Shinigami Chapter 244: Karin Held On! (Patreon)

Kurama's pupils widened, reflecting the scene unfolding before him like a mirror.

The Naruto who hadn't responded earlier within their inner world suddenly appeared in front of him using the Flying Thunder God Jutsu.

Although space-time jutsu couldn’t be activated in another dimension, within the same space, this jutsu faced no such restriction.

Naruto’s white cloak fluttered, filling Kaguya Ōtsutsuki’s vision.

There was no time for her to perform another jutsu.

Without hesitation, Naruto reached out with his left hand, grabbing the incoming bone spike.

With a crack—

It disintegrated upon contact, like lava touching fabric. The bones corroded instantly, starting from Naruto’s fingertips. The dust, like a stubborn and powerful infection, spread from his fingers, up his hand, and within a second, his entire left arm was gone.

But one second was enough.

Naruto gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, and with his remaining hand, he swung.

There was no time to recite a Kido spell.

“Bakudō #81. Dankū (斷空, Splitting Void).”

A transparent barrier surged up, protecting Kurama.

The fox’s eyes reignited with hope as it struggled to its feet, using its sword for support as it stumbled to the side.

The incomplete Bakudō #81 couldn't completely block the attack.

Without the full incantation...

In the blink of an eye, the barrier shattered and dispersed.

Kurama, already severely injured and moving slowly, wasn’t completely safe. However, only one of its tails and its left hind leg were hit, with chaotic, uncontrolled chakra scattering from the wounds.

"That was close," Kurama gasped, panting heavily. "I thought I'd end up like the others."

Kaguya stared at Naruto, her eyes filled with disbelief.

She had clearly locked him away in the 'Infinite Desert,' separated in another dimension.

How had he appeared here?

"Naruto, your hand," Kurama said, his tone somber.

Naruto glanced down, shook his head, and said calmly, "It’s no big deal."

With a wave of his right hand, a milky white substance flowed over the gap left by his missing left arm. As it fused with his spiritual energy, the new hand seamlessly integrated, as though the injury had never occurred.

Kaguya’s expression grew even more serious.

This kid...

Had he gained an extraordinary regenerative ability as well?

She flicked her hand.

"Yomotsu Hirasaka."

A pitch-black portal opened, and without hesitation, she dove into it, disappearing.

"She ran away again," Kurama growled, though there was a hint of relief in its frustration. "That woman is really cautious."

Naruto raised the Kurama sword. "She won’t get away."

"I figured out her jutsu earlier. I know how it works now."

Naruto plunged the sword forward with a slow, powerful motion.

It felt as if the air solidified, condensing all at once.

With a soft "squelch," the blade pierced the space, sinking into it.

Like a key being turned.

With raw, unrelenting force, Naruto tore open a jagged, rough portal that could only loosely be called a door.

"This place consists of five displayed dimensions," Naruto said quietly, explaining as he moved. "At the core is one space that isn’t on display, with no special environment."

"That’s the critical one."

Whether they waited for her or went on the offensive, it didn’t matter.

Kurama responded and tried to leap onto Naruto’s shoulder. However, its strength wasn’t sufficient, and instead, it head-butted Naruto’s leg before turning into a beam of chakra, merging back into Naruto’s body.

The sword bearing Kurama’s name dimmed.

The Bankai dissipated, and the eight masks hung loosely on the hilt of the sword.

Naruto stepped forward, entering the space.

The core dimension was unlike any other or even the real world.

Barren land stretched out in deep reddish-brown hues, devoid of life, resembling an alien landscape.

The sky was a faint, glowing green, with darker green patches swirling like clouds, rotating in slow, eerie spirals.

"You made it here," Kaguya raised her hand high, gathering chakra. "You broke through even my initial sphere dimension?"

She thought to herself...

No, she feared...

"I can smell many familiar scents," Kurama said from within, still healing its wounds as it sniffed.

The place was filled with familiar chakra.

Kakashi Hatake, Gaara, Mei Terumi...

People from all corners of the world seemed to have gathered here, almost as if for a reunion.

Naruto could see with his own eyes that Kaguya was the only one physically present in this space.

"Is this space connected to the world of Infinite Tsukuyomi?" he muttered softly, observing the flow of chakra as it emerged from the void, streaming into Kaguya’s body.

As he spoke, the power of 'Vortex' stirred, tearing away at the towering, jagged mountains, reducing them to sand as the winds grew stronger, blowing toward Kaguya.

Her expression remained calm, but her body responded differently, operating at full power like a water pump. Desperately, she began absorbing chakra even faster, more recklessly.

A Truth-Seeking Ball formed in her hand.

But...

This was just the beginning.

The Truth-Seeking Ball greedily devoured the chakra, expanding rapidly, growing from the size of a log to that of a massive tree, and it kept growing.

In the world of Infinite Tsukuyomi.

The speed of the Flying Thunder God exceeded what any ordinary ninja could imagine.

In addition to assistance from the toads of Mount Myoboku—though the familiar toads Minato was acquainted with couldn’t be summoned, a few elderly toads were still able to aid him.

In just half a day, he had contacted the other four great villages.

The same strange phenomena had occurred in their villages as well.

Their respective Kage and elite forces had all fallen unconscious, leaving behind only a handful of elderly ninja.

Fortunately...

"Peace" has been the main theme of this world. Since the objective was to stop the strange reverse-rain phenomenon, the others had agreed to help without hesitation.

In Konoha.

The Second Hokage frowned as he sketched a jutsu formula on a scroll. "There’s not enough time, and the 'Dragon Vein' and 'Shinigami' powers are too complicated."

"Especially this 'Shinigami Power'..."

He spoke with conviction, pointing out that the 'Shinigami Powers,' distinct from chakra, were another force entirely, just as independent as natural energy.

But alas, there was no time to study it further.

"This is the only method I can come up with right now," Tobirama continued. "It will cause some damage to our bodies."

"As for the result..."

"I can’t guarantee anything."

Hashirama crossed his arms. "There’s nothing to hesitate about. The world is on the verge of destruction."

He had been the least affected so far, but... Kizashi’s body was already starting to fade, and several of his fingers were missing.

As chakra was absorbed, their existence was being questioned by the world.

"As Hokage, we have a responsibility to protect the village," Hiruzen added without hesitation. "Some damage to our bodies isn’t worth worrying about."

Minato nodded, about to say something, then paused, realizing his role.

He wasn’t the Fourth Hokage.

Kizashi stammered, his expression conflicted. "I have a question."

"Hesitating?" Tobirama scoffed, his voice cold. "Even for the sake of your daughter and wife?"

"No, it’s not that," Kizashi shook his head and glanced at Karin. "I just want to know..."

"If that real world exists."

"Am I the Fourth Hokage?"

Ever since the conversation had started, Kizashi had noticed that Karin seemed to unconsciously ignore him, focusing all her attention on the other Hokage and Minato.

"Huh?" Karin paused, surprised. "In this world, you’re the Fourth Hokage?"

Kizashi nodded helplessly, his gaze shifting to Minato. "I see."

Just as he had suspected.

Minato smiled and passed the technique on to the other villages.

Moments later.

Karin drew the 'Dragon Vein' sword, holding it firmly, her expression serious. "Engrave Time, Ryūmyaku!"

A purple mist-like light spread from her as the center.

Tobirama formed seals and activated the jutsu, placing one hand on the sword's blade.

Chakra gathered, sifting through the jutsu, passed through his body, and transmitted into the sword.

Vaguely, like an illusion...

Karin suddenly felt the sword in her hand growing heavier, its size increasing slightly.

Correspondingly, the 'Dragon Vein''s barrier expanded bit by bit.

The entire forest...

One street...

Then all of Konoha...

"I can't... I’ve reached my limit," Karin gasped, her cheeks flushing, gritting her teeth. Each word was forced from her throat.

The sound of spiritual energy surged in her ears.

Minato glanced up, his voice calm. "The rain... it’s getting faster."

Just then, the reverse-rain picked up speed, the drops growing larger.

Kizashi remained silent, raising his hands.

He could no longer form seals; his hands had vanished, and unlike the subtle weakness from before, he could now feel the chakra rapidly draining from his body.

"Is the enemy outside speeding up the chakra extraction?" Hashirama asked, frowning.

"Could it be Naruto Uzumaki..." Hiruzen's voice was filled with concern.

"Naruto won’t lose," Karin almost immediately responded. "If she’s that desperate, it must be because she needs more power to deal with Naruto."

"Covering all of Konoha," Tobirama calculated. "It’s far from what we originally envisioned, but there’s still a chance."

Initially, they had aimed to cover at least all of the Land of Fire, if not the entire world, with the 'Dragon Vein''s power.

But...

Theory and reality were two different things.

Karin looked at him.

"If you can reverse time, you must also be able to stop it," Tobirama said calmly. "After reversing, stop time."

"For as long as you can."

He didn’t give a specific duration, not wanting to set unrealistic expectations.

Karin nodded and clenched her teeth.

"Reverse!"

The reverse rain returned to normal, the chakra flowing back into people’s bodies, and even Kizashi’s hands slowly began to reappear.

As the last drop of rain returned to the ninja’s body...

Karin activated the second ability.

"Time Stop!"

The 'Dragon Vein''s power marked a specific moment in time, freezing the timeline at this "checkpoint" rather than rewinding it.

This placed a great burden on Karin.

But she held steady, still suspended in midair.

In the Core Dimension.

Kaguya gritted her teeth, the Truth-Seeking Ball in her hands now enormous, large enough to blot out the sky.

"This ends now!"

"You are merely a mortal."

"Behold the power of a goddess... the power of divine techniques!"

Her hands trembled. The extreme amount of energy gathering within her was straining her even now.

‘Expansive Truth-Seeking Ball’.

A simple, yet overwhelming technique that relied solely on the sheer accumulation of power.

Vortex’s winds couldn’t blow it away. Any damage was quickly replenished and reinforced.

In fact...

Vortex’s energy was also being resisted and destroyed by the 'Truth-Seeking Ball'.

They reached a bizarre stalemate.

"This attack can't be blocked head-on," Kurama said in Naruto's inner world, standing with a serious expression. "This is far more dangerous than that bone technique."

Naruto nodded, grabbing 'Kurama' and preparing to open a portal.

But at that moment...

Kaguya's body suddenly shuddered violently. She groaned, blood spilling from her mouth.

Within the space, some of the chakra she had been gathering abruptly disappeared.

And within the 'Expansive Truth-Seeking Ball', some of the chakra that had already been integrated rebelled, struggling to escape and return to its origin.

When there was enough strength from the outside, an attack was manageable.

But an internal collapse was deadly.

"Is this..." Kurama was caught off guard, his eyes widening. "Her jutsu malfunctioned?"

Naruto was equally surprised but quickly realized what was happening. "It’s the 'Dragon Vein'."

"This is the 'Dragon Vein''s power."

"The chakra being drained in the 'Infinite Tsukuyomi' world is now flowing back."

"The once-stable structure has been disrupted, creating a flaw in her jutsu."

"It’s Karin."

Kurama pondered for a moment before lying down again, scratching at the ground with his paw. "She figured it out? And we didn’t even have to wake her up."

"For her to manage this... it’s truly remarkable."

She inflicted a serious wound on Kaguya.

Kurama sighed internally. "I’m not even as useful as Karin."

"I’ve always been stronger than her..."

Naruto remained silent, seizing the opportunity.

Fate punishes those who squander chances.

So...

He couldn’t afford to waste this one.

Vortex’s power surged, slipping into the cracks.

The 'Expansive Truth-Seeking Ball' creaked as more fissures formed, growing wider and more numerous.

Lines crisscrossed it, leaving it battered and broken.

Kaguya tried to hurl the orb forward anyway.

But as soon as it left her grasp, the enormous black sphere immediately shattered without her stabilizing force. It fell apart in midair, losing its momentum and crashing to the ground.

The sound of it breaking was like a mournful cry.

A cry that seemed to come from deep within Kaguya herself.

Naruto raised his hand, and without hesitation, he invoked his Kidō's incantation.

~~~

I'm getting blue balls every time wtf bro.