"The moment has finally come."
"Stay here. Beyond this point lies the boundary between worlds."
"Only I—Yomi—can step through. I alone bear this curse."
Treading across crumbling stone pathways, it felt like walking into an ancient Emperor.
"You are the one who's haunted my dreams… Mōryō."
Click, click, click—
"The ritual begins."
Jiliguala—
The ancient seal shattered.
"Have you returned… to the realm of the living?"
"Welcome back, Lord Mōryō."
"...Who are you?"
"Have you forgotten? I'm Yomi."
"Yomi?..."
A grim voice echoed from behind the gate.
Yomi bowed. "Once, I borrowed your power, Lord Mōryō."
"I am a surviving shinobi of the clan that created the Ghost Army—descendants of the forbidden techniques sealed by the Land of Demons."
From within the seal: "Why have you awakened me?"
"The stars have shifted. The signs—particularly those in the Land of Fire and Konohagakure—have changed."
"This is our chance to rise again. If we let this pass, the Thousand-Year Kingdom may never be born."
Silence.
"My body," Mōryō said at last. "Where is it?"
"If I remain in spirit alone, I will fade again."
Yomi stood. "Then use mine."
With steady hands, he lifted his robe, produced a scalpel, and sliced into his chest.
Ssshhh—
"Come forth!"
Dark chakra swirled from the shattered seal, flooding into Yomi like a living storm.
Only after every wraith had entered did he begin stitching his body shut, from chest to abdomen.
"Awaken… my legions!"
A twisted laugh echoed as corrupted chakra exploded from his body.
BOOM BOOM—
The stone foundations trembled.
Warriors clad in petrified armor emerged from the darkness.
Whoosh—
Green eyes opened—cold, lifeless, and many.
"But first, a threat must be eliminated."
Yomi's expression darkened. He knew exactly whom Mōryō meant.
"The priestess of the Land of Demons. The only one who can seal you again."
"...As you command."
"When I am reborn in full, the Five Great Shinobi Nations will fall. Only one empire shall remain… and the Land of Fire will be but ash beneath our feet."
Meanwhile, the Ghost Army surged forward.
They felt no pain. They were near-impervious to damage. Their strength was monstrous.
The border defenses of the Land of Demons were wiped out within hours.
"...Alert the Daimyō immediately..."
A lone carrier pigeon soared through stormy skies.
By the time Naruto Uzumaki entered the Land of Demons, the conflict had already escalated.
The invading army advanced without pause, searching for the priestess known as Shion.
The enemy resembled mindless golems—fused of stone and shadow.
"Yōkai... or something worse?"
"One monster nearly brought the continent to ruin."
"If it weren't for Miroku, the last priestess, sealing it away, the world would've fallen."
"Body and soul… sealed separately..."
Naruto stood in thought.
If this Mōryō is just one failed being from the Demon World... then what else lies beyond? Creatures stronger than even the Tailed Beasts?
He closed his eyes, attuning himself to the natural chakra around him.
Then he activated Kagura's Mind Eye.
"That way... got it."
Just as he moved to depart, a tug stopped him.
A small child clung to his thigh—a dirty, tear-streaked girl.
"Big brother… can you give me something to eat?"
Naruto stared silently, then glanced back toward his path.
"In time."
"You wait here."
Whoosh—
He vanished.
Moments later, he returned, arms full of food and blankets. With him were two others:
Shizuka of Nadeshiko Village, and her master.
"Nadeshiko Village is the closest. We'll help the Land of Demons hold the line."
Outside the Land of Demons
"Where are the Four?"
Whoosh—
Four silhouettes appeared.
"Head to the inner shrine. Eliminate the priestess who holds the sealing jutsu."
"We obey."
Yomi raised his hand. Four snake-like spirits slithered toward the pink-haired shinobi—Kusuna.
"This power... only you can control it."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
The snakes embedded into Kusuna's flesh. His eyes glowed red with unnatural light.
"Go."
And the Four vanished into darkness.
At the sealed ancestral shrine...
Every shinobi was on high alert.
The Four emerged above the sacred roof.
Small black snakes slithered into the other three's necks.
Their eyes became hollow, devoid of thought.
"Begin," Kusuna ordered.
Ring, ring, ring—
The delicate bell let out a pure chime.
On a silken couch, a girl stirred—Shion, the current Priestess of the Land of Demons.
Her eyes flew open, revealing a violet six-pointed star in her pupils.
She stared at the bell—it housed a small, glowing red stone.
The Sealing Crystal—its function: to guard Shion, and suppress the full extent of her power.
"...What... is this vision?"
She saw it: a man with golden hair—Naruto—entering the palace where Mōryō's soul had been sealed...
...only to be pierced through the chest by a massive dragon born of demonic chakra.
At that moment, the Four struck.
The shrine's defenders were swiftly cut down.
"Lady Shion! We're under attack! We must get you to safety!"
The doors burst open as guards rushed in to protect her.
But the Four were already there—waiting.
BOOM!
The ceiling caved in. The Four descended, instantly dispatching the guards.
Kunai chained with wires shot toward Shion's bed.
Drip... drip...
Blood fell across the bedding.
Shion hadn't moved.
Because she had foreseen it—someone would come to shield her from harm.
"We accept the will of the priestess."
Whoosh—
More kunai shot through the air.
Clang—
But the attack was intercepted once again.
A flash of yellow light appeared.
"Who is he?"
"He appeared without setting off any alarm... someone as powerful as me?"
"Or just a fool bold enough to stand against us head-on."
Kusuna listened to the others, watching the calm figure who stood before them—Naruto.
"Regardless, he's no ordinary man."
"Can you stop the four of us on your own?"
Whoosh—
Countless kunai rained down on Naruto.
Click—
Naruto didn't even move.
The wooden floor beneath his feet shifted. Roots sprouted and twisted into a barrier, effortlessly blocking all the kunai.
Whoosh—
The four intruders narrowed their eyes at the animated wood. Kusuna clicked his tongue.
"Outside. Now. This one's different. Our mission isn't to fight him."
But when they landed beyond the shrine, Naruto was already waiting for them.
"Tch!"
"Kitai, Setsuna, Shizuku!" Kusuna barked. "Earth, fire, wind—combo technique!"
The shinobi with the light green mask stepped forward.
"Earth Release: Earth Corridor!"
He slammed his fists into the ground.
Boom—
The earth erupted, boulders forming into a cage of rising walls around Naruto, sealing off vision and space.
"That one's going in my scroll when we get back."
As the earth technique settled, it left only a narrow escape path.
"He's yours." Kusuna turned and dashed off.
Shizuku raised her foot, flames flickering beneath her sandal.
"Fire Style: Flowing Fire!"
With a swift kick, a wheel of fire shot toward the narrow corridor.
From within, Naruto calmly stepped through the ring of fire.
The flames passed through him harmlessly.
"Another Fire Style jutsu..." he murmured.
Setsuna responded next.
"Wind Style: Divine Wind!"
Boom—
A vortex of wind exploded into the corridor, combining with the flames to create a roaring inferno.
The entire earthen chamber was engulfed in fire.
But Naruto stepped out, untouched. The flames evaporated the moment they touched his skin.
Meanwhile, Shion had already fled deeper into the temple.
"Sealing jutsu!" Gi-tae clapped his hands together.
"He won't survive this! Not even dust will remain!"
But Naruto walked out of the earth wall like a phantom, completely unscathed.
"That combo... Earth, Fire, Wind. Not bad."
"Three elements—neatly executed."
The trio stared in disbelief.
"Damn it... That was everything I had left."
Their chakra depleted, their pupils reverted to normal.
"Retreat!"
Could they?
A low hum echoed through the air.
Buzz—
All three dropped to the ground.
"Bodies corrupted by demonic chakra... You were already hollowed out long ago. Just puppets clinging to motion."
With those words, the three shinobi took their final breaths.
Far away, Kusuna felt their chakra signatures vanish.
"No—!"
He turned to flee—only to freeze in place as a hand fell onto his shoulder.
"Don't worry."
Snap—
Kusuna stiffened. His vision dropped to eye level with the horizon.
"Your brothers are waiting for you."
When it was over, Naruto stepped beyond the waterfall.
In the distance, he saw a small girl crouched on the ground, vacant-eyed and trembling.
"Who are you?!"
A maid nearby jumped in fright. She raised a trembling ninja blade.
"Konohagakure—Uzumaki Naruto."
"Uzumaki Naruto?!"
The blade clattered to the floor.
"It's... the real Uzumaki Naruto..."
Shion looked up.
Her eyes shimmered—and shifted.
A unique violet pattern bloomed across her pupils.
...
TN:
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