"ROOOOAR!!!"
The instant the aura of the Pure Land appeared, the fading Shinigami—its left arm bound by the Infinite Lock and a dagger from its "colleague" still buried in its chest—let out an unwilling roar.
Its massive body barely paused before the overwhelming suction began twisting and distorting it.
It was dragged straight toward the opening of the vortex.
Yet the burning ghostfire in its hollow eye sockets did not look toward Uchiha Kai, who was watching with obvious interest.
Instead—
It turned toward the other side.
Toward the colleague who had backstabbed it.
Within the flickering ghostfire burned pure resentment and humiliation.
A silent message seemed to echo:
Just you wait.
RIP!
In the end, unable to resist the terrifying pull, the Shinigami's remaining half-arm was stretched to its limit by the tightened Infinite Lock—
And torn off.
Fragments of chaotic death laws fell from the severed limb and were immediately swallowed by the black vortex.
Like discarded trash being recycled.
As for the main body—
Once the arm snapped free, it was dragged directly into the center of the grinding-stone-sized vortex.
The moment it disappeared—
It was over.
From the moment the Shinigami appeared until now, the catastrophe that had devastated half of Konoha's central district had finally been sent back.
Hashirama and the others wiped the sweat from their foreheads.
But just as Hashirama prepared to disperse True Several Thousand Hands, his eyes suddenly widened.
Because a larger, darker, more terrifying black hole had appeared.
The vortex carrying the aura of the Pure Land had torn open a passage through space itself.
An unstable passage leading to the Pure Land.
"Tobirama!"
Hashirama suddenly roared as he grabbed toward his younger brother.
At the moment the fading Shinigami was reclaimed by the Pure Land, Tobirama, the summoning medium, was also pulled toward the vortex.
Cracks spread across his Edo Tensei body.
Pieces of his form fell away rapidly.
Then—
BOOM!
His body exploded.
A soul far more solid than any normal human's emerged from the shattered body.
Cold blue and shining.
The Pure Land vortex dragged it away like a kite whose string had snapped.
Hashirama lunged forward to grab him—
But his hand closed only around the crumbling remains of Tobirama's body, which scattered like sand.
The soul did not slow down.
WHOOSH!
But when it drifted past Kai, Tobirama's eyes suddenly shifted.
Kai's hand flicked.
CLANG!
A miniature Infinite Lock shot forward like a nail.
THUD!
It pierced directly into Tobirama's soul.
"Hm? This brat…"
Realizing Kai's intention, Tobirama rarely showed a smile.
He nodded slightly.
Then, completely contrary to expectations, he accelerated toward the Pure Land passage.
The unstable portal trembled.
Meanwhile, Kai turned toward the new Shinigami behind the Third Hokage.
He grinned.
"You tried to chop me?"
"Tell me, bro… is that melon you're selling actually ripe?"
As the words fell, he raised his hand.
Black chakra spread across his palm.
Soon, it condensed into another chain-bound pillar.
With a flick of his finger—
WHOOSH!
The Infinite Lock pillar shot toward the new Shinigami with terrifying force.
CLANK.
The Shinigami's body froze.
Then it began flickering violently—
Like an old television losing signal.
It looked toward Kai.
The confusion on its face gradually turned into anger.
It attempted to retaliate.
Even raising its arm to suppress him.
But this time—
Kai gave it no chance.
Two Infinite Lock pillars roared through the air, dragging Hiruzen Sarutobi toward the Pure Land portal.
"PUH!"
Hiruzen coughed violently, spitting blood.
"Brat… you… what are you trying to do?!"
Clutching his chest, he stared at Kai in disbelief.
He was afraid.
"What am I doing?"
Kai snorted.
"Your teacher already went in."
"So why the hell are you still standing here?"
Without hesitation—
Kai threw the Third Hokage into the Pure Land.
CRACK!
The summoning medium was violently severed.
The Shinigami projection summoned by Hiruzen immediately destabilized.
It began showing signs of being dragged back toward the Pure Land.
Now!
A cold flash appeared in Kai's eyes.
Behind him, the gigantic Light Susanoo swung its arms.
The prepared Divine Law Chain was hurled forward with all its strength—
Straight at the Shinigami.
SPLASH!
A crisp tearing sound echoed through the sky.
The new Shinigami finally understood the pain its predecessor had suffered.
The soul-binding chains were far more violent than its dagger.
The moment they wrapped around it—
They locked tightly onto its right arm.
And then—
Kai pulled.
RIP.
An indescribable pain erupted from the core of its existence.
The Shinigami projection shook violently.
Dark blood-like energy burst from its body.
"Just as I thought…"
Kai muttered while watching.
"Both are Shinigami projections… no system notification."
After testing for a while, he confirmed something.
The Shinigami summoned by Hiruzen couldn't be harvested again.
Kai sighed.
Then stopped holding back.
HUM—
Below him, the Light Susanoo shone brilliantly.
The pure white moon and radiant sun surrounding it illuminated the sky.
The heavens themselves seemed to descend.
The Shinigami projection was bathed in blinding light.
It was a god of death.
A divine being from the Pure Land.
But—
Even death gods feared the pure brilliance of sun and moon.
Under that overwhelming force, the Shinigami lost control of its own laws.
Chaos erupted.
BOOOOOOM!!!!
Its massive body expanded like an ignited powder keg.
Cracks spread across its form.
"ROOOOAR!!!"
(Translation: This world isn't worth it!)
With a roar full of rage and humiliation—
The Shinigami was dragged to the mouth of the Pure Land portal.
And then—
BOOM!!!!
The Shinigami projection exploded.
The Pure Land gateway exploded with it.
RUMBLE!
Lightning tore across the sky.
Moments later—
A torrential rain began falling over Konoha.
But it wasn't ordinary rain.
Each drop burned like a blade against the soul.
It was rain that cut away the filth of the spirit.
Thankfully—
The storm passed quickly.
Three minutes later, the darkness over Konoha faded.
The gray sky cleared.
The sun returned.
The soul-tearing pull vanished.
And the Hokage Tower…
Or rather—
What was now only its ruins.
Apart from a giant crater in the ground—
Nothing remained.
The battle with the Shinigami had ended.
Kai stood silently, touching the corner of his mouth as he stared at the collapsing portal.
Inside it—
On Tobirama Senju's forehead—
Was a tiny Infinite Lock.
Above it, Kai had deliberately left behind a Flying Thunder God mark.
"The Pure Land…"
Kai murmured softly.
His eyes slowly burned with excitement.
"It looks like…"
"I need Orochimaru to start exploiting that bug a little faster."
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