Three Different Fates

Sun Breathing: First Form: Waltz!

Senju Kyogawa and "Senju Kyogawa" used the move at the same time. Both gripped their Nichirin Swords tightly with both hands and swung them in a wide arc.

Their blades clashed, sparks flying as a piercing metallic clang rang out.

Flames from the technique swirled tightly around them, dazzling and fierce, like some kind of special effect.

Neither was willing to relent. They poured all their strength into their Nichirin Swords, refusing to give the other any ground.

Senju Kyogawa felt his blood racing and warmth spreading through his body. With each powerful breath, all the heat within him surged out.

He breathed greedily, drawing in the energy around him and filtering it from head to toe. Then he turned it all into flames on his blade and sent them sweeping forward.

Senju Kyogawa and "Senju Kyogawa" were evenly matched.

Whatever move Senju Kyogawa used, the other "Senju Kyogawa" immediately used the same one. They moved almost in sync.

Meanwhile, Ugly Monster and "Ugly Monster" were locked in a fierce battle, too.

Ugly Monster struck at its opponent with a wing, and the other immediately struck back with one of its own. The two adorably ugly creatures fought at close range with their wings and tails.

After fighting for quite a while, Senju Kyogawa had already used up most of his strength, but the "Senju Kyogawa" across from him showed no sign of fatigue. It was still as relaxed as it had been at the start.

His opponent was some kind of creature that didn't know what fatigue was, but Senju Kyogawa was flesh and blood. He could bleed, and he could get tired.

During his fight with "Senju Kyogawa," several wounds had been cut into his body by a Nichirin Sword, their edges charred black. If Senju Kyogawa hadn't reacted quickly and immediately applied Healing Jutsu to the wounds, the burns might have spread across his whole body by now.

Even so, though quite some time had passed, the wounds still looked gruesome, with no sign of healing. Senju Kyogawa's Healing Jutsu was merely keeping them from getting worse.

But "Senju Kyogawa" had no worries about bleeding from injuries. Even when several wounds appeared on "his" body, they quickly healed.

It couldn't be killed. It just couldn't be killed.

Something is interfering with my wounds healing. Senju Kyogawa knew he had to find a way to break through this predicament as soon as possible.

He stopped fighting for the moment.

During the fight, he had discovered that whenever he used a move, the "Senju Kyogawa" across from him would use the same one. But because of that, as long as Senju Kyogawa didn't attack first, the other "Senju Kyogawa" wouldn't attack either. That was, of course, as long as Senju Kyogawa didn't touch the "Gate."

The moment Senju Kyogawa touched the "Gate," the other "Senju Kyogawa" would attack like a madman, unleashing a rapid barrage of moves at him.

Senju Kyogawa didn't make any rash moves. He simply stood where he was, steadying his breathing and taking a moment to recover.

He held his Nichirin Sword across his chest and examined it closely. The blade had already developed quite a few cracks, and some places were chipped.

He figured the knockoff Nichirin Sword would be completely shattered after a few more exchanges.

What should I do...

What am I supposed to do?

Ever since he entered this passage and became separated from the other two, the system had disappeared as if it had gone missing. It was like losing phone reception in the middle of a remote forest. Senju Kyogawa had lost the only way he could get information from the outside world.

The two Ugly Monsters seemed to have fought themselves to exhaustion, leaving both badly injured. The two Manta Rays were now lying motionless on the ground, their lives uncertain.

But Senju Kyogawa knew, through his contract with Ugly Monster, that it had also figured out the rule: "If the enemy doesn't move, I don't move." It was only resting because it was tired from fighting.

Senju Kyogawa thought that since the creature across from him was a fabricated mirror image, it must need energy to sustain itself. All he had to do was find its source of energy and destroy it.

But what could be powering "Senju Kyogawa"?

Senju Kyogawa studied the damaged tunnel and fell into thought.

Meanwhile, in the other two passages.

Madara and Senju Chenghe had each entered one of the other passages, and they had encountered completely different situations.

As soon as the two of them entered their passages, a gust of evil wind snuffed out the candles they were using for light. In an instant, they were plunged into darkness and couldn't see a thing.

As soon as Senju Chenghe entered the passage on the left, several hidden weapons came flying at him. Unable to see anything, he could only rely on his relatively keen hearing in the dark and his instincts as a sensory-type ninja to dodge them.

Then he sent his chakra probing ahead, hoping to get a sense of what lay in front of him.

He would never have guessed what he found. The path ahead was packed with traps, leaving almost nowhere to set foot.

But there was no turning back. A hard earthen wall had blocked the entrance behind him, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and press on.

As he moved forward, Senju Chenghe couldn't help thinking of Senju Kyogawa and Madara, and worrying about what they were facing.

But soon, he couldn't spare a thought for anything else. The traps ahead relied on catching their victims by surprise, and anything could be thrown at him as a hidden weapon.

If Senju Chenghe didn't focus on dealing with the traps ahead, he could end up drowning in a cesspit or choking to death on a cloud of chili powder the very next second.

Now, back to Madara.

After entering the passage, he faced no other danger besides the candle in his hand being blown out. His passage was unnaturally quiet, carrying the ominous feeling that a storm was about to break.

Madara carefully felt his way forward in the dark. He even used Summoning Technique to summon a Ninja Cat, hoping to use it as his eyes in the darkness and help him avoid danger.

To his surprise, as he crossed a corner, the passage suddenly lit up.

The sudden light made the Ninja Cat meow in alarm. Madara immediately took a defensive stance, ready to fight, even as the sudden glare stung his eyes and made it hard to keep them open.

But instead of the powerful enemy he'd expected, Madara saw a wall covered in murals.

He cautiously moved closer and discovered that they depicted some kind of story.

Madara patiently studied the murals, never forgetting to keep watch behind him in case an enemy tried to sneak up on him.

After examining all the murals, Madara realized there were no enemies here at all. The murals simply told a story—the story of a boy who had been used as a sacrifice.