Arima felt his chest tighten as he watched Isshiki emerge unscathed from his trap. At this point, he had few options left to counter him.
Even if he resorted to the Reaper Death Seal to take Isshiki down with him, there was no guarantee of success.
Then, in a blur of motion, Isshiki surged forward, appearing right before Arima and swinging a black rod directly at his head.
This time, Isshiki gave him no chance to react. The barrage of strikes unfolded in the blink of an eye.
As the black rod neared his skull, Arima couldn't dodge in time and hastily activated Susanoo.
But the rod didn't slow, it shattered Susanoo's defenses in a single blow.
The deflection caused the rod to deviate slightly from its path, smashing into Arima's shoulder and shattering his scapula.
That single strike left Arima gravely injured.
The rod embedded itself deep in his body, disrupting his chakra flow and making it impossible for his wounds to heal. His strength quickly faded.
Staring daggers at Isshiki, Arima growled, "So all this time, you've just been toying with me?"
Isshiki responded coolly, "Toying? Not quite. You did give me a fair bit of trouble, but you also let me see the boundless potential you possess."
Arima continued through gritted teeth, "Then why? What are you really after? Is it just to find this so-called 'vessel'?"
As he spoke, Isshiki knelt down, casually driving more black stakes into Arima's chakra points.
"What else could it be? Once I've converted you into a vessel, we can talk more."
One by one, the stakes pierced Arima's body. With each insertion, his Sage Mode weakened, and his internal injuries worsened.
Only after he had sealed all of Arima's Chakra Points did Isshiki finally stop. He then pulled out the black rod embedded in Arima's shoulder that had penetrated into his chest cavity.
Isshiki used chakra pouring out from the seal in his palm to stem the bleeding, ensuring Arima wouldn't die from blood loss.
Now, Arima was like a helpless lamb laid bare before the butcher, completely unable to resist.
As Isshiki tended to his wounds, Arima noticed a diamond-shaped mark etched into the man's palm, a seal from which powerful chakra surged.
It resembled the Strength of a Hundred Seal on his own forehead.
Even in his weakened state, Arima was looking for a chance. If even the slightest opening presented itself, he would strike back.
But slowly, he realized that his current state was no different from an ordinary civilian's, there was simply no opportunity.
This was the second time in his life he had faced a truly lethal crisis. The first time, Tsunade had saved him by sheer accident. But this time…?
Arima dared not hold on to hope. 'The greater the hope, the greater the despair.'
Through scattered exchanges, Arima finally understood how Isshiki intended to turn him into a vessel.
Apparently, Isshiki would carve the same seal on his own palm. He had never intended to kill Arima or abandon his invasion of Konoha.
After completely subjugating Arima with the stakes, Isshiki produced a strange black container resembling a teapot.
Despite being pinned and wounded, Arima remained composed. He glanced at the object and asked flatly, "Let me guess, you're going to seal me in that thing?"
Isshiki turned to him with a faint smirk and replied, "This artifact is called a Soul Coffin. Its form can shift at will. Once someone's sealed inside, there's no getting out.
You'll be completely suppressed. I've rarely used it over the millennia, after all, few opponents were ever worth it."
Then he gave a small laugh. "Arima, you're… exceptional."
Arima didn't argue. He simply waited quietly to be sealed, his only lingering concern being Tsunade and the others. He didn't know what this enigmatic man would do to them.
Isshiki seemed to notice his unease. Just before sealing him away, he said, "Don't worry. I won't harm them. And you'll be released soon enough."
Upon hearing this, Arima finally allowed himself to relax. Darkness overtook his vision, and he fell into utter oblivion.
After completing the sealing, Isshiki let out a long breath.
"He nearly forced me to show all my trump cards. I can't believe I even had to use the Ten Tails' chakra… The seal's loosened. I'll have to reinforce it again when I return."
He entered the alternate dimension where the Ten Tails was sealed and set the Soul Coffin aside before turning to leave.
Meanwhile, the Ten Tails thrashed wildly, sensing a growing threat and growing increasingly agitated.
Isshiki noted the beast's unusual rage, thinking it was just trying to break free now that the seal had weakened. It had always been this temperamental, so he thought nothing of it.
What he failed to notice was that the Soul Coffin sitting silently in the corner of the space was slowly absorbing the chakra leaking from the Ten Tails.
Elsewhere, Tsunade and her group were locked in a fierce battle against Kakuzu and his forces. The clash was at a stalemate.
Suddenly, a spatial rift tore open above them, and a strange man wearing a white haori and a black cloak stepped through.
The moment Isshiki arrived, the entire battlefield fell silent.
Kakuzu and the others straightened up, energized by the arrival of their leader. Victory felt within reach.
On the other side, Tsunade and her allies braced themselves for a new threat.
Minato frowned as he eyed the newcomer. 'Why is he here? And why didn't the Third Hokage come with him?'
Isshiki glanced around the battlefield. He saw that both Hanzo and Kinkaku had already been sealed with black rods, clearly the work of a Wood Clone.
He thought to himself, 'To take down two of the ninja world's top-tier fighters with just a Wood Clone… Truly the best "vessel" for a god's soul.'
Turning to Kakuzu and his men, he said indifferently, "That's enough for now. Time to go."
Then, facing Tsunade's group, he added, "I've invited your Third Hokage to visit my home. He'll be back shortly."
Tsunade's expression shifted, and she was about to press him further when spatial rifts opened behind Isshiki's group, sucking all of them, including the sealed Hanzo and Kinkaku, into the void.
The Three Kage hesitated. Despite the man's words, they dared not act rashly. They feared Arima too much. Though not allies, they weren't ready to make him an enemy either.
Tsunade stood frozen. She couldn't believe anyone could capture Arima, not unless…
She refused to think the worst. Over and over, she told herself, 'It's fine. Arima will come back safely. He has to!'
Minato stepped to her side and whispered, "Tsunade-senpai, there's something I need to tell you."
Tsunade remembered that Minato and the others had come from the future. They might know what was going to happen.
Suppressing her worry, she asked immediately, "Minato, what do you know?"
Just as he began to speak, the space around them shimmered with instability.
He realized the Dragon Vein's power had shifted, someone had sealed it, and they were being pulled back to their original timeline.
Time was short.
"His name is Isshiki," Minato said quickly.
"His strength is extraordinary. According to the Third Hokage, he far surpasses him.
The Third rarely spoke of him and always seemed guarded when he did. But don't worry, he'll be back soon."
Tsunade felt a bit of the weight in her chest ease.
The other seven from Minato's group gathered around him. They had also sensed the temporal fluctuation, soon, they would return to their own time.
Yuna clung tightly to Tsunade's sleeve, reluctant to leave.
Though she'd only spent a morning with her mother, she had grown deeply attached. They seemed less like mother and daughter, and more like sisters.
Arata felt a twinge of regret. He'd hoped to spar with his father. And truthfully, he hadn't contributed much during this mission.
Though less expressive than his sister, Arata was no less attached to their parents. He just buried those feelings deeper.
Minato turned solemn. "As you already know, under the Third Hokage's leadership, the shinobi world will eventually unify.
But there's one man you must be wary of, Otsutsuki Isshiki. A few years from now, he'll become the great enemy of the ninja world.
Only the Third knows where he came from. I can't tell you more than that."
Yuna suddenly shouted, "Mother! Please, trust in Father!"
Just as Tsunade opened her mouth to respond, the space around them violently distorted. In an instant, Minato and his group vanished, returning to their original timeline.
The blazing sun still scorched the earth, heat waves rippling through the air. It was enough to make one wonder if everything they'd just witnessed had been an illusion.
Only the battlefield's lingering scars proved that something monumental had truly taken place here.
Tsunade looked momentarily lost in thought. But her expression quickly hardened into determination.
"I'll get you back, Arima. Just like I did ten years ago."
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