Chapter 354: The Death of Dark Shunhi
A layer of frost formed over the wound sliced open by Thousand Snow Sakura Slash, completely neutralizing Dark Shunhi's rapid regenerative abilities.
"Stay here forever! Ice Rain—Dream-Shattering Chill!"
With a swing of her ice staff, rain mixed with hail poured down from the sky. A terrifying cold swept across the entire Hidden Leaf Village. Even Naruto, shielded by the Nine Tails' chakra, couldn't help but shiver from head to toe.
Dark Shunhi, who had been marked as the primary target by Empress Akshia, was instantly frozen into a block of ice. Then, the ice began to crack and shatter—taking Dark Shunhi with it, breaking his body into pieces.
The once formidable enemy who had caused Konoha so much trouble was vanquished with shocking ease.
"Sakura…"
Naruto stared at the Empress Akshia before him, wanting to say something—yet no words came. He couldn't tell whether the one standing in front of him was still Sakura… or just Akshia.
Akshia shot him a glance, then raised her ice staff and said, "Netherfrost Polar Domain."
A ghostly blue light carrying an intense chill surged from the tip of the staff, and frost began to spread outward from beneath her feet.
"Sakura! What are you trying to do?!"
The scene before him struck Naruto as eerily familiar, triggering an instinctive sense of alarm.
"If we don't stop the Great Dark Heaven, the entire universe will be dragged into eternal darkness. To stand a chance against them, I must regain my full strength."
Perhaps Sakura's consciousness was still influencing Akshia—that was the only reason she offered Naruto even a brief explanation.
"Damn it…"
"Naruto!" Obito grabbed his arm and sniffled, urging, "Now's not the time to fight her. Besides, Sasuke still needs urgent treatment!"
Naruto snapped out of it at Obito's words. Cradling Sasuke, he turned and ran without hesitation.
The village could be rebuilt—but if Sasuke died, he'd be gone for good.
Watching Naruto's retreating figure, carrying Sasuke away, Empress Akshia hesitated for a moment—but ultimately didn't try to stop him.
Elsewhere in the village, Boruto, who had been venting his emotions by smashing up the ruins of empty buildings, suddenly paused. He turned to look down the street behind him.
The street was visibly being covered in frost, freezing over in real time into a slick, icy surface.
"Could Akshia have revived?!"
Boruto realized it instantly. After all, Akshia had been the first major crisis he faced since becoming the Eighth Hokage.
Entering Sage Mode, Boruto locked onto Akshia's location, then activated Nine Tails Chakra Mode and charged straight toward her.
The closer he got, the more bone-chilling the cold became.
But now, even the Nine Tails Chakra Mode alone wasn't enough to withstand the extreme cold.
"Hey, what's going on?" Boruto demanded of the Nine Tails inside him. Back when he last faced Akshia, Nine Tails Chakra Mode had been more than sufficient. Was the Nine Tails slacking off?
"You little brat! Something's not right—run, now!" the Nine Tails snapped, shedding its usual laziness. It sat upright, eyes flashing with serious intensity.
"I can't! I have to find out what's happening. No matter what, I'm the Hokage—I have a duty to protect the village…"
"You idiot! Do you even know what kind of Hokage you are? You've got no real authority! And if you die, that's one thing—but don't drag me down with you!"
The Nine Tails from this parallel Shinobi World wasn't even sure whether it would resurrect if it died here.
"Sorry, Kurama."
Boruto gave a faint, apologetic smile.
"You fool… you damn moron!"
Cursing was all Kurama could do at this point.
"Don't worry. Maybe we won't die…"
"You little…"
For its own survival, the Nine Tails had no choice but to fully support Boruto and lend him its power.
"Kurama, I need you to maintain the Nine Tails Chakra Mode—I'm going Super Saiyan."
"Got it!"
Previously, in Nine Tails Chakra Mode, Kurama would release chakra, and Boruto would refine it into a usable form. But now, since they were in the same boat, Kurama had to help Boruto directly—filtering out the violent traits of its chakra so Boruto could use it safely.
With Kurama handling that burden, Boruto could free his mind to enter either Sage Mode or Super Saiyan Mode.
However, combining all three modes would still require additional training.
Now combining Nine Tails Chakra Mode with Super Saiyan Mode—
"Let's call it… Super Nine Tails Chakra Mode!"
"What a lame name," Kurama muttered.
"Alright, let's go!"
If the Nine Tails Chakra Mode was like putting on a down jacket in winter, then Super Saiyan Mode was like generating heat through vigorous exercise.
Together, it was like running in winter while wearing a down jacket—warm, powerful, and invulnerable to the cold.
In Super Nine Tails Chakra Mode, Boruto could no longer feel the freezing chill at all.
"There's someone up ahead…? A civilian? I can't believe there's still someone who hasn't evacuated…"
"Idiot! In weather like this, normal people would've frozen solid ages ago—that's clearly an enemy!"
Kurama growled inside him. After all, this time his life was on the line too.
"Really…" Boruto picked up his pace and quickly closed in on the figure. "Hey, you—Aunt Sakura?!"
"…I am not Sakura," the Empress Akshia replied, gripping her authority staff. "I am Empress Akshia."
"Akshia… you're in human form?" Boruto was utterly confused. "Forget that—what are you trying to do to my village?!"
"Not just your village. The entire Shinobi World shall become my kingdom. Help me return to my peak so I can confront the Great Dark Heaven."
Akshia's voice was calm.
"What?! The entire Shinobi World?!"
They had nearly reached the village gates. Boruto looked back—and sure enough, the frost had spread beyond the village, continuing outward into the world.
"You brat—focus on the part about the Great Dark Heaven!" Kurama's face grew grim. "If a monster like her needs to regain her full power just to fight them… what the hell is this Great Dark Heaven?"
"What kind of person is the Great Dark Heaven?"
"They're not a person—they're an organization. Their goal is to plunge the entire universe into eternal darkness and rule over it. That one over there is just a regular member of the Great Dark Heaven."
Following the direction of Akshia's finger, Boruto looked—and his eyes widened in shock.
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