Konoha's Mission Master

With a whoosh, Sakumo Hatake, his body blazing with blades, charged toward Yakumo at incredible speed, leaving a trail of bloody shadows in his wake. The prolonged battle had slightly weakened his aura, and his injuries had driven him even more mad. His eyes had completely lost their reason, and his entire body was blood red... like a wild beast.

Yakumo held out his right arm, looked at the back of his right hand, and spoke softly.

"Mark of Prayer, open!"

After Qi ascended to become the Overlord, this mark was further enhanced, becoming so powerful that even Yakumo felt a little uneasy, since it housed the power and will of the Overlord.

The crimson patterns spread outwards from the back of his hand, unleashing an aura of the same origin as Hatake Sakumo. The crimson patterns, like tree roots or tentacles, continuously covered Yakumo's skin. From within the mark... he felt elation and excitement, as well as endless madness and chaos.

Pure ethereal energy appears within the body, empowering every cell.

Every cell in Yakumo's body is dividing and reorganizing, becoming more vibrant. The muscle tissue becomes thicker and then tenses up in an instant, with a faint cracking sound coming from within, like precise gears meshing tightly to form a completely new whole.

His body was reassembled, his abundant physical strength returned, and Yakumo's condition reached its peak again, even surpassing it. A blood-red aura spread from his body into the sky, forming a huge phantom like a blood-red planet.

At this moment, the merciless eyes in the sky showed a slight fluctuation, and the two rulers confronted each other invisibly.

Yakumo waved his hand and brandished his sword, producing a clear and melodious sound, the blade of the Demon-Subduing Blade faintly tinged with crimson.

"Blood Extreme - Extinction of Life - Nest of Death".

Yakumo strode forward, brandishing his sword. His entire body was enveloped in a black aura, mixed with a hint of blood. The two colors were mysterious and indistinguishable, forming a dark and reddish-black color.

As the distance between them shortened, Yakumo swung his Fuma sword, and Hatake Sakumo immediately swung his short blade to defend himself. The seven blades on his body were also ready to be used, prepared to pierce the enemy with several holes at any time.

The robes whistled, the wind howled, and the ice crystals were evaporated into nothingness by the aftershocks of energy, leaving only a white mark, like a stroke of ink frozen on the curtain of night.

The two made contact instantly, and the sharp sound of their weapons clashing echoed in their ears.

Sakumo Hatake's face contorted into a ferocious smile, but the smile froze the next second. He felt the terrifying power in the enemy's blade and saw the short blade in his hand develop dense cracks during the brief clash, like porcelain that could shatter at any moment.

Originally, this weapon was harder than metal and stone, but now it's about to shatter.

Immediately afterwards, Yakumo's attack was like a storm, with black and red energy streams surrounding Hatake Sakumo. Each stream of energy was a sword aura compressed to its limit, woven into a net under the constraints of certain rules.

Sakumo Hatake was drenched in cold sweat; he felt the long-lost presence of death.

He tried to resist, his blades attempting to tear open a gap, but he sensed terrifying energy within the surrounding network. The same energy even suppressed the energy within his own body, preventing him from breaking free from the large net constructed of black and red energy. As time passed, the net solidified into a tangible form.

This was the energy he had always dreamed of, a gift most favored by the ruler.

This force increased the difficulty of breaking through. Hatake Sakumo retreated in pain, each hit feeling like a thousand cuts, a deep despair gripping his heart. He couldn't understand why the enemy had suddenly become so powerful.

Three minutes, ten minutes... The two-colored gas formed a huge cocoon, like a devil's lair, with wild beasts howling in pain inside. But Hatake Sakumo had turned all his energy into defense, and his eight weapons did their best to resist the dense, waterfall-like slashes.

Yakumo's condition wasn't great either. The golden core in her heart was rapidly depleting, and her stamina was also rapidly dwindling. Using the Prayer Mark to activate her ethereal energy... the burden was far greater than she had imagined.

Ding...

Sakumo Hatake's short blade shattered into pieces. Even though he absorbed it back into his body in time, he still couldn't stop his impending defeat. Without his main defensive weapon, the process of defeat accelerated.

By the fifteenth minute, the screams from inside the attack zone had ceased.

Yakumo was panting heavily, his whole body was soaked in sweat, and his face was as pale as paper. He stared at the key that was quietly floating in front of him, but there was little joy on his face, and his mind was in a daze.

Even the strongest rationality could not instantly suppress the exhaustion of the body and mind. The body swayed slightly, and there were still congealed blood scabs on the surface of the skin, which were caused by the stimulation of illusory energy.

Next up is the strongest key guardian, Kushina Uzumaki. He really has no confidence in defeating her.

But he no longer had the right to back down.

Three seconds later, Yakumo straightened his back and gripped the blood-red key tightly.

Like a general about to step onto the battlefield.

Chapter 477 The Grand Finale (Part 2)

Virtual Battlefield.

The battlefield is set against a backdrop of a vast starry sky, which seems to stretch endlessly.

Countless twinkling stars could be seen all around, some dim, some dazzling, as if injecting a bit of life into the boundless universe and driving away the emptiness and loneliness.

Near the battlefield, countless stars shattered into massive meteorites, instantly releasing their light and heat as they broke apart, and were then split into thick dust by the energy torrents of the collision.

Dust from the universe, deep black holes.

In the face of these landscapes, everyone would appear incredibly small.

The metallic substances compressed by the two forces were melted into molten gold by the high temperature, and then quickly cooled down. They continued to be compressed and deformed in the conflict between the two energies, and finally flew away to a very distant place like a shooting star, leaving only fleeting streaks of light that lingered against the dark background of the universe.

The canopy of the Void Tree coexists with hundreds of worlds, and the beings in these worlds are all creatures who wield Void Energy, ranging from the highest-ranking wielders to the lowest-ranking infected, and their numbers are terrifying.

The war between the Planet of Prayer and the Ancient Void Tree is also a battle between these parasites. The servants on the Planet of Prayer's side are all kinds of plants. Unlike the madness of those ethereal creatures, these plants have a clear division of labor and move in an orderly manner during battle, more like an invincible and powerful army.

However, in terms of the number of servants, the Sovereign of Prayer is ultimately no match for the Void Ancient Tree, which has been rooted in the development of the universe for tens of thousands of years and has harvested countless worlds. But given the current tense situation, the battle between the two will probably take several years to end.

Suddenly, the massive, motionless planet abruptly moved, closing the distance between the two and colliding directly with the Void Ancient Tree. The two colossal beings collided violently, and crimson energy fluctuations spread outward, crushing all their warring minions into crimson dust.

Immediately following, as if breathing, the two began to absorb the blood-red dust to replenish their energy. The tree roots, resembling tentacles, continued to spread and grow, forcibly breaking off the branches of the ancient tree and immediately sending them into the interior of the blood-red planet to be refined and absorbed.

The supreme rulers of the universe, like bloodthirsty primitives, began to devour each other, causing the crimson planet to collapse. Countless tree roots spread out from the cracks, and the Blood Jade Ancient Tree, which was originally sitting in the center of the Prayer Planet, rose from the ground. Countless tree roots supported the Blood Jade Ancient Tree and brought it closer to the body of the Void Ancient Tree.

Prepare to descend; this ancient blood jade tree is essentially the core of the Sovereign of Prayer.

From this moment on, the Sovereign of Prayer completely gambled everything, because at the core of the Void Ancient Tree, it sensed that incredibly familiar aura—its creator... its sole master.

It cut off its own escape route, just to get one step closer to Yakumo. Amidst the chaotic void energy will, and through the effects of multiple miracles, it gave birth to a pure will.

This is an unparalleled miracle, like a pure white flower blooming on land ravaged by hundreds of nuclear bombs, untouched by any radiation contamination.

Faced with the frenzy of a ruler-level powerhouse, the Void Ancient Tree had no choice but to devote considerable attention.

At this point, it was no longer able to be wary of its old rival in the distance.

The two supreme rulers began their decisive battle, with countless lives falling every second. Even after the previous collision, both had many servants still alive on their bodies. The two blood-red torrents collided again against the backdrop of the cosmic void, thus beginning a new round of epic warfare.

In the distance, inside the fortress where the powerful figures were watching the battle.

Uchiha Runyu gazed at the distant battle, a cryptic smile playing on his lips. This universe needed no new Void Lord; the mission of the Lord of Prayer was to burn himself out... to hold back the Ancient Void Tree.

................

In the illusory world, Yakumo, holding the key made of blood jade, returned to the courtyard. His body swayed suddenly, and his face turned slightly pale. He had exhausted a lot of energy in the battle just now, and it was not difficult to determine the winner.

However, the Void Energy granted Sakumo Hatake a near-immortal quality, and completely eliminating him would be the real headache. Clearly, in his current state, he is no longer suitable to continue challenging the strongest Kushina Uzumaki.

Yakumo raised her head and looked at the familiar surroundings. The light in her eyes gradually dimmed, as if she could not accept what had just happened, or as if she was defeated by the exhaustion that had accumulated in her body.

This is far from a victory, as an even tougher battle lies ahead.

In that instant, Yakumo became somewhat dazed, as if everything was gradually fading away—the blood flowing through his body, the surging, powerful heartbeat—all of it was fading.

It wasn't exactly sadness, but a heavy weariness wrapped around him like chains, making it hard to breathe. His tense mind gradually relaxed, and Yakumo subconsciously sat down in the spot where Hatake Sakumo had been sitting. Kakashi's figure gradually appeared before his eyes, practicing Hatake swordsmanship in the training ground not far away.

In a flash, Yakumo realized that the position where Hatake Sakumo was sitting was not chosen randomly, and he discovered the good intention behind it: this was the easiest place to see Kakashi.

A father's love is like a mountain, majestic and silent.

Yet no trace of Kakashi could be found in this world, as if he didn't exist in this storyline.

After a long while, Yakumo reopened his eyes. Although his face was still pale, his gaze had become resolute, and his strong rationality temporarily suppressed the exhaustion of his body and mind.

Those distracting thoughts and illusions caused by exhaustion vanished at this moment. This is the benefit of a strong will; even if the body is like a riverbed about to dry up, it can still squeeze out a few drops of sweet rain.

First, reunite with your companions and rest for over ten hours before challenging Kushina Uzumaki.

Yakumo planned in his mind, and although he was tired when he returned, his steps were lighter.

In front of the Hatake residence, Jiraiya was standing in the center of the group, seemingly in the core position, but in reality, he was already surrounded. If there were any unusual movements, the group would not hesitate to take action.

Within a second, the accumulated sword energy of Yougu Qianxue will erupt, instantly decapitating the target.

With a creak, the wooden door was pushed open, breaking the tense atmosphere. Yakumo walked out from behind the door, his steps steady, but his face was visibly pale.

"Did it work?" Masako Mori asked with some concern, remaining where she was.

The three of them kept Jiraiya firmly in the center, without letting their guard down.

"It's a success. I plan to rest for the night and challenge Kushina Uzumaki tomorrow," Yakumo replied, then looked at Jiraiya, who was surrounded by the group. Clearly, something had happened while he was away, causing the level of trust among them to plummet to rock bottom.

"Can I still trust you?" Yakumo asked Jiraiya.

“Of course, I have never forgotten my mission all these years.” Jiraiya said sincerely with a smile. “Since you all don’t trust me, I will take my leave now… I will be waiting for you at the Uzumaki Mansion tomorrow morning.”

After saying that, Jiraiya turned and left.

"Come on, follow me into the courtyard. We'll rest at the Hatake residence tonight."

After Jiraiya left, Yakumo's face regained its rosy hue. His previous weakness seemed more like a test, to determine whether Jiraiya would suddenly attack when he needed it. Of course, Jiraiya didn't make a move this time, so it was impossible to confirm that he was truly safe.

The most unpredictable thing in this world is the human heart.

Next, through Masako Mori's explanation, Yakumo figured out the reason for the tense atmosphere. A dozen minutes earlier, Jiraiya had suddenly arrived at the Hatake residence and was about to push open the door to enter. Naturally, the three of them did not allow Jiraiya to disturb Yakumo's battle, so they surrounded him in the center.

“Jiraiya can sense the death of the key guardian,” Yakumo thought to himself.

The group entered the Shinichi Hatake residence and walked through a straight corridor to the guest rooms. A low bamboo fence surrounded the flower garden, but unfortunately, only a few withered grass stalks remained inside. Under the fence were a few scattered blades of grass, which looked sickly and obviously didn't have much time left.

In the center of the flowerbed stands a huge cherry blossom tree, half withered and half thriving. When a gentle breeze blows, countless cherry blossoms cluster together, and then hundreds and thousands of petals drift down with the wind, turning to ashes and withering less than half a meter from the ground.

White clouds drifted in the sky with the wind.

There is also a small pavilion in the courtyard, with a round table inside, on which tea sets are placed.

Various colored pebbles and empty flower pots were piled up in all the corners.

The place is tranquil yet slightly eerie; the entire courtyard is both vibrant with life and desolate.

Like two states of mind in one person.

Yakumo sensed from the courtyard the struggles that Hatake Sakumo had once endured. He had tried to resist that power that possessed only destruction, but in the end... he lost completely.

Let's rest here tonight.

Yakumo chose a clean stone slab in the pavilion, leaned against a red-painted pillar, and within seconds fell into a deep sleep. His overwhelming exhaustion prevented him from uttering another word...

Yakumo slept soundly next to Mori Masako, and soon his breathing became incredibly even.

"I'll stay here and watch over things. You all should rest," said Reiko Aoyama.

Immediately afterwards, Masako Mori and Chiyuki Yuuki also found a place to rest and recharge their energy for the upcoming battle. They all knew that the battle to come would be the most arduous of their trip.

The sky was ablaze with fiery red, the clouds were colorful, and the sunset painted half of the sky crimson.

The night was silent, save for the steady breathing of a few people and their barely suppressed fighting spirit.