Chapter 310: A Prelude to the Final Battle
In the pitch-black sealing space, the Nine-Tails lifted its head to gaze upward.
Compared to the Eight-Tails' panic, it remained composed despite its serious expression.
The act of draining chakra from the entire ninja world and employing a technique akin to Infinite Tsukuyomi had already led it to suspect the revival of the Ten-Tails.
"That fool Kushina is likely going to get herself killed in her sleep."
Sighing, the Nine-Tails lowered its head and shut its eyes once more.
What was the point of worrying? Trapped within this seal, with its jinchūriki unconscious, it was nothing more than a lamb awaiting slaughter.
"If that's the case, I'll let you burn through everything you've got. Let's see if you can find a way out of this. Don't think I've accepted you, Kushina!"
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In the virtual space, Kushina paused mid-battle. A sudden surge of powerful chakra erupted from within her, sending her attackers flying.
"This chakra… is it the Nine-Tails?"
Kushina raised an eyebrow, glancing at the energy emanating from her body. She was surprised.
This space was a realm of the mind, where genjutsu specialists and shinobi with strong spiritual energy excelled.
For individuals like the Uchiha or jinchūriki, their advantages in this space were significant. With the Nine-Tails relinquishing its chakra to her freely, Kushina felt confident she could outperform even Minato here.
But the Nine-Tails submitting so suddenly was no good omen.
"Even the Nine-Tails is temporarily yielding… What's happening in the real world?"
As she reflected, her thoughts turned to the oppressive chakra that had recently swept across the illusionary space. Her expression grew serious.
Death, carnage, terror…
That overwhelming energy carried a wave of negative emotions, likely belonging to a creature bent on world destruction.
If it wasn't stopped quickly, it would bring about another disaster.
"Minato, where are you?"
Kushina glanced around the battlefield, feeling a headache coming on.
There were approximately 200,000 ninjas gathered here—ninjas from Konoha, Kirigakure, Kusagakure, the remnants of Sunagakure, rogue shinobi, and survivors from smaller villages.
The mastermind had seemingly dragged almost every ninja from the world into this massive vortex.
The air was thick with bloodlust, so oppressive it was hard to breathe.
Enemies glared at each other with hatred in their eyes, splitting into two factions: one led by Konoha and the other spearheaded by the Land of Snow.
"Kill!"
Like a prelude to the final battle, neither side was willing to back down. The battlefield was chaos, with waves of ninjas surging forward. Weapons gleamed coldly, and a myriad of ninjutsu and genjutsu clashed, turning the scene into utter pandemonium.
Despite the oppressive aura from earlier, the fighting didn't stop. After all, no one knew what would happen to their real bodies if they died here.
Amidst the chaos, Kushina managed to locate Tsunade, Jiraiya, and other familiar faces, but Minato was nowhere to be found.
This wasn't unique to Minato; several other ninjas were also absent from this special space. In fact, there were no civilians present—only ninjas—as if the civilians had been sent elsewhere.
How could she find Minato?
As Kushina pondered and fought, a loud crack echoed from the sky.
Crack!
The blue sky shattered without warning.
It was as if the sky were a giant pane of glass, its fractures spreading rapidly. Moments later, shards scattered in all directions, revealing a massive void.
From the void, two figures tumbled down, still locked in combat as they fell.
The commotion immediately caught everyone's attention.
"Fugaku?"
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Kushina recognized one of the figures. Though confused at first, their expressions soon turned to joy.
If Fugaku had broken through the barrier, it meant this illusionary space could be breached. There was hope of escape!
"Jiraiya, I'll hold off the leader of the Sky Ninja. You go and get information from Fugaku."
Tsunade shouted toward Jiraiya, who was not far away.
"Got it! Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane!"
Jiraiya responded, extending his white hair to pull Fugaku to his side.
Tsunade then stepped into Fugaku's place, engaging Shinno in battle.
"You need to leave immediately!"
Once beside Jiraiya, Fugaku wasted no time, speaking with a grim expression. "If you die here, your real-world bodies will be controlled. This is an Akatsuki plot! They're exploiting our war with the Land of Snow!"
Ninjas who regained consciousness were being manipulated, likely due to something that had happened to them beforehand.
One glance at the battlefield made it clear to Fugaku.
The Akatsuki had drawn everyone's minds into this space, forcing them to fight the Land of Snow, weakening their mental states for easier control.
The thought of Tsunade and the others being controlled was horrifying. He couldn't let the enemy succeed.
Jiraiya killed a nearby Mist ninja and froze momentarily at Fugaku's words before quickly recovering. "What happens to those who are controlled?"
"They attack everything around them indiscriminately, driven by an insatiable urge to destroy. It seems to involve the Uchiha's ocular powers."
"I see."
Jiraiya nodded. "Can you get me out of here?"
"I can. My ocular power might exist solely for moments like this," Fugaku said, a faint bitter smile appearing as he caught his breath.
A Mangekyō ability designed to break genjutsu was practically useless. Most genjutsu didn't work on Mangekyō Sharingan users, and those that did were typically other Mangekyō techniques, meaning they came from fellow Uchiha.
In a sense, the power's awakening symbolized his mistrust of his own clan.
What had been on his mind when the ability awakened? What had he feared or worried about?
Fugaku almost laughed at the irony. His unease about the Uchiha's relationship with the village had likely given birth to this power—a reflection of the tension between radical members of the clan and the rest of Konoha.
But everything had changed since then.
The Uchiha were now fully integrated into the village and the Fire Nation. Fugaku wouldn't allow anyone to ruin that.
"How many people can you send out?"
Seeing Fugaku's exhaustion, Jiraiya hesitated. "If it's too much, you should rest first. Things are under control for now."
Several high-ranking leaders from the Land of Snow and Land of Water were present on the battlefield, including the Second, Third, and Fourth Mizukage, as well as other revived ninja world figures.
But with key threats like Hyuga Fuji and Tobirama absent, the allied forces held the upper hand.
"No, I can't rest." Fugaku shook his head. "From what Shinno said, the Ten-Tails has been revived. If you remain in this space, what will happen in the real world? I can send out five people at most. You should go first!"
"…Alright."
Seeing his determination, Jiraiya reluctantly agreed.
"Since you're here, why not enjoy this prelude to the final battle?"
A mocking voice suddenly rang out.
(Chapter ends.)
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