Outside, countless viewers were left frozen in place when this new segment appeared on the light screen. Even the comments—which had been scrolling nonstop just moments before—vanished completely for a time.
Why such an unusual reaction?
The answer was actually very simple.
The description of the Phantom Demon race in the altered video was simply too outrageous. Every word felt like it shattered the limits of common understanding, completely surpassing anything they had ever imagined about the nature of power.
Just think about what they had just witnessed.
The Phantom Demon Emperor worshiped by Kazahana Doto as an absolute god belonged to a Phantom Demon race that, at its height, had once ruled over tens of thousands of star regions spanning hundreds of millions of light-years.
And within that boundless cosmic expanse, the planet where humanity had lived for generations and fought endless wars was no more than a tiny speck—like a marble scattered carelessly among the stars.
Yet even a massive planet that could nurture a complete civilization was, before that Phantom Demon Progenitor whose true name even the light screen dared not reveal, little more than a trinket that could be crushed into cosmic dust with the flick of a finger.
What shook them even more deeply was this:
the Phantom Demon Emperor now lying in the depths of the snowy plains of the Land of Snow—the one Kazahana Doto worshiped as a true god—was actually only one of the three split incarnations that terrifying progenitor had created in order to survive.
If that were really true, then just how horrifying must the power of the Descending Thunder Emperor be, if it had inherited one-third of the Progenitor's strength?
At that thought, every viewer across the ninja world staring at the light screen lost all traces of their previous teasing and skepticism. In its place, a kind of unprecedented shock spread across every face.
...
At that very moment, the ninja who had been dispatched by the various Kage and were already on their way to the Land of Snow found themselves caught in a painful dilemma.
They had originally doubted the truth of what the light screen was showing. Their trip to the Land of Snow had only been meant to verify whether the information was real and, if possible, secure some potential advantage for their villages.
But now, after hearing that such a terrifying existence might be hidden there, none of them dared move forward rashly.
They could only halt where they were, fix their eyes on the light screen, and wait for more of the story to be revealed before deciding whether to continue onward.
At the same time—
inside the royal hall of the Land of Snow—
Kazahana Doto stood by the window, staring at the light screen hanging high in the sky outside, his face looking extremely grim.
Just moments ago, he had still been entertaining the thought that once Nadare Rōga returned with information about the Phantom Demon Emperor, he could imitate the version of himself shown on the light screen and seize that tremendous power for himself.
At that point, he would wield both the imperial authority of the Land of Snow and the divine authority granted by the Phantom Demon Emperor, becoming a supreme ruler none would dare defy. Even if elite ninja from powerful forces like Konoha or Sunagakure came for him, he might not have been entirely incapable of facing them head-on.
But now, after seeing the horrifying description of the Phantom Demon Emperor on the screen with his own eyes, that bit of ambition was instantly extinguished. He no longer dared entertain the thought of controlling such a being.
In fact, a far more disturbing suspicion began to surge up in his heart.
Was the version of himself shown on the light screen really still him at all?
Had he not, perhaps, long since become nothing more than a puppet of the Descending Thunder Emperor?
If not, then how could a man as normally calm, calculating, and deliberate as he was show such exaggerated, deranged laughter—like some lunatic driven mad by power?
The more he thought about it, the darker and uglier Kazahana Doto's expression became. He too found himself trapped in indecision, uncertain whether he should allow Nadare Rōga to continue searching for the mysterious Phantom Demon Emperor.
...
While the people of the ninja world were still trembling inwardly at the origin of the Phantom Demon Emperor, that segment about the Descending Thunder Emperor's past had already come to an end on the light screen.
As for why the Descending Thunder Emperor had appeared in the Land of Snow, and how it had come to be sealed there, the light screen did not linger on those details. Instead, it skipped over them entirely and returned the timeline to the present, continuing the story of Naruto and the others' journey into the Land of Snow.
[In the footage, after a long voyage, the film crew and Naruto's group finally set foot on the territory of the Land of Snow.
A hired convoy that had long been waiting there immediately came forward to meet them. After a brief pause to reorganize, everyone loaded their luggage and ninja tools onto the vehicles, then climbed into the warm cabins and continued through the snowbound land toward their final destination.
Before long, the convoy passed through a stretch of low snow hills and arrived before the entrance to a gigantic natural tunnel, where they stopped to rest. Some people got out to stretch their stiff bodies, while others simply stood staring at the tunnel entrance in silence.
From a distance, the mouth of the tunnel looked like a crack leading into an abyss, its interior a fathomless black with no visible end.
Within the range the eye could reach, darkness lay piled there like congealed ink, sealing out even the surrounding reflected snowlight. Only the faint, chilling aura at the entrance remained—enough to stir fear, yet also enough to provoke an irresistible urge to explore what lay beyond.
"On the other side of this tunnel is a village where our companions live. Once filming here is finished, we'll go meet up with them. Everyone there has been sincerely hoping the princess would return as soon as possible."
Just as many members of the film crew were still curiously examining the great tunnel entrance, Asama Sandayū turned to Kakashi and spoke, his tone carrying a quiet anticipation for the return journey.
And as soon as those words fell, the convoy's rest gradually came to an end. The entire column started moving again and slowly drove toward the black mouth of the tunnel ahead.
"Aaah..."
Inside one of the snow-vehicles, Naruto leaned forward until his face was nearly pressed against the window, peering into the deep darkness of the tunnel while dragging out his complaint in a long, bored tone:
"Just how much longer are we going to be in this tunnel? It's pitch black everywhere—I can't even see where the exit is."
"Actually, there used to be a railway running through here."
Seeing Naruto sigh dramatically in boredom, Asama Sandayū—who was in the same compartment—took the initiative to tell him a little about the tunnel's past, hoping to relieve the monotony.
"A railway?"
"Yes. It may be filled now with thick frozen pillars of ice, and the ground is covered by a heavy layer of frost, but beneath that ice, the old railway tracks are still perfectly preserved." As he spoke, Sandayū gestured for Naruto to look down toward the tunnel floor.
Naruto followed the direction he pointed in and saw nothing more than a thick sheet of ice, nothing particularly remarkable. Even so, he nodded vaguely, not quite understanding.
And just as Naruto furrowed his brow, trying to piece together in his mind the image of rails laid through the tunnel and trains roaring across them, Sandayū's voice shifted, and he added another line.
"Come to think of it, the construction of this tunnel was actually connected to a certain legend."
"A legend?"
"Yes. A legend about the Rainbow Hero!"]
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 119)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter79)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter125)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 60
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 73
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 55
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 66
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 63
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 55
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 31
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 31
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 31
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