The Dream World.
The world that Gamamaru had nurtured for a thousand years—the hidden realm secretly created under Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's plan, his ultimate trump card—completely collapsed at this moment because of Yuki Yoru.
Gamamaru was forced to wrench himself free from the dream world. His murky eyes fixed on the pillar of light that pierced the heavens, now stained pitch-black, his expression dark and clouded.
"Great Toad Sage, that Yuki Yoru—what's happening with him now?!" Fukasaku's voice trembled with urgency as he asked, but Gamamaru had no mind to answer. His gaze remained locked on the corrupted pillar of light.
Like other dimensional realms, the dream world existed in a subspace outside of reality. Even though it shared nodes with the real world, it could never be accessed without the Great Toad Sage's permission.
Yet now, with its control ripped away and Yoru's terrifying spiritual power flooding outward, a part of the dream world had been forcibly dragged into reality. Worst of all—the world that once lay entirely within Gamamaru's grasp was slipping from his hands.
"Damn that bastard!"
Looking at the pillar of light that was constantly being stained with ink, a resolute and ruthless look appeared in Gamamaru's eyes.
Yuki Yoru's power had utterly exceeded his expectations. That man didn't care in the least about turning completely against Hagoromo; he directly devoured Asura and Indra's power to reach his current realm.
If he were to obtain the Dream World, his combat power would only become even more formidable!
Hesitation leads to disaster.
"If you want this world so badly… then take it!"
Gamamaru's hands clapped together. In that instant, he unleashed every drop of his Sage chakra without restraint.
The pillar of light shuddered violently. The inky black spread at breakneck speed, but now, a faint brownish glow appeared on its surface—like a coating of toad oil.
As that strange radiance spread, the pillar itself began to turn illusory, flickering between existence and nothingness. Gamamaru kept his hands pressed tight together, flooding more Sage chakra into it as if it cost him nothing.
"Go then. Drift with this world into the endless void between the stars!"
"Dream-Seal Binding!"
The ethereal pillar trembled once more—and then vanished entirely from the sky.
Gamamaru collapsed back onto his seat, utterly drained, his body trembling as though emptied out.
"Great Toad Sage, th-this is…" Fukasaku stared, stunned. What on earth had just happened?
He had thought that if the Great Toad Sage intervened, Yuki Yoru would be subdued easily. But instead, everything had been overturned. Still, judging by the outcome, it seemed Yoru had been dealt with—though at a steep price.
"Do not dwell on it. Yuki Yoru… will never again exist in this world." Gamamaru finally spoke after regaining his breath. "I already know the state of Mount Myōboku. You and Shima did well. But as for the toads who have already died—there is no bringing them back."
Indeed, with his Sage chakra, he could reverse life and death itself. And these toads were his descendants.
But with their souls shattered beyond repair, revival was impossible.
To Gamamaru, however, such losses were hardly worth mentioning. If he wished, he could create dozens more of even a toad like Gamabunta without effort.
"…Take this."
He raised his hand, condensing a sphere of pure sage chakra. The pure white energy sphere, resembling white jade, floated quietly over to Fukasaku.
"Use this power well to repair Mount Myōboku."
"Yes, Great Toad Sage!"
Fukasaku received the pure white orb of energy with reverence, while Gamamaru's form vanished into the depths of the Toad Cave…
...
"It looks like… it worked."
On a nameless island off the coast of Kirigakure, Uzumaki Hiromi gazed into the distance, sensing the overwhelming spiritual pressure erupting like a pillar piercing the heavens, as if demanding the entire shinobi world bow down before it. Her expression turned dazed.
After so many years of scheming, finally—at last—half of the plan had succeeded.
By using the chakra of Asura and Indra, combined with the Dragon Vein, the Star, and countless other sources of chakra fused together, Yuki Yoru had broken through to that higher realm. Even if their enemies were those godlike beings from the heavens, surely now they had the power to fight.
Miroku and Hikari had also felt that vast spiritual pressure. The two exchanged glances and both let out a breath of relief.
Converting such enormous chakra into spiritual power, and then transmitting it to Yoru, had pushed them both to their limits. But the result—it was worth it.
"Wait… no… something's wrong!"
Suddenly, Miroku's smile froze. Her lovely face stiffened in disbelief as she jerked her head up, eyes locked toward the direction that overwhelming spiritual pressure had come from. Her lips trembled as she muttered:
"Impossible… how could it suddenly just—"
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Miroku's stricken expression, and Hikari's face growing more and more solemn, Uzumaki Hiromi sensed something was off.
"I… I can't feel his presence anymore." Miroku's voice shook, her face pale. "His presence, his connection to me—our link of spiritual power—it just… broke, in an instant."
"What?!"
Hiromi's eyes widened, her entire body snapping upright. She fixed Miroku with a piercing stare. "What did you just say?!"
"I don't know… I just… I can't sense him anymore." Miroku's voice quivered, her own panic showing. But her words struck Hiromi like a thunderbolt.
Though not a Quincy herself, Hiromi knew well the bond between Quincies and Yoru.
Because of his origin as the source of all spiritual power, every Quincy shared an inexplicable link with Yuki Yoru. And for Quincies like Miroku, who wielded Schrift, that link was even stronger.
It was the bond between god and believer, between the origin of power and its branches.
A god could always feel the faith of his followers—and Yoru, as the root of spiritual power, was the god of all Quincies.
But now… the believers could no longer sense their god.
"No… it's not that the bond has broken—it's that it's grown faint," Hikari suddenly said.
Her words reignited hope in Hiromi's eyes, who had nearly collapsed under the weight of despair.
"What does this mean?" Hiromi asked urgently, her face filled with desperate hope. Miroku, too, turned toward Hikari, tense and uncertain.
Hikari slowly closed her eyes, her form shifting as she entered her Vollständig, her single divine eye glowing as she stretched her senses outward.
"You couldn't sense him because he is very far from us now. There may even be barriers or seals obstructing the bond. But…" After a long pause, Hikari finally spoke, her tone steady. "My Eight Thousand Spears can still feel his existence."
At those words, both Miroku and Hiromi finally exhaled in relief.
The Eight Thousand Spears could transmit power across any distance. They might not understand why Miroku and the other Quincies could no longer sense Yoru—but as long as that divine technique could still connect to him, it meant Yuki Yoru was safe.
"As long as nothing's happened to him…"
Hiromi let out a soft breath of relief, but her expression quickly hardened as she spoke:
"Even if Lord Yoru himself is safe, the fact that Miroku and Hikari can't sense his presence means the other Quincies likely can't either. We can't risk panic spreading. Use Heilig Bogen to send the message back—no, forget that. We must return to the village immediately to steady morale and keep order!"
"Right!"
The number of Quincies was simply too vast—so vast that by now, eighty percent of the shinobi world could be considered Quincies.
If all of them began to suspect that Yuki Yoru had met with misfortune… Kirigakure would be thrown into chaos!
Hiromi, Hikari, and Miroku rushed back to the village through the Garganta at once. Fortunately, the riot they had feared hadn't broken out. Still, those few who had been granted Schrift by Yoru gathered anxiously inside the Mizukage's office.
Seeing this, Hiromi immediately understood.
Although every Quincy's power came from Yoru, only the Sternritter—those with Schrift—could directly sense his presence. That simplified matters greatly.
"Here's the situation. With our assistance, Lord Yoru's power broke through to a higher level. I'm sure you all felt that crushing aura just now, didn't you?"
Uzumaki Hiromi's face bore a calm, confident smile as she looked around the room, her tone firm.
"And honestly—do you think there's anyone left in this world who could threaten Lord Yoru?"
At her words, the worried expressions around the office melted into awkward silence.
Of course. Who in the shinobi world could possibly threaten Yuki Yoru now? Nagato, who once styled himself as a god, had already been subdued. Uchiha Obito, who sparked the Fourth Shinobi World War, was little more than a clown. The entire state of the shinobi world lay firmly under Kirigakure's control.
And with that overwhelming aura earlier, strong enough to make the whole world bow in fear—how could they doubt him?
In an instant, their mood shifted from "uneasy" to "relieved."
"I understand your concerns," Terumī Mei finally spoke from behind the Mizukage's desk, her voice cool and level. "And yes, this unexpected situation raises questions. But what I want is for you to use your heads. Think logically. Now—return to your posts."
The gathered Sternritter felt their scalps prickle at her words. One by one, they bowed, muttered assent, and fled the office as though chased.
"I knew the Fourth wouldn't fall."
"Of course not. You all know how strong he is—and this time, he's only grown stronger."
"Damn it, that spiritual pressure… I thought the sky itself was about to collapse!"
"Well, he is our Eternal Leader…"
Before long, the office was empty, the chatter and nervous laughter fading into silence. Only Terumī Mei and Yuki Kiri remained, both fixing Hiromi with grave expressions.
"Tell us. What really happened?" Mei demanded.
"…I don't know."
Hiromi was silent for a long moment before shaking her head. "We followed the plan. We successfully merged Indra's and Asura's chakra into Lord Yoru's body—that's why his aura earlier was so overwhelming. But then, for some reason, the link of spiritual power was cut. Still, Hikari used the Eight Thousand Spears to confirm that Lord Yoru is unharmed."
"Lord Yoru went to Mount Myōboku," Kiri said slowly. "The White Snake Sage went missing, and at Ryūchi Cave, Lord Yoru found traces left by those toads. That's why he headed there."
"Yes—Mount Myōboku! If anything did happen to him, it must be tied to those toads!"
"I'll take troops and surround Mount Myōboku!"
"Don't be reckless," Mei cut in sharply. "If Hikari says Lord Yoru is unharmed, then he's unharmed. And you know his temperament—he'd never act without certainty."
"But what if—?!"
"There is no 'what if.' Do not break the plan with unnecessary moves. Our only duty is to keep the situation under control."
"…Damn it!"
The women discussed among themselves. Although none of them knew exactly what had happened to Yuki Yoru, the best course of action for now was clear:
Face all changes by remaining unchanged.
Steady the situation. Soldiers block the enemy, earth stops the flood.
But trouble, once it appears, never comes alone.
The very next day, Nagato—who had been roaming the shinobi world trying to spread the new "Will of Akatsuki"—sent back urgent intelligence. He had clashed with an unknown force.
The enemy wielded powers identical to the dead, and their appearances… disturbingly familiar.
"A shinobi possessing Takigakure's forbidden jutsu, Earth Grudge Fear, who looks exactly like Kakuzu… and another who is the spitting image of Jiraiya—one of the Legendary Sannin who Lord Yoru personally killed…"
Yuki Kiri rubbed the corner of her eye, her head aching, before handing the scroll of intelligence to Terumī Mei beside her.
Mei, who had been pretending not to care and trying to slack off, immediately grew tense as her brows knitted upon reading the report.
"Their souls should have long since dissipated. How could something like this happen?" Mei said grimly. "They have no memories, yet their combat skills are no weaker than when they were alive… puppets, perhaps?"
"'Clones' would be a more accurate word."
The office door creaked open. After being absent from the village for some time, Yagura stepped inside, placing another intelligence scroll on the desk with a deep voice:
"Here's a list of the members from that faction who've already been exposed. If we don't deal with this carefully, the consequences will be dire."
Kiri unrolled the scroll. With every line she read, her expression grew heavier.
Mei leaned over out of curiosity, but just one glance left her beautiful face equally grim.
"The White Fang of the Leaf… the Second Tsuchikage… the Third Raikage…"
"These people… are they trying to start the Fifth Shinobi World War?!"