Although this technique was inferior to Amaterasu, within the Fire Release branch it ranked just below it—the Yōton (Lava Release): Chiwa no Jutsu (Earth Harmony Technique) was among the strongest melting techniques in existence.
Lava surged forth. Water and fire clashed violently, hissing as the molten chakra met the cold sea. The bubbling steam filled the Water Prison, yet the heat of the molten rock made it impossible to cool completely.
Bubbles formed and rose toward the surface. Shigeo leaped into one, activating Chōkarigan no Jutsu (Super Light-Weight Rock Technique) to reduce his body's weight, letting him float upward within the bubble toward freedom.
He was almost out.
But Kisame was waiting.
Samehada in hand, he sneered coldly. "Hyūga Shigeo, who would've thought—you'd die by my hand!"
He swung the massive sword down, cutting through the bubble and the figure within—
only to see the body split and vanish in smoke.
Shadow Clone.
Before he could react, a familiar figure appeared behind him—Uchiha Itachi, smiling faintly, Mangekyō Sharingan glowing scarlet.
No—that couldn't be right. Itachi never smiled, and he had gone up the mountain earlier.
This was an illusion.
His final conscious thought confirmed it. The fake Itachi shimmered—and Kisame's mind was swallowed by the genjutsu.
In his illusion, he swam freely among sharks in an endless ocean, blissfully unaware.
Up on the ridge, the real Uchiha Itachi stood in the snow, gazing at the towering, dark fortress ahead.
"Dead?" he asked quietly, frowning as Shigeo appeared behind him.
"Not yet," Shigeo replied with a faint smile. "I held back. I actually kind of respect the guy."
He chuckled softly, then said, "Itachi, come to Nanmoku. Whatever kind of life you want, I'll help you have it."
Itachi turned slightly, his voice calm but distant. "The life I have now—this is the one I chose."
Shigeo didn't press. He reached into his sleeve and tossed over two small glass tubes.
"What's this?" Itachi asked, catching them.
"Repair serum," Shigeo explained. "It's based on the blood of one of our ninja who has regenerative abilities. Inject it, and your body will heal from most injuries in three days. Keep it. Might save your life someday."
Itachi nodded. "...Thanks."
Shigeo tossed him two more items—Summoning Talismans.
"Last ones ran out, right? Keep practicing."
Itachi pocketed them. He looked up toward the fortress. "I didn't expect your Ranshōmon (Blue Gate) to track this place down…"
"This island is strange," Shigeo said flatly.
"Of course it is. Let's move."
They advanced together.
The structure looming before them wasn't a fortress after all—it was a ruined castle, long abandoned.
Windows broken, roof partially collapsed, walls cracked and crumbling. Wind howled through the gaps, echoing like the cry of wolves in the snow.
"Where's Honglin?" Shigeo muttered. "The summoning tag burned here. Either he or his team called me—but where are they?"
They walked through the hallways. Cold wind swept in from shattered windows, forming swirling snow vortices in the corners.
Suddenly—eyes.
Dozens of glowing, oil-green eyes peered down from the rafters above.
"What is this place?" Shigeo frowned. "I came here via spatial summoning—I know nothing about it."
Itachi's voice was low. "They call it the Ghost Island. It appears between the Eastern and Southern Seas only during full moons. A drifting island. No fixed coordinates."
Shigeo raised an eyebrow. "Then how do you know that?"
"I've been investigating it for half a year. Tracked its appearance patterns and drift range."
He stepped forward. Shigeo followed. They turned down two long corridors—only to find themselves back in the main hall.
Shigeo scowled. "My sensory jutsu doesn't work here. I can't even map this place properly."
He clenched his fist. "Still… not impossible to handle."
He lunged toward a nearby wall—
and punched straight through it.
The wall collapsed, revealing a hidden chamber beyond—filled with glowing green eyes.
They weren't illusions.
People—dozens of them—hidden in darkness, each with eerie, unblinking eyes reflecting the dim light.
So his instinct had been right. That wall was new.
As dust fell, the figures lunged. Some wielded weapons, others attacked bare-handed.
Itachi and Shigeo stood side by side, facing the onslaught.
Their movements were fast but unnatural—stiff, puppetlike. Controlled.
One enemy unleashed Katon (Fire Release), a massive flame wave surging toward them.
Both dodged effortlessly. Another assailant followed with a barrage of shuriken, Suiton (Water Release), and Doton (Earth Release) in succession.
The combined roar of techniques echoed through the great hall, a chilling symphony of wind and fire.
Itachi dashed forward—one kick crushed an opponent's chest inward with a sickening crack.
Shigeo responded with Hyōton (Ice Release), conjuring thousands of icy spikes that pierced through wave after wave of attackers.
Within moments, over two hundred green-eyed enemies lay motionless on the floor.
As silence fell, Shigeo turned to the wall he had broken through—where a hidden passageway now gaped before them.
They stepped toward it.
Then—
"Kacha… kacha…"
A strange, mechanical sound began echoing behind them.
(End of Chapter)
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