At the end of the passage stood an open doorway, sealed by a transparent layer of shimmering light that looked strange and unreal.
"It's still rough for now," Naruto said casually. "Just a prototype. I'll improve it over time."
Carrying Otsutsuki Urashiki, Naruto stepped through the light barrier. The others followed.
Beyond it lay an enormous open space—nearly the size of a dozen fields. Along the edges ran a long corridor lined with rooms and structures. For now, the space was completely empty.
Naruto tossed Urashiki aside without a care, as if he weren't worried at all about losing control of him.
"Where… is this?" everyone asked, looking around in confusion.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. He couldn't quite explain it, but the place made his skin crawl. An oppressive pressure hung in the air, as if something terrifying was lurking just beneath the surface.
"Uzumaki Naruto," Urashiki growled, chakra surging through his body. A dark spatial rift opened behind him as he half-stepped into it, ready to escape at any moment. He stared at Naruto warily. "What are you planning?"
"What am I planning?" Naruto smiled. "You Otsutsuki came to the ninja world—so as the host, I naturally prepared a place to entertain you. Don't worry, I'm very hospitable. I won't treat you badly."
"…What?"
"There's food, there's a place to sleep, and there are companions to play with. Sounds great, doesn't it?"
"Hmph," Urashiki sneered. "I don't believe a word of it. You'll regret loosening your restraints. I'll find a chance to steal the Nine-Tails from you and repay today's humiliation!"
With that, he stepped backward, preparing to retreat fully into the spatial rift and escape.
Jiraiya and the others tensed. Urashiki's space–time techniques were unpredictable and nearly impossible to counter. If he escaped now, he'd be a nightmare to deal with later.
Naruto, however, only looked at Urashiki with pity.
*Boom!*
A dull, heavy impact echoed.
Urashiki screamed as he was violently thrown out of the spatial rift, slamming into empty air as if he had hit an invisible wall. Blood streamed down his forehead as he collapsed, twitching on the ground.
Everyone froze.
"Oh, I forgot to mention," Naruto said lightly. "I set up a sealing barrier here. All space–time escape techniques are prohibited. You probably ran straight into it. Careless, huh?"
He shook his head sympathetically—though the grin on his face was pure mockery.
"Oh? A newcomer?" a sinister voice suddenly said.
A door along the corridor opened.
Jiraiya and Tsunade's eyes widened.
"Orochimaru!"
Orochimaru stepped out, looking relaxed and in excellent spirits—nothing like a prisoner.
Another door opened.
Shimura Danzo, wrapped in bandages, emerged with a dark expression. His gaze lingered viciously on Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi.
One door after another opened.
The ninjas, spies, and traitors involved in Konoha's collapse plan all appeared.
"This is… a prison?" Jiraiya murmured. "A cell?"
It finally clicked.
What confused him was that none of them seemed restrained. They could still use chakra freely.
Too strange.
"A big shot, judging by the escort," Orochimaru said, eyeing Urashiki with interest. "They sent this many elites just to bring you here."
He glanced at Naruto, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shisui, and Itachi—each one a pillar of Konoha.
Whoever this horned man in white was, he was no ordinary enemy.
"Uzumaki Naruto!" Urashiki roared, desperation creeping into his voice. "Trap me here and my clan will come! They'll descend on the ninja world and erase Konoha from existence! Let me go now, or disaster will fall upon you!"
Naruto waved him off. "Enough noise. Go pick a room. You're the biggest name here, so you get the best one. That's generous enough for an Otsutsuki."
Then he turned to the others.
"This place is a prison—but also a training ground. From now on, you can come here to spar. Pick any opponent you want."
He stepped into the center of the empty field and raised his voice.
"Otsutsuki Urashiki!"
Urashiki was startled—and suddenly found himself dragged through space against his will, appearing directly in front of Naruto.
"See?" Naruto said calmly. "Call an opponent's name, and they'll be forced here. Whether they want to fight or not."
Urashiki's face flushed with rage. He felt like a puppet, completely at the mercy of this space.
"Tianxubo: Meteor Life!"
The red fishing hook burst downward from above, slashing toward Naruto.
"Can you not interrupt?" Naruto snapped.
He vanished, reappeared in front of Urashiki, and kicked him flying with a single strike.
"This whole place is for combat. Regular enemies won't do much for you—but this one's strong enough to train against."
Naruto looked around. "Anyone want to try?"
Several people's eyes lit up.
An Otsutsuki opponent was a rare opportunity.
"I will," Jiraiya said, stepping forward.
"Fine," Naruto nodded. "Treat him as a stepping stone."
Urashiki went completely berserk.
"I couldn't beat you—but I'll kill this one right in front of you!" he snarled.
He vanished into a spatial rift.
Tsunade frowned. "Didn't you say space–time techniques were sealed?"
"They can't leave," Naruto explained. "But inside the barrier, they still work."
This prison had been carefully designed.
Konoha was strong—but not strong enough to face monsters like Nagato, Obito, Madara, or the Otsutsuki clan without preparation.
So Naruto turned enemies into tools.
Orochimaru and Danzo pressured the jōnin.
Urashiki was meant for Kage-level training.
"Tianxubo: Meteor Life!"
A rift opened silently behind Jiraiya. The red hook shot out like lightning.
Jiraiya barely rolled away in time.
"Tianxubo: Meteor Life—Ryugu!"
Urashiki's face twisted as he unleashed his full power.
A massive black-purple oarfish formed in the sky, its mouth glowing with a condensed energy sphere—like a Tailed Beast Bomb—slamming down toward Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya!" Tsunade shouted.
Watching from the corridor, Orochimaru and Danzo finally understood just how terrifying an Otsutsuki truly was.
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