Never Dying

Beneath the eternal God Tree! Within the bamboo forest!

The night was deep and the stars were sparse; the surroundings were deathly silent!

At this moment, the bamboo forest was as still as the grave!

Time froze in this instant!

Manji stood where he was, the All-Killing Ash Bones protruding from his chest.

Before him shimmered the Chakra Fruit!

The supreme treasure of the Naruto world!

The Chakra Fruit was right in front of him, yet Manji's attention was fixed on Ōtsutsuki Kaguya behind him!

In the end, it was White Ape King who let out the first roar of fury!

"You woman!? Why!? Why would you hurt Manji!? Without Manji, you would have long since been fed to the monsters by that man!"

White Ape King glared at Ōtsutsuki Kaguya with eyes full of rage, bellowing in anger.

Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's expression was complex, but in a flash, it was replaced by frost!

"Why..."

Manji turned his head with great difficulty, looking at Ōtsutsuki Kaguya with confused eyes.

He could not understand; he could not fathom why Kaguya would stab him in the back.

Was the pursuit of happiness not Kaguya's goal?

Or perhaps, was the Chakra Fruit her goal from the very beginning?

"I am sorry, Manji. I have broken my promise."

"You cannot take the Chakra Fruit."

Ōtsutsuki Kaguya spoke with focused intent, her eyes like ice, her voice cold as frost.

Faced with this situation, Manji calmly pressed for an answer:

"Tell me, why?"

"Because my man betrayed me... That human actually wanted to trade me to an enemy nation. Therefore, only when power is held in my own hands can I feel at ease!"

Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's expression suddenly turned agitated and frantic.

Clearly, the betrayal by the man she loved had caused her temperament to change drastically.

Manji understood in an instant; it was the same situation as the TV plot...

At this moment, Manji cursed the Emperor of the Land of Ancestors in his heart. Why did he have to backstab Kaguya at this exact moment?!

If he had only waited a little longer, he would have succeeded!

But he had to do it right now!

"Heh heh heh..." Manji laughed.

"Ha ha ha... Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha... Ha ha ha ha!!!!"

He began with a soft chuckle, then a light laugh, followed by a roar of laughter.

Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and White Ape King were both stunned, staring at Manji in bewilderment.

"Manji, what is wrong with you?!"

White Ape King asked with concern.

Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was filled with suspicion and uncertainty; on one hand, she worried Manji still had a trump card.

On the other, she wondered if Manji had truly gone mad.

"Truly, the more beautiful the woman, the better she lies!"

"And to think I just wished you well in your pursuit of happiness, and to think I actually sympathized with you before..."

Manji gave a bitter laugh, then remarked with a look of wonder: "So, none of you are NPCs; you are all flesh-and-blood characters. This world truly is filled with countless heroes..."

Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's expression remained unchanged as she coldly watched Manji. Having been struck by her All-Killing Ash Bones, there was no chance he could survive!

"Manji! Quickly, use the immortal talisman the toad gave you!!!"

White Ape King was anxious, unable to stop himself from shouting aloud.

"There is no need, White Ape King. You should leave first."

Manji smiled helplessly.

His body was already beginning to decay; he would turn to ash in moments...

Before White Ape King could react, Manji dispelled the summoning, sending White Ape King directly back to the Summoning Realm.

He knew White Ape King could not defeat Kaguya, and staying here would only lead to his death at her hands.

Manji collapsed to the ground, his eyes flashing with ferocity!

"Even if I die, I will take a bite!"

Manji gathered all his strength, threw his mouth wide open, and bit down hard on the Chakra Fruit!

In an instant, a chunk of the original Chakra Fruit was bitten off by Manji!

Seeing this, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was shocked and immediately used body flicker to snatch away the remaining Chakra Fruit!

Manji chewed the fruit, feeling slightly helpless.

Well, he couldn't taste anything, because his own body had already turned to ash...

Looking at Manji, who had turned into ash, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya felt a pang of pity. Remembering the smiling face with which Manji had wished her happiness, Kaguya felt a sense of guilt in her heart.

She could feel that Manji's blessing was sincere.

"I'm sorry, Manji. I will have my children remember you and build a temple in your honor..."

"I will not forget you..."

Ōtsutsuki Kaguya whispered her promise.

Originally, Kaguya had intended to keep Manji, but she feared too many variables and the possibility of a future betrayal, so she had no choice but to erase him.

Immediately after.

Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's face turned cold as frost.

"Power, I need power!"

Ōtsutsuki Kaguya swallowed the rest of the Chakra Fruit in one gulp!

Then, accompanied by a brilliant white light!

The Rabbit Goddess, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, the Progenitor of Chakra!

Has arrived!

At the same time, the Tomoe Rinnegan opened on Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's forehead, and she flew into the sky!

She opened the Yomotsu Hirasaka!

The Infinite Tsukuyomi illuminated the world!

Snow was falling heavily, covering everything in white!

In a field of pure white snow, a hand slowly reached out from beneath the drifts!

Following that, a completely naked man crawled out from the snow.

"Where the hell did this bring me?"

Manji, stark naked, crawled out of the snow and scanned his surroundings.

"Phew, thank goodness, thank goodness. Eternal life really is real."

Manji looked at his unscathed body and muttered to himself.

He had always wondered before: was his immortality a matter of eternal youth, or was it that he simply could not die no matter what?

Unfortunately, the system lacked sentience, so he had no way to ask.

Manji had never dared to commit suicide to test it out.

Now, having been ambushed by Kaguya, his theory had been verified.

His condition was not just eternal life, but an immortality mechanism; he had clearly been resurrected.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Manji whispered, and a set of Mount Myōboku training robes was summoned for him to wear.

"The most urgent thing now is to see what the situation is."

Manji leaped into the air.

His Sage power remained, and with one glance, Manji saw that there was almost no one left in this world!

"Infinite Tsukuyomi, Kaguya has already activated it..."

Manji sighed slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, the grudge of yesterday was like a thorn in his back...

"But the priority is to endure. Kaguya is powerful; I cannot be reckless."

Manji felt that Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was very strong right now.

Going to fight her with his current strength would be no different from throwing his life away.

He had to return to Mount Myōboku first to see the situation there.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Returning to Mount Myōboku.

What met his eyes was a magnificent tombstone.

Manji frowned slightly and immediately stepped forward.

"Grave of Manji?"

"Why is my name carved onto a tombstone?"

Manji stormed directly into the Toad Great Hall, happening upon White-Browed Toad as he struck a wooden fish.

"Manji!? You're still alive?!"

White-Browed Toad's face lit up with sudden joy, and he hurried over to Manji in high spirits.

But immediately after, a look of wariness crossed White-Browed Toad's face!

White Ape King had clearly told him that Manji was dead, so was this current Manji perhaps a disguise?

"White-Browed Toad, I have returned!"

Seeing this, Manji felt it was time to reveal his distinct immortal aura.

Upon sensing it, White-Browed Toad's face instantly brightened with excitement as he exclaimed, "Little Manji! I thought you had been killed by that woman outside. How did you make it back? Did that illusion not affect you?"