The soul-burning flames engulfed the Immortal Gu House as it charged forward like a rampaging rhino, heading straight for the black shadow.
Chains melted like snow under the blaze, and the black shadow's form was soon consumed by white fire. Souls that didn't originally belong to it were being purified and peeled away. In the heart of the blaze, flickers of soul energy revealed flashes—white vision, golden sand, icy blue crystals… and—pink dragon scales?
Zixu's eyes narrowed. "Wait… Did this bastard absorb Momonosuke's soul too?" he muttered in surprise. "Then why didn't he use his powers? Maybe it's just too damn weak. Or… maybe he thought being tainted with Momonosuke's aura would bring him bad luck?"
Half-joking thoughts aside, Zixu gritted his teeth. The flames weren't one-sided—they were burning his soul too.
But Zixu had once devoured part of the God of Death's soul. Compared to the black shadow, his spirit was thick, dense—far more durable.
The black shadow flailed wildly, its faceless visage contorted with pain. One by one, the trapped souls it had consumed began to break free, purified by the flames, returning to the outside world.
The Immortal Gu House collided violently with the shadow, pushing it upward into the sky. Zixu bore the brunt of the soul-burning pain alone. Hatsuizumi ocused all her will on steering the Gu House. Zixu could endure the fire—but the insects couldn't.
Ordinary bugs that made up the Gu House were dying in swarms. Zixu shielded the core insects, including Hatsuizumi, but even his protection had limits.
Still, the tide didn't stop. Insects replenished like rainfall. As one wave perished, another took its place. Hatsuizumi had long since burned through her physical energy. Karin, just barely recovered, forced herself into action. Her chakra was nearly gone, but this wasn't the time to rest.
"Zixu! Hatsuizumi! Bite me!" Karin gasped, barely able to stay upright.
They were in a tug-of-war with death itself. This might be their only shot to destroy the shadow.
Zixu didn't hesitate. He bit into her right shoulder. Hatsuizumi sank her fangs into the left. Warm chakra poured into their bodies.
Reinforced by Karin's life force, the insect swarm surged again—just enough to hold the balance.
In the white inferno, souls began to fall away from the black shadow—one after another.
The First Hokage. Hidan. Mu...
And then, the shadow's face became clear.
A familiar face.
Zixu's eyes widened. "So… it really was you."
He fought to stabilize the Immortal Gu House, but the flames grew unstable. His soul had reached its limit. If this went on much longer—he'd die.
The black shadow had only one soul left. It should've been at its weakest now. But Karin—collapsed and helpless—suddenly felt a dread far greater than before.
Chinano was half-kneeling, her Tenseigan dim and overtaxed. Her other eye, glowing red, bled power. She was at her limit, and she knew it.
Then she acted.
Space twisted.
A black-and-red vortex bloomed right in front of the shadow, not beside it—not near it—but on it.
A dimensional rift, far stronger than Kamui, ripped into the shadow's body.
Chinano didn't speak. She didn't need to.
She just wanted this monster gone.
Shards of broken space tore into the black shadow. It vanished into the vortex—completely.
No trace remained.
But only moments later, the rift opened again.
And that damned face came crawling back out.
"Well, that was quite the warm welcome…" came a low, hoarse voice.
The figure emerged, covered in glistening slime—like a newborn snake shedding its skin.
Or a little dragon reborn.
"Orochimaru…" Zixu's breath grew shaky.
He was beyond exhausted. His soul had been flayed and burned. Now the pain hit him all at once, like waves crashing into a crumbling dam. It wasn't just being torn apart—it was being diced into dust.
And yet, Orochimaru stood there, pristine. The souls he'd shed earlier had been nothing more than a layer of outer skin—protection for his true form.
Now, the real Orochimaru stood before Zixu—reborn and whole.
"You planned all of this…" Zixu murmured, his fingers twitching weakly. His eyes were filled with bitter realization.
Orochimaru inhaled the air around him, his snake-like tongue flickering out.
"Feels good to see the world again," he said, his voice almost serene. "I should thank you for that."
He looked around, taking in the sight of the land—scarred and forested by towering trees. His expression turned curious.
"A lot has changed while I was gone…"
Zixu said nothing. He just watched him.
"You've got questions," Orochimaru added with a slight smile. "But I doubt you expect me to answer them."
He began walking toward Zixu, calm and unhurried.
He'd finish this. Then maybe he'd talk.
But Zixu's voice broke the silence, slow and deliberate.
"You knew about the system from the very beginning… back when we first met. You pretended not to know—but you were already scheming."
"You worked with the White Snake Sage. You've always been partners. After I trained in Sage Mode, you targeted me."
Zixu slumped down, sitting on the ground like someone who'd accepted the end.
"You started this war just to hold me back. You had ambitions—you wanted the power of the Six Paths and the system for yourself. So, you teamed up with Obito."
Then he paused—and his tone quickened.
"But you underestimated the White Snake Sage. And the system. You couldn't fully control the Six Paths power. The Gedo Statue on the moon only added more strain."
"When Kaguya fought us, you devoured those with Devil Fruit powers, using the system to push your strength to the limit. But something happened between you and the White Snake…"
Zixu thought of the three goddesses. Maybe it had something to do with them.
Orochimaru flexed his pale fingers, nodding slightly.
"…You're stalling."
He had seen through Zixu's intentions. But he still couldn't figure out what Zixu was waiting for.
Zixu stopped pretending. He stood—barely—his body trembling from effort.
Then he looked Orochimaru in the eyes and asked calmly:
"Have you ever heard of… nuclear weapons?"
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