Rasa's eyes widened, his pupils contracting to pinpoints. He still kept up the motion of stabbing toward Shiratori.
An instinctive, primal fear radiated outward from behind the boy, instantly sweeping across the battlefield. It felt as though an invisible giant hand had seized the Suna ninjas' hearts, their blood threatening to freeze within their veins.
Countless terrified and horrified gazes were cast from among the Suna ninjas.
Too familiar.
That familiar purple vortex.
Had that monster appeared again?
Everyone's eyes locked in unison onto the suddenly manifested purple vortex. An ominous aura seemed to blanket the entire battlefield. In that suffocating dead silence, a figure stepped forth from the depths of the swirling violet void.
Black markings covered his well-built body, revealing a tall, rugged figure fully exposed before everyone's eyes. His upper body was bare, muscle lines charged with explosive power. His skin was an unnatural, inhuman pallor.
One arm hung naturally at his side.
On his face, two completely different visages were fused together in a grotesque union. One wore an expression of icy indifference, lips slightly downturned, radiating a chilling coldness. The other split into a vicious grin, exposing sharp, snow-white teeth.
A pair of crimson pupils slowly turned, his gaze sweeping across the humans standing stiff as ants around him, eyes devoid of any emotion, yet holding a hint of scrutiny and faint amusement.
Sukuna had descended in his peak form.
Rasa's pupils shrank. He stared at Sukuna.
An unprecedented chill surged up the spines of Rasa and everyone present, instantly freezing their limbs and bones.
What was this?
This pure, concentrated malice was like that of a tailed beast, yet clearly different from one. Something far beyond anything Rasa had ever known.
Was this Shiratori's final trump card?
Where had he summoned such a thing from?
Where did these creatures come from?
Just meeting Sukuna's crimson gaze made the Suna ninjas' minds go blank, their hands and feet turn icy cold, breathing grow impossibly heavy, and the hands gripping kunai tremble uncontrollably.
The monster before them… Was stronger than any beast on this battlefield!
This was a fact everyone could feel.
With Sukuna's arrival, Shiratori was at ease. He trusted in Sukuna's strength, especially now, when he possessed the combat power of his prime.
Rasa's shock only lasted a heartbeat.
As a top elite of Suna, his instincts honed at the edge of life and death countless times immediately suppressed his fear. Before him was the only chance to eliminate Shiratori, this enormous threat.
No matter what this monster was, he had to completely erase him. That way, he would disappear from this world along with these creatures.
Killing intent flared explosively in his eyes.
All his shock, fear, confusion, and dread, everything was transformed into pure killing intent.
[Killing Intent detected: Rasa +10,000 points]
[Curse Growth - Killing Intent: 1.5%]
The spiral spear of gold dust in his hand stabbed toward Shiratori once again. The spear tip was sharp and gleaming, capable of piercing anything.
"Die!"
Rasa roared, tightening his grip and thrusting the spear toward Shiratori with all his strength. The air was compressed to the extreme by the spear, forming a visible conical shockwave.
The spear tip was aimed directly at Shiratori's heart.
However, just as the tip was less than a centimeter from his chest, Sukuna's crimson pupils shifted slightly, his gaze casually falling upon the fearsome golden sand spear.
He raised one hand with ease.
No hand signs.
No buildup of power.
Not even the faintest ripple of chakra escaped.
No one understood how he did it, but they saw that seemingly indestructible golden sand spear abruptly snap in two.
It wasn't smashed apart by brute force, it was as if an invisible, razor-sharp blade had sliced through it in an instant.
The spear tip and shaft separated with perfect smoothness; the break was as polished as a mirror, reflecting the moonlight without the slightest burr.
Stripped of all its power, the severed spear became nothing more than heavy, ordinary metal and dropped with a dull thud into the sand in front of Shiratori.
Upon hitting the ground, it crumbled apart with a metallic clatter, reverting into countless grains of gold dust that mingled with the desert sands.
The killing intent on Rasa's face froze solid.
He stared hard at Sukuna, his mind a complete blank. What had just happened?
How could his golden sand spear be cut apart so easily?
Impossible!
"Again… these people…"
Sukuna's crimson pupils turned, his gaze sweeping precisely over the Suna ninjas frozen in place by fear, their bodies nearly petrified.
The last time he appeared, weren't these the same people he slaughtered?
Well then, this time, he might as well kill them too.
The Suna ninjas' bodies trembled uncontrollably, teeth chattering, barely able to grip their weapons.
[Fear detected]
[Multiple sources: +3000 points each]
[Total accumulated: 60,000 points]
[Energy transferred to Hanami]
[Development progress: 92%]
A strange, light sound, like space itself being sliced, rang in the Suna ninjas' ears.
A silent, unseen slash appeared from nowhere, enveloping them.
They didn't even realize that death had already descended upon them. Thin lines of blood surfaced on their faces. Their expressions were vacant, they had no idea what had happened.
Shhk... Shhk... Shhk...
A dense, scalp-numbing chorus of cutting sounds resounded neatly across the battlefield. Countless blood-arcs sprayed from the rigid bodies of the Suna ninjas like fountains. Blank-faced heads were split cleanly in two. Viscera, mixed with scalding blood, splashed outward, soaking the sand into a dark red mire in an instant.
The thick, suffocating stench of blood swept across the battlefield, so intense it almost choked the air itself. In that single instant, hundreds of Suna ninjas were silently reduced to heaps of flesh.
The battlefield fell into absolute silence. Among the Suna ninjas, only one survivor remained, Rasa.
[Fear detected: Rasa +5000 points]
[Energy transferred to Hanami]
[Development progress: 92.05%]
[Hatred detected: Rasa +5000 points]
[Energy transferred to Mahito]
[Development progress: 68.2%]
[Rage detected: Rasa +5000 points]
[Energy transferred to Jogo]
[Development progress: 55.6%]
Rasa's eyes were blood-red.
His subordinates…
His comrades…
The ninjas of Suna…
In a single instant, all gone.
Bloodshot veins spread rapidly through his eyes.
He glared fixedly at Shiratori and Sukuna. Everything before Rasa's eyes dissolved into nothingness.
He had failed. He stood frozen in place, his body trembling violently. Pain and hatred intertwined within him.
Sukuna's scarlet pupils locked onto Rasa. His voice carried a chilling sense of amusement.
"You're a bit more interesting than those ants…" he spoke, his voice low and hoarse.
Ants… The ninjas of Suna were being called ants by this monster in front of him.
Rasa clenched his fists. It felt as though his heart had been pierced through. He knew he was already at a disadvantage. Facing just Hanzō was already difficult enough, and now another monster had appeared.
Against the combined assault of the monster and Hanzō, he would surely die.
No!
He could not die yet!
No matter what failures he had suffered, as long as he was alive, there was still infinite possibility.
He could not die!
To live meant that hope still existed!
An unprecedented will to survive surged through his body, filling him with strength.
He would escape this place at any cost. As long as he lived, there would be another chance.
One day, he would repay it all.
Without a moment's hesitation, his body instantly turned into countless grains of gold sand, plunging sharply into the sand beneath his feet and vanishing from Shiratori's sight.
Sukuna glanced at Shiratori and, seeing that he had no intention of pursuing, lowered his hand slightly.
"To deal with this kind of trash, don't bother calling me out…" he said casually. His body was drawn into a purple vortex and disappeared before Shiratori's eyes.
"..."
Choso appeared before Shiratori. He surveyed the wreckage around them, frowned, and said to him, "I shouldn't have let you see such a bloody scene. I failed as your older brother for not protecting you…"
Under Shiratori's speechless gaze, he neurotically slapped his own head.
A purple vortex instantly swallowed Choso.
"Go back!"
He shifted his gaze to Mahito, who was walking toward him.
"I'll behave! I promise I'll behave!"
Mahito gave him a sweet smile, raising both hands in a gesture of surrender. Anyone else might have believed those words, except Shiratori.
"You go back too."
The purple vortex swallowed Mahito. His dissatisfied grumbling echoed into his ears.
"I only got to play for a little while… Next time, remember to call me first~"
He suddenly felt the temperature around him rise sharply.
Jogo stomped angrily to a halt before him.
Shiratori's eyes fell on the top of Jogo's head. The volcano there was sparking.
He subconsciously formed hand seals. A water sphere descended onto the top of Jogo's head. He was trying to help Jogo cool off his temper. But instead, he noticed that the volcano on Jogo's head seemed to erupt even more violently.
"What are you doing?"
Jogo's voice carried barely suppressed rage.
"Making you calm down a bit."
Shiratori's mouth twitched. Inwardly, he thought that Jogo truly lived up to his reputation as the hottest temper in the cursed spirit world.
"Don't mess around!"
"Bastard!"
"Don't think I won't burn you to death!"
Jogo roared at him, the sound deafening.
"..."
"Then you go back too!"
The purple vortex instantly swallowed Jogo.
"I'll be back…"
Jogo's vicious words echoed across the battlefield.
Shiratori turned his gaze to the most obedient of them all, the Smallpox Deity. The cursed spirit quietly walked to his side and obediently stepped into the vortex.
"Yuta…"
"Yuta!"
Rika's sticky, clinging voice rang out. Her massive body squeezed up against him, rubbing against him affectionately. "Yuta…"
He reached out a hand and patted her lowered head.
"I love you…"
She let out a joyous shriek.
"Mm, I love you too," he said with a smile.
Overjoyed, Rika slammed her fist into the ground, leaving a huge crater.
He turned and began walking toward the many fallen Ame ninjas.
Do you think it's over?
No, it's only just begun.
Moonlight bathed the battlefield in a cold, silvery glow. The wind wailed.
The ninjas lying in pools of blood drew each breath as if swallowing molten lava. They lay quietly upon the cold sand and blood-soaked mud. The fatal wounds on their bodies were shocking to behold, long spears piercing through their chest and stomach, gaping tears in their throats, ribcages crushed by overwhelming force… Their blood had seeped into the sand beneath them, mingling with the blood of the Suna ninjas.
Step by step, he walked toward them, his face pale, his footsteps unsteady, his will alone supporting his utterly exhausted body.
Of course, he was acting. He breathed heavily, moving with labored steps toward the Ame ninjas.
"…We… won?"
"We… won…"
A weak, hoarse voice squeezed out from the bloodstained lips of Kirite. His unfocused eyes slowly scanned the battlefield before him.
There wasn't a single living Suna ninja.
Only corpses—mountains of them—silently declaring the battle's end.
Did they succeed?
Had Ame… been defended?
"Kirite…"
Shiratori knelt beside him, his gaze scanning Kirite's body. Suddenly, light flared in Kirite's previously vacant pupils as he fixed his gaze on him. "Thank goodness… you're still alive…"
As soon as the words left his lips, his breathing stopped without warning.
Shiratori's pupils widened slightly. He placed a hand over Kirite's heart.
No heartbeat. His body was cold and stiff.
Like…
Like someone who had already been dead for a long time. He immediately rushed to the next ninja, Tetsuma.
The light in Tetsuma's eyes faded the moment he saw Shiratori. He placed his hand on Tetsuma's chest. It was the same as Kirite.
Tetsuma's body was cold and stiff beyond belief.
A terrifying thought crept into his mind.
Their consciousness had been sustained purely by willpower... Though their bodies had already reached their limits, their minds refused to fade completely.
They held on, just to make sure that Ame had truly won.
That he was still alive…
The moment Shiratori appeared before them safe and sound, their last attachments vanished.
His hands froze, his gaze drifting past Tetsuma toward the other ninjas.
Takigawa lay on his side in the sand, several broken spears lodged in his back. His face was buried in the blood-mixed sand, yet his eyes stared unblinkingly in Shiratori's direction.
Shiratori stood in the middle of the corpses. He could not find a single one still drawing breath.
They were all dead.
The instant they saw him alive, their hearts stopped.
Tears welled up and spilled over. He stood motionless, like a puppet whose soul had been ripped away.
[Affection detected: +5000 points each]
[Curse Growth - Love: 94.5%]
"Shiratori…"
"Sensei!"
"This… this isn't real, right?"