Shinigami in the Ninja World

Karin looked up at the massive meteor, her eyes filled with awe.

Kabuto, who had just managed to climb out of the "space between life and death," immediately retreated back in, leaving only half of his head exposed.

A small white snake slithered onto his head, its cold-blooded nature perhaps giving it the ability to stare without blinking. It fixated on the scene, not missing a single detail.

"Though I've said this many times before," Kabuto couldn't help but marvel, "the power of these ninja..."

It made sense that such a technique could be performed by Madara Uchiha. But only if it were the living Madara.

After all, he was in his Edo Tensei form now.

And Kabuto had made this body himself; he knew it inside and out. Yes, it was meticulously crafted using cells from both the Uchiha and Senju clans, but at the end of the day, it was still based on a weaker vessel. Could it truly allow Madara to wield even 80%, or even 70%, of his original power?

Could doubling his own abilities have achieved this?

Perhaps...

Kabuto blinked in surprise.

The snake continued, "Remember Shinra Tensei and Bansho Ten'in?"

Kabuto nodded.

"The principle is the same," the white snake explained, lifting its head. "It uses gravitational force to pull a meteor from beyond this planet, adjusting its trajectory to make it fall in the desired direction."

"It looks overwhelming, but in reality…"

"Madara's power isn't as terrifying as Naruto's. He's just leveraging the forces around him."

Kabuto remained silent, nodding slowly.

Just leveraging?

It made it sound as if anyone with the Rinnegan could easily perform such a technique.

He continued watching.

The meteor descended steadily as they spoke, its massive weight pressing down.

But Naruto was calm.

Even Karin, standing behind him, showed no signs of fear. Her wide eyes were filled with curiosity rather than worry, her entire body betraying no sense of danger.

The blond youth exhaled gently.

Blue particles drifted from his breath, swirling up toward the meteor.

A crackling sound followed, as though a torrential downpour had begun.

In an instant, the massive object that blocked out the sky began to dissolve, as if something was devouring it piece by piece. By the time it neared the ground, the last fragment had vanished completely, falling as nothing more than a final "mist of rain." 𝐑Α

The technique "Tengai Shinsei" resulted only in disturbed air currents, but under the influence of Naruto's Vortex, those currents became something he could control.

"This kind of technique is meaningless," Naruto said softly, waving his hand. The swirling winds dissipated, revealing Madara, who had been hidden behind the meteor. "It's all just for show."

As Naruto finished speaking, he paused, staring at the man across from him.

In the space between life and death, Kabuto fully emerged from his hiding place. "Though I knew from the start that Naruto could deal with such a massive threat…"

"I still can't believe how easily he did it."

As he spoke, his gaze shifted to Karin.

It's always those closest to him who truly understand the extent of Naruto's abilities, which is why they trust him so completely.

"That's a power beyond chakra…" The white snake flicked its tongue, and in its emotionless eyes, there was a hint of longing and expectation. "Or rather, it surpasses the chakra that we possess."

Kabuto pondered those words.

Surpasses the chakra we possess?

He had spent years alongside Orochimaru and knew better than anyone that when Orochimaru made such statements, there was rarely any exaggeration.

Is chakra also ranked in levels?

Was it possible that some people's chakra could rival the power Naruto wielded?

He considered this as his gaze shifted to Madara.

Madara's Susanoo shell had completely dissipated.

His body was now fully exposed.

It was no longer the form of Edo Tensei that had appeared before them at the beginning. After absorbing the Ten-Tails and becoming its jinchūriki, his body had undergone the same transformation as Obito.

The robe that draped over his body no longer appeared to be growing from his skin but seemed like a fully formed garment, a traditional kimono with a left-over-right style and wide sleeves.

On his collar, sleeves, and hem, there were tomoe symbols.

Madara also now had a sharp horn protruding from his forehead. Unlike Obito, his forehead was completely covered in a mask-like white material, from which the horn emerged.

His once iconic black hair had turned white, just as Obito's had.

Naruto blinked.

He had initially thought that becoming the Ten-Tails jinchūriki would consume a large amount of life force, as it had for Nagato, which was why Obito's hair had turned white.

But now it seemed his initial assumption was incorrect.

He recalled the stories he had heard during his travels in the Land of Lightning, legends that spoke of the Sage of Six Paths having horns. Kinkaku and Ginkaku, who were descendants of the Sage, also had horns on their heads.

So did becoming the Ten-Tails jinchūriki and gaining the power of the Six Paths make one's body resemble the Sage of Six Paths itself, even down to the transformation of physical traits?

Was chakra's strength determined by how closely one resembled its source?

"Naruto Uzumaki," Madara said, bending slightly as he formed a short black rod of yin-yang release in his hand. Unlike Obito's elaborate staff, Madara's weapon was simple, about the length of a ninja sword. "While this body does struggle with using the Rinnegan and the Six Paths power…"

"After absorbing the power of the Ten-Tails…"

"I have never seen or heard of strange powers like yours in the history of the ninja world."

"They're nothing like the power of a ninja."

"But if that's all you've got, you won't defeat me."

Naruto didn't respond. He was tired of refuting these seemingly confident statements. Instead, he raised his hand, and the winds that had dispersed earlier surged back toward Madara.

But this time, the power of Vortex was obstructed.

The wind didn't reach Madara's body. Something invisible stood in its way, causing the wind to split around him, no matter how fiercely it blew.

Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"It's useless," Madara sneered, his arrogance evident. "You may have found a way to break through the Mangekyō Sharingan."

"But the Rinnegan is an evolution beyond that."

"Don't think that just because you defeated Nagato, you've beaten the Rinnegan."

"Those eyes never truly belonged to him. He only scratched the surface of their power."

"This technique…"

"…is the ultimate power of the Rinnegan."

"Limbo: Border Jail."

Madara's words stopped abruptly, as he ceased explaining the nature of the technique.

Naruto could see that Madara wasn't just boasting about his power; he was trying to use fear and the unknown to undermine Naruto's confidence. Even if the words didn't hit directly, they were meant to cause doubt.

It was a subtle form of manipulation.

By relying on some kernel of truth, those words became sharper, more cutting.

Karin's expression was serious. "I can't sense anything in front of Madara."

Naruto nodded. He couldn't either.

His Mind's Eye of the Kagura, which was usually unfailing, was useless now.

Whether it was chakra or something else, the space felt empty.

There was clearly something there, but they couldn't detect it.

This chakra…

Should not be underestimated.

Madara smiled, a genuine grin this time.

Limbo: Border Jail was indeed the Rinnegan's ultimate technique. It allowed him to project his "shadow" into an alternate dimension, invisible and intangible to everyone except those with the Rinnegan. The shadow could block attacks or even launch assaults in his place.

He could summon four shadows.

In his Edo Tensei state, he hadn't been able to use this technique.

But now, as the Ten-Tails jinchūriki with the power of the Six Paths, the limitations of the Edo Tensei were gone, allowing him to unleash the technique's full potential.

Madara narrowed his eyes.

Kurama bristled on Naruto's shoulder. Though it couldn't sense anything either, an overwhelming, sharp malice suddenly surged from the front. "Watch out, straight ahead!"

Naruto also felt the hostile intent.

He and Kurama were perfectly in sync.

He immediately drew Kurama to block—

*Clang!* In the empty space before him, something collided with his blade, sparks flying.

The force was immense, causing Naruto to stagger slightly from the impact.

"What the hell is that?" Kurama grumbled.

Naruto thought for a moment. "It clashed with my sword and didn't get destroyed… The only thing in this world that could withstand such an attack would be a Truth-Seeking Ball."

"So…"

"Whatever attacked us just now used a Truth-Seeking Ball."

"A shadow that can't be detected?"

He recalled the Pain Six Paths technique that had left a deep impression on him. This shadow, though invisible, still had the height and form of a human.

"Kurama's ability to sense malice?" Madara muttered, displeased. "That's quite a troublesome power."

His tone was cold and dismissive.

Kurama snarled, "Madara Uchiha, I despise you!"

It didn't finish its sentence before suddenly whipping its head to the left.

But Naruto had already reacted, twisting his body and extending his finger.

"Bakudō #81. Dankū (斷空, Splitting Void)."

A thin, translucent barrier appeared in front of him.

At the same time, long, needle-thin purple lightning shot toward him at high speed, sudden and deadly.

"Sage Art: Yin Release Lightning Dispatch."

The lightning struck the barrier, sparking violently but failing to penetrate. It couldn't even scratch the shield, let alone harm Naruto behind it.

But the danger wasn't over.

Naruto had only defended from one side, leaving the other open.

A subtle disturbance in the air rushed toward him from behind—a razor-thin wind current.

"Sage Art: Storm Release Light Fang."

Kurama hastily formed a Tailed Beast Bomb, its target not the technique itself but the source of the attack, following the faint wind current to its origin.

The half-formed Tailed Beast Bomb shot forward, exploding upon impact with an unseen target.

But…

The attack didn't stop there.

Despite the explosion, the technique remained unyielding, still moving toward its target.

Kurama's eyes widened, its pupils dilating.

How is this possible? Even though the Tailed Beast Bomb hadn't reached its full power, it was no weak attack. If Naruto had taken it head-on, he'd be injured.

But Madara's body had withstood the blast without a scratch?

Even the Sage of Six Paths' body wasn't that resilient.

And worse yet, the attack was still approaching!

Naruto calmly turned around and reached out. The fierce wind current instantly became docile, as if tamed, and he held it like a whip. Only a few faint electric sparks remained. "Using wind against me? Did you forget what my sword is called?"

Madara clasped his hands together. "Even if you manage to find some cracks, so what?"

"With the power of the Six Paths and the Rinnegan, I am the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths."

"Can't you see from these few exchanges just how…"

Naruto cut him off, "I've already figured it out."

Madara blinked.

Figured it out?

Figured out what?

"This Limbo: Border Jail technique is similar to a shadow clone technique, isn't it?" Naruto said softly, smiling slightly as he swung the wind current like a whip in all directions. "I don't know how, but it prevents me from sensing them."

"But they exist in this world with physical forms."

"And the most important thing…"

"There are four of them, right?"

Madara narrowed his eyes.

Naruto's guess was spot on. Limbo: Border Jail allowed him to summon four shadows.

But…

How had Naruto figured it out?

Just from their brief exchange?

Naruto turned his head, looking in a particular direction, his smile widening slightly. "I've caught one."

The wind whip struck something invisible.

In the next moment, golden chains coiled around the unseen figure, binding it tightly.

~~~

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