The black spear appeared with such eerie speed and strangeness that even the Mangekyō Sharingan failed to perceive it. It struck down from the sky, pinning Yoru firmly to the ground as his life force rapidly drained away.
Buzz...
The figure seated high upon the throne slowly raised a hand. The black spear lodged in Yoru's heart was gently withdrawn and returned to the man's grasp. The lingering scent of blood seemed to deeply allure him—he took a long whiff, then even extended his tongue to lick it.
"Ōtsutsuki..."
The familiar scent made his brow furrow in confusion. His voice was broken and hoarse, as if Yoru's blood had stirred distant memories.
That dazed expression lingered on Jashin's face for several seconds before suddenly twisting into a savage, feral snarl.
"ŌTSUTSUKI!"
His voice rang out, brimming with boundless rage and resentment. The roar echoed through the lava cavern like rolling thunder. He suddenly thrust a hand toward Yoru, squeezing at the air.
Yoru's lifeless body was crushed by a terrifying, invisible force. His flesh, blood, and bones were instantly compressed into a sphere of pulp.
Jashin opened his mouth wide. With immense suction, he swallowed the bloodied sphere whole.
"ŌTSUTSUKI!!!"
THUMP!!
Like a drum struck in fury, blood boiled and divine wrath ignited.
Seated on the obsidian throne, Jashin suddenly stood. His rage echoed throughout the lava cavern and, through searing magma, into the minds of every Jashin Cult followers.
"Ōtsutsuki...?"
In the Hidden Hot Water Village, the Hot Water Kage paused mid-task, startled by the echoing voice in his mind. He murmured to himself in confusion:
"Our God has issued a decree... but what is this 'Ōtsutsuki'? A name?"
"That voice... so full of rage. This is our God's wrath! We must seize that being and offer him as a sacrifice!"
At that moment, all Jashin Cult followers could feel Jashin's overwhelming wrath. Some of the more fanatical believers were already shouting about capturing this so-called "Ōtsutsuki," skinning and dismembering him to properly offer him to their God.
But rather than merely shouting, they dropped everything in their hands and, bringing the prepared sacrifices with them, rushed toward the lava depths.
Their God's wrath had to be appeased!
"That damn Ōtsutsuki dared to anger our God—He deserves to die, he deserves to die!"
The head being held by Tsunade suddenly began to clamor, startling Tsunade, who was waiting for Yoru.
Ōtsutsuki?
Why does that name sound so familiar...?
The Senju Clan had an exceptionally long history. As a princess of the clan, Tsunade had once read records of her ancestors' deeds. But those were mostly framed as "legends" or "tales." Tsunade might have seen it as a child, but after so many years, her memories had long since blurred.
Hmm...? Someone's coming?
The commotion of the gathering cultists grew louder. Tsunade quickly hid herself and used a special technique to temporarily seal the vocal cords of the head she was holding, silencing it.
Soon after, countless Jashin Cult followers surged out of the cave, numbering in the thousands. When they saw the ruined altar, gasps of horror spread through the crowd.
"The altar's been destroyed!"
"No wonder our God is so enraged!"
"That damn Ōtsutsuki dared defile the altar!"
"Enough—quiet!"
A black-robed man, the Jashin Cult leader, barked in a cold tone, turning to the Hot Water Kage beside him. "Asaizumi, restore the altar. Right now, the top priority is to offer the sacrifices and calm our God's wrath."
"When the ritual is done—we'll hunt that damned 'Ōtsutsuki' down!"
"Yes, Master."
The Hot Water Kage, Asaizumi, nodded and rapidly formed hand seals. Chakra surged as the shattered altar was reconstructed—nearly identical to the original.
The Jashin Cult leader leapt to the altar's center, pulling a special scroll from his sleeve. After forming seals, the Three-Bladed Scythe materialized before him.
He solemnly drove the weapon into the center of the altar, then bowed deeply toward it. Behind him, thousands of followers bowed in unison.
"We failed our God—allowing the altar's destruction was our shame... But now we restore it anew. With blood, flesh, and soul, we offer tribute. May our God forgive us..."
"Praise our God!"
"Praise our God!"
"Bring forth the sacrifices!"
"Yes!"
Bound living sacrifices were dragged from carts and thrown onto the altar. The gruesome slaughter began once more.
The blood-drenched scene made Tsunade tremble again. Just then, the cult leader sharply turned his gaze toward her location.
"Who's there?!"
His sleeve twitched. A black spear formed in his palm, and with a sudden throw—it pierced the stone wall, narrowly missing Tsunade's neck.
"You are...!"
As Tsunade stumbled into view, Asaizumi froze. Shock filled his expression.
"I can't believe it's you—Tsunade-hime, one of the legendary Sannin!"
"Be careful, Master! She's one of the legendary Sannin—her power isn't to be underestimated!"
"What?! A Sannin?!"
"She's the Princess of the Leaf—Tsunade-hime?!"
"That chest... yep, that's her, no doubt."
"A Sannin..." The cult leader's heart sank. The title of Sannin was legendary across the shinobi world—none could ignore such power.
Clearly, the destruction of the altar and the wrath sparked in their God had everything to do with this woman.
The name of the Sannin made the cultists hesitate. None dared to act recklessly.
Tsunade, realizing this, forced herself to look away from the blood-soaked altar. Her gaze locked onto the Jashin Cult leader and the Hot Water Kage, Asaizumi.
"You, the Hot Water Kage, consorting with this kind of evil cult—do you even care what happens to the Hidden Hot Water Village? To the Land of Hot Water?!"
"This—!"
Tsunade's furious shout made Asaizumi tremble. He lowered his head in fear.
Although most of the shinobi in the Hidden Hot Water Village had already pledged allegiance to the Jashin Cult, and the entire village had essentially become their stronghold, a cult was still a cult. It belonged in the shadows. If word got out—let alone to the Five Great Nations—even the Daimyō of the Land of Hot Water might not spare him.
"Lady Tsunade, I... I only—"
"Asaizumi, mind your words and your reverence for our God!" the cult leader interrupted coldly. "So what if she's one of the Sannin? So what if it's the Five Great Nations? As long as we have our God's blessing, we are invincible!"
"…"
Yeah right... invincible, huh? Asaizumi chuckled bitterly to himself.
While Jashin's power was strange and undeniably strong, as the Hot Water Kage, Asaizumi had seen true power firsthand.
Compared to the elite shinobi of the Great Nations, Jashin Cult fanatics were on an entirely different level—and not in a good way. A handful of elite shinobi could wipe out an entire small country.
Could the Jashin Cult and the Hidden Hot Water Village actually take on the Five Great Nations?
Absolutely not! They'd be crushed.
He had long coveted Jashin's so-called immortality, but repeated ritual failures had started to shake his faith. Asaizumi gritted his teeth, inwardly wavering—should he betray the cult right here, right now?
The cult leader, however, remained oblivious.
"So what if she's a Sannin? So what if they're the Five Great Nations? With our God's blessing—I am invincible!"
Completely brainwashed, he ignored all doubts. Seizing a black spear, he hurled it straight at Tsunade.
Afflicted by her hemophobia, Tsunade felt her body lock up. She desperately tried to dodge the incoming spear, but it still grazed her arm.
Bright red blood flowed from her pale skin, and her trembling grew more intense.
Upon seeing this, all the cultist, including the Hot Water Kage Asaizumi, froze.
A Sannin... and that's it?
"Hahahaha! What a joke—this is the power of a so-called Sannin?!"
The cult leader shouted with glee. "I bear the blessing of Jashin—I am invincible! Today, I'll sacrifice this Sannin to our God!"
Seeing their leader so easily wound Tsunade, and the legendary Sannin herself paralyzed in fear on the ground, the cultist' morale soared. With howls of excitement, they charged toward her.
Tsunade, panic-stricken, backed away—but her back was already against the lava-forged cliff. There was nowhere left to run.
RUMBLE...
More and more cultists surged forward—but at that moment, the lava beneath the altar suddenly began to churn violently.
And then—
A pillar of crimson magma erupted upward, like a volcanic geyser, blasting into the air. Lava splashed across the cavern before raining down like hellfire.
Floating in its wake—
A black-and-white figure appeared in the sky.
The moment they saw him, every cultist turned in awe.
"Our God! It's our God!"
"The great Jashin has descended! Our God has come!"
"All hail our God!"
With their deity's arrival, the cultists instantly forgot about Tsunade. Every eye turned to Jashin, and they fell to their knees in reverence—even though their god appeared... off.
His black-and-white form was skewed. A pitch-black rod protruded from his chest. His right arm hung lifelessly. Strangest of all—patches of ice crystals clung to his body.
Our God emerged from the depths of lava, so how could he have ice crystals on him?
Never mind, perhaps that's just how amazing our God is!
The cult leader and his followers fell to their knees, chanting Jashin's name.
Even Tsunade, standing to the side, stared in disbelief at the figure in midair and murmured:
"A god… really exists?"
The hearts of all present trembled, but Jashin's expression was peculiar indeed: hurried, fearful, and incredulous.
An unsettling look filled his eyes. His gaze was fixed intently on the lava below, as if something utterly terrifying lurked beneath!
A few moments later…
"Why do I feel a bit cold?"
"Yeah, me too..."
"This is a volcanic crater—below us is molten lava that could destroy everything. How could it feel cold?"
"No kidding, I feel it too. I'm actually starting to shiver."
"Holy crap... could this be our God's power? Just his descent alone is changing all of Akakyu Mountain?"
All around, even the kneeling worshipers and Tsunade, began to shiver. Despite being deep inside a volcano, they felt the temperature around them plummeting—as if they were suddenly in an arctic wasteland.
"This... this is—!"
Suddenly, Tsunade saw something truly shocking. Her eyes widened, and even the panic from her hemophobia faded into stunned silence.
Not just her—everyone was staring at the lava below in disbelief. Just moments ago, it had been hot enough to melt anything. Now it was slowly solidifying into volcanic rock. Layers of frost began to form across its surface.
The entire Akakyu Volcano...
...was frozen solid.
A Few Minutes Earlier
After swallowing the sphere of flesh and blood that had once been Yoru, Jashin let out a satisfied roar. Though faint, the aura of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline had been real—there was no doubt.
Yoru's Uchiha gigai had been infused with a large amount of Uchiha cells, and balanced with Hashirama Cells, allowing him—despite being of the Yuki Clan—to freely activate and deactivate the Sharingan like a true Uchiha.
The Uchiha and Senju were, after all, descendants of the Ōtsutsuki and the people of the shinobi world. So Jashin wasn't wrong to sense him as an "Ōtsutsuki."
But...
"Just based on your excitement over the Ōtsutsuki, you really must be a creature that's survived since the Six Paths Era."
Shock appeared on Jashin's face. His eyes darted to a corner of the lava cavern.
There stood Yoru—unharmed—at the entrance of the grotto. The same man he thought he had impaled and devoured.
Confusion flickered in Jashin's eyes. Yoru looked slightly different from before, but that wasn't the issue.
The real problem was—he couldn't sense Yoru's existence at all!
Not just the Ōtsutsuki aura, not even the presence of a living being—Yoru's very existence had vanished.
If Yoru hadn't been standing right there, Jashin would have doubted he was real at all.
Something like this... was simply impossible.
"You..."
"You ate a priceless gigai of mine, along with two extremely valuable Mangekyō Sharingan. At least answer a few questions for me first."
Yoru revealed himself slowly, his eyes locked on the black rod in Jashin's chest.
"That injury... was it inflicted by the Sage of Six Paths?"
"Roar!!"
Clearly unwilling to answer, Jashin gripped his black spear tightly. Like an arrow loosed from a bow, he sprang from the throne and charged.
"Rikujō Kōrō."
Yoru calmly spoke. Six rods of light appeared out of thin air and bound Jashin mid-flight.
He struggled violently—but to his shock, the restraints were too strong. No matter how much power he used, he couldn't break free.
"Intelligent lifeforms that have survived since the Six Paths era are rare. I'd prefer not to kill you outright," Yoru said softly.
In his mind, the system prompt echoed:
[Detected special lifeform: 'Jashin' — Side quest triggered]
[Option 1: Subdue, control, absorb, or devour 'Jashin' – Reward: 500,000 points]
[Option 2: Kill 'Jashin' – Reward: 1,000,000 points]
The reward of a million points made one thing clear—this was no ordinary being. But instead of killing him outright, Yoru found himself more interested in the power he wielded… and the secrets he carried.
A so-called deity that had lived since the time of the Sage of Six Paths, whose power resembled Miroku's, and who could grant immortality to his followers—how could that not raise questions?
The moment Yoru appeared, Jashin lost control, screaming "Ōtsutsuki" like it triggered something deep inside him. And that black rod lodged in his chest? That only made Yoru more curious.
Everything about him demanded answers.
"Roar..."
Despite Yoru's questions, Jashin said nothing. He struggled against the Rikujō Kōrō, but Yoru's Bakudō—now unleashed without the limitations of his gigai—was overwhelmingly strong.
Then, Jashin made an unexpected move.
Realizing he couldn't escape, he drew a blade and cut himself in half at the waist.
Blood sprayed across the cavern.
A few seconds later, the two halves fused back together—and he charged again.
"He can do that?"
Yoru blinked. But it made sense. If even Jashin's followers could survive headshots, how could the originator of their immortality die so easily?
Still—
"Just because the body won't die," he said coldly, "doesn't mean the soul's safe."
As Jashin rushed in, Yoru calmly gripped the hilt of Hyōrinmaru at his waist.
A glint of steel—then a right arm flew through the air, blood spraying.
Jashin didn't react at first.
But then—
He looked at the regrown limb.
It was lifeless. Hanging like a dead branch. Useless.
It resembled how the Third Hokage had sealed Orochimaru's arms with the Reaper Death Seal.
"My soul..."
He stared at the dead limb in disbelief. Then he turned to Yoru, whose face remained unreadable.
Understanding dawned.
Jashin turned to flee.
"You're not going anywhere."
Yoru quietly unsheathed Hyōrinmaru.
"Bankai."
"Daiguren Hyōrinmaru."