"Ahem. Hamura, you did well. As for Lord Imu's avatar… if he has something in mind, he'll naturally come to us. For now, let's focus on proceeding with the cooperation as planned. The immediate issue is figuring out how to deal with that 'Gate of the Underworld.' With my current power—"
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo then relayed what the Void had told him earlier.
Across from him, Ōtsutsuki Hamura raised an eyebrow upon hearing it. "Spatial laws?"
Images from the Starfish Underworld instantly surfaced in his mind.
"That's right. What is it?"
Hagoromo looked at his brother, puzzled by his reaction.
"Brother, here's what happened…"
Ōtsutsuki Hamura immediately began describing the spatial gate he had encountered during his time in the Starfish Underworld.
"You're suggesting that wasn't the ability of Enma… but rather of Lord Imu's avatar?"
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo immediately grasped his brother's meaning.
"Yes. That avatar of Lord Imu may very well be a being with a profound mastery over spatial laws. The Dimensional Gate that connects two separate worlds—it's likely the clearest display of his peak abilities."
Ōtsutsuki Hamura nodded heavily, his gaze firm and unwavering.
"And I suspect… during our conversation with Enma, he was watching us the whole time—from another space."
That thought had only just occurred to him.
But it sent a chill down his spine.
It was as if a massive shadow had silently draped itself over his entire body, gripping his heart with dread.
"You make a compelling point. If that's the case, then whether the 'Gate of the Underworld' can truly be dealt with… depends entirely on whether he's willing to lend a hand."
At the same time, another thought stirred in Hagoromo's mind.
He wanted to see if this avatar of Imu was really capable of resolving the issue of the Gate.
If he could, then there would be nothing more to say.
Moving forward, the Shinobi World would have to adopt an even more respectful stance when dealing with the World Government.
But if he couldn't… then there would be a lot more to think about.
"Hm?!"
Just then, a jolt ran through Hagoromo's chest. He immediately waved his hand, conjuring a translucent screen in front of him.
Ōtsutsuki Hamura looked on in confusion—but the moment he saw what appeared on the screen, his face changed dramatically. His eyes flew wide open.
[BOOM!!!]
With a deafening roar—
The Uchiha Flame Formation covering the Gate of the Underworld was obliterated in an instant by a massive burst of fire.
A colossal pillar of flame shot into the sky from the blast.
...
"What... what just happened?"
"What kind of force just blasted apart the Uchiha Flame Formation?"
Jiraiya, Rasa, and the others present were in utter disbelief.
At the same time, a new dread began to rise among them.
Could it be... another highest-ranking devil had arrived?
But the very next second, under everyone's astonished gaze, two massive, deathly pale hands suddenly reached out and gripped the edge of the Gate of the Underworld—
No, not two hands—four.
"…"
"…"
The entire battlefield fell into a dead silence. Even those who had already retreated to the rear—Charlotte Oven, Dalmatian, and the others—stood frozen, faces grave as they watched in silence.
Trouble had arrived again.
And this time, it looked like serious trouble.
At that moment, the owner of those four white hands—
Finally squeezed his massive body out from the Gate of the Underworld, bending at the waist to force his way through.
At first glance, the figure was humanoid.
Flowing white hair, black demon horns atop his head.
But the most striking thing was his sheer size—easily several hundred meters tall.
Even the distant, crumbling mountains looked tiny by comparison.
Its four limbs were pure white, while its chest was jet black, emblazoned with a blood-red inverted cross.
On its back sprouted a pair of enormous black demon wings, flanked by rows of dense white spikes.
And between those wings—
Ten glowing red orbs floated in a perfect circle, exuding an overwhelming sense of dread and oppression.
What the hell is this thing?!
That same question echoed in the hearts of many shinobi and army soldiers.
Only Charlotte Oven, Dalmatian, and the other lieutenant generals exchanged uneasy glances. As commanders of their own main battle corps, they had received more detailed intelligence about the devils and the Gate of the Underworld.
And among those reports—there was mention of a creature like this.
A Demon.
A new type of lifeform, born from a human vessel combined with extreme hatred as a medium, and infused with unimaginable demonic energy by the power of the Underworld—the Will of the Underworld.
In terms of overall combat capability, it fell short of the highest-ranking devils—
But in terms of pure destructive output, it was on par with them. In fact, in some aspects, it even surpassed them.
Thus, within the Underworld, its role was similar to that of the Tailed Beasts in the shinobi world: a weapon of war.
"Four Red Yang Formation—activate!"
At that moment, stationed at the four corners around the Gate of the Underworld, Jiraiya, Ōnoki, Kitsuchi, and Rasa simultaneously activated the barrier technique they had long prepared.
They still didn't fully understand what a Demon was—
But it was obvious this thing was dangerous. Extremely dangerous.
In an instant, four blazing crimson barriers surged upward once more.
But this time, their power far surpassed that of the previous Uchiha Flame Formation.
On the other side, the Demon paid it no mind.
It immediately raised its four arms high above its head. Between its palms, an orb of fire began to condense—burning red-hot and blindingly bright, like a miniature sun.
The ground around it began to melt into magma at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the air shimmered and warped under the intense heat.
In the next second, the blazing sun-like fireball—compressed to a diameter of nearly 50 meters—was hurled forth by its thick, muscular arms.
[BOOOOM!!!!]
In a flash, the incoming Demon's fireball collided with the inward-closing Four Red Yang Formation.
You could see the southern side of the barrier bulge outward under the pressure of the massive fireball's impact.
Cold sweat broke out on the backs of Jiraiya, Ōnoki, and the others—they feared the barrier was about to be blown apart.
But in the end, the formation held.
Not only did it withstand the force, it even reflected the enormous fireball back at the Demon.
[BOOOOM!!!!]
Another deafening explosion, loud enough to echo across half the Shinobi Continent.
Raging flames engulfed the entire space within the Four Red Yang Formation.
Since the barrier was sealed above as well, most of the fireball's destructive force had nowhere to go.
It was either absorbed by the Demon itself—
Or it surged back through the crack in the Gate of the Underworld, sweeping into the first layer and obliterating a vast number of devils who had just begun to pour out again.
But Ōnoki, Jiraiya, Kitsuchi, and Rasa—
Their once-healthy complexions had turned ghostly pale, their bodies drenched in cold sweat.
It was clear: the pressure they were enduring was immense—especially in terms of chakra depletion.
But regardless, the formation continued to shrink inward.
Their goal was to force the Demon back into the Underworld and seal the Gate of the Underworld shut.
"Wait... did we forget something?"
Jiraiya muttered uncertainly, speaking both to himself and to the Den-Den Mushi beside him.
"Uchiha Fugaku and the others are still inside!"
Ōnoki's voice rang out in alarm from his position, and both Rasa and Kitsuchi's expressions shifted dramatically.
Of course! Uchiha Fugaku and his team had taken more forward positions in order to deploy the Uchiha Flame Formation first.
Naturally, that meant they were still inside the Four Red Yang Formation.
Which would mean…
Moments later, as the flames and smoke finally cleared—
Everyone saw a faint, flickering red silhouette emerge at the southern edge of the formation.
Within that scorched remnant stood Uchiha Fugaku, his Mangekyō Sharingan still active, blood tears trailing down both cheeks. Three other Uchiha clansmen from his team stood beside him.
It seemed they had barely survived, thanks to the protection of Susanoo.
But as for the Uchiha stationed at the other three corners—
They had clearly been reduced to ashes.
"Gaaah!"
Suddenly, Uchiha Fugaku collapsed to one knee in pain, clutching his right eye tightly. The red chakra shell of his Susanoo flickered and began to fade.
"Clan Leader!"
The three Uchiha jōnin rushed to his side, only to hear Fugaku mutter in despair: "My... my eyes—I can't see anything…"
At the same time—
The massive Demon, now visibly singed and battered, looked down from above, coldly observing the few remaining "insects" on the battlefield.
That Susanoo from earlier—though insignificant in size—had still managed to catch its attention.
"This is bad!!"
Jiraiya, Ōnoki, and the others were momentarily paralyzed, unsure of what to do next—
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