Chapter 178: Bursting the Slug Sage’s Belly

An endless tide of black particles surged upward from Yuto like a pillar reaching the sky.

But because Yuto was inside the Slug Sage’s body, those black particles stopped the moment they crashed into the fleshy inner walls—then changed direction and spread outward in all directions instead.

In Yuto’s vision, it was as if a sea of black particles had formed around him.

The Ajin (Demi-human) “Torrential Phenomenon,” also known as the “Flat” phenomenon, was a phenomenon that occurred when an Ajin’s mental state entered a special condition.

Hidden in the darkness, Madara’s brows furrowed.

That joint assault just now—catching Yuto off guard—had been a true killing move. Even with Yuto’s terrifying absorption, he couldn’t possibly swallow every bit of that attack in one breath.

Yuto might have immortality, but his body had no outstanding regenerative ability. Madara already knew that from their previous battles.

As long as Yuto was injured, Madara’s odds increased severalfold—because here, Yuto had nowhere to run.

“He was still hiding another power…? He actually blew four shadows back in one shot.”

Madara thought to himself, but his face remained calm.

It was perfectly normal for someone like Yuto to have back-up plans.

If he didn’t, that would be the strange thing.

Now that he had started, there was no need to keep holding back—because an opportunity like this would probably never come again.

Whoosh!

Madara appeared from the shadows, rushing straight toward Yuto.

At the same time, the Rinnegan shimmered faintly as Madara controlled the remaining four shadows to attack Yuto again.

But the instant Madara moved, he felt something—

A strange energy seemed to fill the area around his body.

So this was the power that had knocked his shadows away?

Outside—

The Slug Sage’s enormous eyes swayed slightly.

To the Slug Sage, it was an extremely tiny movement.

But to Hashirama, sitting atop her body, it was noticeable.

“Slug Sage… what is it? Did something happen?”

Hashirama asked softly, confusion on his face.

The Slug Sage fell silent for a moment, then her soft voice reached Hashirama’s ear:

“I underestimated those two. They can’t resist my corrosive power… but they might both have a way to escape my body.”

Hashirama froze—yet he didn’t look surprised. He only let out a quiet sigh.

“I see… so they really have grown much stronger than before.”

Then Hashirama asked, with uncertainty in his tone—but certainty underneath it:

“Madara and Yuto… they’re fighting inside your body now, aren’t they?”

“Yes. Those two juniors have already started fighting. That’s exactly why I’m sure they both have a way to leave.”

The Slug Sage’s words made a sharp light flash through Hashirama’s eyes.

Madara’s revival had disrupted Hashirama’s original plan—

But now it seemed it wasn’t entirely without benefit.

Just as Hashirama was about to speak, the Slug Sage’s voice came again:

“Hashiboy, I know what you want to say. The Rinnegan are the Sage of Six Paths’ eyes—so in my view, that one is the greater threat.”

Hashirama fell silent for a moment, then answered firmly:

“I think Yuto is the bigger threat.”

“…Then I understand.”

Hearing Hashirama’s unwavering tone, the Slug Sage replied softly.

Inside the Slug Sage’s body—

Madara’s eyes had turned solemn. He didn’t fully understand what was happening, but he couldn’t afford to drag this out.

“Rinbo: Pursuit!”

The four shadows launched another attack toward Yuto.

Four violent powers poured down at once.

Even though Yuto was shrouded in black particles, those particles were invisible to Madara—even with the Rinnegan.

And the shadows’ attacks pierced straight through the black particles in Yuto’s eyes, slamming toward him as if the particles didn’t exist at all.

In that instant, Yuto understood: these black particles were likely something that existed between “real” and “unreal.”

Madara moved at the same time, his body closing in at extreme speed.

And Susanoo on Madara’s body grew again, while lightning-like radiance flickered along both of Susanoo’s hands.

Splash—

A sound like flowing water rang out beside both Yuto and Madara.

In the next moment, streams of acid—formed entirely of corrosive liquid—sprayed out from every direction of the Slug Sage’s flesh wall, all of it converging on Yuto.

Seeing that, their expressions differed.

A look of realization flashed across Madara’s face.

Hashirama clearly wanted Yuto dealt with first.

Yuto’s face, however, turned ugly in an instant.

The thing he feared most… had happened.

Just like Yuto and Madara had teamed up to crush the weakest one—Hashirama—

Only now, the situation had flipped.

Hashirama was clearly planning to use Madara’s power to restrain Yuto, then rely on the Slug Sage’s power to kill Yuto once more and leave him sealed inside her belly forever.

And Madara… probably wanted the same outcome.

When interests aligned, some things didn’t need to be discussed.

Yuto’s eyes turned bleak, his whole body giving off a chilling aura.

And then—

Sss… sss…

Inside Yuto’s mind, countless tiny, chaotic noises suddenly appeared.

At the same time, faint, indistinct sensations flooded into his awareness.

“You think you’ve got me cornered?”

Feeling the multiple forces closing in on him, Yuto’s mouth split into a grin—and he burst out laughing.

“Come out… ghosts!”

The moment Yuto’s words fell—

Step.

A single ghost stepped out from the black particles.

Then ten… a hundred… a thousand… ten thousand…

In the span of a blink, countless ghosts surged out from those black particles that existed between real and unreal.

The instant those black ghosts appeared, they formed a wall around Yuto.

Madara and the four shadows’ attacks slammed straight into the ghosts.

The ghosts were instantly blown apart into particles, vanishing under Madara’s strikes—

But more ghosts immediately surged in to fill the gaps.

Before Madara could even process it, he found himself buried inside a mass of ghosts.

Madara couldn’t see the black particles themselves—

But he could see the ghosts emerging from them.

“Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push)!”

Madara barked, trying to blast all the ghosts away.

But as soon as they shattered, more ghosts crowded right back in.

Madara’s face showed shock—he clearly didn’t understand what was happening.

And it wasn’t just Madara.

Even Yuto—the one who had triggered it—was stunned.

The Torrential Phenomenon didn’t stop.

Once the first ghost appeared, it was like a dam had broken.

An endless stream of ghosts flooded out.

Even though the Slug Sage’s corrosive liquid constantly erased the ghosts—

The speed of their appearance far outstripped the speed of their destruction.

In only a few blinks, the Slug Sage’s belly was completely filled with ghosts.

Both Madara and Yuto were squeezed in the center, trapped inside a press of black bodies.

“Keep going!”

Feeling the pressure rising from all directions, Yuto absorbed the crushing force while his eyes gleamed brightly.

Boom!

As if responding to Yuto’s words, the Torrential Phenomenon surged again inside the Slug Sage’s belly, and the number of ghosts multiplied even faster.

In Yuto’s eyes, black particles kept attaching themselves to the summoned ghosts, continuously reinforcing their bodies—making them sturdier and sturdier.

Crack—crack—

Under the relentless compression of countless ghosts, cracks appeared on the surface of Susanoo.

Madara’s expression changed.

And in that instant, Madara finally understood what Yuto was trying to do.

Outside—

The Slug Sage’s body suddenly trembled, her enormous eyes shaking violently.

Hashirama stared, stunned, and was just about to ask—

When he saw the Slug Sage’s belly rapidly swelling.

“What a bizarre ability…”

The Slug Sage’s pained voice reached Hashirama’s ear, making Hashirama’s face change.

Rumble! Rumble!

A massive muffled explosion erupted from the Slug Sage’s body!

Then—

Her belly burst open.

A dense flood of black silhouettes surged out from the ruptured abdomen.

Two familiar figures shot up into the air as well, rising into Hashirama’s view.

Madara looked slightly disheveled, with even a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.

The pressure that had forced the Slug Sage’s belly to burst had injured him a little.

Yuto, on the other hand, didn’t look much different—only his spirit seemed somewhat drained.

The Ajin (Demi-human) Torrential Phenomenon… probably had a lot to do with mental strength.

Sensing the weakness spreading through his mind, Yuto landed on a high chunk of shattered stone, silently thinking.

For some unknown reason, as that mental fatigue grew, the Torrential Phenomenon on Yuto’s body began to fade.

Along with it, every ghost turned into black particles and dispersed into nothing.

And now, with her belly ruptured, the Slug Sage began rapidly recovering.

But the aura that had once felt so overpowering had weakened by several levels.

“Sorry, Hashiboy… I don’t think I can help you any further this time.”

The Slug Sage’s voice reached Hashirama’s ear, weak now.

“You’ve already helped more than enough, Slug Sage. I’ll handle the rest.”

Hashirama stood up from his cross-legged seat, his face solemn, his voice carrying genuine apology.

“With your current strength… you’re not a match for those two.”

The Slug Sage’s voice held concern.

“This fight… might not even be able to continue.”

Hashirama’s expression turned serious as he spoke again, carefully:

“Slug Sage—if one day Yuto is defeated, I hope you can trouble yourself to seal him in your belly again.”

“Let him stay in Shikkotsurin (Shikkotsu Forest) forever.”

Hearing that, the Slug Sage paused, then answered softly:

“Of course. Though… it’s best if he’s dead.”

Hashirama scratched his head, giving a simple, goofy grin—then his voice steadied.

“I’ll take it from here.”

The Slug Sage nodded. She knew that for every moment she remained here, Hashirama would be burning enormous amounts of chakra.

With a thought, a small slug about a meter tall appeared at Hashirama’s feet.

It clung to him, helping him rapidly restore the injuries he’d suffered at the start of the battle.

“Be careful,” the Slug Sage said softly to Hashirama.

At the same time, her huge eyes slid toward where Yuto and Madara stood, an unfathomable glint flashing within them.

Poof!

In the next instant, the Slug Sage turned into a vast cloud of white smoke and began to disperse.

No one noticed it—

But in the instant before she vanished, those two enormous eyes held a flicker of shock, as if she had sensed something unbelievable.

Shikkotsurin (Shikkotsu Forest)!

With a great burst of white smoke, the Slug Sage reappeared in Shikkotsurin (Shikkotsu Forest), a land filled with dense natural energy and scattered everywhere with jagged stone.

In her enormous eyes was a mix of confusion and astonishment.

Just before she left, she had suddenly felt an extremely concealed chakra appear in the void.

That chakra felt familiar…

But for the moment, she couldn’t remember where she’d encountered it, or when she’d sensed it before.

Outside—

At the center of the battlefield.

With the Slug Sage gone, Hashirama descended calmly from the air and landed on the ground.

He looked toward Yuto and Madara, who stood at two different positions ahead of him.

Now, the three of them stood in a triangle, facing each other.

Yet there was a strange contrast among them.

Hashirama—the weakest of the three—looked casual and at ease.

But Yuto and Madara—the stronger two—both wore guarded expressions.

They stared at each other in silence.

For a moment, even the air itself seemed to go still.