Pop—
High above Konoha, it was clearly visible.
The ghostly glow on the Shinigami's arm had dimmed slightly.
"Hiss…"
Across from it, Senju Hashirama supported Senju Tobirama. The faded Sage markings beneath his eyes faintly reappeared.
"That kid… he's actually clashing with the laws of the Shinigami…"
"And… even gaining the upper hand?"
Even as he said it, Hashirama felt the words were absurd.
It felt like his entire worldview was being repeatedly smashed into the ground.
Although he was called the God of Shinobi, he knew very well that it was merely a title given by others.
He understood his own limits.
The shinobi world was vast.
There were many strange places within it—some so bizarre and dangerous that even he found them unsettling.
For example—
The being in front of him.
The Shinigami.
Hashirama had never seen it before. He had only heard rumors.
An ancient god.
A being possessing unimaginable sealing power.
When Tobirama summoned it earlier, Hashirama had carefully sensed its presence.
And realized—
He couldn't move.
Or more precisely—
In his current state, he could do nothing against the Shinigami.
If that blade had fallen on him instead—
The most he could have done was spread his arms and let the Shinigami stab him twice more.
Compared to his brother, Tobirama was even more stunned.
He had completely forgotten the pain of half his soul being torn away.
Only one thought remained in his mind:
This… actually works?!
The Shinigami—one of the very few gods in the ninja world with recorded legends.
And now it looked like it had completely lost its dignity.
"Could it be…"
"Because the soul I sacrificed wasn't strong enough?"
"Is that why the Shinigami's power seems weak?"
Thinking this, Tobirama finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He had found an excuse.
A reason to explain the Shinigami's embarrassing performance.
"Hehehe… ssssss… so this is the Reaper Death Seal."
"So this is the Shinigami of the Pure Land?"
"How fascinating… truly fascinating!"
Nearby, Orochimaru's snake-like pupils trembled with excitement.
His long tongue slid across his lips repeatedly.
His entire body quivered.
This was the thrill of encountering the unknown.
The passion of scientific pursuit.
What had he just witnessed?
A human.
A boy barely ten years old.
Using a method Orochimaru couldn't comprehend—
Manipulating rule-level chains and pillars to fight the projection of the Pure Land's will.
This was humanity confronting divine power directly.
Something that had completely surpassed his understanding of ninjutsu, bloodline limits, and even gods.
"Body of light… turning into sunlight…"
"And chains that control souls…"
Orochimaru's mind raced.
Greed filled his gaze.
"This boy's body must be the perfect specimen."
"Perhaps his body could achieve true immortality."
"Or even… enter the realm of gods."
At that thought, the hands hidden within his sleeves began twitching.
Silently forming hand seals.
The Reaper Death Seal was certainly powerful.
But clearly—
It had flaws.
Even if he couldn't capture Uchiha Kai himself…
Obtaining even a few of his cells would be enough.
Poof.
A nearly invisible puff of white smoke rose beside Orochimaru's feet.
Hiss… hiss…
Thin snakes quietly slithered outward, scattering across the ground.
"Wait…"
"Just wait a little longer…"
Madness and calculation flashed through Orochimaru's eyes.
"Once they're both exhausted…"
"Or once that boy truly enrages the Shinigami…"
"That will be my moment."
A single fatal strike?
No.
He wanted Kai alive.
If he could capture him, he would uncover the secret behind turning one's body into sunlight—
Even transforming the soul into light.
On the street below—
"B-brother Kai…"
"Is he… pulling a tug-of-war with that ugly skeleton?"
Sasuke stared stubbornly at the sky.
The cold rain streamed down his neck, making him shiver uncontrollably.
But when he glanced at Naruto on the right and Gaara on the left—
Both stood perfectly fine.
Unaffected by the storm.
If that was the case—
Then he, Uchiha Sasuke, genius of the Uchiha clan—
Would endure it too.
Even if he had to grit his teeth through it.
"Big brother is amazing…"
Naruto's Nine-Tails cloak flickered around him.
His blue eyes were wide with excitement.
"I wonder if that skeleton could survive one of the forbidden jutsu I've been researching…"
On the other side, Gaara had already removed the gourd from his back and hugged it in his arms.
He stared at the battle above.
But inside his mind—
A shrill voice screamed endlessly.
"Madman! That Uchiha Kai is a madman!"
"Run! Leave while you still can!"
Leave?
Gaara gave no reply.
His green pupils narrowed to slits.
His gaze slowly lowered.
Toward the ground.
Toward a cold, lifeless body lying there.
"…Father."
Gaara fell silent.
The character carved into his forehead seemed to grow darker.
He wanted to run forward.
To carry the body home.
But his rational mind told him the truth.
Approaching now would lead to only one outcome—
Death.
"So this…"
"…is the power of Konoha."
Behind him, Temari and Kankuro stood frozen.
Completely numb.
The shock they experienced today surpassed everything they had seen in their entire lives.
Sunagakure?
Otogakure?
Orochimaru's plans?
Tailed beasts?
Compared to those two monsters above—
They were nothing.
Even the aftershock of a casual strike from either of them would kill them instantly.
On another street—
Nara Shikaku pinched his thigh hard.
Only when the pain made him wince did he finally whisper:
"This isn't a dream…"
"Lord Kai… is really fighting the Shinigami."
At that moment, Shikaku realized something.
All his strategies and calculations—
Were meaningless before Kai's overwhelming power.
Now he understood why Kai had confidently handed over Konoha's entire treasury to him.
It wasn't just trust.
It was absolute power.
Kai simply didn't care who held authority.
Or what they did with it.
As long as the result benefited Konoha—
That was enough.
At the edge of the Hokage Tower ruins—
"My back… ahh, my back…"
"Can't you be a little gentler?"
Onoki was being carried in a princess hold by the Fourth Raikage, A.
The shockwave earlier had knocked him down again.
And this time—
He had thrown out his back completely.
Now he could only stay in Raikage's arms while staring upward.
"I've lived this long…"
"And today is truly the first time I've witnessed something like this."
"Yeah…"
Raikage nodded.
The muscles in his dark face twitched uncontrollably.
"Capturing a god…"
"If I didn't see it myself, I'd think this kid was some kind of sage."
"Compared to him, the Cloud Village feels downright gentle."
At that moment—
ROOOOOAR!!!
A terrifying roar echoed through the sky.
The temperature of the entire village plummeted instantly.
Above them, massive clouds spiraled together—
Forming a gigantic funnel.
A horrifying gravitational pull emanated from it.
It felt as if everyone's soul was about to be ripped from their bodies.
Kai narrowed his eyes.
"Oh?"
"So you've got a final move, huh?"
But at the same time, a system notification flickered in front of him.
The effect of his newly acquired trait was activating.
[Blade of Judgment (Black): After activation, condense a Blade of Judgment.]
[Effect: Guaranteed hit through causal law.]
[Effect: 10% instant-kill probability.]
[Warning: Extremely high energy consumption. Use with caution.]
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