Chapter 353: The Empress, Akshia
"Let Sakura go."
Naruto stared at Sakura, whose neck was pinned by a chakra blade wielded by the Dark Shunhi, then glanced at Sasuke lying on the ground as he spoke.
"Of course I can… but how about trading your life for hers?"
The corrupted Shunhi replied with a seemingly playful tone, but no one present thought he was joking.
Naruto clenched his fists and locked eyes with Shunhi.
Not only had she failed to help—she had even become a burden, dragging Sasuke and Naruto down with her. Sakura hung her head low, consumed by guilt.
"Naruto… don't worry about me..."
Sakura ultimately chose to take her own life. Her frail body collapsed beside Sasuke as she lay down, turning her face toward him.
By the time Sakura came to, the surroundings had already changed.
An ice crystal palace.
"Is this the world of the dead?"
Sakura sat on a crystalline throne, murmuring to herself as she looked around.
"This isn't the afterlife. This is the Ice Crystal Palace. But yes, this is where you died, Your Majesty."
Five spirits radiating dark energy stood before Sakura.
"Who… who are you?!"
Sakura instinctively felt uneasy upon seeing them.
"We are the Great Dark Heaven. Remember the name well—because today, we will destroy your nation!"
Sakura didn't know why she could use Ice Release, nor why her chakra reserves felt so immense, but even so, she was quickly overwhelmed by the five spirits who were evenly matched with her. She was seriously injured.
Although she eventually managed to escape, her planet, Cecilia Star, was completely destroyed.
...
Back in the Hidden Leaf Village, the ice pillar that had encased Akshia began to thaw. Lying beside it, Sakura's body temperature began to drop, and a layer of frost formed over her.
Sakura's transformation immediately drew attention.
Out of caution, both sides backed away, giving space for the changes overtaking Sakura. Even as he stepped back, Naruto didn't forget to carry Sasuke with him.
Eventually, Sakura's body was completely encased in ice. Only the faint outline of her figure could be seen within.
Cracks began to form across the surface. The ice shattered.
A woman emerged—someone who looked like Sakura, yet clearly wasn't.
"You are…?"
Naruto looked at the woman before him, whose body radiated a terrifying cold aura and was dominated by a pale blue color. Her appearance was both familiar and alien.
"The Empress, Akshia."
Akshia gave Naruto a brief glance as she spoke.
During her transformation, while sealed in ice, Akshia had chosen Sakura's body as her vessel in order to become human. That was why her new appearance bore a resemblance to Sakura.
Because of Sakura's influence, Akshia's attitude toward Naruto and Sasuke was also subtly different.
"Akshia!"
Obito's face was filled with shock. The incident where the entire Hidden Leaf Village was frozen had only happened recently.
Akshia ignored the Hydra squad captain and instead focused entirely on the corrupted Shunhi.
"This disgusting feeling... I didn't expect to encounter someone from the Great Dark Heaven here."
"You actually know about the Great Dark Heaven?"
Shunhi narrowed his eyes, staring at the Empress before him.
An ice staff suddenly appeared in Akshia's hand.
Naruto and Obito stood dumbfounded, watching the sudden escalation between Akshia and Shunhi.
"Captain, do you know what the Great Dark Heaven is?"
"No idea."
Obito shook his head, equally confused.
Meanwhile, Akshia and Shunhi had already begun their battle.
Shunhi also used Ice Release techniques, but their power was nowhere near comparable to Akshia's.
"Ice Seal."
Akshia's voice was cold and emotionless as she pointed her ice staff at Shunhi. Frost instantly crawled up his body, and in the next moment, he was completely frozen solid.
Even in his Super Saiyan second form, Shunhi couldn't resist.
"She took him out in an instant…?"
Naruto looked on in disbelief. He didn't know how Akshia had transformed from a beast into a human, but he hadn't forgotten that they'd once fought each other.
Akshia kept her gaze fixed on the frozen Shunhi.
Cracks slowly spread across the ice. A low, guttural roar could be heard from within. Then the ice completely shattered, the shards exploding outward in all directions.
Obito raised his shield to protect Naruto. A frozen shield also appeared in front of Akshia.
"AAAAHHHHHH!"
Shunhi let out a furious roar. He had now entered his strongest form.
Super Saiyan Form Three—boosting his power to four hundred times his base state. His hair grew longer, his brows receded, and the chakra aura around him surged violently.
"Now this is getting interesting."
Akshia looked at Shunhi and spoke.
"I'm coming!"
The moment his words ended, Shunhi appeared above Akshia and kicked down toward her head.
"Was that a space-time technique?" Obito asked.
"No… just pure taijutsu."
Naruto didn't sense any chakra fluctuations typical of space-time ninjutsu.
"Speed on par with space-time jutsu… that's terrifying. Naruto, who do you think will win?"
"Doesn't matter who wins—we can't handle either of them."
Naruto's face was grim, already mentally preparing himself for the Hidden Leaf Village to fall in his generation.
A block of ice suddenly appeared beside Akshia's head, blocking Shunhi's kick. As soon as the first attack failed, he launched a second one.
Shunhi twisted his body and unleashed a flurry of punches at Akshia. His speed was so fast it left afterimages, but every strike was blocked by freshly formed ice, which shattered one after another. Soon, the ground was littered with icy debris.
Finally, Shunhi leapt back, launching himself off an ice block to gain distance. While retreating, he charged his right fist, and once he was firmly planted on the ground, the charge was complete.
"Dragon Fist!"
A golden dragon burst from his punch, smashing through the ice and wrapping itself around Akshia before detonating.
When the smoke cleared—Akshia stood unscathed.
"Impossible!"
"Thousand Snow Sakura Slash!"
As Shunhi reeled in shock, Akshia raised her ice staff. Snowflakes began to drift down from the sky—soft and pink like cherry blossoms, yet sharp as blades.
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