Chapter 489
A Gap in the Future
Chapter 489 A Glimpse into the Future
boom!!
The deafening roar, like the collapse of heaven and earth, violently trembled the earth, forcibly pulling Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others out of their daze.
"Ahem! Ahem!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi struggled to open his eyes, feeling a burning pain in his lungs.
Onoki and Mei Terumi opened their eyes almost simultaneously, shaking their groggy heads. The Allied Shinobi also woke up and instinctively gathered around the three of them.
But soon, they saw the other three people who had awakened not far away, and the atmosphere instantly turned to freezing point, with an intense killing intent spreading out as if it were a tangible thing.
Danzo Shimura, Orochimaru, and Nagato stood scattered not far away, and the two sides suddenly faced off again without warning.
"Danzo! Orochimaru! You two..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was hoarse, making no attempt to conceal his anger and killing intent.
Without any unnecessary words, and without even thinking about "where this is," in the instant their eyes met, only one thought remained in their minds.
Kill the enemy in front of you!
"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's hands flew as he formed hand seals, his chest suddenly bulged, and his chakra transformed into raging flames. A huge, ferocious, and scorching fire dragon roared out and charged straight at Danzo and Orochimaru.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Mei Terumi completed the hand seals almost simultaneously, and the water around her condensed into a water dragon, which attacked the fire dragon from the left and right.
"Dust Release: Particle Style: Detachment Technique!"
Onoki flew into the air, clasped his hands together, and a transparent cube instantly formed in front of his palms, locking onto Nagato, whom he considered the number one threat.
"Attack!" The allied ninjas also threw kunai and shuriken, or released wind and lightning ninjutsu. Although their power was not as great as the three of them, they should not be underestimated when they were attacked together.
"Hmph." Danzo snorted coldly, slamming his hands onto the ground and shouting, "Wood Release: Advent of a World of Trees!"
Rumble!
The earth churned, and countless dark trees burst forth from the ground, spreading and intertwining wildly, instantly forming a black forest.
These black trees are completely different from Hashirama Senju's Wood Release. Their branches and leaves gleam with a cold metallic light, and their edges are as sharp as knives. As the branches twist, they shred the kunai and shuriken that are shot at them!
"Magnetic Release: Iron Sand Waves!" Orochimaru clapped his hands together, and a large amount of iron sand surged up in front of him like a wave, blocking wind release, lightning release and other ninjutsu, and rushing towards the formation of the Allied Shinobi Forces.
Nagato frowned, raised one hand, and a flash of purple light appeared in his Rinnegan. A powerful repulsive force erupted from him, and he exclaimed, "Shinra Tensei!"
boom!!
The attacks from both sides collapsed, generating a violent shockwave that scraped away a thick layer of the ground.
The ninjutsu used by the allied ninjas, led by Hiruzen Sarutobi and his two companions, was blocked by Danzo Shimura and his two companions using various methods.
"These three guys are definitely dangerous!"
Onoki's expression darkened, and he began to gather chakra in his hands again, causing the chakra within Hiruzen Sarutobi and Mei Terumi to surge once more.
However, at this tense moment...
"and many more."
Orochimaru deliberately dispersed the iron sand surrounding him, and even raised his hand to signal Danzo and Nagato to stop.
His golden snake eyes narrowed slightly as he swept over Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two, finally looking around and saying, "Aren't you curious about what this place is?"
Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Onoki, and Mei Terumi glanced at their surroundings.
Upon seeing this, even those of them who had witnessed the brutality of battlefields held their breath.
The sky was not the normal blue or black; the entire dome was shrouded in an ominous scarlet, as if the sky had been stained with blood.
I can't tell if it's dawn, noon, or dusk.
The sky seemed to have acquired a heavy, solid weight, hanging low as if it might collapse at any moment, pressing down on everyone's heads. The air was also filled with a pungent, burnt, and bloody smell.
The earth trembled continuously, the source of which came from a faraway place, causing the already shattered ground beneath our feet to crack open again.
As far as the eye could see, there was not a single intact building; all that remained were ruins.
Burning houses, fallen trees, crumbling ground...
What place is this?
Where did that thing on the third level of the underground palace take them?
------
Not far from Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others, at the edge of the ruins, there was a group of people, men, women, and children, all dressed in rags, their faces covered in dust and blood, their expressions filled with fear and despair.
"Waaaa! Waaaaa!"
A woman holding a child tripped and fell heavily to the ground, startling the child who cried loudly.
The cultist, dressed in a long black robe, rushed over. His movements were anything but gentle; he roughly grabbed the woman, pulled her up, and pushed her forward, yelling, "Don't stop!"
"A bunch of idiots. If you don't want to die, throw away all your useless stuff."
Not far away, a fully armed samurai leader with a hideous scar on his face angrily addressed the guys who were still dragging large piles of luggage and blocking the way.
Behind him, several warriors struggled to maintain order, clearing a barely passable path through the ruins and firelight.
They guided the panicked civilians, who were like headless flies, into a crooked line, driving them away from the direction from which the tremors and roars continued to emanate.
The civilians' faces were filled with fear, the children were wailing, and their only thought at that moment was to escape. The warriors and the cultists, two groups that should have been completely unrelated, were now cooperating.
"Lord Chosuke, please listen to this..."
Among the samurai, one couldn't help but glance at the cultists and lowered his voice to the scarred samurai at the head, "Is it really okay to listen to these cultists?"
"What else can we do? Tell me, where is safe now?"
Without turning his head, the scarred samurai known as Chosuke cleaved a burning beam that had fallen from the roof with his katana and said hoarsely, "The ninjas are all fighting desperately on the front lines to deal with that monster."
"Besides these underground bases dug by these madmen all over the world, where else on the surface can we withstand the aftershocks of the battle? Do we have any other choice now?"
Upon hearing this, the samurai choked and fell silent.
"Who would have thought that these lunatics from the Evil God Cult would quietly dig out so many large bases beneath the five great nations?" another warrior exclaimed.
"Could they have known this day would come?"
Chongjie did not answer, but tightened his grip on the knife, his brow furrowed with deep concern. He had the same doubts, but in the face of life and death, they were no longer important.
boom!
A loud bang suddenly rang out from not far away. Almost instinctively, Chongjie and the samurai turned around instantly, drew their long swords from their waists, and looked warily toward the source of the sound.
As the dust settled, and the faces of the newcomers became clear, Chongjie and the samurai around him were visibly stunned, their wariness instantly replaced by astonishment and bewilderment.
"The Third Hokage?" Chosuke asked incredulously. "Chosuke?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi recognized him as well. His brows furrowed, and a sense of foreboding grew stronger. He stepped forward and asked in a deep voice, "What are you doing here?"
Of course he recognized Okisuke. This guy was Mifune's right-hand man, and in the past, when Mifune was not around, he could even represent Mifune in handling affairs of the Land of Iron.
But that's precisely why he was even more confused. Shouldn't Josuke have stayed in the Land of Hot Springs with the Fourth Raikage and the others?
This doesn't look like the Land of Hot Springs.
"This...this is the border of the Land of Earth..."
Chosuke was taken aback by the question and answered instinctively, then quickly realized, "Wait, Third Hokage, what are you doing here?"
"Shouldn't you be over there, fighting that monster with the Fifth Hokage and the other Kage?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than several whooshing sounds rang out in succession.
Onoki, Mei Terumi, and the Allied Shinobi Forces ninja arrived, while Danzo Shimura and Nagato also appeared not far away, maintaining a safe distance from them.
This time, however, no one could focus on each other, because they all realized that something was wrong.
They initially thought the light from the third level of the underground palace was a space-time ninjutsu similar to the "Flying Thunder God Technique," which had transported them to an unfamiliar location.
but……
Chongjie's gaze swept over the people who appeared later, his eyes widened instantly, his mouth opened unconsciously, and he froze on the spot.
His expression was one of shock and disbelief, as if he were seeing someone who had long since died, and he wondered if he was hallucinating due to immense pressure or if he was under a spell.
“You, you guys…” Chongjie’s voice was hoarse, but before he could speak…
Rumble!
A deafening roar, seemingly capable of tearing the world apart, suddenly erupted from the distant horizon.
Accompanying the deafening roar was a powerful aura that made Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others tremble.
Originally, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others were located in a place surrounded by several towering mountain peaks, whose shadows enveloped them.
However, at the very moment this aura swept over...
An enormous, azure-blue blade of light swept in from afar, slashing across the sky above Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others, creating a hurricane in the process.
Before the horrified eyes of Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others, along the path of the azure blade's light, those towering mountains, hundreds of meters high, crumbled with a deafening roar!
Boom! Boom!!
The upper halves of several mountain peaks, along their smooth cut surfaces, slowly tilted and crashed down in their direction, the dull thuds of them hitting the earth echoing one after another, causing the entire ground to tremble.
Countless fragments of gravel and dust shot into the sky, transforming into a mushroom cloud of smoke that blotted out the sun, tumbling and rising into the heavens.
Ashes, dust, and rubble were swept up by the ensuing shockwave and ravaged the area where Hiruzen Sarutobi and his companions were located.
"what!"
"Be careful and take cover!"
The crowd screamed in even greater fear and panic. Many people were scrambled to their feet by the flying sand and stones, and were blown backward by the wind, clinging tightly to their surroundings to avoid being blown away.
"This aura?!"
The Allied Shinobi Forces ninjas, including Hiruzen Sarutobi, also needed to attach chakra to their feet in order to stand still.
The fine dust stung their faces, causing a stinging pain like ants biting them, making it impossible for them to open their eyes. They could only raise their arms to shield themselves from the oncoming sandstorm.
With each breath, what they inhaled through their noses and lungs was no longer air, but a pungent, nauseating heat wave that burned their trachea and nearly suffocated them.
Soon, the surging air currents gradually receded, and Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others opened their squinted eyes.
Because the surrounding mountain peaks were wiped away by the blade's light, their vision was suddenly clear, and there were no more obstacles, allowing them to clearly see the battlefield further away.
The first thing that catches the eye is a huge, half-giant red sun on the horizon. The scorching heat distorts the air and the view, as if looking through shimmering water, twisted and swaying.
"Roar!"
Within that crimson sun, a gigantic, ferocious shadow roared, its ten enormous tails rising high like pillars supporting the heavens and earth, piercing into the churning crimson clouds.
That single, scarlet eye was wide open, like a second sun.
Boom! Boom boom!!
Centered on it, the visible turbulent currents transformed into a hurricane, carrying uprooted rocks and river water, forming dozens of tornadoes that stretched from the sky to the ground, raging wildly around it.
The sky was completely disrupted by its violent chakra, and countless thick, dragon-like bolts of lightning struck down relentlessly, mercilessly lashing the already ravaged earth.
Wherever it passed, the earth and mountains collapsed and shattered, the flowing rivers dried up and the riverbeds turned black.
In front of its enormous mouth, filled with sharp teeth, a massive, unimaginably large, pitch-black sphere was rapidly condensing and expanding!
"That, that's a Tailed Beast Ball?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was extremely hoarse.
The terrifying scale and destructive power contained within caused even those as far away as Hiruzen Sarutobi to feel a stinging pain on their skin, as if being pricked by needles.
Are you kidding me?
What kind of monster is it?
Even during the Nine-Tails' rampage, the Tailed Beast Balls used by the Nine-Tails were not even one-tenth as powerful as that!
The color drained from the faces of the allied ninjas, their expressions blank; the scene before them was beyond their comprehension as ninjas.
That was a scene of world-ending destruction from mythology.
Onoki hovered in mid-air, his face so solemn it could drip water, staring intently at the outline of the ten-tailed creature, especially its ten giant tails and single eye.
“That monster…” he began, “is it exactly the same as the stone statue we saw on the third level of the underground palace?”
Nagato's eyes flickered slightly as he looked at the monster that was unleashing its savagery and power.
Is that the Ten-Tails that Isshiki Otsutsuki mentioned?
So, is it the complete form of the Gedo Mazo after it devoured the Nine-Tailed Beast?
But what's going on?
How much time has actually passed?
Just a moment ago they were on the empty third level of the underground palace, how did the ninja world suddenly become this apocalyptic state in the blink of an eye?
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared intently at the enormous creatures on either side of the monster.
On the left is a wooden figure with a wooden dragon wrapped around its arm, and on the right is a blue, fully-formed Susanoo, clad in armor.
The blade of light that just cut through several mountain peaks was clearly from the hand of that Susanoo.
“Uchiha Madara, and…” Hiruzen Sarutobi whispered, “the First Hokage.”
As expected, they were also resurrected using the Impure World Reincarnation technique and became enemies of the ninja world.
But Danzo is right here, so who is controlling them?
And in the face of such power, does the ninja world really still have hope?
Just as the colossal Tailed Beast Ball, capable of destroying the heavens and the earth, reached its peak and the oppressive aura it emitted made Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others feel hopeless and powerless.
呲!
A golden ray of light, as if splitting the heavens and earth, with absolute force, tore through the sky dyed red by the sun from bottom to top, and also ripped open despair and fear.
I've done a detailed outline, and I feel like the word count is approaching two million. There's a lot of plot to come, mostly large-scale scenes, so I need to speed up the updates, otherwise I'll really be writing until May or June! (orz)
(End of this chapter)