Chapter 334: The New Three Ninjas vs.悟 (Part 2)
The night sky above Ghost Lantern Castle.
Sasuke and Marissa join forces against 悟 in a fierce battle, with waves of violent chakra exploding mid-air.
On the ground, Wu Wei is stunned.
He realizes this is the true power of Konoha's "New Three Ninjas" and can only describe it with one word—terrifying.
Thinking back now, it's laughable that Grass Ninja Village figured they could use the Bliss Box to gain powerful strength and dominate the ninja world.
Wu Wei shifts his gaze to Naruto Uzumaki nearby.
For some reason, Naruto has yet to join the battle, just like Marissa, to support Sasuke. Instead, he closes his eyes and meditates.
Though Wu Wei doesn't understand, he senses that Naruto is preparing some decisive move.
At that moment, a voice comes from above.
"Brats, I'm done playing with you!"
Wu wei's voice echoes from mid-air.
Under the relentless attacks from Sasuke and Marissa,wu wei is nearly at his limit. Using his wings to create a gust of wind, he forces them back and attempts to escape.
For the first time in a thousand years, wu wei is fleeing in defeat.
He has no choice. The enemies are too strong, wielding powers like the Dragon Vein and the Reincarnation Eye, which are beyond his limits.
"Trying to escape?"
Marissa frowns, then decisively summons Platinum Star and activates The World.
Buzz~ Time stops.
Whoosh.
Marissa walks in mid-air, quickly catching up to 悟 and raising her fist along with Platinum Star.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA!"
With the enhancement of the Reincarnation Eye Chakra Mode, her punches are heavier than usual, like meteors crashing into wu wei's massive body.
In five seconds, Marissa and Platinum Star land hundreds of punches.
Yes, she can now stop time for five seconds, showing remarkable progress in developing her Stand abilities.
Time resumes.
Boom! Wu wei suffers a heavy blow, his chest caving in. His massive body loses balance and flies backward.
A giant arrow wrapped in flames is waiting for him, flying from behind.
Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi.
Thud.
The arrow pierces wu wei's heart, and Amaterasu's flames spread across his body, burning fiercely.
"ROAR!"
Wu wei roars in pain from the severe wounds, but it's not over yet.
Because Naruto is ready.
At some point, Naruto stands up from his meditation. Black lines appear on his face, and he has an eye shadow around his eyes.
Sage Mode.
As a member of the New Three Ninjas, Naruto lagged behind Sasuke and Marissa after they gained the Dragon Vein and the Reincarnation Eye.
Fortunately, under the Sixth Hokage's guidance, Naruto became Tsunade's disciple and followed her to Shikkotsu Forest, meeting the Slug Sage.
After rigorous training with the Slug Sage, Naruto mastered Sage Mode and caught up with his comrades.
Whoosh.
Naruto disappears from the ground and reappears above 悟 in mid-air.
Crackle.
A massive Rasengan over five meters in diameter forms in his hand, lighting up the night sky.
Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan.
Boom! 悟 takes the full impact of the Rasengan, losing half his head, and falls from the sky like a meteor, crashing into the prison yard.
The combined attack of the New Three Ninjas is something no one in the ninja world, except the Sixth Hokage, could survive.
But 悟, created by the Sage of Six Paths, is resilient. Even with a pierced heart, an exploded head, and a destroyed body, he clings to life.
Whoosh.
Just before hitting the ground, 悟 desperately flaps his wings, stopping his fall. Then, as a black streak, he retreats to the Bliss Box.
With 悟's return, the four faces on the Bliss Box quiet down, emitting no more light.
Sasuke and the others land and gather around the box.
"We couldn't finish it off. Its life is too tough," Naruto says regretfully.
"Should we enter the box and finish it off?" Marissa asks.
Sasuke shakes his head and says, "Outside, 悟 is no match for us. But inside the box, it's its domain, and we know little about it. It's too risky."
"Yeah, anyone who enters the Bliss Box gets their mind corrupted and becomes its puppet, like the warden's son," Marissa agrees, calming down.
"What should we do next?" Naruto scratches his head.
"Remember, our mission from the Sixth Hokage is to bring this box back to Konoha, not necessarily to kill 悟. I believe the Hokage will handle it personally."
Sasuke says, taking out a large chain from a storage scroll and securely binding the Bliss Box.
Then, he summons a giant bird, commanding it to grab the chain and lift the Bliss Box into the sky.
"Wu Wei, take care."
The three ninjas leave Wu Wei with those words before jumping onto the bird's back. It flaps its wings and swiftly disappears into the night sky.
Wu Wei watches the young ninjas take the Bliss Box away.
For a while, he murmurs, "Wu Gu..." and collapses to the ground, silently crying.
The next day.
Konoha Village, Hokage Tower.
In the Hokage's office, Black Zetsu stands nervously.
Dan sits on the sofa, resting with his eyes closed.
He recently returned from a visit to Kirigakure at the invitation of Mizukage Mei Terumi, where he stayed for a week.
"Hokage-sama, your tea."
Hinata, dressed professionally, brings Dan his tea and then stands behind him, massaging his shoulders.
"Mm, Hinata, your technique is getting better," Dan praises, making Hinata blush and whisper a thank you.
After a while.
"Um, Hokage-sama, why did you summon me today?"
Black Zetsu finally musters the courage to ask.
It has been waiting for so long.
Since Dan became the Jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails almost a year ago, he hasn't even mentioned his promise to Black Zetsu.
The promise to resurrect Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Just as Black Zetsu's patience is wearing thin, it suddenly receives a notice today about a meaningful discussion with the Hokage.
Black Zetsu rushes over, eagerly watching Dan, but the latter is busy flirting with his secretary.
It was filled with anger, but in front of Dan, it didn't dare to show any dissatisfaction and could only force a smile and endure.
"It's almost time."
Dan suddenly said, making Black Zetsu feel somewhat puzzled.
What does he mean?
Just as it was confused, Dan stood up and walked briskly towards the door, leaving behind a sentence, "Follow me."
Five minutes later.
Black Zetsu followed closely behind Dan and arrived at the rooftop of the Tenshukaku.
"Chirp!"
A loud bird cry rang out, and Black Zetsu quickly looked up to see a giant monster bird carrying a large box with its claws.
Bang!
The Box of Ultimate Bliss landed on the rooftop with a dull thud.
Then, Sasuke and the other two on the bird's back also landed on the ground.
Upon seeing Dan, Marisa immediately crossed her arms and deliberately turned her head to the side, looking stubborn. Meanwhile, Sasuke and Naruto bowed in unison:
"Greetings, Hokage-sama."
"You've returned. It seems everything went smoothly."
Dan smiled slightly.
"Reporting to Hokage-sama, although we have brought back the Box of Ultimate Bliss as per your instructions, we have no good way to deal with Wu, who is hiding inside."
Sasuke reported truthfully, feeling a bit uneasy.
After all, Dan always had high expectations for the three of them, and their performance this time could have been better.
Fortunately.
"This is not a problem."
Dan wasn't angry. Instead, he walked around the Box of Ultimate Bliss, examining this ninja tool left by the Sage of Six Paths, nodding in approval occasionally.
Seeing this, Black Zetsu's eyes flashed, and it cautiously probed:
"Hokage-sama, you specifically ordered Sasuke and the others to bring back the Box of Ultimate Bliss. Do you plan to use it for something?"
As an old monster who had lived for over a thousand years, Black Zetsu had naturally heard of the legend of the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
I needed clarification on what this had to do with Dan calling it here today.
Dan gave Black Zetsu a look, indicating it shouldn't be in a hurry, then leaned half his shoulder against the Box of Ultimate Bliss and asked the group:
"What do you think the Sage of Six Paths' original purpose was in creating this box?"
Hearing this, the three couldn't help but frown and think hard.
It wasn't to let a monster like Wu destroy the world, right?
Naruto muttered, unable to come up with an answer.
Dan smiled and stopped keeping them in suspense, directly knocking on the box:
"This was created using Yin-Yang Release, and it clearly took the Sage of Six Paths a lot of thought and time. It's definitely not a toy made on a whim."
Indeed.
Compared to other ninja tools left by the Sage of Six Paths, the quality of this Box of Ultimate Bliss was the highest level.
Wu's compelling body and mighty soul power were creations of Yin-Yang Release.
According to Dan's speculation.
The Sage of Six Paths' original intention in creating the Box of Ultimate Bliss was to better utilize Yin-Yang Release's power to develop and nurture new life.
Unfortunately, after his death, people misunderstood the founder's original intention of ninjutsu.
They only knew that this box was a treasure left by the Sage of Six Paths, possessing endless power, and greedily sought to extract from it, using it in wars.
As a result, the Box of Ultimate Bliss, which had devoured countless souls on the battlefield, finally gave birth to a monster like Wu.
It is almost leading to the destruction of the world.
After hearing Dan's words, Black Zetsu's pupils gradually widened, and finally, they trembled all over, faintly guessing what Dan intended to do.
"Could it be, you plan to use this box to resurrect…"
It asked in shock and joy if Uchiha Dan had finally decided to fulfill his promise after all this time.
"That's right, I think this Box of Ultimate Bliss can be of some help, it's worth a try. However..."
Dan changed his tone at this point, looking playfully at Black Zetsu, "Before that, we need to deal with Wu hiding in the box, don't we?"
Under Dan's gaze, Black Zetsu's back suddenly felt cold, sensing something was wrong.
"Hokage-sama, I think we shouldn't rush, it's better to plan carefully..."
It said while retreating.
Dan, however, stepped forward and grabbed Black Zetsu like picking up a chick.
Then.
"It's time to test your filial piety. If you can't face even this bit of danger, your mother would be disappointed in you."
Without further ado, Dan stuffed Black Zetsu into the Box of Ultimate Bliss before the stunned Sasuke and the others.
Thud.
Black Zetsu landed on the ground with a thump.
It stood up in surprise, looking around.
The inside of the Box of Ultimate Bliss wasn't a narrow and cramped space but a large, dark alternate world, similar to Obito's Kamui dimension.
Black mist permeated the surroundings, with wailing sounds constantly emanating from within, like a hundred ghosts crying, scaring people out of their wits.
The cries weren't enough, as ghostly figures soon emerged from all around, rushing towards Black Zetsu like a tide.
Throughout history, people have been devoured by the Box of Ultimate Bliss, with their bodies and souls becoming their nourishment.
"Who are you, and what is your relationship with those three brats?"
Wu's voice was ethereal, seeming near and far, filled with solid anger and hatred.
Black Zetsu didn't answer.
What should it do? It thought quickly.
"No answer?"
Wu sneered, not wanting to waste words with this uninvited guest, "Since you dared to enter the Box of Ultimate Bliss, I won't hesitate to take your soul."
With that, it rushed out of the darkness towards Black Zetsu.
"Fight!"
Black Zetsu gritted its teeth and, seeing Wu charging at it, finally stopped holding back.
Boom.
In the next second, a terrifying aura erupted from its body, instantly enveloping Wu and rendering it immobile.
This was the power left to Black Zetsu by Kaguya Otsutsuki, which it had never used before.
Black Zetsu had initially planned to use this power at the most critical moment, such as ambushing Uchiha Dan, but now, it had no choice but to use it early.
After all.
Only one between Black Zetsu and Wu could survive in this Gu-like environment of the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
The one who survived would become the new "Wu."
On the rooftop.
It had been ten minutes since Dan stuffed Black Zetsu into the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
Buzz.
At a particular moment, the box suddenly lit up with a red glow, accompanied by violent shaking, and the four human faces on the box came to life.
"It seems the battle is decided."
Dan muttered to himself, then touched the box and closed his eyes.
The next second.
His chakra entered the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
"Huff...huff..."
Black Zetsu knelt on the ground, gasping for breath, looking extremely weak.
Just now, it had experienced a life-and-death struggle from the physical to the soul level, almost being devoured by Wu.
Fortunately, with the blessing of its mother in the dark, it erupted in desperation and finally succeeded in counterattacking Wu.
"Congratulations, my child."
A familiar voice suddenly sounded. Black Zetsu looked up sharply, only to see a massive chakra pouring into the Box of Ultimate Bliss, condensing into the form of Dan.
"Father, now...you should fulfill your promise, right?" Black Zetsu asked quietly, staring at Dan in front of it.
"Of course, this clone of mine was specially prepared for reviving Kaguya."
Dan smiled slightly, then sat cross-legged in front of Black Zetsu and raised his hands prayingly.
(The chapter ends here.)