Next Bonus, 100PS!!
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[Note: For those wondering about the White Snake Sage, don't worry—she'll play an important role later. I haven't forgotten about her, and she won't just disappear from the story.]
Out in the wilderness, the wind suddenly died down as a heavy pressure filled the sky.
"That power... Teacher??"
Kurama's red eyes shot up, staring at the sky above Mount Myōboku. His tails twitched with excitement, and he could hardly hide his anticipation.
"Is Teacher finally going to cleanse the human world himself?" Kurama paced back and forth across the wasteland.
Earlier, he told Manji to use his full power to cleanse the war-torn human world. Teacher only said he understood, and Kurama had waited ever since.
Now that Teacher had released such overwhelming power, Kurama was sure he had finally decided to end all wars.
"HAHAHA! WHEN THE TIME COMES, I'LL JOIN TEACHER AND TEAR THROUGH EVERYTHING!"
................
Inside the cave at Foxfall Cliff, Senju Tsuru was studying sword techniques when the sudden pressure hit. His whole body went numb.
"Holy crap, that power! Sage Black Zetsu, what kind of monster force is that?" Tsuru shouted in surprise.
Black Zetsu, attached to his left hand, had already dropped his usual grin. His dark face grew serious, and even his chakra tightened.
He knew this power too well.
It belonged only to Mount Myōboku's Grand Sage, Manji—
"Yeah. That's a power beyond imagination. I just hope it doesn't affect the human world..." Black Zetsu said.
Inside, he kept thinking: What happened? What could make the Grand Sage release this frightening power? Could he really be planning to cleanse the human world himself and remove every source of unrest?
"Heavens..."
Tsuru wiped sweat from his forehead, still shaken. "Something this scary really exists in this world..."
Black Zetsu stayed silent. Still, the unease in his heart grew stronger.
................
Above Mount Myōboku, the bright light around Manji faded. He frowned, his face showing a hint of helplessness and regret.
"Still impossible."
He had just used everything he had: the Tenseigan, the Rinnegan, the Five Great Sage Arts, and the Dragon Vein's power, all at once.
The display was world-shaking, bright enough to light up the whole sky, but his limits didn't change. In the end, he still couldn't break through the System's restriction.
It felt like adding more and more special effects.
The show got stronger, brighter, louder, and even more overwhelming. But the real power underneath didn't move at all.
Manji put his hands behind his back and sighed, regret in his voice. "Still, with my current power, I can create the Pure Land. I'm only missing Yin-Yang Release."
He could feel it clearly. He had the capacity to create the Pure Land, but he needed Yin-Yang Release.
Right after he spoke, Manji sensed something strange around him. "This isn't good. That burst of power broke through Mount Myōboku's barrier. It might have leaked into the human world."
Realizing how serious this was, Manji acted right away.
He removed every layer of power around himself. Then he gathered the Dragon Vein's Sage Chakra and Mount Myōboku's Sage power, focusing it all into a new barrier.
"Withdraw." His quiet command rang across Mount Myōboku.
At the same time, the crushing force pressing on everyone in the human world vanished instantly.
It disappeared as if it had never existed.
Only the empty sky was left, strangely calm.
Everyone in the Shinobi world felt the weight lift from their bodies. Their tense muscles slowly relaxed.
But no one moved. They stayed frozen, staring at the sky in awe and shock, their minds unsettled.
Uchiha.
An Uchiha elder steadied himself and said in a low voice to Uchiha Sa beside him, "Clan Head, that power... disappeared."
"I know." Uchiha Sa stared at the clear sky, her red Sharingan slightly unfocused.
That terrifying power was gone, but the shock and helplessness it left behind stayed with her and wouldn't fade.
"So there really are things in this world that see us as ants..." Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.
She had always thought of herself as one of the best fighters in the Shinobi world. She led the Uchiha Clan and moved easily across battlefields. But facing that power, she understood something with painful clarity.
She and her people were like dust.
Dust that could be wiped away with the flick of a finger.
................
The Uchiha weren't the only ones who felt that shock.
The Senju, Hyūga, Uzumaki, Sarutobi, Kaguya... every major shinobi clan, along with civilians, samurai, and daimyō, all fell into stunned silence after the pressure disappeared.
Fear, awe, confusion, and reflection spread through the human world.
That brief show of supreme power hit the world hard, shattering everyone's idea of what it meant to be strong. It forced everyone to realize one thing:
There Is Always Someone Above You.
Beyond the Shinobi world were beings far greater than anything they could imagine.
That sudden event shook the entire Shinobi world and became a memory no one could forget.
................
In the cave at Foxfall Cliff, Tsuru let out a long breath and patted his chest. "Whew. Sage Black Zetsu, that power is finally gone..."
Black Zetsu nodded. He had already made up his mind.
Something must have happened at Mount Myōboku, breaking the barrier and letting the Grand Sage's power leak into the human world by accident. It wasn't on purpose.
He gathered his thoughts and stopped worrying about Mount Myōboku. Then he told Tsuru seriously, "That's enough, Tsuru. Whatever happens, happens. If trouble is coming, hiding won't help. This has nothing to do with us."
"Focus on learning the sword art on this wall. Learn it quickly and leave. We shouldn't stay here too long."
................
A day and a night passed.
The last traces of that overwhelming pressure faded from the human world, and everyone in the Shinobi world slowly recovered from the shock. Each person went back to their own path.
People returned to what they were doing before.
The fighting picked up where it had left off.
Inside the cave at Foxfall Cliff, Senju Tsuru finished his stance and stood up. He stretched, satisfaction on his face. The sharp feeling of the sword art still lingered at his fingertips.
"Whew! I finally finished learning it. This sword art is amazing. Every move is ruthless, but there's hidden flexibility in how it's built. No wonder it was Uchiha Kitsune's ultimate technique!"
Tsuru looked at the marks on the stone wall and praised them from the heart.
Black Zetsu, attached to his palm, nodded slightly. His ink-dark eyes lifted, and he gave an instruction. "Erase the blade marks on this wall completely. That way, no one else can come here later and learn them."
Tsuru's face tensed up. He looked troubled and quickly waved his hand. "Sage Black Zetsu, that feels... wrong."
"Uchiha Kitsune left this sword art behind and never destroyed it. The Hatake clan head inherited it and didn't erase it either. Both of them kept this inheritance out of generosity. If I destroy it now, wouldn't that make me selfish?"
"Hah?"
Black Zetsu clicked his tongue and spoke patiently. "Come on. Don't get caught up in reputation."
"Why not see it from another angle?"
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