The Different Fortunes of Three People

"Sun Breathing: First Form: Waltz!"

Senju Kyogawa and "Senju Kyogawa" unleashed the technique simultaneously, both gripping their Nichirin Swords tightly as they swung in a wide, circular arc.

The blades collided, instantly showering the area with sparks and emitting a piercing metallic shriek.

The flames generated by the technique coiled tightly around the two, looking almost like a special effect—gorgeous and intense.

Neither side was willing to yield; they both poured their full strength into their respective Nichirin Swords, neither willing to let the other gain the upper hand.

Senju Kyogawa felt his blood boiling, his entire body suffused with warmth, and the heat within him surged out with every violent, rhythmic breath.

He breathed greedily, absorbing the surrounding energy, filtering it from head to toe, and finally channeling it into the flames on his blade as he surged forward.

Senju Kyogawa and "Senju Kyogawa" were evenly matched.

Whatever technique Senju Kyogawa unleashed, the other "Senju Kyogawa" would immediately mirror it, their movements almost perfectly synchronized.

On the other side, the Ugly Monster and the "Ugly Monster" were also locked in a chaotic, earth-shattering brawl.

The Ugly Monster struck out with a wing, and its opponent immediately retaliated with one of its own. The two ugly-cute creatures were engaged in close-quarters combat, relying solely on their wings and tails.

After fighting for quite some time, Senju Kyogawa's stamina was more than half depleted, but the "Senju Kyogawa" opposite him showed no signs of fatigue, remaining as composed as he had been at the start.

The opponent was a monster of unknown origin that knew no exhaustion, but Senju Kyogawa was a man of flesh and blood; he could bleed, and he could feel fatigue.

During the exchange, Senju Kyogawa's body had already been slashed by the Nichirin Sword, leaving several charred wounds. Had he not reacted quickly enough to apply a Healing Jutsu to the cuts, the scorching marks might have already spread across his entire body.

Even so, after all this time, those blade marks still looked terrifying, showing no signs of healing. Senju Kyogawa's Healing Jutsu was merely preventing the wounds from worsening.

However, the "Senju Kyogawa" opposite him clearly had no such concerns about bleeding or injury. Even when "he" sustained similar wounds, they would rapidly regenerate.

He couldn't be killed; he was simply impossible to kill.

Something is interfering with the healing of my wounds, Senju Kyogawa thought. He had to find a way to break this stalemate immediately.

He temporarily ceased his attack.

During the fight, he had discovered that as long as he used a technique, the "Senju Kyogawa" opposite him would mirror it. But because of this, as long as Senju Kyogawa didn't initiate an attack, the "Senju Kyogawa" wouldn't either—provided, of course, that Senju Kyogawa didn't touch "The Gate."

Whenever Senju Kyogawa touched "The Gate," the other "Senju Kyogawa" would attack like a madman, unleashing techniques as fast and heavy as a rainstorm.

Senju Kyogawa didn't act rashly; he stood his ground, adjusting his breathing to rest for a moment.

He held his Nichirin Sword horizontally before his chest to inspect it, noticing that the blade was already covered in cracks, with several notches along the edge.

He figured this pirated Nichirin Sword would shatter completely within a few more exchanges.

What should I do...

What on earth can I do?

Ever since he entered this passage and was separated from the other two, the system had gone silent, as if it had vanished. Just like a cell phone losing signal in the deep mountains, Senju Kyogawa had lost his only means of obtaining information from the outside world.

On the other side, the Ugly Monsters seemed to have fought to exhaustion as well. Both Manta Rays had collapsed to the ground, motionless, their fates unknown.

However, as the one who had formed a contract with the Ugly Monster, Senju Kyogawa knew that it had also discovered the "if the enemy doesn't move, I won't move" rule; it was simply resting because it was tired from the fight.

Senju Kyogawa reasoned that since the monster opposite him was a fabricated mirror image, it must require energy to sustain itself. If he could find the energy source powering it and destroy it, that would be the end of it.

But what was the energy source fueling "Senju Kyogawa"?

Senju Kyogawa carefully examined the damaged tunnel, lost in thought.

As for the other two.

Madara and Senju Chenghe had each entered different passages and encountered their own unique situations.

The moment they stepped into the tunnels, the candles they held for light were extinguished by a gust of eerie wind, plunging them into total darkness where they couldn't see a thing.

As soon as Senju Chenghe entered the left passage, several hidden weapons flew toward him. Unable to see anything, he could only rely on his sensitive hearing in the dark and his instincts as a sensory-type ninja to dodge the incoming projectiles.

He then extended his chakra forward, trying to gauge the situation ahead.

He didn't know until he checked, but once he did, he was shocked: the path ahead was riddled with traps, leaving almost no room to step.

But there was no turning back; the entrance behind him had been sealed by a solid wall of earth, leaving him no choice but to bite the bullet and press forward.

As Senju Chenghe pushed ahead, he couldn't help but think of Senju Kyogawa and Madara, worrying about their plight.

However, he soon had no time to think of anything else, as the traps ahead were designed for surprise, with anything and everything being hurled as a projectile.

If Senju Chenghe didn't focus his full attention on dealing with the traps, he might fall into a cesspit and drown or be choked to death by a cloud of chili powder in the next second.

Back to Madara.

After he entered his passage, aside from his candle being extinguished, he faced no other dangers. His path was overly calm, even exuding a sense of impending crisis.

Madara moved forward cautiously in the dark, even summoning a ninja cat to act as his eyes in the gloom to avoid danger.

Unexpectedly, as he rounded a corner, the passage suddenly lit up.

The sudden burst of light startled the ninja cat into meowing, and it also triggered Madara to immediately adopt a defensive stance, ready for battle, even though his eyes were forced shut by the blinding glare.

As it turned out, Madara, who had expected to encounter a powerful enemy, found himself staring at a collection of murals.

He approached with caution, only to discover that they depicted a story.

Madara patiently studied the murals, all the while remaining vigilant of his surroundings, fearing a sudden ambush from an enemy.

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