Such Terrifying Supernatural Power

"Master, do you mean to burn down this room? Wouldn't that be a little too..."

Yuuji Kanbara naturally understood what Master Chiriku was implying, but arson was a serious crime in the Island Nation. Burning down a house could put you behind bars for life. As a police officer, his first instinct was to object.

"You need not worry about this humble monk, benefactor. Delivering a departed soul from suffering and guiding her to the Buddha's side would be a meritorious deed for me as well. A little hardship and exhaustion would be more than worthwhile."

Yuuji Kanbara did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Master Chiriku, that's not what I meant. Even if you want to 'purify' this room to deliver Ogura's spirit, shouldn't you get the landlord's permission first? How about coming back to the station with me to help with our investigation? We can invite the landlord over and discuss it while we're there. What do you say?"

"This humble monk has no desire to deal with the authorities."

Master Chiriku merely gave him an indifferent glance and said:

"Urgent circumstances call for extraordinary measures. This woman's spirit cannot be allowed to remain; she must be dealt with as soon as possible. Purifying this dwelling is a necessary measure. My actions will also earn the landlord some merit. Once informed, surely the landlord will understand the greater good and gladly consent, rather than blame this humble monk over mere worldly possessions."

Although he had previously considered seeking help from the authorities, now that he had seen Fire Release work against the evil spirit, there was no need to deal with them.

"My mind is made up. You would do better to evacuate the other residents of this apartment building, benefactor, lest the innocent be caught in the crossfire."

Seeing how firmly Master Chiriku stood his ground, allowing no room for objection, Yuuji Kanbara began to hesitate.

Master Chiriku was somewhat different from the eminent monk he had imagined, but he had spat an enormous burst of flame right before his eyes, with power comparable to a hand grenade. That was no cheap circus fire-breathing trick. He was a genuine wielder of supernatural powers.

Confirming the existence of ghosts for the first time, then witnessing someone use supernatural magic for the first time, had shaken Yuuji Kanbara's worldview. For the moment, he was completely at a loss.

Master Chiriku was the expert in this field. Perhaps he should listen to him.

Besides, if Master Chiriku really intended to do it, there was nothing he could do to stop him. Was he supposed to fight this human artillery piece with his Nambu M60, a weapon whose penetration had deliberately been reduced and whose stopping power was abysmal?

Better forget it.

In the end, Yuuji Kanbara could only give up and run downstairs to evacuate the residents.

Uchiha Naruto looked at Room 201. Now that he knew the evil spirit could control shadows to manipulate other people's bodies, charging into a dark, cramped room to fight her would be the worst possible choice.

Since the evil spirit had lingered around the apartment where she had died, perhaps she had become an earthbound spirit or something similar. Burning down the dwelling might destroy her. This was his first exorcism, so he was far from certain, but at least it was a possibility. With no better option, he could only try burning down Room 201 and see what happened.

Uchiha Naruto stepped back to the doorway and began forming hand seals.

Snake, ram, monkey, boar, horse, tiger-the same seals as before, for the Great Fireball Technique.

The previous two Great Fireballs had been hastily activated with the bare minimum of chakra. This time, however, Uchiha Naruto's movements were calm and unhurried.

He channeled as much chakra as possible into his mouth. Only after gathering the maximum amount did Uchiha Naruto open his mouth and exhale:

"Amitabha!"

Great Fireball Technique!

With a deafening boom, the wall directly opposite Room 201's doorway was blasted clean away. Flames surged upward and scattered into every corner of the room, their tongues licking the ceiling. Half the room was engulfed, and thick smoke billowed into the sky.

It was like a direct hit from a rocket launcher. This Great Fireball was several times more powerful than the earlier ones.

Still standing at Room 201's doorway, Uchiha Naruto spat clusters of sparks from his mouth, igniting the areas that had not yet caught fire.

Soon, Room 201 became a sea of flames.

And then Uchiha Naruto finally saw what he had been waiting for.

Amid the roiling flames, the evil spirit finally appeared, but this time she was in a sorry state. Compared with her earlier, almost solid spiritual body, her form had become translucent and insubstantial. Yet her eyes remained as cold and venomous as when he first saw her, showing no change even after she had been driven into a corner.

Uchiha Naruto watched the evil spirit's shadow warily, guarding against that uncanny ability she had used earlier. But she was already too weak to use her sinister arts. She flew straight out of the blaze and lunged at him.

"Amitabha!"

An enormous fireball finally swallowed those hate-filled eyes.

[Kill confirmed. Calculating rewards.]

[Ninja Jewel ×10]

[Shadow Imitation Technique lv1]

Hearing the kill notification, and feeling the stinging pain in his face vanish completely, Uchiha Naruto finally relaxed.

Flames soared into the sky as the fire grew fiercer. It had already burned through Room 201's ceiling and was spreading elsewhere, sending thick clouds of smoke billowing upward.

Just then, Yuuji Kanbara returned.

He saw Master Chiriku standing amid the blaze, utterly unfazed by the rolling waves of heat, with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Cough, cough... Master Chiriku, I got all the residents out, then saw the apartment building was on fire. The flames kept getting bigger, and when I realized you still hadn't come out, I rushed upstairs to check on you. Cough, cough, cough..."

Seeing Yuuji Kanbara coughing incessantly from the smoke, barely able to get his words out, Chiriku shook his head.

"It was far too reckless of you to rush up here, benefactor. Unlike this humble monk, how could an ordinary mortal withstand the merciless flames?"

Looking down through the shattered wall, he could see that the fire had already drawn the attention of the nearby streets. Some people ran about shouting, while others were calling the fire department.

Throughout the Island Nation's history, its dense population and predominantly wooden buildings had led to numerous devastating fires. Entire cities being reduced to ashes, with tens of thousands dead, were things that had actually happened.

The most famous fire of ancient times was probably the Great Fire of Meireki in the seventeenth century. Burning for two days and two nights, it reduced most of Edo to ash.

More recently, there was Curtis LeMay. He had more acquaintances in Tokyo than anyone could count.

That was why the people of the Island Nation took fires every bit as seriously as earthquakes.

"This humble monk has purified the woman's spirit with flame, and she has now attained Buddhahood. There is no purpose in letting this fire burn any longer. Should it harm the innocent, the sin would be mine. Before I depart, allow me to take the flames with me."

Chiriku raised his right palm vertically before him in a Buddhist gesture of respect, while lifting his left hand high with one finger pointing toward the sky.

Every flame on the floor, walls, and ceiling seemed to be drawn by some unseen force. Like an ebbing tide, they swept back toward Chiriku, spiraling around him and enclosing his body.

Yuuji Kanbara watched the rising flames take the shape of a lotus, or perhaps a Buddha's halo. Master Chiriku's tall figure was completely enveloped in sacred fire, as though he had donned a blazing kasaya. His expression was solemn, yet touched with compassion. He looked like a saint, like a Buddha.

"Amitabha."

After that invocation, the flames suddenly scattered and went out. Master Chiriku vanished along with them.

The blaze that had threatened to reduce half the apartment building to ashes was gone in an instant. Yuuji Kanbara felt dazed, as though he were dreaming.

Such terrifying supernatural power!

Contract signed.