In the end, driven by a shared goal of finding the Ryoma, the two wary schemers formed a fragile alliance. According to their guess, a demon that fed on darkness was the most likely candidate to become the Ryoma. The man named Huang Quan was the one they found using information from Obito, someone who knew where the Akatsuki demon Moryo was sealed.
Though they traveled together, each harbored his own designs. Huang Quan sought to release Moryo, destroy the Five Great Nations, and rule the Shinobi World. Naruto Uzumaki intended to kill Moryo so that his Zanpakuto Shaji could consume its power and evolve. Obito wanted the strength of the Ryoma and planned to control Moryo for his own use.
Faced with Naruto Uzumaki's provocation, Obito's expression turned dark enough to drip water, yet he held himself back and only snorted. Now was not the time to fall out.
Huang Quan paid no attention to the undercurrent between them, his gaze fixed solely on the door that promised power and destruction. He reached out and pushed the heavy, dust-covered stone door open. A cold rush of air mixed with decay and ancient dust poured out at once.
Beyond the door lay a downward staircase, stretching into bottomless darkness. "Let us go," Huang Quan said, unable to hide his excitement as he stepped inside first. Naruto Uzumaki and Obito exchanged a wary look, then followed in silence.
Their footsteps echoed clearly in the empty stairway. As they descended, oil lamps along the walls lit themselves one by one, casting dim, wavering light that barely illuminated the steps ahead. The scene felt like both a welcome and a warning.
After an unknown length of time, the passage opened into a vast underground chamber. At its far end was a circular Sealing Technique array glowing with strange light, with a door standing at its center as if sealing something unspeakable. Even from this distance, a chilling presence could be felt.
Along the only path leading to the array stood thousands of tall stone statues, arranged in perfect order. They loomed silently in the dark, as if watching the intruders with cold and killing intent. "We finally found it," Huang Quan said, his eyes blazing with excitement.
As he drew closer to the door bound by massive stones and ropes, his excitement slowly turned to confusion. Naruto Uzumaki licked his lips and asked, "Is this where Moryo is sealed?"
"Only the soul is here. The body was sealed in the Swamp Country," Huang Quan murmured while shaking his head. "But the seal has not been opened. This aura should not be here."
Purple-black mist was already seeping from the edges of the stone door. Without a body, Moryo's soul should not have been able to exist outside the seal for long. Huang Quan had planned to house the soul within himself, then use its power to command the undead stone statues and reclaim the body, killing the shrine maiden Miroku in the process.
A hoarse laugh echoed from behind the door. "Such a familiar presence, Huang Quan. I did not expect you to still be alive." At the sound, Huang Quan's expression changed at once as he dropped to one knee.
"Lord Moryo, I did not expect you to be so close to breaking the Sealing Technique."
"No. The rules of Ryoma have changed, and the power of my soul has grown," the rasping voice replied from beyond the door. "Huang Quan, open the Sealing Technique."
"Yes, my lord," Huang Quan answered without hesitation. He stood, placed both hands on the cold stone, and began chanting an ancient and harsh spell.
Cracks spread across the surface of the door as freezing air and purple-black mist poured out through the gaps. With a thunderous blast, the massive stone door shattered into countless fragments. A flood of dense mist surged outward, engulfing Huang Quan, Naruto Uzumaki, and Obito.
From within the churning darkness, a hand formed entirely of thick purple-black mist reached out and gripped the broken doorframe. Under Huang Quan's fervent gaze, a vague humanoid shape slowly emerged. It was the demon Moryo, or rather, its soul freed from the Sealing Technique.
The purple black mist that formed the body of 'Moryo' kept rolling and scattering. It lowered its head, yet could only see the fog churning and drifting away, like a weak flame in the wind that continued to disperse outward. Its form was clearly unstable, barely holding together.
"Not enough!" 'Moryo' rasped, its voice carrying suppressed Wrath and impatience. "In this state, I cannot exist in the outside world for long!"
As if sensing something, it suddenly lifted its head. Within the mist that served as its face, two invisible gazes seemed to lock onto Obito standing behind Huang Quan.
"You carry something I need."
Greed and hunger filled the voice of 'Moryo'. "Hand it over!"
Behind the mask, Obito's expression changed sharply. Almost the instant the words fell, he instinctively tried to activate Kamui space and pull himself into Kamui space to escape.
However, at the very moment space began to twist, a cold snort rang out.
'Moryo' raised the hand formed of mist and clawed forward. The air hummed, and the surrounding space seemed to be clenched tight by an invisible grip.
Obito felt his body tighten as spatial restraint locked him firmly in place. The Kamui space that was about to activate was cut off in an instant, and he could no longer sense the existence of Kamui space.
"Using Space-Time Ninjutsu in front of me?" 'Moryo' said with open mockery and contempt. "Do you not know humans call me an otherworld demon?"
It had lived for over a thousand years, most of that time sealed by a Sealing Technique within Other Space. With nothing else to do, it had spent endless years exploring the nature of time and space.
As a demon that wandered between the gaps of Other Space and Shinobi World, its understanding and control of space were far beyond what Obito or Obito could match. Its voice suddenly turned cold and sharp. "Now, give it to me."
The killing intent made Obito's pupils shrink. He had no doubt that without Kamui space, this thousand year old demon had the power to erase him in an instant.
Behind the mask, Obito's eyes flickered as his mind raced. Suppressing shock and humiliation, he spoke. "What you want is in another space."
"Ha." 'Moryo' let out a cold laugh. "Do not play tricks. Believe me, even if you escape with Space-Time Ninjutsu, I can lock onto your position instantly and kill you."
Obito's face darkened, and as the words ended, the strange force restraining space withdrew like a tide. Under the silent yet oppressive gaze of 'Moryo', the three black Tomoe in Obito's scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan transformed into the pattern of a Mangekyō Sharingan Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
A low hum sounded as a twisted Naruto Uzumaki appeared out of thin air before him. A jet black 'Crimson giant' fell heavily in front of 'Moryo'.
It was the 'Crimson giant' that Obito had captured and imprisoned. The instant it appeared, the surging purple black mist of 'Moryo' shook violently.
"What is this?" For the first time, clear emotion entered the voice of 'Moryo'.
The cold mockery was gone, replaced by shock, wild joy, and Greed. Its unseen gaze swept greedily over the roaring 'Crimson giant' as its solid form, mental energy structure, and essence were analyzed.