The sound was less of a slash and more of the world being torn in two.
FWOOM.
A line of pure, brilliant blue light split the sky from horizon to horizon. Directly beneath it, the swamp didn't just flood—it was carved asunder, the earth peeling back like a rotten fruit.
The energy didn't stop, shearing through the mountainous southern lands and leaving a gaping, newborn canyon in its wake.
For a long moment, there was only silence, stunned disbelief.
It wasn't a subtle technique. Everyone saw it.
Farmers in the Land of Waves gaped from their fields. Hardened scouts from the Allied Shinobi Forces, hidden in the treeline, felt their blood turn to ice. They had just witnessed someone redraw the map on a whim.
"Well," Orochimaru finally breathed out, a rare flicker of genuine awe in his serpentine eyes. "That's… something else entirely. One could probably dismantle the entire world with power like that."
"Tell me the recall signal was sent," Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered, rubbing his temples as a headache began to bloom. "This has escalated so far beyond our intelligence it's not even funny."
"It's done," the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, stated, his voice flat and his expression grim. He crossed his arms. "Remind me. Whose brilliant intelligence report claimed the Land of Waves' Espada were operating at a 'Level Five' threat?"
An awkward silence fell over the command post.
Slowly, one by one, every head turned to a single man.
Madara just scoffed, not even bothering to deny it. "It was my intel. And I stand by it. I also said the top five break all the rules. That Uchiha Shisui? Are you going to tell me he isn't in the top five?"
Tobirama simply rolled his eyes and looked away. "Arguing with you is a waste of breath. We wait. They will be back any second."
—
Back in the cleaved swamp, Shisui watched the last remnants of the blue energy dissipate, the air crackling with ozone.
A flicker of gold in the sky resolved into two figures: Itachi Uchiha and Minato Namikaze, looking worse for wear.
"Leaving so soon?" Shisui asked, a faint, almost polite smile on his lips. He made no move to pursue them.
Itachi's face was an unreadable mask. "This isn't over. I will return."
"Shisui," Minato said, his voice respectful yet firm. "That's… formidable power you wield. We see now what the Espada are truly capable of. But do not underestimate the will of a shinobi. It is how we will prevail."
"I hope you're right," Shisui replied, his smile warming with a touch of nostalgia. "A fair warning, though. The next time you visit, you'll have to deal with someone else."
Before either could respond, the golden light of the Hiraishin (flying thunder god) enveloped them, and they were gone.
Shisui gave a slight shake of his head, then turned and walked calmly back towards the city, leaving the newborn canyon behind him.
—
In the main office, the viewing screen flickered off.
Kushina leaned back in her chair with a low whistle. "Well, there you have it. Your boy got his butt handed to him. Again."
Mikoto didn't look up from her tea. "Says the woman whose ex-husband showed up, played taxi driver, and then ran away."
"Hey! Minato's role is strategic insertion and extraction! He's a specialist!"
"You mean a glorified chauffeur?"
"Ouch. Harsh."
Kushina grinned, then grew more serious.
"But honestly. For all their big talk, the Alliance's knock-off Hollowfication is pretty weak. Two years of research for that?"
"I think it's less that they're weak, and more that Yuto is simply on a completely different level," Mikoto mused, setting her cup down. "They've been eating our dust since the very beginning."
Yuto, who had been quietly listening, finally shrugged.
"Nah, they're not hopeless. Two years to get to that stage? It's not bad. I just had a massive head start, that's all. Orochimaru's actually pretty clever when he's not being a creepy snake."
Just then, a series of frantic beeps erupted from Yuto's pocket. He pulled out the mysterious communicator.
A chat log flashed on its small screen.
[Magical Girl]: YOU THERE?
[Magical Girl]: ANSWER ME, YOU JACKASS!
Yuto snorted and began to type.
[Dumb Snack]: ??
[Magical Girl]: We've got a PROBLEM. The enemy is a lot stronger than we expected!
[Dumb Snack]: Uh oh. What happened?
[Magical Girl]: That Uchiha Shisui! Third or Fourth Espada? His power is rivaling MINE! What did you DO?!
[Dumb Snack]: Whoa, for real? That's nuts.
[Magical Girl]: I'm serious! I think that Yuto punk is cheating! He's added something to the hullowfication process. Something we haven't figured out yet!
[Dumb Snack]: Like what? Did he stick a magical girl wand into the mix?
Behind him, Kushina, who was reading over his shoulder, lost her cool.
"A MAGICAL GIRL WAND!" she howled, clutching her stomach with laughter. "He's going to lose his mind!"
Mikoto hid her smile behind her hand. "Oh, he is not going to like that."
The response was immediate.
[Magical Girl]: GO DIE IN A DITCH.
[Dumb Snack]: What? It's a valid theory! What else could it be?
[Magical Girl]: THIS ISN'T A JOKE. THERE ARE NO MAGICAL GIRLS HERE, YOU IDIOT.
[Dumb Snack]: Says the guy with 'Magical Girl' as his contact name…
[Magical Girl]: I SWEAR TO THE SAGE— I'M TALKING ABOUT REAL INTEL AND YOU'RE—
… (30 min later)
[Magical Girl]: FINE. You want to know what I think? I think it's the TEN-TAILS!
Yuto's fingers froze. He, Kushina, and Mikoto all exchanged looks of bewilderment.
"The… Ten-Tails?" Kushina mouthed silently.
Yuto slowly typed back.
[Dumb Snack]: …The Ten-Tails?
[Magical Girl]: THINK ABOUT IT. The brat has the One-Tail and the Nine-Tails. He's got most of the beasts. You think someone with his tech can't figure out how to fuse them?
[Dumb Snack]: I mean… he probably could? It's not that hard?
[Magical Girl]: SEE? So he makes the Ten-Tails, strips out its chakra, and uses THAT as the base for his top-tier Arrancar! It makes perfect sense!
[Dumb Snack]: I guess it's… possible?
[Magical Girl]: SO I'M RIGHT.
[Dumb Snack]: Or, and hear me out, maybe he found a Hōgyoku?
[Magical Girl]: DON'T BE STUPID. How? This world doesn't have the components to make one from scratch!
[Dumb Snack]: Maybe he has, like, a cool system? You know, like in those transmigrator stories I told you?
[Magical Girl]: I'M DONE. I'M DONE WITH YOU. Whatever he's got, I'm mobilizing the entire army. We attack in two weeks.
[Dumb Snack]: Wait, you just found out they're way stronger than you thought and your plan is to… attack more? Maybe try a different plan?
[Magical Girl]: It's called a BLITZKRIEG! We hit them when they least expect it, before they can react! I'll lead the strike force right into their main city myself!
[Dumb Snack]: …Sure. Okay. You do that. Stream it for me?
[Magical Girl]: WHATEVER.
Click. The chat went dead.
Yuto stared at the silent communicator for a long time, his face a mixture of pity and disbelief.
"That guy… is a complete disaster."
He was about to say more when a sound from beside him cut him off. Mikoto had gone pale. She clapped a hand over her mouth, her shoulders tensing.
"Ugh," she gagged, her face contorting in sudden discomfort. "Sorry. I… I don't feel so good all of a sudden."
_____
_______
Show your support with Power Stones guys!
[email protected]/Raven_scroll (30+ Advance Chapters)