Immortality is a curse—this is a classic motif in Japanese storytelling.
Unlike the cultivation-driven fantasy culture of Huaxia, stories from Japan portray immortality as something that comes with a heavy price, often leading to catastrophe and ruin.
Take Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice for example. The concept of immortality originates from a wounded Divine Dragon that fled from a western continent to Japan. Its spilled blood carried the power of immortality, giving rise to the first immortals—who came to see themselves as transcendent beings above all others.
But this kind of immortality is akin to twisted body modification—it pollutes the land, leeches off other lifeforms, and over time transforms the immortal into grotesque, monstrous entities.
In the story, all who sought to study or obtain immortality met grim ends. Immortality proved to be nothing more than a poisonous path to destruction.
Hirata Kuro, bearer of the Dragon Heritage, wished to sever the curse of immortality. His retainer and contracted shinobi—Wolf—who gained immortality through Kuro, takes on the mission to help his master end the curse.
This is the latter half of Sekiro—and also the story currently unfolding for Sakumo Hatake.
The game has multiple endings. The most extreme is the Shura route—slaughtering all, claiming the Dragon Heritage, and becoming an immortal Ashura.
Naturally, Sakumo Hatake would never walk such a ruthless, heartless path. The White Fang of the Hidden Leaf has always been a man of emotion and loyalty.
Uchiha Kei saw this clearly and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, then smiled: "I see… as expected of the White Fang of the Leaf. To have such conviction and resolve… it's exactly what I'd expect of you."
As he said this, Uchiha Kei eagerly awaited Sakumo Hatake's completion of the game.
In the game, Sakumo's journey was also nearing its climax.
His progress was far faster than Tobirama Senju's playthrough of Dark Souls III.
Naturally so—Sekiro's world simply couldn't compare to Dark Souls in terms of scale. Even though Uchiha Kei had given Sekiro's world plenty of freedom, it still wasn't as complex as Dark Souls.
Moreover, Uchiha Kei held no ancestral grudge against Sakumo Hatake as he did with Tobirama. Sakumo never offended him, so the world designed for him was relatively "humane."
At the very least, it wasn't chaotic or despair-ridden. From the start, Sakumo had a clear goal, and the story developed along a solid main questline.
Though the enemies in the game were significantly enhanced—smarter than in the original, with less rigid combat patterns—meaning you couldn't just adapt and start playing blindfolded…
But Sakumo Hatake wasn't your average player. He was a warrior who had fought and survived countless real battles. And within the game, he wasn't restricted to traditional combat mechanics—he could apply his own combat experience and skills freely.
So despite the enemy buffs, Sakumo cut through them like chopping vegetables.
Moreover, the protagonist in the game wasn't powerless. Just as Tobirama could absorb souls in Dark Souls to grow stronger, Sakumo absorbed the power of immortality from enemies he defeated—those with undead attributes or tainted by immortality—thus strengthening himself.
By the late stages, though he couldn't use ninjutsu, Sakumo's combat power had already surpassed his original self. With the help of the game's supreme weapon, the Mortal Blade, he even exceeded his past strength.
And so, when Sakumo set out to fulfill his master's wish of severing immortality and confronted the game's hidden super boss—the Divine Dragon—a battle of mythical proportions began.
The Divine Dragon was unquestionably a mythic being: draconic in form, unimaginably powerful, able to command thunder and storms, and imbued with divine attributes from the folklore of Ashina—it was the very source of immortality.
In the original game, it couldn't be killed—only stunned to acquire the crucial Divine Dragon's Tears needed to complete the game.
But since this version was modded by Uchiha Kei, things weren't so simple. Besides, "Wolf" wasn't just any shinobi—he was Sakumo Hatake, a top-tier powerhouse who once rivaled the Sannin.
At this point, though Sakumo couldn't use chakra, he was already stronger than his past self in all aspects and possessed the power of immortality—able to revive even after death.
With all these buffs, his mission was clear: completely slay the Divine Dragon and sever the root of immortality once and for all.
Upon arriving at the Divine Dragon's divine realm, Sakumo found himself amidst a misty expanse that felt like walking on clouds. At the center stood a colossal, awe-inspiring cherry blossom tree—on it coiled the god of undeath, the Divine Dragon, source of all Ashina's divinity.
It was a dragon of pure white, exuding a strange, sublime beauty. Its body wound around the sakura tree like a living sculpture, radiating divine majesty.
But a closer look revealed disturbing dissonance—it had multiple claws of varying sizes, and an immense, unhealing wound at its chest that continued to bleed. On the opposite side of the wound, a powerful draconic arm held a massive seven-branched sword crackling with golden lightning.
It was a twisted fusion of divinity and monstrosity—like a once-pure divine dragon defiled and warped, sprouting grotesque, unnatural flesh.
Sakumo was surprised at first, but quickly accepted the sight with calm, almost enlightened composure.
After all, he'd seen too many beings, human and non-human, tainted by immortality—and without exception, they all suffered grotesque bodily distortion. The only exception was a giant snake, which, while unmutated, was monstrously large—something that should never have existed in Japan.
When he first saw that snake, Sakumo thought he'd somehow returned to the Shinobi World—and that the snake was a super summoning beast, or even a Tailed Beast.
Though he ultimately used the Mortal Blade to slay it, the impression it left was indelible.
So seeing that the source of immortality itself was also a twisted being didn't surprise him.
Instead, what filled him was overwhelming pressure—and an unyielding fighting spirit.
The Divine Dragon was the strongest foe Sakumo had faced in this world—far surpassing even Ashina's greatest warrior, Isshin Ashina.
Its divine presence and grotesque horror exuded a terror that stirred Sakumo's primal fear—like facing a Tailed Beast. Specifically, like facing the Nine-Tails.
Yes, Uchiha Kei had seriously over-tuned the Divine Dragon. In the original game, it was powerful for its genre—but in the world of Naruto, it wouldn't stand out.
Yet here, Kei had scaled it to near-Nine-Tails level.
Not quite equal in actual strength, but in sheer presence, yes.
Fortunately, the Divine Dragon was injured, unable to recover, and physically bound to the sakura tree it coiled around. It couldn't move freely—doing so would sever its bond with the land and halt its self-healing.
This limitation significantly reduced the pressure on Sakumo—making the battle less hopeless than it seemed.
And so, amid roaring thunder and sweeping storms, the great battle began.
To Sakumo, this was a trial—an act of godslaying by mortal hands, the ultimate transgression.
Faced with divine punishment in the form of golden lightning and slashes that could rival a full-body Susanoo, caught in a storm with every flick of his enemy's claws, Sakumo was like a lone boat in a typhoon—always on the verge of shattering.
Yet he held firm.
Though he died several times, his immortality allowed him to rise again and again, continuing the fight.
Interestingly, the Divine Dragon couldn't strip others of their immortality. If it could, it would've simply revoked "Wolf's" immortality and won instantly.
(This was a gameplay mechanic, of course—but to Sakumo, it meant: So-called gods are nothing more than monsters who fled from the western continent after losing their own battles.)
After multiple deaths, Sakumo learned to redirect the Divine Dragon's lightning back at it using special techniques. This proved extremely effective—when struck by its own thunderbolts, the "god of Ashina" suffered heavy damage, giving Sakumo his opportunity.
The Mortal Blade, which previously had little effect, now tore through the dragon's steel-like hide, creating horrific wounds.
And while the Mortal Blade didn't destroy the dragon's immortality outright, it severely weakened it—slowing its regeneration dramatically.
This gave Sakumo the real chance to finish it.
Even as the Divine Dragon roared in rage and pain, unleashing more lightning and storms, summoning minions to swarm him—
Once the health bar is visible, you're already losing.
After a battle that lasted seven days and seven nights, the Divine Dragon fell to Sakumo Hatake's Mortal Blade. Its immortal power was shattered, reduced to pure energy and returned to the earth—reviving the land that had withered and died under its corruption.
As for Sakumo, though immortal, he was covered in wounds and needed rest after the prolonged war.
But the most important step in severing immortality was done. He had the key item. Now he only needed to return to his master and help complete the final ritual.
Yet upon returning, he was shocked and furious to discover his master, Hirata Kuro, had been captured—by none other than Genichiro Ashina, grandson of Isshin Ashina.
Genichiro, Isshin's adopted heir, was fanatically devoted to saving Ashina. He would do anything.
In truth, it was Genichiro who wished to use immortality to save Ashina. Isshin himself never endorsed this—but out of respect for his heir's resolve, he allowed it.
Meanwhile, Isshin's aging body succumbed to illness and died—further pushing Genichiro over the edge.
Thus, in the story's final moment, Genichiro once again attacked Kuro, intent on sacrificing him to gain true immortality for Ashina's sake.
Sakumo would never allow that.
He charged in, arriving just in time to stop the ritual, and once again fought Genichiro under the moonlight—for the Nth time.
Once again, Genichiro lost.
But this madman had one last trick—believing himself too weak to protect Ashina, he chose to pass on that burden to someone stronger.
That person—was his grandfather, Isshin Ashina.
And so, in a deeply sanity-draining scene, Genichiro sacrificed himself to resurrect a forty-something Isshin in his prime, fully armored and crackling with golden lightning.
The aura of a Sword Saint, infused with fantastical undead power, descended upon the world.
Though Isshin disapproved of Genichiro's extremism, he chose to honor his grandson's final will.
Thus began the final battle.
If Isshin won, he would sacrifice Kuro, obtain full immortality, and save Ashina.
If he lost—Ashina's story would end with him.
Sakumo knew this fight was unavoidable. Both had reasons they couldn't back down. And for him, this was the ultimate battle—a match to ignite the blood.
Isshin might not be as powerful as the Divine Dragon, but as a human warrior at his peak, his martial prowess offered Sakumo—also a human—the ultimate test.
And so, amid lightning and clashing blades, the battle between apex warriors began!
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