Hours had passed since Minato collapsed. The battlefield, once scarred by human fury, now bore the lingering, unnatural signature of the Seal of Stormlight. Jagged arcs of storm energy remained etched into the ground, pulsating faintly, as if breathing. Smoke and ash wavered through the air, carrying a sharp metallic tang. Konoha shinobi cautiously navigated the terrain, their faces pale with awe and unease.
Ryuzen stood at the center, his eyes scanning the terrain, analyzing every flicker of energy, every shadow. The system overlays flickered in his vision.
[System Notice: Seal of Stormlight active. Vessel Minato incapacitated. Environmental hazard: 94%. Predictive hostile behavior: escalating. Probability of spontaneous manifestations: 67%.]
The numbers were stark. The seal was not just a weapon; it had become a living battlefield, feeding off residual storm energy, reacting independently to hostile chakra.
Duy moved beside him, fists glowing with residual energy as he helped organize the scattered Konoha units. Sweat and blood streaked his face, but his gaze never wavered from Ryuzen.
"Ryuzen," Duy said, voice low but firm, "this thing… it's growing. I can feel it—like it's watching us."
[System Advisory: Confirmed. Seal exhibiting semi-autonomous hostility.]
Ryuzen's fingers tightened around the hilt of his blade. Not just watching, he thought. It's testing us, probing for weaknesses. The stormlight energy crackled beneath their feet, forming unpredictable arcs that shifted in real-time, almost as if the battlefield itself had become an opponent.
[System Directive: Stabilize vessel influence. Warning: prolonged exposure may induce psychological imprinting.]
Ryuzen's mind flickered to Minato. His friend and vessel had been pushed to the limit. Every pulse of storm energy that erupted from the seal had left marks on his body and psyche. If this escalates further…
Duy's voice broke through his thoughts. "Enemies on the horizon—dozens, maybe hundreds. They're not just advancing; they're feeding off the seal!"
Ryuzen's vision zoomed in, tactical overlays highlighting clusters of darkened figures. The Obsidian infiltration had begun manifesting within the stormlight itself. Semi-solid constructs—tall, jagged, and glowing with a corrupted red hue—emerged from the seal's cracks, moving independently, scanning, attacking, consuming.
[System Notice: Infinite-scale threat detected. Energy signatures non-linear. Predictive model: conventional tactics insufficient.]
Ryuzen's jaw tightened. "Duy, cover the left flank! Sakumo, anchor the rear. Everyone else, keep moving—but stay within my projected safety zones."
Duy didn't hesitate. With a roar, he charged into the nearest construct, fists glowing as he shattered a jagged limb, energy arcs erupting in every direction. Despite the system's cold calculations, Duy moved instinctively, protecting allies, diverting attacks, buying Ryuzen precious milliseconds to analyze the growing storm.
Ryuzen's mind worked at lightning speed. He monitored Minato's residual energy, projected enemy movement, and calculated the probability of seal corruption spreading further. Each second counted. Every storm spike could either annihilate the enemy or consume their own troops.
[System Advisory: Seal integrity degrading. Forecast: uncontrolled growth in 3.2 minutes if unmitigated. Recommendation: contain or absorb corrupted energy.]
The corrupted constructs began multiplying, twisting and splitting with each strike. Even Duy, relentless as he was, staggered under the onslaught. "Ryuzen!" he shouted, deflecting a clawed appendage. "This isn't just a battlefield—this is… alive!"
Ryuzen's hands clenched, system overlays flashing warnings. He felt the cold calculations of survival and probability, but Duy's raw determination reminded him of something the system couldn't compute: human instinct. We can't just calculate this. We have to act.
A massive surge of red lightning erupted from the Seal, striking toward Duy. Reflexively, Ryuzen projected a controlled barrier, shielding his comrade. The surge dissipated, but the energy feedback caused the ground to crack violently beneath their feet.
[Critical Alert: Seal instability increasing exponentially. Vessel Minato incapacitated. Host survival probability: 58%. Recommended direct intervention.]
Ryuzen's eyes narrowed. He realized the Seal would not stabilize itself. The corrupted energy was adaptive, learning, almost sentient. The constructs were only the first wave—if left unchecked, the storm would consume everything in its radius, ally and enemy alike.
"Duy," Ryuzen said, voice low but commanding, "keep the troops moving, but don't risk yourself more than you have to. I need to contain this—now."
Duy gritted his teeth. "You don't have to tell me twice. I'll hold them, just make sure this doesn't… turn into a massacre."
The battlefield trembled as more corrupted manifestations erupted. Ryuzen's system displayed dozens of overlays simultaneously: structural weaknesses, energy flow, predictive enemy maneuvers, Minato's residual vitality. It was overwhelming, but he thrived on this chaos. Every fraction of probability became actionable data.
[System Directive: Absorb corrupted stormlight into host. Warning: 85% chance of permanent psychological alteration. Alternative: attempt containment with high collateral risk.]
Ryuzen hesitated. Absorption could stabilize the Seal, but the cost… was himself. Yet if he didn't act, the corrupted stormlight would multiply indefinitely. There is no neutral option.
Duy's voice snapped him back. "Ryuzen! What are you waiting for? Either act or watch everyone die!"
The system pulsed insistently in his vision.
[Decision point critical. Absorption may result in permanent cognitive imprinting. Probability of battlefield stabilization: 93%.]
Ryuzen's hands glowed with controlled chakra as he extended his tether fully into the Seal. The corrupted stormlight hissed, arcs of red and white-blue energy converging toward him, seeking to overwhelm. Constructs surged toward the center, attempting to break his hold.
Duy roared, launching himself into the nearest wave, striking with unyielding force, protecting allies while allowing Ryuzen to focus. Each strike from Duy created a pocket of stability, a breathing space where Ryuzen could manipulate the energy.
Ryuzen channeled, projected, and absorbed. The Seal screamed—figuratively and almost literally—as stormlight spiraled into him, corrupt energy attempting to overwrite his consciousness. He felt its sentience brushing against his mind, testing his will, tempting him with power and knowledge that no human should possess.
[System Advisory: Neural feedback detected. Cognitive divergence imminent. Vessel Minato stable, host absorbing corrupted stormlight.]
Ryuzen's vision blurred. Red and white-blue arcs of energy swirled around him, forming vortexes that twisted reality itself. He felt every strike, every pulse, every flicker of stormlight as if it were part of his own body. Pain and exhilaration fused into one.
"Duy…" Ryuzen whispered, barely audible. "If I falter… stay alive. Protect them."
"I'm not going anywhere!" Duy shouted back, fists smashing through a corrupted construct, energy arcs scattering fragments in all directions. "Now finish it, Ryuzen!"
With one final surge, Ryuzen let the energy converge fully. The battlefield shuddered violently. Corrupted constructs dissolved into arcs of dissipating light. The Seal's pulses slowed, returning to a controlled, glowing pattern. The stormlight no longer twisted erratically—it had become calm, anchored to Ryuzen.
[System Notice: Corrupted stormlight successfully absorbed. Host stability: 71%. Vessel Minato: stable. Battlefield advantage: maintained. Psychological imprinting: high probability.]
Ryuzen fell to one knee, exhausted but alive. Duy crouched beside him, panting, bruised, but smiling. "You… did it," he said, voice trembling slightly. "The storm… it listens to you now."
Ryuzen's eyes glowed faintly with residual stormlight. The system overlay pulsed once.
[System Author's Note: Infinite-scale threat temporarily contained. Host successfully integrated corrupted energy. Vessel Minato stable. Probability of long-term cognitive alteration: 87%. Battlefield advantage: secured, but escalation inevitable. Prepare for further adaptive threats.]
The wind carried a faint crackle across the battlefield. Even as the constructs vanished, Ryuzen could feel the stormlight alive beneath his skin, whispering promises of power and warning of costs yet unseen.
He looked at Duy, breathing heavily. "This… isn't over. Not by a long shot."
And in the distance, beyond the ruined lines of Konoha and Obsidian, faint pulses of red lightning hinted that the storm's reach had expanded—an infinity of potential threats awaiting its next ripple.