406-410

*Chapter 406: The Sunflower, The White Snake's Self-Destruction!*

Space-time ninjutsu is a unique branch of ninjutsu, independent of all other known ninjutsu systems.

Mastering this technique requires an exceptionally abstract understanding of geometric space.

Among techniques such as the Flying Thunder God Technique, Kamui, Phasing, Heaven's Hand Power, Heavenly Transfer, Yomi Numa, Celestial Send, and Space Portals, there exists one particularly unique space-time ninjutsu:

*The Summoning Technique.*

At its core, it is a jutsu formed by sealing techniques and contractual bonds, making it relatively easy to perform for the caster.

Generally speaking, both the summoning technique and the reverse summoning technique require the summoned entity’s consent to be successfully executed. However, the Three Great Sacred Lands of the ninja world can bypass this restriction.

For example, in the original story, Naruto could summon anything from a tadpole to a giant toad like Gamabunta based on the amount of chakra he injected, seemingly without needing the summoned entity’s consent. Similarly, when a summoning beast uses reverse summoning, the contract holder finds it difficult to resist.

The best example of this is Jiraiya’s ‘accidental’ trip to Mount Myoboku.

At this moment, in order to prevent its so-called ‘Ascension Ceremony’ from being disrupted by Shinji, the White Snake Sage forcefully performed a summoning technique from a remote location, attempting to reverse summon Shinji to an unknown destination.

“Damn it.” Shinji struggled against the pull of the summoning contract, biting his finger and quickly forming hand seals in reverse order.

He was activating a counter-technique:

*Contract Sealing Technique!*

This was a sealing jutsu developed by the Uzumaki Clan, capable of severing the bond between an enemy and their summoned beast, preventing them from summoning it again. Minato Namikaze once used this very technique to break Obito Uchiha’s control over the Nine-Tails.

If it could sever an enemy’s contract, then naturally, it could also sever his own contract with Ryuchi Cave.

This was an advanced sealing jutsu recorded in the Uzumaki Clan’s sealing scrolls, which Kushina had given him. Shinji had practiced it during his training in Hell Valley.

However, executing the technique in this high-pressure situation was difficult. He was just a fraction too slow.

As Shinji’s hand pressed onto the reverse summoning sigil forming behind him—

Accompanied by the startled cries of those trying to assist him—

*Boom!*

A massive cloud of smoke exploded from where he had stood, and Shinji vanished without a trace.

The very next moment, the sky darkened!

A bone-chilling, terrifying aura erupted from beneath the earth!

Loulan, the massive city composed of a thousand towering spires, began to collapse, each tower falling outward from the central plaza!

*"—Rumble!!!"*

From above, in the middle of the vast desert, countless steel towers shattered like scattered petals, forming what looked like a giant, blooming iron sunflower. In the heart of this flower of destruction, a solitary figure rose against the glow of the setting sun.

His body was completely bare, save for a long white snake coiled around his waist. On his left chest, a mark shone as bright as the blazing sun. His sculpted physique was mesmerizing, every muscle as if carved from marble.

He slowly lifted his head.

His eyes—sinister, eerie, and insatiably greedy—gleamed in an ominous golden hue.

Then, as if responding to the very will of the heavens and earth, he stepped forward, levitating into the sky under the fading twilight.

Amidst the stunned and anxious gazes of those who had only just broken free from the illusionary transformation jutsu—

He ascended into the heavens!

Down below, Hidan struggled to kick away a steel plate, emerging from the wreckage. He looked up at the figure in the sky, his eyes widening in shock.

“Is that… Shinji!?”

Beside him, Orochimaru, dressed in a white kimono, furrowed his brows and spoke decisively,

“No.”

“That is the White Snake Sage.”

“But… not just the White Snake Sage!”

“What do you mean?” Hidan blinked in confusion.

What did he mean by it was the White Snake Sage, yet wasn't the White Snake Sage?

If that was Shinji’s body, but it wasn't Shinji, then who was it?

“It seems,” Orochimaru murmured to himself, his expression grim, “things have spiraled out of control.”

“At this moment, there is no one here capable of defeating that being.”

Meanwhile, in the ruins below, Baizu’s eyes widened in horror as he stared at the figure in the sky. The sinister aura radiating from that entity sent shivers down his spine.

“Wait… that guy from earlier… and this one… they’re not the same person?”

“The one up there now—that’s the real Shinji trying to take my Dragon Vein!?”

On the other side, Sasori, Minato, Naruto, and others, having just broken free from the illusion, looked up in shock.

“Is that… Shinji?”

“Ji!? Wait, this chakra—it’s different.”

“Uncle Shinji?”

At that moment—

As if responding to the voices below—

The ‘Shinji’ in the sky cast a cold glance downward, his golden snake-like pupils flashing with extreme disgust.

“There are… too many irrelevant people here.”

“Too noisy.”

His eyes gleamed with a chilling light as he raised both hands, pressing his palms together.

“…Fine. I’ll just clean up the battlefield.”

The next instant—

From beneath Loulan, an endless wave of vines burst forth, forming a massive, forest-like tide!

A crushing, unstoppable surge rushed forward, engulfing everything within sight!

This was a long-lost forbidden technique, an ability that transformed one’s chakra into a life force to instantly create an entire forest. The technique consumed the chakra of every living thing in its range, sweeping across the battlefield like an inescapable tidal wave:

*“Wood Release: Birth of the Tree World!”*

—

Meanwhile—

After being forcibly reverse summoned through space-time ninjutsu, Shinji finally reached his destination.

The surroundings were eerily silent. Only the faint hissing of numerous snakes echoed through the vast and empty cavern.

“Hohoho… You’ve arrived?”

A frail, ancient voice suddenly whispered into his ears.

Shinji’s eyes snapped open.

In the suffocating darkness before him, an immense, towering Buddha mural emerged.

The statue had three heads and six arms, holding various divine implements. Its stern, wrathful expression loomed over him. At its base, a colossal dragon head coiled, its jaws clamped tightly around a massive stone scroll.

Three bold characters were carved upon it:

*Ryuchi Cave!*

He had been summoned to Ryuchi Cave!

And the voice that had spoken to him belonged to—

A titanic white-scaled serpent sprawled upon the throne of Ryuchi Cave, its immense body seemingly stretching beyond sight.

*“White Snake Sage!?”*

Shinji frowned as he observed the serpent’s weakened state, a sense of unease creeping over him.

And then—

The White Snake Sage *self-destructed!*

"Boom!! ”

(End of chapter)

*Chapter 407: Ten Thousand Serpents Like a Waterfall, Conquering the Sky!*

At this moment, gazing down from outer space upon the entire shinobi world—

Between the Lands of Frost, Iron, and Fire, a blinding white pillar of light suddenly shot up from the Land of Fields!

Having accumulated power for over a thousand years, the White Snake Sage possessed a level of senjutsu chakra surpassing that of a Tailed Beast—comparable to three Tailed Beasts exploding simultaneously at the same location.

The terrifying explosion instantly shattered the underground Ryūchi Cave, creating a bottomless abyss on the surface. A fierce white light erupted,

Tearing through the heavens, piercing the drifting clouds!

The shockwave pushed a dust storm outward, triggering an earthquake of at least magnitude seven throughout the Land of Fields!

The village where Jūgo once lived in the original story—situated directly above Ryūchi Cave—was instantly vaporized.

The surrounding cities, too, were swallowed by the explosion’s shockwave!

Ten minutes after the devastating blast—

A figure, his clothing tattered beyond recognition, reduced to little more than a skeletal frame with scraps of flesh clinging to it,

Uchiha Shinji clutched onto a charred rock at the abyss’s edge and crawled out from the depths.

Strands of flesh quickly wove themselves over his exposed bones, filling in the gaps and restoring his body.

From a mere skeleton, his injuries—inflicted by the White Snake Sage’s self-destruction—visibly regenerated at a rapid pace. Soon, his face was fully restored, revealing Uchiha Shinji’s original appearance.

“Haaah...haaah…”

Panting heavily, Uchiha Shinji’s eyes trembled with shock and awe.

The White Snake Sage’s power was indeed unfathomable. After accumulating strength for over a millennium, its reckless self-destruction had almost killed him—despite his three months of “cheating” through accelerated growth!

The attack was completely unexpected—

Neither he nor Orochimaru had anticipated that the White Snake Sage, the one in possession of the Ryūchi Cave’s summoning contract,

Would not actually go to the Land of Wind for the so-called “Ascension Ritual.”

Instead, it had been waiting right here in Ryūchi Cave, ready to unleash its attack!

Clearly, the White Snake Sage had been plotting this for a long time. It barely exchanged a few words before detonating on the spot, never giving Uchiha Shinji the chance to use his Mangekyō Sharingan to control it.

The sudden explosion—despite Uchiha Shinji’s near-instant reaction speed—

Had left him barely able to defend himself, even after rapidly summoning his Susanoo’s skeletal form, activating Lightning Release: Chakra Mode, donning a partial Tailed Beast transformation cloak, instantly casting Earth Release: Earth Spear, and triggering Sage Transformation: Cursed Seal Stage Two.

Even with the enhanced physique he had gained from deep exposure to natural energy after the war—

Without using additional defensive techniques, he was still left in this miserable state.

So—

“What the hell just happened!?”

“That White Snake… What exactly was the ‘thing’ it spoke of, the one that was supposed to complete the ritual in its place?”

Uchiha Shinji was momentarily stunned.

“And more importantly—why would that snake, of all creatures, willingly sacrifice itself to help ‘it’ complete the ritual? Since when did a snake—famed for its cold-blooded nature—become so self-sacrificing!?”

At this moment—

An overwhelming number of unknowns suddenly piled up before him like a mountain.

Ever since he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and personally ended the Third Shinobi World War, he had grown somewhat arrogant—believing that even an old, battle-hardened Madara Uchiha might not be beyond his grasp.

But this unexpected turn of events—utterly beyond his predictions, completely out of his control—left him momentarily dumbfounded.

Taking a deep breath, Uchiha Shinji activated *Forbidden Technique: Body Regeneration* at full power, rapidly healing his injuries.

No matter what was happening in the Land of Wind’s Rōran,

No matter what the White Snake Sage was plotting—

Right now, his top priority was to return to Rōran as quickly as possible!

However, at that very moment—

Hiss...

Hiss…

Suddenly, the sound of countless hissing serpents echoed around him.

From beneath the earth, a snake slithered through the soil, rapidly breaking through the ground and launching itself directly at Uchiha Shinji!

One snake, two snakes, five, dozens—

Uchiha Shinji furrowed his brows, formed the "Snake" hand seal with one hand, and unleashed a spinning *Water Fang Blade*, slicing through the airborne snakes.

“What the hell? They survived that explosion?”

But even after eliminating a wave of snakes, their onslaught showed no signs of stopping.

Soon—

A hundred snakes, five hundred, a thousand—then nearly ten thousand snakes of bizarre patterns erupted from the ground!

An endless tide of serpents surged like a waterfall, continuously swarming toward Uchiha Shinji!

Eventually—

A massive red summoning seal lit up on the ground.

“The *Ten Thousand Serpent Binding Formation*?”

Uchiha Shinji’s frown deepened as he recognized the technique.

However, a jutsu of this level couldn’t even break his defenses. Without another White Snake Sage-level self-destruction, it posed no real threat to him.

In the next instant—

Uchiha Shinji’s nose twitched slightly, his gaze falling upon the blood splattered on the ground.

“The snake blood… contains airborne toxins?”

“Toxins that block chakra recovery and slow down physical regeneration?”

“Tch. Even in death, it refuses to stay down.” Uchiha Shinji sneered in disdain.

However, considering the situation from the White Snake Sage’s perspective, he quickly understood its intent.

With its self-destruction—at the level of a Ryūchi Cave leader—it had likely assumed that even if Uchiha Shinji survived, he would be severely wounded.

And as a contingency—

The specially cultivated venomous snake horde, relocated here in advance—

Was meant to keep a heavily injured Uchiha Shinji trapped, preventing him from recovering his chakra and stopping him from quickly traveling over a thousand kilometers from the Land of Fields to the Land of Wind.

But—

“You’re still too weak.”

“This kind of power is nothing special.”

“Looks like you’ll need to bring out those old geezers from Mount Myōboku and Shikkotsu Forest just to give me some trouble.”

Uchiha Shinji shook his head. The explosion, despite its immense power—comparable to three Tailed Beasts self-destructing—wasn’t enough to truly inconvenience him.

After all—

To Uchiha Shinji, even mortal wounds healed in an instant.

If an opponent couldn’t deal continuous lethal damage or find a way to rapidly drain his chakra—

He was immortal.

At this moment—

The swarm of serpents continued to grow in number.

Tens of thousands, then hundreds of thousands of snakes formed a tidal wave,

Blotting out the sky, dimming the sun—gradually forming an inescapable prison of serpents.

It appeared—

As though the one trapped within would soon meet their demise.

And yet—

—Chid!

A thunderous greatsword tore through the serpent sea, piercing the sky and rousing the heavens!

From the ground—

A *120-meter-tall Susanoo* rose, swinging its sword in a single stroke, carving out a sea of serpent blood!

Standing within Susanoo—

Uchiha Shinji’s crimson eyes widened slightly, his three black tomoe slowly rotating.

The sea of blood on the ground surged upward, coating Susanoo’s body and spreading toward its back.

There—

A pair of *wings formed from serpent blood* burst open!

Then—

Uchiha Shinji took a deep breath, raised both hands, and formed the "Ram" seal.

“From Ryūchi Cave in the Land of Fields to Rōran in the Land of Wind… That’s roughly 2,000 kilometers.”

“Self-destruction, the Ten Thousand Serpent Binding Formation—these were all meant to delay me.”

“A smart and nearly inescapable strategy.”

But—

“The so-called ‘Steel of the Heart’ is forged by stacking the ordinary to create miracles.”

“So even if eternity is beyond reach, even if perfection is unattainable—”

“I—will conquer the sky!”

His gaze sharpened.

He clasped his hands together—

*Super Light-Weight Rock Technique! (Sublime Mastery, A-Rank)*

“Rise!”

In the next instant—

BOOM!

A shockwave erupted—

Wings surged, filling the void left by his limitations with sheer willpower!

*A 120-meter Susanoo took flight, shaking the heavens with its ascent!*

(End of chapter)

Chapter 408: Rasa's Overnight Withdrawal of a Sand Hidden Force

With his fully evolved Kekkei Tōta eyes, he forcefully drained the serpent horde on the ground, forming a pair of blood-infused wings that fused with his Susanoo.

Then, using the Super Light-Weight Rock Technique, he nearly nullified Susanoo’s massive weight.

The blood wings trembled, shaking the skies—

The colossal 120-meter-tall Susanoo soared into the heavens!

In an extremely short time, its flight speed skyrocketed:

50 km/h... 100 km/h... 200 km/h... 500 km/h...

Until—

The entire Susanoo began to tremble.

As it neared the speed of sound, immense air resistance emerged, creating violent turbulence. The acceleration started to slow down.

Susanoo had reached the edge of the sound barrier!

Shinji kept his gaze fixed straight ahead, eyes locked onto the extreme west. In that moment, his expression sharpened.

Then, he clapped his hands together and roared fiercely:

"Haahhhhhhhh!"

The veins around his eyes bulged as his pupils became razor-sharp!

A layer of pitch-black patterns spread across Susanoo’s body, further reinforcing its strength and durability!

The blood wings flapped against the clouds, producing a thunderous explosion!

Around the towering 120-meter Susanoo, a cone-shaped cloud formed.

Due to the inability of compressed air to dissipate quickly, the shockwave front gradually formed in its wake, concentrating an immense amount of acoustic energy.

In an instant—

The shockwave appeared and vanished in a flash!

"BOOM!!!"

It was as if Susanoo had donned a swan-like dress—except there was no elegance in this ballet. Instead, it resembled a nearly insane waltz!

The speed instantly shattered the 1,224 km/h barrier, reaching supersonic levels—and it was still rising!

1,224 km/h... 1,326 km/h... 1,440 km/h!

The final speed stabilized at 1,440 km/h!

Susanoo, now in supersonic flight, blasted through the air. In less than five minutes, it had already left the skies over the Land of Fields, reached the Land of Iron, and was still tearing toward the Land of Wind!

Nightfall

*Land of Wind – A Gobi Desert Near Roran*

"Lord Fourth, the army is ready! We await your command to march!"

Two rising members of Sunagakure’s upper ranks, Yura and Baki, walked side by side to the front of the barren Gobi Desert.

Both wore tight-fitting combat uniforms,

Behind them, a force of 3,000 Sand Shinobi remained hidden in the darkness, their heavy breathing blending into the night.

All eyes were fixed on the brown-haired man standing atop a sand dune—

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.

Rasa nodded and lifted his gaze toward Roran, a glimmer of excitement flashing in his eyes.

With just half an hour of forced marching from this point, they could storm into Roran!

An Lushan, in his attempt to defect to Sunagakure, had offered an immense show of sincerity—

He was willing to hand over Roran’s entire wealth, which could sustain Sunagakure’s military for another three years.

But he had no idea that Sunagakure was already driven mad by desperation.

And Rasa was no longer the same Kazekage from that timeline—

The one who had given up hope on the Land of Wind, unwillingly disbanding the shinobi forces and losing his fighting spirit.

With the world in upheaval,

Rasa now believed—he still had a shot at victory.

The Land of Earth’s Iwagakure had plunged into its weakest state in history.

The distant Land of Lightning was teetering on the verge of surrendering to the Uchiha Clan.

Konoha’s Shimura Danzo wanted to seize the opportunity, but the Land of Lightning wasn’t foolish—they were willing to surrender only to the Uchiha.

Yet the Uchiha were entangled with Konoha’s internal strife.

As a result, Konoha itself had fallen into chaos.

On Sunagakure’s end, they had already signed a peace treaty with Konoha, halting the war to the east.

While Sarutobi Hiruzen was being pressured by "public opinion," hesitating on whether to attack the Land of Lightning,

And while Iwagakure was presenting itself as a fragile maiden waiting to be conquered,

Rasa smirked.

"As long as we maintain our forces and hold out, once Konoha ignites the flames of war, we can seize the chance to take Iwagakure for ourselves."

Baki, Rasa’s trusted subordinate, hesitated before speaking.

"But, Lord Kazekage, didn’t you say in the last meeting that as long as Shinji is around, we must not start a war?"

"You fool, that was just to shut those old fossils up," Rasa sneered.

The "old fossils" he referred to were the traditionalist faction of Sunagakure, whom he had personally thrown out—chair and all—during the last meeting.

In the original timeline, these people had strongly opposed Gaara becoming the Fifth Kazekage, likely due to unresolved conflicts from the previous generation.

"Besides, I said we needed Roran’s wealth to sustain our forces,"

"But now—we wait for the right time!"

"Shinji hasn’t made an all-out move to conquer the Land of Lightning, nor has he issued any terrifying new declaration."

"Maybe... he has no interest in unifying the ninja world."

"We wait—wait a few years. Observe his actions. If we confirm that he truly has no ambitions to dominate, then we’ll take action in his stead—"

Rasa was full of confidence,

He nearly raised a feathered fan in his hand, his smug smile brimming with a sense of destiny.

"What’s stopping us?"

However—

Just as he was about to continue his grand speech about Sunagakure’s glorious future—

Suddenly—

In the sky above the Land of Wind—

A dazzling crimson light burst forth like a meteor streaking across the heavens!

It tore through the clouds, leaving behind a blazing trail over ten thousand meters long!

It streaked across the night sky, racing past the 3,000 Sand Shinobi overhead at breakneck speed!

The next moment—

"BOOOOOOM!!!"

A deafening sonic boom erupted, as if the very thunder itself had exploded in the sky!

Rasa’s voice was drowned out entirely.

His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

The Sand Shinobi below him could only stare in confusion, their hair and clothes violently ruffled by the roaring shockwave.

"What... what was that?!"

"It just flew past?!"

Standing beside Rasa, Yura, who had participated in the Battle of Yunming City, trembled as if recalling something horrifying.

"Wait... that looked like—"

"A Susanoo... with wings?!"

At that moment—

Rasa gulped hard.

He didn't even bother fixing his wind-tossed hair.

His eyes were locked onto the crimson light streaking toward the horizon.

"That direction... is Roran?"

"Wait... Shinji is heading for Roran?!"

Rasa froze, his expression blank.

Then, he suddenly recalled the message from An Lushan:

*[Please send Sunagakure’s strongest shinobi to protect this city from potential ghosts that may appear on the Night of the Demon Festival.]*

"...Wait, the ghost you were talking about... was HIM?!"

The moonlight suddenly felt colder.

Rasa had been fine a moment ago, but now, it felt like someone was pressing a fan against the back of his neck, sending chills down his spine.

A shiver ran through him.

His body stiffened as if he had just seen a ghost.

Then, his eyes bulged in terror, and he urgently waved his arms, shouting at the 3,000-strong Sunagakure force:

"RUN!"

"Retreat! Now!"

"As far as possible—RUN!!!"

(End of chapter)

Chapter 409: Lunar Eclipse, The Ascension Begins!

The night sky was vast and cloudless.

An overwhelming silence enveloped the Land of Loulan below, casting an air of deep solemnity over the sunlit forest.

As far as the eye could see,

what was once a barren desert housing a majestic steel fortress

had now transformed into a lush, verdant forest!

Above this forest,

a full moon, round like a jade plate, hung high in the sky.

Its silver radiance coalesced into swirling streams of light,

spiraling into a vortex like an inverted tornado.

At its core, the eye of the storm connected to the celestial moon above,

as though the entire world had gained a will of its own.

At this moment, this awakened "Moon’s Eye" gazed down indifferently,

observing the futile struggles of those below.

Amidst the disorder and ruin of the forest,

figures lay collapsed, weakened to the point of helplessly staring up at the sky—

Shibi Aburame, Choza Akimichi, Sara, the remaining people of Loulan, and Hidan.

Further away, among the cratered battlefield resembling scars upon the land,

four lone figures supported each other, barely managing to stand—

Minato Namikaze, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasori, and Orochimaru.

They had clearly endured a brutal battle.

Of them, Minato was in slightly better condition, though he panted heavily, his chakra nearly depleted.

He held up Naruto, who had been beaten unconscious, critically wounded, and completely drained of chakra.

Nearby, Orochimaru and Sasori—two scientists of the shinobi world who were not particularly close before—now leaned against each other for support, too battered to even stand on their own.

Orochimaru fared slightly better, merely exhausted but physically intact.

Sasori, on the other hand—

his tailed beast chakra reactor had been forcibly torn from his chest,

one of his arms was missing,

and one of his legs bent at an unnatural 90-degree angle.

Among them all, he was in the worst shape.

At that moment,

the four gasped for breath, lifting their heads with expressions of horror

as they stared at the figure floating beneath the "Moon’s Eye" in the sky.

A being, stark naked except for a massive white serpent coiling around his waist—

Shinji, or rather—

a monstrosity infused with the will of the White Snake Sage,

the will of the Zero-Tails,

the will of Orochimaru,

and the heart of Shinji, inheriting the terrifying abilities of that body.

"Call me—Ying."

"As the only ones still standing to witness this grand spectacle, I grant you permission to address me by this name."

Hovering in midair, the creature resembling Shinji curled his lips into a chilling smile.

He casually tossed the glowing blue chakra reactor to the ground at Sasori’s feet.

In the next instant,

he lifted his head, his scarlet Sharingan—three tomoe spinning ominously—locking eyes with the moon.

"Now then…"

His voice, eerily cold, resonated through the night:

"The warm-up is over. The ritual begins!"

The moment those words fell—

The earth trembled violently!

Giant trees, rooted deep beneath the desert sands, were wrenched from the ground.

The land cracked apart, revealing a dazzling violet glow!

An almost infinite surge of chakra erupted from the earth’s veins,

forming towering purple pillars of light.

These torrents of energy ascended through the lunar vortex,

before finally merging into Ying’s body!

As this process unfolded,

a new system of power—Sage Power—

continuously strengthened Ying, a monster even four Kage-level shinobi combined had failed to contain.

The atmosphere grew heavier,

oppressive to the point of utter despair.

Amidst the rubble-strewn battlefield,

Sasori, his face ashen with shock, turned to Orochimaru, his voice hoarse with disbelief:

"What kind of monster… did you create?!"

"At this point, even if Shinji himself were here, I doubt he could handle this thing!"

Battered and bloodied, Sasori glared at Orochimaru, his expression twisted with frustration.

"You really screwed up this time, Orochimaru!"

Orochimaru’s eye twitched. Gritting his teeth, he snapped back:

"I didn’t expect Hashirama’s cells to be this powerful in that brat!"

"He already had the Sage Body, the Sharingan, and Wood Release—fine.

But to top it off, he also inherited that absurd Combat Instinct from Shinji’s heart!"

Orochimaru’s face darkened even further.

His gaze drifted to the gaping wound in Sasori’s chest, where his chakra reactor had been ripped out,

and he angrily spat:

"At the start, we were suppressing him!"

"But thanks to you and that blond brat,

he managed to steal the Six-Tails’ chakra and Nine-Tails’ chakra mid-battle!

Do you really think this situation would’ve spiraled this far otherwise?!"

Sasori’s expression stiffened. Clenching his jaw, he shot back:

"You think everyone can move like that blond brat and that damned Yellow Flash?"

"The more we fought, the stronger he got—

pulling out one trick after another,

his combat sense and skills growing at an impossible rate!

Didn’t he also steal the Eight-Tails’ chakra from you!?"

As the two bickered,

Minato, supporting an unconscious Naruto, rubbed his temples,

feeling the weight of the situation crushing down on him.

Even with all the butterfly effects that had amped up his own abilities to unprecedented levels,

this situation was an utter nightmare.

At first, the creature resembling Shinji had only the Sharingan and Wood Release,

and his chakra reserves weren’t particularly vast.

The only remarkable thing about him was his absurdly fast chakra refinement rate,

along with rapid healing that made him seem like he was constantly on stimulants.

But as the battle progressed, everything changed.

His mastery of Wood Release evolved from brute-force suppression to refined precision.

He learned to absorb chakra from his opponents mid-fight,

effectively solving a problem that had plagued Shinji for over 400 chapters—chakra depletion.

With this newfound advantage, Ying rapidly turned the tide,

his combat techniques soaring in efficiency as he systematically stole tailed beast chakra from his foes.

And then—

the battle became completely one-sided.

Sage Body + Six-Tails, Eight-Tails, and Nine-Tails’ Chakra + Three-Tomoe Sharingan + Wood Release + Combat Instinct.

In mere minutes,

they had inadvertently created an entity they simply could not defeat.

For Minato,

had he faced the initial version of Ying alone,

he might have at least prolonged the fight.

But now—

his so-called "teammates" had only made things worse.

At the start, Minato could barely counter Shinji’s combat instinct with Flying Thunder God—

and even that was a gamble.

Now, with Ying bloated by Dragon Vein chakra and an unknown degree of Sage Power,

Minato’s throat ran dry as he stared up at the being absorbing absurd amounts of energy,

his chakra levels swelling beyond comprehension.

Sasori was right—

this thing…

Even Shinji himself wouldn’t be able to stop it now.

And at this moment—

Who in the shinobi world could possibly defeat such a monster?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 410: I Am Truly Worse Than a Dog

Above the sky,

The raging power of the Dragon Vein surged violently, forming cracks of purple energy across the monstrous body that bore the physique of a young boy. The overwhelming force threatened to tear the body apart, yet it was forcefully suppressed by the monster’s absurd ability to continuously regenerate.

The screeching sound of countless cells metabolizing at an insane rate nearly materialized into an audible roar,

like waves crashing and surging!

At that moment,

Ying’s eyes snapped open, and the purple cracks on his skin healed instantaneously, merging into lines that flowed toward his chest, converging into his frantically beating heart.

Thump!

Thump!

Thump!

The sound of a heart infused with the pinnacle of multiple Shinobi forces echoed like the roaring of an engine, weighing heavily on the hearts of those below.

"So this is all that power amounts to?"

Ying narrowed his eyes slightly, the corner of his lips curling into a mocking smirk.

Around his eyes, a faint purple shadow quietly emerged.

"So this is what that White Snake pursued? Hmph, at best, it barely matches the Senju Hashirama’s Sage Body."

"It seems the older something is, the more exaggerated its strength becomes in legend."

"No wonder the dragon it worshiped was so easily slain by the Rabbit Goddess."

With that thought,

Ying lifted his gaze slightly, staring at the anomaly gradually manifesting in the night sky, his expression growing increasingly greedy.

Obtaining the Dragon Vein was merely the first step in this ritual.

As a being born from the fusion of the White Snake Sage’s memories, Orochimaru’s intelligence, the Zero-Tails’ unique abilities, and Shinji’s will—an entirely new life form—

Likewise,

Ying inherited the White Snake Sage’s obsession with immortality and its knowledge, Orochimaru’s fanaticism for truth and eternal life, the Zero-Tails’ nihilistic thirst for destruction and power,

And—

A certain resolve that Shinji was about to fulfill.

At that moment, Ying’s crimson, three-tomoe snake-like Sharingan contracted sharply!

This—this alone—

It was completely at odds with his very existence!

He named himself Ying,

Because what he longed for was to welcome—

To welcome rebirth, to embrace all the beauty in this world, to explore the world with his own eyes, and to absorb endless truth and power!

And this was love!

The wildflowers in the forest, the drifting clouds in the sky, the humans on the earth, the rolling sands, the gentle rain at dawn, the chirping insects on moonlit nights, the fish swimming in the valley streams—

He spared no love for all things.

Thus, even when he was hunted down from the moment of his birth by Minato and the others, he never truly struck them down.

Because—he loved humanity.

He longed to use this body to perceive all things in the world, to love all that he had yet to encounter!

And then,

In a distant future,

Amid the gaze of all living beings—trusting him, worshipping him—

To personally twist that love.

To experience firsthand the hatred born from love!

To witness devastation, suffering, despair, and the world’s descent into its final days!

And in the end, to greedily and joyfully consume the bitter fruits of it all,

achieving Nihility!

"Hehehe… Hahaha… HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"How wicked, how cruel—is this the outcome I truly desire?"

"Such destruction, such wailing—is this my pleasure?"

"Such distortion, such filth—was it truly born from Shinji’s heart, the one who sought to become the true savior?"

"Am I truly worse than a dog…?"

"Yes, I am a cold-blooded snake, a nihilistic dragon, a demon that incinerates humanity, and—"

Ying’s eyes widened, blood vessels writhing within his crimson irises.

Suddenly, he raised his head,

Looking toward the celestial anomaly above,

Staring at the once-radiant moon, now gradually being devoured by the Black Hound of the Eclipse.

If he wished to achieve his desires, if he wanted to escape his fate—

Then he had to sever himself from his source, Shinji.

He had to discard the unrealistic, impossible battle will inherited from Shinji!

Ying, rational, lucid, and utterly mad, understood:

His very existence was born from Shinji’s fervent battle intent.

That same fervent battle intent allowed him—whose core was the will of the Zero-Tails—to successively overpower both Orochimaru and the White Snake Sage,

accomplishing the impossible feat of an ant devouring a snake, a snake swallowing an elephant!

But this same battle intent, which gave birth to him,

Would one day destroy him!

And it wouldn’t even require any effort.

Even though he now possessed power rivaling—or perhaps surpassing—that of the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama,

In the face of that true horror,

He was nothing more than a prisoner, pathetically trying to defy the inevitable.

A wretched being,

Imprisoned by Shinji’s battle will.

"I will never be like Shinji, that madman who sought to challenge the gods!"

"I am me! I am—"

"Ying!"

Ying—

He longed to find his true self, rather than be dragged toward his doom as mere cannon fodder by Shinji’s will!

And this step—

Was precisely the next phase of the plan devised by the White Snake Sage and Orochimaru.

A step that was originally meant to be carried out twenty years later.

By leveraging an anomaly like the Heavenly Dog Devouring the Moon,

And harnessing the natural energy surging like tides on the Ghost Festival,

He would cleanse himself and reconstruct his being.

Finally, during the Nine-Ring Solar Eclipse two decades later,

He would achieve the third and final step—Yin-Yang unification!

Becoming an unprecedented and never-to-be-repeated existence—

A true sage, transcending even gods!

Meanwhile, below—

Watching this scene unfold,

Observing how Ying, using only his body, had completed the first step,

And was now about to use the celestial anomaly to accomplish the second phase of the plan originally designed for Shinji,

Orochimaru’s pupils shrank, and he muttered in sheer disbelief:

"This… This shouldn’t be possible…"

"This isn’t scientific!!!"

"How could someone possibly subdue and devour the Dragon Vein—a force that requires celestial alignment to forcibly absorb—through sheer willpower alone?!"

"If he can do it, then… doesn’t that mean Shinji can do it too?!"

Orochimaru’s expression twisted with madness, his teeth clenched tightly as he rasped in a hoarse breath.

"Damn it! Another one of these unpredictable anomalies!"

However—

"Damn it, what nonsense are you babbling about?!"

Nearby, Sasori of the Red Sand scowled deeply at the celestial anomaly, his face full of confusion as he yelled,

"What the hell is that guy doing?!"

"What’s happening right now?!"

Orochimaru let out a faint sigh.

"The celestial anomaly is complete. The tides are surging. Natural energy is beginning to go berserk."

"That guy… is trying to refine himself and become a Sage—an existence lost to the ancient era."

"And what happens then?" Minato asked solemnly, holding his son.

Orochimaru sneered,

"You’re about to witness—"

"Divine Punishment!"

"A spear of judgment descending from the Moon itself, piercing through the heavens and the earth!"

Then,

Orochimaru suddenly smirked playfully at Minato.

"Out of everyone here, only you and I—who possess the Flying Thunder God Technique—can survive."

"So tell me, Minato—"

"Who will you choose to save?"

(End of Chapter)