"Ora ora ora ora!"
Mixed into Star Platinum's roar was the "chh-chh" sound of the Ruin Greatsword spitting red flames.
Then...
"Time, resume flowing."
Ryosuke pulled back.
Bang!
Driving the power of the Ghost God, just as Moryo was about to make a move, he didn't even understand what happened before his entire body turned into minced flesh and exploded apart.
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
Moryo let out a pained scream.
But immediately after, he couldn't even scream anymore.
Bolts of lightning came crashing straight down, the blinding white light covering Moryo's vision.
Natural lightning already inflicted massive damage on ghost-type beings like Moryo. Ryosuke mixed ripple and natural energy into it as well.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Countless lightning bolts rained down without pause.
———
"Lord Moryo!"
Yomi shouted anxiously and was about to rush in to help when a kunai flew past, slicing open his not-so-handsome cheek.
"You still have the mood to worry about someone else?"
Kakashi's voice sounded from behind Yomi, and another kunai stabbed toward the back of Yomi's head.
The two clashed rapidly in close-quarters combat.
But after awakening the Mangekyō, Kakashi's dynamic vision, reaction speed, every aspect was stronger than before. After resolving his inner demons, he focused even more on training.
The Kakashi of now was countless times stronger than in the same period in the original story. Within only a few exchanges, he kicked Yomi hard in the stomach, sending him flying high.
Zzzla!!
A sound like thousands of birds chirping erupted as lightning wrapped around Kakashi's hand, forming a single bolt that shot toward the immobilized Yomi.
"Raikiri!"
BOOM!
The Raikiri pierced the chest of an undead puppet.
"What is…"
Kakashi turned around, only to see countless undead puppets, holding blades, crawling up from underground to join the battlefield.
With the undead army joining in, Neji, Lee, and Tenten, already fighting Yomi's subordinates, were instantly overwhelmed.
At the same time, more undead soldiers rushed into the storm of lightning, using their bodies as shields to win Moryo a sliver of survival.
The Ghost Country Daimyō's body had long been blasted apart, leaving only half a head, with a broken spine dangling below it.
Moryo controlled the head to rise into the air. Surging Ghost God power erupted as he dodged the falling lightning, charging straight toward Ryosuke with a sharp, manic laugh, "Ryosuke! Come! Combine with me!"
Moryo rushed right up to him.
Ryosuke raised a finger.
"Ora!"
Star Platinum blocked the way, the star-speckled light shimmering on its fist as it swung forward, smashing heavily into the remaining half of the Daimyō's skull.
A crisp crack was heard as the skull shattered.
The crack spread backward along the bone, and in an instant, everything burst apart into fragments.
But Moryo's soul arrived right at Ryosuke's front.
Extreme cold natural energy tore open the ripple barrier on the outside and pounced onto Ryosuke.
Kakashi's brows tightened slightly. The three-tomoe Sharingan accelerated its spin, shifting into Mangekyō mode.
Shion clasped her hands tightly, her mother's protective bell resting in her palms. She wanted to use its power to protect Ryosuke, but,
Yomi's fierce gaze locked on her.
He held a detonator and silently mouthed, "Don't you fing move."
A deep purple glow appeared in Ryosuke's eyes.
'Possession… began!'
Moryo, being an evil ghost to begin with, truly was an expert in the soul domain. Add to that the fact that Ryosuke had lost the White Snake, leaving a large protective gate missing in his mental defenses.
That gave Moryo an opening.
"Come, let me see if your soul, Ryosuke, the legendary one, is truly as strong as they say."
Moryo's method of possession relied on sheer Ghost God power and a will far beyond mortals. Once entering the target's body, he would crush the opponent's soul through brute force, seizing control.
Outside, Moryo admitted he couldn't beat Ryosuke.
After all, he had only been "lodging" inside the Ghost Country Daimyō's body before. Moryo's true body was still underground, never actually used.
"But the soul domain… this is my home turf!"
Moryo said as he invaded deeper into Ryosuke's consciousness space, intending to crush him with his soul...
Thud!
Moryo rammed straight into a crystal-clear wall.
He stared at the wall in shock.
A face was pressed against it.
What did Moryo see?
Black holes, white holes, countless stars revolving, stars dying and being born, cycling endlessly with no end.
"This… what the hell IS this thing?!"
If Moryo had gone out more, maybe talked to Konoha's mind-expert Yamanaka Inoichi, he would never have entered Ryosuke's mind so casually.
Fear of the unknown sprouted even in an evil ghost's heart.
Smack!
A large hand grabbed Moryo's head.
Bit by bit, it twisted his head 180 degrees, forcing him to face Star Platinum's cold stare.
Behind Star Platinum stood Killer Queen, C-Moon, Weather Report, Aerosmith…
A whole group of Stands glared at Moryo.
It was true, without the White Snake, Ryosuke lost a major layer of protection against genjutsu and spiritual corruption.
But getting inside was one thing.
Doing anything inside was another.
"Ora!"
Star Platinum punched him down, and all the Stands crowded in, raising their feet to stomp.
Especially Weather Report, formed from white clouds, holding Hermit Purple, whipping Moryo's pitch-black soul with rapid lashes, striking a hundred times in less than half a second.
Thud!
Moryo's soul couldn't withstand it anymore and fled Ryosuke's consciousness space.
All of that sounds complicated, but because it happened inside deep consciousness, less than one second passed in the real world.
Kakashi's Sharingan had just shifted into Mangekyō, and Yomi's triumphant smile was still hanging on his face, when a dark shadow, like a stray dog on the street, came scrambling out of Ryosuke's body.
Others might not understand the expression of an evil ghost, but Yomi saw clearly.
With just a brief clash… Moryo fell into bewilderment.
This was clearly...
The daze that comes after a weakling's confidence collapses.
"How is that possible!"
Yomi couldn't believe it. "In the soul domain, Lord Moryo's strongest field, his confidence…"
"Was shattered!"
Moryo fled toward the summoning array.
Ryosuke picked up the Ruin Greatsword, ran his palm along the wide blade, wrapping it with heavy ripple energy and natural force, then, hurled it toward Moryo's back.
The long blade flew straight.
It pierced through Moryo's body, nailing him firmly onto the summoning array.
Ryosuke did not hesitate. He rushed toward Moryo, ready to deliver the finishing blow.
Yomi snapped back to reality and shouted toward Priestess Shion, "Unseal!"
"Release Lord Moryo's true body sealed underground!"
Shion gritted her teeth.
"I won't!"
"You little!"
To prevent the Ghost God's aura from leaking out and drawing unwanted attention, Moryo's true body was sealed underground using the priestesses' power.
At this distance, Moryo naturally could unseal himself, but that would waste huge amounts of Ghost God energy.
Facing Ryosuke, this monster, they could not afford waste.
Yomi raised the detonator in threat.
At that moment...
"Rasengan!"
Naruto's shout rose up.
Hundreds of small Narutos burst out from underground, each holding a Rasengan as they swarmed toward Yomi.
Behind them came even more small Narutos carrying children, women, and elderly from the underground prison.
Shion clenched her fists.
'He did it!'
Right before Yomi's men knocked him out, Naruto whispered one last sentence into Shion's ear,
"Trust me. I'll save everyone."
Shion hadn't known whether she should trust this unreliable boy her age.
But she had no other choice.
And Naruto… did not betray her expectations!
Hundreds of Rasengan slammed down. Yomi was spun violently, smashed into the wall, and stopped moving completely.
Even the detonator was snatched away by Naruto and crushed under his heel.
They succeeded.
Shion's eyes filled with tears.
Just as she was about to cheer, out of the corner of her eye she saw, Moryo, who had been pierced by the Ruin Greatsword, suddenly crashed head-first into the ground before Ryosuke could reach him.
He had used soul shattering and loss of power…
To undo the seal on his true body.