The next second, to his shock, he found himself in a desolate, terrifying hell. Boiling crimson magma bubbled beneath his feet, the air reeked of sulfur, and countless ghostly blue hellfires surged toward him like greedy serpents.
"Ahhh!" In an instant, Sarutobi Hiruzen was engulfed by unbearable pain.
He felt his flesh being scorched by the flames, his skin blackening inch by inch as his bones crackled and sizzled.
Worse still, the hellfire was consuming his soul. Every inch of it burned with agonizing pain, and his consciousness thrashed desperately on the verge of collapse.
In the real world, Sarutobi Hiruzen's body suddenly began convulsing uncontrollably. Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were filled with unbearable pain and despair. His shrill screams pierced the din of battle, making everyone's heart quail.
Ghostly blue flames even seemed to flicker across the surface of his body, as if the agony of his soul were consuming his flesh in turn.
At the sight, extreme panic flashed across Naruto Uzumaki's face. He instinctively started to rush forward to help, bellowing, "Gramps, Third Hokage!"
"Do you still have time to worry about someone else?" Uchiha Genki's cold voice rang out again, thick with mockery. "Army of a Thousand Wraiths!"
As his voice fell, an eerie black aura suddenly shimmered around Black Susanoo Armor.
Countless translucent spirits slowly emerged from the aura. They included shinobi and civilians, the strong and the weak—all souls Uchiha Genki had devoured.
Millions upon millions of spirits floated in the air, their eyes vacant and their minds empty, like puppets under someone's control.
The next moment, every spirit turned its head at once, fixing its hollow gaze on Naruto, Sasuke, Hagoromo, and Six Paths Madara. Then they all attacked!
Millions of soul shockwaves swept toward them