Whatever Kaguya was thinking, it no longer had anything to do with Yuzuru.
The future of the Shinobi World was about to usher in the Age of the Rabbit Goddess and the Age of the Sage of Six Paths. With his strength still lacking, Yuzuru could only continue lying low. Only when the right time came could he, a remnant of the Ōtsutsuki, reveal himself to the Shinobi World!
"Looks like I'll have to lie low for at least a thousand years..."
It wasn't as if Yuzuru lacked ambition, but knowing the history of Naruto, he didn't dare expose himself openly. Keeping his head down and growing stronger was the proper path!
But even if he had to remain hidden for a thousand years, he couldn't just lie around doing nothing!
"Then I'll need to leave some hidden moves behind in the Shinobi World..."
As soon as Yuzuru had that thought, he subconsciously looked at Chimimōryō again. Noticing its boss looking at it, Chimimōryō hurriedly forced out a fawning smile uglier than crying.
"Come here."
Yuzuru beckoned to Chimimōryō, signaling for it to approach.
Chimimōryō immediately floated over to Yuzuru, then sprawled at his feet, obedient as a tame little dog.
"Lord Yuzuru, what are your orders?"
Chimimōryō carefully raised its head and asked Yuzuru respectfully.
"How much do you know about the yokai in this world?"
Yuzuru asked.
"Hehe, you've come to the right person, my lord!"
Upon hearing that, Chimimōryō chuckled and began explaining with immense confidence. "As far as I know, there are two kinds of yokai in this world. One kind consists of monsters like me that descended from other worlds. However, crossing over from another world is extremely difficult, so not many monsters have made it here. Including me, there are probably only four or five..."
"The other kind of yokai was born in this world. There may not be many of the most powerful native yokai, but there certainly aren't few either. For example, a strange-looking, enormous old turtle sleeps in the depths of the sea. A giant bird engulfed in flames lives inside the enormous Flame Mountain to the east. In the ancient forest to the west, there is a great snake with four legs. In the great rift valley to the north, there is a huge white tiger with wings..."
"There are even talking toads, slugs, and snakes without legs..."
Chimimōryō rattled off a long list in one breath, making Yuzuru realize that this era contained all sorts of powerful yokai, each seemingly possessing unique abilities. They sounded like they wouldn't be easy to provoke.
Still, as Chimimōryō described them, Yuzuru felt that some of their traits sounded rather familiar—like the divine beasts from ancient China in his memories...
"Where's the nearest yokai? Take me to see it."
Yuzuru nodded. Then a black-red vortex-like circular Space-Time Transfer portal suddenly appeared behind him. He grabbed Chimimōryō and took it out with him. Once they were back in the Shinobi World, Yuzuru spoke to Chimimōryō.
"Lord Yuzuru, the closest one is the Demon Beast Firebird to the east..."
Chimimōryō pointed east as it spoke to Yuzuru.
Within Yuzuru's Byakugan vision, there stood an enormous Flame Mountain that slowly spewed lava.
"Go!"
As soon as Yuzuru spoke, he rapidly floated toward the enormous Flame Mountain. Chimimōryō turned into a violet-black mass of energy and quickly followed after him.
Although Chimimōryō said the Firebird yokai within Flame Mountain was the closest to them, it still took Yuzuru about an hour to arrive.
Yuzuru stopped in midair above the mouth of the enormous Flame Mountain and looked down. There wasn't a trace of life for a thousand miles around. The only life force came from inside Flame Mountain. That had to be the Demon Beast Firebird Chimimōryō had mentioned!
"Sukuna Hikona!"
"Daikokuten!"
Dōjutsu Power surged from his Golden Rice-Character Eyes. The Eye Technique Sukuna Hikona fell directly upon the enormous Flame Mountain, causing it to rapidly shrink. As he intensified his Dōjutsu Power, the mountain abruptly vanished, then was stored by the Eye Technique Daikokuten in a separate space where time stood still.
The disappearance of the enormous Flame Mountain startled not only Chimimōryō, who floated nearby, but also the Firebird yokai soaking in lava inside it. The scene humiliated it and filled it with rage. It was like a woman comfortably taking a bath when the water suddenly vanished—especially with someone staring directly at her from the side...
Yuzuru panted lightly. Shrinking such an enormous Flame Mountain in one go had consumed a huge amount of Dōjutsu Power and placed no small burden on him. Still, judging by the result, it remained within what he could accept.
"Are you the Demon Beast Firebird?"
After steadying his breathing, Yuzuru spoke to the stunned Firebird. It seemed confused, unable to understand how its home had suddenly disappeared. But the instant Yuzuru spoke, it immediately attacked.
The Firebird, wrapped head to toe in flames, first let out a cry that shook the soul. Then it spread its wings and soared. As it rose from the charred ground, a stream of Tri-Color Flames shot from its beak toward Yuzuru in midair, moving at terrifying speed and radiating heat so intense it warped space itself!
Yuzuru could sense how terrifying the incoming Tri-Color Flames were. If that heat touched him, his body would melt instantly. He didn't dare let his guard down. His right eye focused, and Sukuna Hikona activated, shrinking the flames in an instant. He then used Daikokuten to store the stream of Tri-Color Flames in the separate space where time stood still. He had a feeling that the Tri-Color Flames were more than merely hot—they might possess other abilities as well!
"As expected of Lord Yuzuru!"
Chimimōryō immediately praised Yuzuru from the side, then explained while continuing to flatter him. "Lord Yuzuru, the Tri-Color Flames contained within this Firebird are not only incredibly hot and capable of melting everything, but they can also ignite the natural energy absorbed into the body. They're extremely troublesome. More importantly, these Tri-Color Flames can directly burn Spirit Bodies..."
Clearly, Chimimōryō had suffered at the hands of this Demon Beast Firebird before. Otherwise, it couldn't have known its abilities so well.
After hearing Chimimōryō's explanation, Yuzuru regarded the Firebird more highly. No wonder it could become one of the strongest native yokai in the Shinobi World. With those Tri-Color Flames, it truly had no reason to fear any yokai!
Unfortunately, before Yuzuru's Eye Techniques, those Tri-Color Flames couldn't even touch his sleeve. No matter how terrifying their power was, what could they do?
"Looks like if you don't have any other tricks, it'll be my turn to strike back!"
Yuzuru spoke to the Firebird flying in the air. Even monsters like Chimimōryō possessed intelligence and could speak, so the Demon Beast Firebird was surely intelligent as well. Whether it could speak was unclear, but it most likely could.
"Heaven Burning, Sea Boiling!"
Seeing its life-bound flames so easily dealt with by Yuzuru, the Firebird was initially shocked before immediately flying into a rage. This bastard had appeared and destroyed its home, then continued provoking it like this. Did he really think it was something he could bully and knead at will? The next moment, it let out an enraged human roar. Its voice was magnetic, making it impossible to tell whether it was male or female.
Scorching flames erupted from the Firebird's body. It was like a blazing red sun, using itself as the source to set everything around it ablaze. It intended to transform the surrounding thousand miles into a sea of fire under its control. Even the sky was dyed the color of burning clouds by its terrifying Tri-Color Flames.
"Lord Yuzuru!"
At the sight of that boundless sea of fire, Chimimōryō was scared out of its wits. It immediately cried out to Yuzuru for help, terrified that if it shouted a moment too late, it would be burned to ashes.
Yuzuru waved his hand and tossed Chimimōryō into the black-red portal that had just appeared, sending it to safety. As for himself, he fearlessly watched the raging sea of fire rise around him. The Firebird seemed focused on controlling the flames and did not notice this scene...
Before you continue