Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 456 Welcome to my world
[Item: Hogyoku (48% positive; 30% negative → 42%)...]

[Bloodline: Otsutsuki Clan (51% → 60.1%)]

[Divine Arts: 'High Soul Control', 'Death' → 'Soul Fate']

Sensing the divine seed within his body undergoing a complete transformation under the catalysis of the Hogyoku, a profound light, almost imperceptible, flashed in 'Shadow's' eyes.

Is it "divine soul destiny"?

The second divine spell has finally awakened.

However, the Hogyoku is still lacking one last thing; this level isn't enough...

Boom!

Just then, a dazzling golden light, accompanied by a thunderous roar, exploded beside the Fourth Raikage.

As the light faded, Tsunade, Onoki, Mei Terumi, and Genma's team appeared.

"This is..." Tsunade and the others didn't even have time to observe the horrific battlefield around them or inquire about the situation before they saw the figure in the Fourth Raikage's arms.

His pupils shrank instantly, and his expression froze.

Hinata Kumikawa?

What's with this deathly aura?

"What are you standing there for?!" The Fourth Raikage whirled around, glaring at Tsunade, and roared, "Idiot! Save him! He might still be saved!"

Tsunade snapped out of her daze, ignoring the Fourth Raikage's tone, and rushed forward, kneeling beside "Hyuga Kumokawa," her hands covered in dense chakra.

With his hands pressed against Hyuga Kumokawa's body, gentle yet vibrant chakra surged into the cold body like a tide, attempting to awaken even the slightest sign of life.

Everyone around held their breath, countless eyes fixed on Tsunade and "Hyuga Kumokawa," the air seemed to freeze.

But soon, sweat beaded on Tsunade's forehead, and her face grew paler and paler.

After a long silence, Tsunade slowly raised her head, her lips trembling slightly, and said with difficulty and hoarseness, "He... he's dead."

She couldn't feel even the faintest heartbeat; her cells had been completely drained of life, and her soul was undetectable. There was no possibility of saving her...

Tsunade's pronouncement turned the faces of those who had been clinging to hope pale.

"asshole!!"

A piercing, hoarse scream suddenly ripped through the deathly silence.

Hyuga Aoi's Byakugan veins bulged, her face contorted in a ferocious grimace, as she charged recklessly toward the dark figure atop the meteorite.

"Hyuga Aoi! Calm down!" Huang Tu, who was standing next to her, grabbed her shoulder tightly, while Hinata Hyuga behind her also hugged Hyuga Aoi's waist tightly.

"Let me go! Let me go! I'm going to kill him!" she screamed, struggling wildly with such force that her arms cracked.

But she seemed oblivious to the pain, continuing to kick and struggle desperately, trying to break free of her restraints, her eyes fixed only on the black figure on the meteorite and her hatred.

"Bastard! I'm going to kill you!!"

Hinata gritted her teeth and held her tightly with all her might. She knew very well that for Hyuga Aoi to run to face that unfathomable 'Kage' was simply suicide and pointless!
Swish!
Jiraiya appeared instantly beside the Fourth Raikage and Tsunade.

He, who could always remain calm in critical moments, now looked at the lifeless corpse and his body trembled slightly uncontrollably.

Do not!no!

I absolutely cannot stand by and watch yet another "child of prophecy," another young man who carries the hopes and future of the ninja world, die before my very eyes!
Something has to be done; there must be some way...

A thought flashed through his mind, which was almost overwhelmed by despair.

Yes! That's right! The Child of Prophecy! Mount Myōboku! The Great Toad Sage!

This thought was like the last straw a drowning person grasped, jolting Jiraiya's shocked and angry mind.

He didn't know if Mount Myōboku really had a way to bring the dead back to life, and he wasn't even sure if the Great Toad Sage would interfere in such matters.

But at this moment, he must believe it exists, and he must make others believe it exists.

Otherwise, the loss of "Hyuga Kumokawa," a pillar of strength and top combatant, would be enough to cause the morale of the entire coalition to collapse by more than half, leading to their defeat without a fight.

Thinking of this, a resolute glint flashed in Jiraiya's eyes. He took a step forward and, to the astonishment of the Fourth Raikage and the others, snatched the cold, stiff corpse.

"give it to me!"

Under the gaze of everyone, Jiraiya took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the tremor in his voice, and said as confidently as possible, "I will take him to Mount Myōboku!"

"Mount Myoboku, as a sacred site, must possess the possibility of reversing life and death. That immortal who has lived for thousands of years and can foresee the future must have a way!"

Mount Myōboku? The Great Toad Sage?
These two names were not unfamiliar to many of the ninjas present, especially those from Konoha.

His voice echoed across the deathly silent battlefield, pulling everyone back from despair.

That is one of the three legendary holy sites, where Jiraiya practiced his Sage Mode, and the Great Toad Sage is a legendary figure.

that's enough.

"Yes! Mount Myōboku, and Shikkotsu Forest!" Tsunade's eyes lit up, and she said eagerly, "Jiraiya, I'll go with you. Let's go to Shikkotsu Forest first; the live slug is better at healing!"

Jiraiya nodded emphatically, said no more, and took one last deep look at the dark figure atop the meteorite that seemed to be watching this tragicomedy unfold, suppressing his anger and murderous intent.

Whoosh!Whoosh!
Two whooshing sounds rang out as Jiraiya, carrying the body of "Hyuga Kumokawa," and Tsunade, close behind, used the Body Flicker Technique to become two afterimages and sped away at top speed.

The Fourth Raikage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Onoki, Mei Terumi, and others stepped forward in unison, their chakra surging as they stared intently at the 'Kage' and the 'Caged Bird'.

If these two guys show any intention of obstructing him, they will be met with a combined attack from all the Allied Ninjas.

However, 'Shadow' simply watched the direction in which the two disappeared, its posture shrouded in shadow even giving one a sense of leisure.

"What a touching sentiment." He chuckled softly. "But aren't you worried that I might have left some little trickery on that corpse?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the Fourth Raikage and the others changed, but Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows remained furrowed.

Why is 'Shadow' suddenly bringing this up?

If he really tampered with Hinata Kumokawa's corpse, shouldn't he have kept it a secret and waited until the crucial moment to launch a fatal attack on Mount Myōboku or Shikkotsu Forest?

What good will it do him to say this now, besides reminding us?
Is it merely out of arrogance and a perverse sense of humor, a fondness for watching prey struggle between hope and suspicion, only to fall into despair?
“We are different from monsters like you who have no human emotions.”

Ōnoki calmed down and, in order to stabilize morale, said coldly, "We value our comrades and will naturally not give up any hope."

"Does it have no emotions?"

'Shadow' tilted her head, seemingly thinking about it seriously for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Perhaps. Emotions are indeed a luxury for me."

boom! !

Just then, the ground beneath their feet suddenly trembled violently.

It was as if some enormous creature was awakening deep within the rift, attempting to break through the earth, and an even clearer, colder aura shot into the sky from the rift.

Konan and Hanzo exchanged a glance from afar, and without hesitation, rushed directly into the rift.

'Shadow' also looked in the direction of the crack and laughed, "The show is about to begin."

"It's the underground palace!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils narrowed, and he abruptly turned to look at the crack, roaring, "Kakashi, Yotsuchi, stop 'Kage'! Don't let him enter the underground palace!" "Everyone else, follow me! We can't let Nagato and the others get what's in the underground palace!"

Before he could finish speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already transformed into a black shadow and rushed towards the rift in the underground palace without hesitation, with the Allied Shinobi following closely behind.

The Fourth Raikage, Onoki, and Mei Terumi exchanged a glance, understanding that they needed to deal with one of the threats first.

The Akatsuki only has Nagato as their biggest threat now. Konan and the half-crippled Hanzo are insignificant. They need to deal with Nagato first before they can focus all their efforts on dealing with the 'Kage'.

"Leave the task of stopping the 'Kage' to me." The Fourth Raikage's body crackled with lightning once more as he said to Onoki and Mei Terumi, "You two go help Hiruzen Sarutobi."

"Understood." Onoki and Mei Terumi nodded emphatically without further hesitation, each leading a group of ninjas as they sped towards the underground palace rift.

However, to everyone's surprise, from beginning to end, 'Shadow' made no attempt to obstruct or even move its feet.

They simply watched as half of the allied ninjas split up, and as a large number of ninjas jumped into the rift like dumplings.

This unusual calm, however, sent alarm bells ringing in the hearts of the Fourth Raikage and Kakashi, Huang Tu, and the others who stayed behind to cover their retreat.

Why is it that 'Shadow' was so eager for the things in the underground palace before, so why is it now sitting idly by while they enter the underground palace?
"The number of spectators is sufficient."

As Onoki and Mei Terumi led the Allied Shinobi Forces into the rift, the 'Kage's' calm voice once again reached everyone's ears: "Any more and it will be a bit crowded."

"As for you..."

As he spoke, he slowly raised his hand, which was shrouded in shadow, tilted his head slightly, and looked at the Allied ninjas who were still trying to rush into the rift or were on guard around him.

"Your show isn't here."

As his calm words fell, his raised hands seemed to pluck an invisible string.

hum! !

Centered on the meteorite peak where 'Shadow' stood, the shadow reflected behind it suddenly began to spread.

Like a black tide, or an extended black curtain, it spread towards the sky and the earth.

The sky, which had just begun to brighten and was still tinged with the pale light of dawn, was easily swallowed up and covered by the spreading darkness.

The sun's rays were blocked, and the moon's faint light was erased.

The light in the entire world dimmed rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if an enormous black curtain had risen from behind the 'shadow' and enveloped the entire sky!

The shadows beneath the feet of the allied ninjas, the shadows of the broken puppets, the shadows of their fallen comrades...

Everything, all the shadows, were twisting and stretching wildly, merging with the darkness spreading behind the 'shadow, becoming one with it.

The solid feeling underfoot quickly disappeared, replaced by a sticky, wriggling texture, as if stepping on the stomach wall of a giant creature, sending chills down one's spine.

The bright daylight turned into complete darkness in the blink of an eye.

"This, what is this?"

"Why is it dark? Where's the sun?!"

"The ground beneath my feet is moving! No, it's my shadow that's moving!"

The Fourth Raikage, Kakashi, Yotsuchi, and all the Allied Shinobi who failed to rush into the underground palace rift immediately and were left on the ground were all horrified.

Looking down, they saw darkness creeping up to their feet like a tidal wave; looking up, they saw a pitch-black sky that swallowed everything. Fear of the unknown and the darkness gripped their throats.

Divine Art: "Soul and Fate".

If the divine art "High Soul Control" represents the power of "life" and "time", then "Divine Soul Fate" represents the authority of "death" and "space"!

In this pure darkness, the figure of 'Shadow' seemed to be the only existence.

"Everyone."

He still stood there, his voice still gentle, yet it seemed to come from the deepest hell, clearly reaching everyone's ears and their hearts.

"Welcome to my world," he said with a smile.

As soon as the words fell, all the Allied ninjas standing in the shadows simultaneously felt their ankles, calves, and even waists being grabbed by something cold, slippery, yet incredibly strong!
From the constantly writhing shadow beneath their feet, countless dark arms stretched out.

"Ugh!!"

"What the hell?!"

Exclamations and screams immediately erupted.

The ninjas instinctively struggled, wielding kunai and using ninjutsu to attack the black hands, but were quickly dragged into the darkness.

The profound darkness, which has no physical form, has now become a bottomless swamp.

"Get out of my way!" the Fourth Raikage roared, his body crackling with lightning once more as a dozen black hands tried to grab his legs and waist.

A blinding flash of lightning illuminated his face, a mixture of shock and rage, and the countless other faces around him, equally gripped by fear.

The black hand gripping his arm paused slightly, but the next moment, more and thicker black arms swarmed out from the shadows beneath his feet, layer upon layer grabbing his entire body.

Some gripped his neck, some wrapped around his arms, and some held his waist and legs. The icy touch and immense strength made it impossible for him, with his physique comparable to that of a tailed beast, to resist.

"Shadow!!" Before being completely swallowed by darkness, the Fourth Raikage only had time to let out an angry roar.

Immediately, his figure was completely dragged into that writhing darkness, leaving only a few streaks of lightning flashing in the darkness for a moment before falling silent.

Kakashi, Yotsuchi, and all the Allied Shinobi who failed to escape, along with some who tried to hide in the shadows, were also dragged into the shadows beneath their feet.

This situation is not unique to this place; it is happening all over the ninja world.

All those chosen will be forcibly dragged into the 'virtual world'.

“Go,” 'Shadow' said calmly without turning her head, “Go back to greet our guests.”

"Yes." The 'Caged Bird' that had been silently standing by the side bowed slightly, its tone respectful, and its figure gradually disappeared into the writhing shadow beneath its feet.

A ripple spread across the shadows before returning to calm.

With the departure of the 'caged bird,' the world became even quieter.

However, this silence did not last long.

boom! !

A deep beam of light shot up from the depths of the dark rift, shattering the earth above and absorbing it into the light.

It was a purple light, pure and warm yet mysterious and profound, dispelling the surrounding darkness.

That is, the dragon vein.

The third level of the underground palace is connected to the dragon vein.

It can also be called a "node" in time.

"Finally, it has begun."

'Shadow' muttered to himself. The shadow that had enveloped the entire ninja world gradually faded away. He took a step back, and his figure disappeared into the darkness.

(End of this chapter)