst outward, dousing the flames and sending steam rolling across the courtyard.
"AAAA—!!"
Countless guards roared and charged from all sides, weapons raised. The Four Celestial Beasts exchanged disdainful smiles before splitting off in four directions to engage.
Shizuku lifted his left leg high, maintaining the posture as a bead of water formed at his toes.
"Water Release: Water Slash!"
He stomped down, cracking the ground. A towering column of water burst upward, then shot forward, compressing into a high-velocity water blade.
The razor-sharp torrent cleaved several guards cleanly in half. The shockwave split stone steps, carving a deep path—and even slicing open the wall of the shrine maiden's chamber.
Inside, the breach exposed Shion, her pale hair and violet eyes illuminated by the moonlight.
"Well, well… jackpot."
Seeing the girl's face—identical to the portrait they were given—Shizuku's lips curled into a chilling grin.