Outside the cavern—
Five shadow clones stood hidden in the darkness, their gazes fixed firmly on the fading phantom within.
The Evil God… was about to disappear.
There was no time to hesitate.
In perfect unison, the five clones raised their hands and formed seals at blinding speed.
Then—
They spoke together.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
"Lightning Release: Chidori Sharp Spear!"
In an instant—
Five powerful elemental ninjutsu erupted.
Flames roared like a raging inferno.
A massive water dragon surged forward with overwhelming force.
Violent winds howled, slicing through the air.
Earth and stone coiled into a destructive dragon.
Lightning pierced forward like a spear of judgment.
Boom—!!
The attacks converged.
All five elements collided directly with the Evil God's translucent phantom, engulfing it completely.
For a moment—
The entire cavern was consumed by chaos.
Fire, water, wind, earth, and lightning intertwined violently, tearing through everything in their path.
The ground trembled.
The air screamed.
Even the cave walls cracked under the pressure.
And yet—
After unleashing their techniques, the five shadow clones flickered—
Then dissipated.
Their chakra had been completely exhausted.
Outside the cave—
Aoki Yoru stood atop a tall tree, his entire focus directed inward.
His spiritual perception was stretched to its limits, capturing every fluctuation, every movement.
He didn't relax for even a fraction of a second.
"…Something's wrong."
His brows furrowed.
A faint unease crept into his heart.
Through his perception—
He could clearly "see" the result.
The attacks…
Had done nothing.
It wasn't that their power was insufficient.
The destructive force of five high-level elemental ninjutsu combined was more than enough to devastate an entire battlefield.
But—
Against the Evil God—
They were meaningless.
The attacks had passed through it.
Or rather—
They had collided with something… unreachable.
"It's like…"
Aoki Yoru's grip tightened around his sword.
"…attacking something in another dimension."
The realization sent a chill down his spine.
Without hesitation—
He moved.
His figure blurred—
And in the next instant—
He appeared at the cave entrance.
His ninja sword was already drawn.
Natural Energy surged through his body, wrapping around the blade in a flowing, almost ethereal current.
"Sage Art…"
His voice was low.
Focused.
"Immortal Might—Flowing Wrap!"
He swung.
A massive arc of sword light burst forth.
It tore through the air with unstoppable momentum, carrying immense power infused with Natural Energy.
Wherever it passed—
The world itself seemed to split.
The cave entrance—
Shattered.
The rock walls—
Cleft open with savage, jagged scars.
And yet—
The slash did not slow.
Like a bolt of divine judgment—
It struck the Evil God's phantom.
SKREEEEEE—!!!
A shriek erupted.
Not human.
Not even something that could be described as a voice.
It pierced directly into the soul.
Aoki Yoru's expression changed instantly.
He clapped his hands over his ears—
But it was useless.
The sound bypassed his senses entirely.
It resonated within his mind.
His soul.
Pain—
Sharp and searing—
Spread through his consciousness.
"…It worked."
Despite the pain, Aoki Yoru's eyes narrowed.
For the first time—
The Evil God was injured.
Cracks spread across its phantom form.
Like shattered glass—
Fragments broke away.
Blood-red energy leaked out uncontrollably, spilling into the air like a corrupted essence.
The phantom flickered violently—
As if it might collapse at any moment.
Now!
At that exact moment—
A sixth shadow clone burst into action.
It dashed into the cave at full speed, pulling out a sealing scroll.
Chakra surged through its fingers.
"Sage Art: Evil Method Sealing!"
The clone slammed its hand onto the scroll.
Instantly—
The scattered blood-energy and broken fragments of the Evil God were drawn in—
Sealed.
Contained.
Hiss—!!!
The Evil God reacted.
No—
It raged.
Its entire presence twisted violently.
A blood-red light condensed before it, growing brighter—
Denser—
More terrifying with each passing second.
The air trembled.
The space itself seemed to distort.
Inside the cave—
The clone worked at maximum speed.
Its movements were precise.
Desperate.
Finally—
The seal was complete.
Without hesitation—
The clone rolled up the scroll and hurled it toward the cave entrance with all its strength.
At that exact moment—
The Evil God's attack was unleashed.
Boom—!!!
The blood-red beam tore through the clone's body instantly.
There was no resistance.
No struggle.
The clone—
Was annihilated.
The attack continued—
Slamming into the ground.
A massive crater—
Three meters wide—
Exploded into existence.
Dust and debris filled the air.
But at the cave entrance—
Aoki Yoru had already moved.
With a flash of Body Flicker—
He appeared.
Caught the scroll mid-air—
And vanished again.
Retreat.
Immediate.
Decisive.
Only after putting sufficient distance between himself and the cave—
Did he stop.
Silence.
Then—
A voice.
It did not pass through his ears.
It did not travel through the air.
It appeared—
Directly within his mind.
"Human…"
Aoki Yoru's body stiffened.
"This is not over."
The voice was cold.
Ancient.
Filled with malice beyond comprehension.
"The next time we meet…"
"I will extract your soul…"
"And refine your spirit."
Aoki Yoru's expression hardened.
Through his perception—
He watched as the phantom of the Evil God slowly dissipated.
And then—
Something caught his attention.
A fluctuation.
Extremely faint.
Behind the fading phantom—
Space itself trembled.
"…What is that?"
His eyes narrowed.
Instinctively—
He prepared to extend his spiritual perception toward it.
But—
He stopped.
A flicker of hesitation appeared in his eyes.
Danger.
Everything about this—
Screamed danger.
And yet—
Opportunity.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"If I let this go…"
He clenched his teeth.
"…there may never be another chance."
His thoughts raced.
Naruto would soon graduate.
The timeline—
Was moving forward.
The Fourth Great Ninja War—
Would come.
And in that war—
Even the strongest could fall.
Super Kage-level strength?
Meaningless.
Before the Ten-Tails—
Before beings at the Six Paths level—
It was nothing.
Aoki Yoru's fists tightened.
"In my previous life… I only lived to twenty-six."
"In this life… I'll be nineteen when the war begins."
"If I die…"
"…I won't even reach half of a normal lifespan."
His gaze sharpened.
"I didn't come to this world… to die early."
Decision made.
He extended his spiritual perception.
Toward that distortion.
"…Blocked?"
His expression shifted.
Something—
Was preventing him from entering.
A barrier.
Invisible.
Absolute.
The fluctuation began to fade.
Time—
Was running out.
Then—
An idea.
Without hesitation—
He wrapped his spiritual perception around the remnants of the Evil God's phantom.
And in the next instant—
Chira—!
He broke through.
His consciousness—
Was pulled into another space.
A world—
Beyond comprehension.
Everything was red.
Dark.
Oppressive.
A thick blood mist filled the air, heavy with the stench of decay and curses.
Twisted souls floated endlessly, their forms distorted, their faint cries filled with agony.
There was no ground.
Only a black, viscous substance beneath him—
Pulsing.
Moving.
As if alive.
In the distance—
Towering black pillars rose.
Broken.
Twisted.
Their surfaces were carved with grotesque runes—
Each one radiating an overwhelming, suffocating pressure.
Above—
The sky was a dark, lifeless purple.
Cracks in space hung like open wounds.
From them—
Black droplets fell.
Corrosive.
Endless.
No life.
No hope.
No escape.
Only—
Despair.
Then—
Suddenly—
Two massive red eyes—
Opened.
They stared directly at him.
And a voice echoed in his mind.
"Ant…"
Aoki Yoru's entire body froze.
"Since you have come…"
"…then stay."
"There is a price…"
"For profaning a god."
"Ugh—!"
Pain exploded in his consciousness.
His face turned pale.
His spiritual perception—
Was severed.
A part of his soul—
Gone.
He staggered back into reality.
Breathing heavily.
"…It's only a small loss…"
He muttered, clutching his chest.
"…I can recover…"
But before he could relax—
"Is that so?"
The voice returned.
Aoki Yoru's pupils shrank.
Immediately—
He formed seals.
Scanning himself—
Inside and out.
Then—
He found it.
A black aura.
Wrapped tightly around his soul.
His expression darkened instantly.
Without hesitation—
He pressed his hand against his chest.
"Release!"
The seal broke.
Natural Energy surged through his body—
Washing through every inch of his being.
Guided by his will—
It crashed into the black aura.
His soul struggled—
Fought—
Resisted.
Pfft—!
Aoki Yoru spat out blood.
His face turned grim.
It hadn't moved.
Not even slightly.
"Human…"
The voice was closer now.
Colder.
"I told you…"
"Our next meeting…"
"Would be your end."
"Become nourishment…"
"For this god."
"Urgh—!"
Aoki Yoru gritted his teeth.
Veins bulged across his face and neck.
His entire body trembled violently.
With everything he had—
He pushed.
All his spiritual power—
All his will—
All his strength—
Against that black aura.
But then—
"Hmph."
"Pathetic."
"You did not kneel before a god."
"Your fate…"
"Is already sealed."
A pause.
And then—
"Your name…"
"Has been engraved…"
"On the Tablet of Reincarnation."
Silence fell.
And for the first time—
Aoki Yoru felt it.
True danger.
Not from enemies.
Not from war.
But from something far beyond—
A god.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)
50% Offers are going on claim yours as soon as possible