The setting sun, like blood, spilled across the ravaged border. A broken Kunai was embedded in the scorched earth, next to which lay half an arm wearing Forehead Protector. The Konoha insignia was soaked in dark red blood, its original color long since unrecognizable.
"Cough... cough cough..."
Someone coughed faintly from the rubble, then fell silent again. Smoke mingled with the heavy smell of blood swirled in the wind, catching a few tattered pieces of clothing that floated in the air like white paper money.
As Tsubasa landed on the border marker broken into three pieces, the crunching sound of gravel beneath his feet filled the air. He had just cast the final sealing barrier into the ground when pale purple lightning crackled across the crumbling earth, slicing several dark figures attempting to cross the boundary in half. The demons that should have roared and pounced instead cowered at the edge of the barrier like mice before a cat, emitting soft whimpers.
"Grown ups!"
Hatake Sakumo, leaning on his sword, staggered over, his Forehead Protector askew and his left eye wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage. Behind him followed a dozen or so equally wounded ninjas, some carrying unconscious comrades on their backs, each with an undisguised weariness and numbness on their faces.
Tsubasa raised his hand to stop him from bowing, his gaze sweeping over the writhing black shadows in the distance. On the plains within the Land of Iron, countless ghostly figures undulated in the twilight, like a constantly surging black tide. And at the end of that tide, a huge rift was emitting dark green miasma, and a huge, swaying outline could be vaguely seen inside.
"How is the situation?" His voice was colder than the border winds.
"Seven days ago... the demon tide suddenly intensified," Hatake Sakumo's voice trembled. "Our defenses collapsed during the third wave of attack. The entire ninja monk corps of the Fire Temple was wiped out, and of the hundreds of Onmyoji sent by the Queen... less than ten remained." He suddenly coughed violently, bright red blood seeping from between his fingers. "The Queen's orders were... to hold the line and await reinforcements, but we simply couldn't hold out..."
Before the words were even finished, the Gate of Hell suddenly emitted a piercing hum. The dark green miasma surged violently, and a giant hand covered in bone spikes suddenly emerged from the crack, slamming into the barrier with wind pressure strong enough to Sky Splitter apart.
"Careful!"
Tsubasa's figure blurred, and he appeared at the front of the barrier. He quickly Hand Seals, and pale golden Chakra condensed into a spiral of light in his palms. " Sage Art: Thunder Strike!"
The moment the light wheel collided with the giant hand, blinding lightning shot into the sky. The ghostly hand let out a shrill roar, its surface bone spikes shattering inch by inch and being forcibly forced back into the cracks. What followed was a deafening roar, and the entire ground trembled violently.
"It's the Ghost Emperor..." a ninja cried out, his voice filled with fear.
Tsubasa stared at the ever-expanding rift, clearly seeing ten pairs of Red Eye flashing within. The one that had attacked earlier was obviously only one of them, and these monsters from Hell were clearly getting impatient.
"Everyone retreat three hundred li and set up a defensive barrier!" Tsubasa ordered in a deep voice. "I'll go and drive these scum back to where they belong."
"My lord! You mustn't!" Hatake Sakumo hurriedly tried to dissuade him, "You've been fighting continuously for seven days, your Chakra..."
"Execute the order." Tsubasa's tone left no room for doubt. He suddenly exerted force with his feet, transforming into a golden streak of light, and rushed straight towards the Gate of Hell.
The ghostly figures within the rift instantly surged with energy. Countless evil spirits roared and pounced forward, but were torn apart by an invisible aura just three feet from Tsubasa. He was like a sharp knife, forcefully cleaving a path through the ghostly tide and reaching the edge of the rift in the blink of an eye.
"You human brat, you're asking for death!"
A deep, guttural sound echoed from the depths of the crevice, accompanied by a teeth-grinding scraping sound. As the voice faded, a massive claw covered in black scales slammed out, its tip dripping corrosive slime.
Tsubasa dodged to the side, simultaneously throwing out three Kunai. The Kunai traced eerie arcs in the air, precisely striking three nodes at the edge of the rift. A pale blue barrier instantly unfolded, temporarily sealing off the rift's expansion.
"With this little skill, you dare call yourself an emperor?" Tsubasa sneered, his hands Hand Seals once more. "It seems the lesson I taught you wasn't enough."
His Spiritual Power circulated wildly, causing his black hair to stand on end from the surge of Spiritual Power. His Heavenly Eye opened on his forehead, transforming into a vertical pupil, exuding a dangerous aura.
" Core Formation expert..." A surprised voice came from the rift, which then turned into an even more ferocious roar, "Boy, you're courting death!"
This time, three giant hands attacked simultaneously from different directions, each carrying a distinct Chakra nature. Ice, yin, and poison energies intertwined in mid-air, forming a deadly poison net.
Tsubasa, however, advanced instead of retreating. He took a deep breath, perfectly fusing his Spiritual Power with the sealing runes. "Seal - Xuanhuang Jade!"
A massive black and yellow energy sphere took shape in his hand, its surface crackling with golden electricity. He hurled the energy sphere, his figure blurring as he weaved between the three giant hands.
"Boom--!"
The deafening explosion nearly shattered eardrums. A black energy storm swept across the entire plain, tearing the surrounding demons to shreds. Three gigantic hands writhed in agony within the storm before finally dissipating into black smoke.
A commotion arose from the depths of the rift. Ten pairs of scarlet eyes lit up simultaneously, radiating a suffocating sense of oppression.
This human... must die!
"His Core Formation power has already become a threat to us."
"Let's break through this space together and kill him first!"
Different voices echoed within the rift, eventually converging into a unified will. Dark green miasma began to condense at a visible speed, and Spiderweb -like cracks appeared in the space surrounding the rift.
Tsubasa frowned slightly. He could sense a power far stronger than before brewing. These Ghost Emperor were clearly planning to charge out and fight to the death.
"Want to get it out? Ask me first."
Tsubasa rapidly Hand Seals, and the golden Chakra around him surged. "Sealing - Super Black-Yellow Jade!"
A black and yellow energy ball, ten times larger than before, formed above his head, distorting the surrounding air. He forcefully pushed the energy ball towards the rift, and in a flash, appeared directly above it.
"Go back...!"
With a furious roar, the Super Black-Yellow Jade slammed precisely into the center of the crack. The immense sealing impact caused the ground to cave in, and the crack was compressed by more than half. Angry and painful roars came from within, but the Ghost Emperor could no longer break through the invisible sealing barrier.
Tsubasa landed slowly on the ground, his chest rising and falling slightly. That attack was his full strength, and it had consumed a considerable amount of his Spiritual Power.
The demon tide of the Land of Iron completely lost its command and began to descend into chaos. Some attempted to continue attacking the barrier, while many more, driven and killed by the Tsubasa clone, slowly retreated back into the Land of Iron. They were then gradually eliminated by the Tsubasa clone and the Immortal Golden Crow, and over time, the Oni Clan was completely wiped out.
"Is it over?" The ninjas from the Land of Fire cautiously peeked out from the rift.
Tsubasa shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the rift, which had shrunk considerably but still existed. "It's only temporary. This rift is too large; I need to restore my peak Spiritual Power to perform multiple sealing rituals to completely seal it."
"The price we Konoha Ninja paid this time... was too high." Hatake Sakumo walked to Tsubasa's side, his voice low, "Seventy percent of Konoha's ninja were killed in action, and they're everywhere..."
Tsubasa remained silent. He could imagine the scene in the village. Those familiar faces, those comrades who had fought alongside him, were perhaps already gone forever on this land. Perhaps he should have acted sooner, instead of being curious about the hidden power of this world and letting things deteriorate before taking action.
Just then, Orochimaru ran up, clutching an intelligence scroll tightly in his hand. "Urgent news! Something's happened in the village!"
As Hatake Sakumo took the scroll and unfurled it, his pupils contracted sharply.
The handwriting on the scroll was hasty and messy, clearly written under extremely chaotic circumstances. It contained only a few words:
" The Hokage and his Hokage Advisor were surrounded and forcibly suspended from their duties. The White Tiger Corps mutinied, demanding that Hatake Sakumo return to the village to assume the Hokage. They are urged to return immediately."
The wind suddenly turned cold, swirling up ashes that stung the eyes. Hatake Sakumo looked up at the sky; the setting sun had completely disappeared, and night was sweeping in from afar.
The demonic tide on the border has temporarily receded, but the storm in Konoha seems to be starting again.
Deep within the rift, ten pairs of scarlet eyes still gleamed in the darkness.
"Let's join forces to widen the spatial rift, then go out together and kill that human..."
"Then, crush all the ninjas in the Realm of the Living!"
A low, guttural laugh echoed in the darkness, carrying a chilling anticipation.