An Unexpected Conversation

As Enma spoke with Sarutobi Hiruzen, he glanced at the black pillar of light and the hazy barrier in surprise.

Nara Shikaku bowed slightly. "Lord Enma!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen waved a hand. "Enma, there's no time to explain! Adamantine Staff!"

"Heh, you're really in a hurry." Enma didn't say anything more. He formed a hand seal, and with a puff, his massive ape body suddenly transformed into an enormous iron staff.

Sarutobi Hiruzen caught the Adamantine Staff, which Enma had transformed into, and swung it a few times.

He drew on all the chakra in his body, and his presence surged.

"Let's go, Enma!" Sarutobi Hiruzen lightly stamped one foot and sprang into the air. He slammed down toward the barrier! Though Sarutobi Hiruzen was hailed as the Shinobi Hero and had mastered all sorts of ninjutsu, he was nowhere near as skilled at genjutsu as the true masters.

Against this barrier, the Third Hokage's choice was to break through by force.

Even if the barrier had something special about it, Sarutobi Hiruzen believed that breaking it was well within his abilities. He hadn't acted earlier only because he'd had some reservations.

But now, with the situation growing urgent,

he could no longer worry about such things.

Boom! The Adamantine Ruyi Staff struck the barrier with tremendous force. The barrier shuddered violently, and with a crack,

a thin fracture appeared across its surface.

"Ha!" Sarutobi Hiruzen shouted, increasing his chakra output. Boom! The barrier suddenly shattered.

With a whoosh, Sarutobi Hiruzen landed on the ground. He looked at the black vortex revealed by the shattered barrier, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.

He waved to Nara Shikaku.

The two of them stepped into the vortex. Their figures gradually merged with it and disappeared.

"Mm? Where am I?" Ueno Kei let out a low groan, his eyes bleary.

Suddenly, his mind cleared, and he came fully awake.

He looked utterly incredulous. In a panic, he hurriedly checked his body from head to toe. No wounds! Not a trace of blood.

Aside from feeling a little weak all over, he didn't have a single injury.

"What's going on? Hadn't I already..." Ueno Kei suddenly felt like his mind couldn't keep up.

He clearly remembered that Ido's tentacles had pierced his vital organs. He could distinctly feel the life draining from his body.

The way his body had slowly grown cold, his blood had gradually stopped flowing, and he'd begun to stiffen—there was no way that had all been an illusion.

Ueno Kei had no doubt he'd been on his way to meet the King of Hell. No, in this world, wouldn't that be the God of Death?

Completely baffled, Ueno Kei stood up mechanically and pinched his cheek hard.

"Ow, that really hurts..." Ueno Kei was at a loss. Had all that been genjutsu? And where was he now?

Ueno Kei gazed around in bewilderment at the endless, pale expanse surrounding him. Gradually, the unfocused look in his eyes sharpened.

A trace of worry crossed his face. He tried taking a few steps.

He tested his body, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. His Lingyu Blade, his chakra—everything seemed perfectly normal.

The brilliant stars in the sky looked bizarre to Ueno Kei, but he had no mind to think about them now. He only wanted to find out where he was.

And what had really happened earlier!

"Hehe." Just as Ueno Kei frowned in thought, a pleasant, soft laugh suddenly sounded beside him.

"Who's there?" Ueno Kei turned around in an instant, suddenly on guard. At that moment, he caught sight of a barefoot girl in a pink dress, covering her mouth with one hand as she giggled softly.

Ueno Kei's expression changed at once, a look of uncertainty on his face.

The girl was none other than Kurama Yakumo—the sworn enemy he'd stabbed earlier, who had nearly killed him in turn!

Strangely, though, Ueno Kei felt no hostility toward her at all. Even the instinctive move he'd made to reach for the Lingyu Blade on his back faded the moment he saw her smiling at him.

Ueno Kei couldn't explain what he was feeling. He simply felt that the girl before him meant no harm, like an innocent ten-year-old.

Cute, kind, and so genuine. That was how Ueno Kei saw her.

"Hey! What's wrong? Surprised to see me, trainee ninja?" Kurama Yakumo greeted him as though they were old friends, suddenly drifting up in front of him and waving a hand before his eyes.

Her tone was playful.

Ueno Kei jolted, all the muscles in his body tensing. Only after he sensed that the girl really meant no harm did he relax.

He let out a soft breath. Hearing her question, Ueno Kei didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Good grief, we nearly killed each other! Why are you talking as if we're old friends who haven't seen each other in years?

Ueno Kei thought helplessly. But he couldn't keep that to himself. The girl seemed perfectly normal right now, but who could say whether the monster inside her might burst out at any moment?

The mad, savage Ido was still vivid in Ueno Kei's memory.

Thinking of that vicious Ido, Ueno Kei shivered again as he faced the smiling girl before him.

Ueno Kei pursed his lips and said stiffly, "W-well, yes. I'm... a little surprised."

"Giggle!" Kurama Yakumo burst into loud laughter, as if she'd heard something absolutely hilarious. She doubled over, clutching her stomach with both hands as though she were laughing herself breathless.

Ueno Kei stared at the girl laughing without a care in the world, his expression darkening. Was he really that funny?

"I... I can't... Oh, you..." The girl struggled to catch her breath between laughs. "Cough... cough... You're pretty funny, too."

Kurama Yakumo took a deep breath and patted her chest, calming herself before continuing. "I thought that trainee ninja who was so cold and tried to kill me earlier would be an ice-cold person. But it turns out..."

The girl wore a sly expression. She clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward slightly, staring intently at Ueno Kei's face as if she'd found an interesting toy.

Under the girl's bright, star-like gaze, Ueno Kei began to feel increasingly uncomfortable. And as he looked at her, his eyes wandered without his realizing it.

Through the neckline of her dress, he caught a glimpse of the girl's exposed skin. Startled, he quickly turned his head away.

He cleared his throat. "Ahem. You know I'm the guy who nearly killed you, so why are you..." Ueno Kei trailed off before he could finish.

But how could the girl not understand what he meant? She wrinkled her delicate nose.