Lord Naruto Won't Lose to a Bootleg Version of Himself. I'm the Strongest!

Glug--

Not only Naruto, but even Sasuke broke out in a cold sweat after hearing Kenzaburo's description.

If something like that really comes out, then they...

"This is... this is too much!!" Naruto looked around in disbelief.

"Exaggeration?" Kenzaburo's smiling expression vanished, and he looked at Naruto with a serious expression.

"It's not an exaggeration at all; on the contrary, what I said was just some basic information that Zhengyan told me."

"This mirror image reflects your most perfect selves; the flaws you have, the mirror image does not."

"These reflections are like your ideal selves; although they lack your limitless potential, they allow you to fully utilize all your current talents."

"And that's precisely what makes it even more terrifying."

Hagoromo nodded in agreement. If Kenzaburo's assessment was accurate, then this level was indeed terrifying.

This challenge is more about winning someone's heart; a counterfeit version of yourself is even better at utilizing your talents than the real you.

Once the mind is tormented and broken, the intruder is most likely to die.

Looking at Sasuke, who was clearly stuck in a dead end, Hagoromo smiled and said:

"Sasuke, you yourselves are the most authentic. Don't just focus on certain things. Like Professor Kenzaburo said, you have unlimited potential."

Hagoromo deliberately emphasized the last few words.

Who is Sasuke? Putting aside his arrogance and haughtiness, he's a true genius.

With Hagoromo's words, Sasuke was also awakened. What good is the ideal 'self'? They are themselves.

However, Sasuke, now awake, looked at Naruto with a puzzled expression and asked, "Dead Last, weren't you so incredulous just now?"

How come she recovered even faster than him in such a short time?

Naruto, completely unconcerned, waved his hand and said, "Arrogant Sasuke, Naruto- sama will never lose to a bootleg version of me! I am the strongest!"

Upon hearing this, Sasuke smirked.

Naruto got away with it...

Hinata to the side, stared intently at Naruto, her eyes shining brightly.

"Alright, let's go. The center of the seal is just ahead."

Kenzaburo saw that Naruto and Sasuke had figured things out, so he called Hagoromo and the others to follow.

The Hagoromo had just stepped inside stopped, looking at the black crystal in front of her that was bound by countless chains of runes.

His mouth involuntarily opened wide. "Rinnegan?!"

Kenzaburo was taken aback, then turned to Hagoromo and asked, "Lord Sawada knows about the Rinnegan?"

Instead of responding directly, Hagoromo took a few steps forward and asked, "Professor Kenzaburo, where did you find this thing?"

On the altar before them, the black crystal that was wrapped around it was emitting a chilling aura.

The patterns that flash by from time to time make it look very much like the Rinnegan.

The concentric ripples and the distinctive dark purple crystals exuded a sense of oppression.

"I didn't discover it myself; Zhengyan found it in a secret realm in the Land of Whirlpools."

Kenzaburo hesitated for a moment before speaking, "When we discovered it, that area was almost completely lifeless."

"Furthermore, the energy emitted by this crystal itself made Zhengyan feel ominous, so he thought of sealing it away."

Hagoromo's lips twitched slightly. "That's right."

If I'm not mistaken, the crystal in front of me should be a fragment of the physical Chakra of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

And it just so happens to be the eyeball of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

If it weren't for the countless runic chains binding the surrounding area, that violent energy would probably have rendered everything around it deathly silent.

Was the last village chief of the Uzumaki Clan really that stubborn?

"A secret realm?" Hagoromo was quite curious about what this so-called secret realm was.

"Yes, although it's called a secret realm, it's actually an ancient battlefield. It's only because it's surrounded by a seal that it forms a secret realm."

"There, Zhengyan and I also discovered some ancient inscriptions. Although they were damaged, we still obtained some information from them."

As Kenzaburo spoke, he took out the notebook he was carrying.

After flipping through a few pages, he handed it to Hagoromo, Hagoromo looked at it with interest, saying something but not saying anything.

Although some of the things recorded above seem like mythology, Hagoromo is certain that Kenzaburo does indeed possess extraordinary abilities.

It contained the term 'Nine-Eyed Underworld King'.

"Is the Nine-Eyed Underworld King the information you found on the ancient inscription, Professor?" Hagoromo pointed to the words on the notebook.

"That's right, that ancient battlefield records a battle between a powerful ninja and a giant monster."

"After finally defeating it, the power of that giant monster was extracted, leaving behind a shell called 'Nine-Eyed Underworld King'."

"Some of the information was pieced together by me after I went back and combined it with some ancient books, but it's basically accurate."

Hagoromo nodded. Nine-Eyed Underworld King is actually another name for the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

Over the years, many traditions in the Shinobi World have been broken, and some records have become blurred as they have been passed around.

The Nine-Eyed Underworld King was something Hagoromo learned about from a book of ghost stories about the Shinobi World that he found in the Konoha Library.

My first impression was that this was a description of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

"Professor Kenzaburo, do you have any way to strengthen the seal?" Hagoromo asked, pulling himself out of Kenzaburo thoughts.

After all, Hagoromo hadn't sensed any Chakra fluctuations from this person.

Unless the last patriarch of the Uzumaki Clan left behind a contingency plan.

"Actually, my original plan was to detonate the seal. Over the years, the altar has accumulated a large amount of energy that has imprisoned this crystal."

"Once I throw the emblem into the altar, it means that the altar set up by Zhengyan will sense it, and the entire altar will enter its countdown to destruction."

Hagoromo:...

Looking at the emblem in her hand, Hagoromo's lips twitched, and she simply flipped it over and put it away.

It turns out he was holding a detonator!

Naruto and Sasuke glared angrily at Kenzaburo. That bastard! He actually gave such a dangerous thing to their teacher.

Sensing Naruto and the others' anger, Kenzaburo quickly waved his hand and said, "This is something I wanted to do myself."

"After all, your mission is only to escort me here for a few days of inspection. If you still can't reinforce the seal here after the mission is over..."

"I will announce the mission is complete when the time comes, and once you have moved to a safe distance, I will detonate it alone."

This guy is ruthless.

Hagoromo shook her head. Kenzaburo's idea was good, but the power of the altar exploding would definitely not be as simple as he thought.

"Professor Kenzaburo, I guess your idea won't work."

"Regarding reinforcing the seal, I'm not entirely sure which method the village chief of the Uzumaki Clan used back then."

"And if it were to detonate, the power absorbed by this altar over the years would explode enough to encompass everything within a fifty-kilometer radius."

Kenzaburo was about to speak when he heard Hagoromo say that the seal could not be reinforced again, and asked Hagoromo to take Naruto and the others away.

However, Hagoromo's next words completely extinguished his hopes.