Hey everyone, how are you doing?
I know I got a bit lazy with the bonus chapters lately, but starting this week, they're officially coming back.
I've been working hard on improving the quality these past few days, and I think you'll be able to notice the difference yourselves.
So from now on, every 200 Power Stones means one bonus chapter.
Thank you for the support, and I hope you enjoy what's coming next!
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As Manji continued his purge, the other eight Tailed Beasts met in a different place.
"Matatabi has suffered so much," Gyūki said, letting out a heavy sigh. "She shouldn't have had to go through any of this. She only did it so Teacher would finally decide."
Kurama spoke even more seriously. "Sometimes, only blood and tears can make Teacher let go of his doubts. He would never decide unless something really shook him. I thought I would be the one to make this sacrifice. I never expected Matatabi to step in instead."
Shukaku wiped his tears. "But it worked. Teacher is finally ready to do what we've been waiting for. Matatabi's sacrifice meant something."
"Don't let yourselves get lost in grief," Son Gokū said. "Matatabi is only dormant. She's not gone forever. We Tailed Beasts can come back after death. She'll return to us soon."
Isobu paused before speaking. "We planned this and used Matatabi's death to push Teacher into deciding. What if he figures it out and gets angry? Maybe we went too far..."
"..." The valley grew quiet.
The other Tailed Beasts looked at each other, uneasy. They had never been sure of their teacher's strength or what he was thinking.
Shukaku looked at the others before speaking quietly.
"I think Teacher already knows. He just decided not to call us out."
.....
Far away, the Ino-Shika-Chō clan leaders ran through the forest as fast as they could. They only stopped when they were far from the battlefield. Leaning against the trees, they caught their breath, still shaken by what they had seen.
"My God..."
The three looked back at the land that had been wiped out by the blinding light. A chill ran up their spines.
"That power was horrifying," the Yamanaka clan leader, his legs shaking as he held onto a tree. "Thank God the Nara leader told us to run. If not, we'd be gone too. There wouldn't even be ashes left."
The Akimichi clan leader dropped to the ground, breathing hard and sweating. "I felt guilty for leaving our people, but now... It's a miracle the three of us survived."
Their fear slowly turned into relief. Both men looked at the Nara clan leader, grateful.
"You really are the smartest of us. Without you, we wouldn't have made it out alive."
Their relief disappeared when they saw his face.
The Nara clan leader leaned against a tree, looking pale and empty. His calm eyes were now full of despair. He slid down until he sat on the ground, arms limp at his sides.
"It's over," he muttered. "We're done for. There's no escape..."
"What do you mean?" the Yamanaka leader asked.
The Akimichi leader felt his heart drop. "Nara, what did you figure out?"
The Nara clan leader saw their situation more clearly than the others.
If the Sage of Six Paths had come down with a sword and fought the alliance one by one, maybe they could have used the land and tricks to survive.
But that wasn't what happened.
Instead, a single beam of light swept across the battlefield and wiped out over ten thousand shinobi before anyone could react. That wasn't just killing. It was total destruction.
This power was beyond any ninjutsu, any use of chakra, or any idea they had of strength. They were just mortals facing a god, like ants under a vast sky. They couldn't even hope to resist, let alone escape.
They survived the first attack by luck. That didn't mean they were safe.
The Sage of Six Paths wouldn't leave anyone alive. Their escape was pointless from the start. If he wanted, he could find them instantly.
As soon as the Nara leader said this, the forest changed—
Manji appeared in front of them without warning.
There was no sign in the air, no chakra, and no sound to show he was coming. One moment the clearing was empty, and the next, he stood right in front of them, as if he had always been there.
"..."
The Yamanaka and Akimichi leaders had no time to react. Their eyes had just started to widen when Manji put his hand on the Six Paths Sword.
The blade slid out with a soft hum.
There was no loud sound of steel, just a cold flash in the air. Manji moved his wrist and swung the sword at them.
Neither man even touched the blade. The force from its edge hit them first.
Two muffled bursts sounded through the forest as their bodies exploded into clouds of blood. Their chakra, consciousness, and physical forms collapsed beneath the force of that single stroke.
They didn't scream or struggle.
The two men who had just celebrated their escape vanished like the rest of the alliance. Their souls rose from the fading blood mist and were pulled into the Totsuka Blade behind Manji.
The Nara clan leader sat frozen on the ground. He had just watched his closest friends vanish, and his despair turned into numb acceptance.
Manji turned his cold gaze on him.
"The Sage of Six Paths was real..." The Nara leader's voice trembled. "But..."
He knew he was going to die, but his body still wanted to live.
"MY LORD, I'M INNOCENT! PLEASE SPARE ME! THEY FORCED ME TO COME HERE. I NEVER WANTED ANY PART OF THIS!"
"Innocent?" Manji looked down at him, showing no warmth.
"Was my student guilty of some crime that deserved death? You rose to power and survived this era. Do you expect me to believe your hands carry no innocent blood?"
Manji knew what kind of people survived in a lawless time. None of these clan leaders got their power by being kind or innocent. They had killed, plotted, and sacrificed others for power.
They couldn't honestly call themselves innocent.
But Manji could...
He had never killed innocent people. Even with his long life and great power, he had rarely taken lives.
The Nara clan leader died in the next instant. His soul joined the others in the Totsuka Blade.
Manji rose into the sky, holding the Six Paths Sword. Countless Truth-Seeking Orbs floated behind him, each one giving off a heavy pressure.
"This world has to change."
His voice carried across the ruined land.
"Matatabi, wait for me. When I've overturned the old order, restored the land, and rebuilt the shinobi world, I'll bring you back."
Manji closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, all hesitation was gone.
The Six Paths Purge had begun.
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