Shinigami Chapter 242: Ryūmyaku (Patreon)

In the blink of an eye, Kaguya's wounds had completely healed.

Her regeneration speed was astonishing, surpassing even the Arrancars' high-speed regeneration.

She seemed invulnerable...

From what Naruto sensed, this wasn’t merely a power or technique, but more of a 'concept'.

Kurama’s expression turned grim.

It wasn't just Naruto’s words that troubled him, but also the environment they were in.

He could no longer float.

This crude, green, plateau-like space was far more dangerous than the icy world they had been in previously.

The gravity here was exponentially stronger than in the real world, and it wasn’t unfamiliar to Kurama.

He recalled his fight against Izuru Kira of the 7th Division, whose Zanpakutō, "Wabisuke," had an ability that astonished even captains. When struck, the object’s weight doubled—one hit doubled it, two hits quadrupled it, and three hits octupled it.

Kurama had experienced that firsthand.

The gravity weighing on him now wasn't quite at Wabisuke’s third strike, but it certainly exceeded the force of two strikes.

Naruto hovered midair, chanting incantations.

"O child of heaven, fortress of iron walls..."

Kaguya raised her hand again.

"All-Killing Ash Bones!"

This time, instead of shooting bone arrows from her fingertips, she fired a decayed, ashen-white spear as thick as an arm from the center of her palm. It flew with tremendous speed.

At the same time, Naruto’s incantation reached its final verse.

"Sever the heavens and earth before the collapse."

"Bakudō #81. Dankū (Splitting Void)."

A transparent barrier expanded from Naruto’s hand, instantly shielding both him and Kurama. The winds surged, and with the icy landscape gone, the Vortex's power could now spread freely in all directions.

The bone spear cut through the wind, just as it had in the icy world.

As it slammed into the Dankū barrier, ripples spread outward.

This barrier, said to be capable of defending against any technique, met its limit.

It resisted for a moment, but the strain grew too great. Cracks began to form, and with a sharp sound, the barrier shattered.

However...

That brief moment of delay was enough for Vortex to buy time.

The spear corroded and fragmented, and just as it was about to pierce Naruto and Kurama, the last remnants of it disintegrated into dust.

"Perfect timing, Naruto," Kurama remarked, swinging his sword as he leaped forward, a massive arm raised for a strike.

"Careful," Naruto warned. "She might use something like Shinra Tensei."

Kaguya activated her Byakugan, chakra gathering in her palm.

Taijutsu!

Her chakra not only gave her immense power but also enhanced her physical abilities.

"Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack!"

With chakra-powered fists, she tore through the air, delivering relentless, unstoppable blows, much like Hashirama’s True Several Thousand Hands.

But...

These were far stronger.

Each punch was faster, tearing through space itself. Combined with the superior vision of the Byakugan, each strike was perfectly calculated, interlocking with the next, creating an airtight, seamless barrage.

The air was shredded, space torn apart.

The wind howled, and the overwhelming strain on the atmosphere produced a cracking sound as the attacks charged toward Kurama.

Thanks to Naruto’s warning, Kurama was ready. It wrapped its tails around itself, stopping its momentum abruptly.

The sudden halt caused gravity to pull its massive body downward.

But now wasn’t the time to worry about falling.

The ferocious taijutsu reminded Kurama of painful memories from its past, scars it would rather not relive.

Gripping its sword in reverse, Kurama called out.

"Shine, Fox Hidden in the Mirror."

The Zanpakutō twisted in response to the incantation.

It became transparent and colorless, almost like an empty shell.

As Kaguya’s space-tearing fists struck, the blade filled with milky-white energy in an instant.

But Fox Hidden in the Mirror had its limits.

It could only absorb about one-tenth of the energy from Kaguya’s Vacuum Fist, while the rest powered through and slammed into the ground.

Kurama quickly moved its remaining tails.

A Truth-Seeking Ball condensed and expanded into a shield-like barrier, similar to Dankū, protecting its body.

Booming impacts followed, white smoke billowing as the dust settled.

The Taijutsu storm subsided, and the smoke cleared.

The Truth-Seeking Ball barrier had shattered, but it had absorbed most of Kaguya's power.

Kurama was wounded.

Chunks of its flesh were missing, and several of its tails hung limply, severed.

The mighty fox looked battered but still very much alive.

"That damn old woman," Kurama growled, spitting blood. It used its good tail to prop up its right paw. "How about you taste your own attack?"

It swung its sword hard.

The milky-white energy gathered at the blade’s tip, condensing into a small but powerful fist that shot forward with incredible force.

'Return to sender.'

Caught off guard, Kaguya hadn’t expected such a counterattack.

How could a creature born from her power wield something she did not?

The punch struck her squarely, blasting through her abdomen, sending flesh flying.

At that moment, Naruto finished his incantation, clapping his hands together.

"Bakudō #99, Part 2. Bankin (Full Prohibition)."

This was the highest-numbered sealing technique developed by the Kido Corps, renowned for its immense power.

Even Aizen had been bound by this spell.

"Prologue - Halting Wraps."

Thick, sturdy fabric shot from Naruto’s sleeves, rushing toward Kaguya.

Just as it was about to wrap around her—

A mass of black substance, Black Zetsu, shot out from her sleeve to intercept the cloth.

With a groan, it was bound tightly, unable even to utter the word "mother."

Kaguya’s expression remained sorrowful.

Her last son, now bound by their enemy.

But there was no time for grief.

"Yomotsu Hirasaka."

Opening a black rift, she retreated into the void, disappearing once again.

"She got away!" Kurama gasped, panting heavily as it sat down, using chakra to heal its body. "We’ll just have to wait for her to reappear."

"But Naruto…"

"How did you know she was going to use that technique?"

Naruto stopped his binding spell, spreading his senses across the area.

Despite the intense gravity, which made it difficult to stand, Naruto landed lightly. "Her power is strong, but she has little real combat experience."

"Her intentions and abilities are too obvious."

Kurama nodded.

Naruto casually pulled on the cloth, bringing the bound Black Zetsu to him. "Zetsu?"

Zetsu smirked, despite being tightly bound, with a smug and confident expression.

"You can still laugh?" Naruto asked, staring at him. "Your mother is no match for us."

"It's not that," Zetsu replied, his voice faltering as he was flung to the ground. "Mother’s power is beyond what you can imagine."

"What you saw earlier was merely her state after awakening, before she fully regained her power."

His confidence grew as he spoke.

At that moment, space warped again.

Naruto and Zetsu found themselves in a different area, a barren desert.

"Naruto!" Kurama’s voice called out urgently.

Naruto responded calmly.

"Good, I can still reach you," Kurama sighed in relief.

"Our connection is more than just chakra," Naruto said, looking down at his gleaming Zanpakutō.

Kurama looked up. "What’s going on?"

"That woman’s trying to separate us and defeat us one by one."

Naruto attempted to use the Flying Thunder God Technique.

But...

Nothing happened. His body remained motionless.

"Flying Thunder God isn’t working," he said, frowning. "It seems I won’t be reaching you anytime soon."

"Be careful."

Kurama laughed confidently. "Don’t worry, Naruto."

"That old woman may be strong, but I’m no pushover."

"In a way, I’m also immortal."

Naruto didn’t respond.

At his feet, Zetsu sneered, his voice filled with amusement. "It’s useless. This entire space is under Mother’s control."

"Once she’s done with Kurama, you’re next!"

Naruto glanced down. "You see Kurama as a bigger threat than me?"

"Though I don’t know where you learned those strange powers," Zetsu replied carelessly, his confidence growing, "only Hagoromo’s power can seal Mother."

"Without him, nothing can threaten her."

"Once the God Tree awakens and Mother absorbs enough power, she’ll become an all-powerful goddess!"

"Someone like you is destined to be killed by her."

Naruto raised his sword.

Zetsu showed no fear.

With a swift motion, Naruto thrust his blade into the black, mud-like creature.

Though it didn’t resemble a human, it was still a living being.

Yet, it wasn’t strong—quite the opposite, it was rather fragile.

Blood flowed, and Zetsu’s life force began to fade.

Naruto flicked his blade, and Vortex’s wind shredded Zetsu’s remains into dust, scattering them to the wind.

Naruto stared at the trail Zetsu left behind, deep in thought.

"Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, was it?"

Why hadn’t he appeared yet?

Could he not appear?

Or was he waiting for the right moment to claim victory?

These questions remained unanswered.

From deep within Naruto’s mind, Kurama’s urgent voice rang out. "Naruto, she’s coming!"

His voice was filled with frustration and anger.

Kurama knew exactly why Kaguya targeted him first.

In terms of raw power, Naruto was stronger than Kurama right now.

But that didn’t make it any easier to accept.

Being seen as the weak link was a blow to Kurama’s pride. A creature that had once terrorized the world was now being treated as the easiest to defeat. The anger burned inside, threatening to explode.

Naruto touched the space around him, causing ripples to spread through the air.

"Kurama, hold her off as best you can."

"I’m working on breaking through this dimension."

This dimension resembled the boundary between life and death. Though solid, breaking through it wasn’t as difficult as it once was.

Meanwhile, back in the Infinite Tsukuyomi world, the ground quaked.

The zombified, near-comatose bodies of the trapped ninja flickered with small lights, drifting back toward the sky.

It was like a reverse rainstorm.

Inside her cocoon, Karin heard voices calling her name.

Loud, jumbled, and piercing.

She reached out instinctively, her hand striking something hard. A jolt of pain snapped her out of her daze.

Looking down, she realized her hand had struck the 'tsuba' of a sword.

"A sword?" she muttered, shaking her head.

Who would leave a dangerous weapon like this lying around?

Wait!

She squinted at the sword’s familiar design. She’d seen it before.

In a dream...

A sword Naruto had crafted using the Dragon Vein’s power, a treasure from the ancient Roran Kingdom.

Karin grasped the sword's hilt.

It felt familiar, like something waiting to burst out of her.

Her mind flashed back to when she passed out, to the voice echoing in her mind.

The name!

Yes!

This was a Zanpakutō. To wield its power, she had to call its name.

It sounded absurd.

A sword with a name? That was something from a dream...

But Karin gripped the hilt, drew the blade, and took a deep breath.

She called out the name she had learned in her "dream."

"Engrave Time, Ryūmyaku!"

Purple light flared, and with her words, the sword transformed.

A power that wasn’t chakra surged through her body, freed at last, and flowed joyfully.

Karin looked down.

Her clothing had changed. Gone was the flower-print dress; she now wore a black Shinigami uniform.

This was the attire of a Shinigami.

She took another deep breath, her spiritual power returning as her chakra drained away, memories flooding back.

She remembered everything!

That dream wasn’t a dream—it was real.

This was the world of the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Karin leaped into the air, forming a transparent platform beneath her feet, standing in the sky.

She scanned the surroundings.

The mass of people, the reverse rain of chakra, and the few remaining illusions.

Her mind worked quickly.

This must be...

The place where the battle had taken place, where the Kage of this world had fought.

~~~

Time for Karin to Shine!!