Shinigami in the Ninja World (Re-upload)

(Note: Zanpakutō change to Kidō in the previous chapter last paragraph.)

Bakudō #99, Part 2: Bankin (卍禁, Full Prohibition)

"Prologue - Halting Wraps."

Thick, wide strips of fabric flew out, wrapping around Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. She was immobilized and weakened due to the backlash from her failed technique. Unable to escape, and with no one left to aid her, she could only struggle.

With several sharp cracks, the fabric tightened around her, binding her tightly. Kaguya fought to break free.

Several soft sounds followed—

"Refrain - Serial Hundred Bolts."

Iron stakes materialized out of thin air, piercing through the fabric and impaling her vital chakra points, locking her in place. This technique restricted her spiritual energy.

Although "chakra" and "spiritual energy" were vastly different, both involved the realm of consciousness. Naruto's understanding of chakra allowed him to adapt the technique, resulting in a severe disruption to Kaguya's chakra flow. She found it increasingly difficult to move or resist.

Naruto clasped his hands together. The final part of the binding spell began—

"Finale - Fully Prohibited Great Seal."

With a thunderous crash, a massive square block, etched with the character for "seal," slammed down on Kaguya.

The line between Bakudō and Hadō isn't always distinct—high-level Kidō often possesses both sealing and offensive properties. This particular spell, Bakudō #99, is a sealing Kidō.

Kaguya was suppressed, and as the finale descended, her chakra came to a complete halt.

Naruto maintained his stance, his gaze focused and intent.

She was sealed.

But...

This woman possessed immortality as long as chakra existed.

And one more person had yet to appear.

...

In the World of the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

The reverse rain had stopped.

"It's stopped," Tobirama Senju muttered, unable to move due to the barrier's influence. However, his mind remained active, continuously processing the situation.

Minato Namikaze felt a surge of hope.

It was working! The disruption of chakra, with some of it even flowing back, had affected the battlefield in the other dimension.

It should have stopped by now.

From his vantage point, Minato could see Karin. But—

The girl, standing at the center of the purple mist barrier, holding the Dragon Vein sword, seemed oblivious to the changes around her.

Was she careless?

No, she was too focused. All her energy and concentration were devoted to maintaining the barrier.

Her hair was gradually turning white, losing its red hue. Her hands trembled, and sweat poured down her face.

Minato wanted to warn her, but he couldn't speak. He, too, was frozen in the 'Time Stop' barrier, his heart gripped by anxiety.

At this rate...

Karin's life energy would likely burn out, along with the Dragon Vein's power.

Just then, the world trembled from within.

The sky and moon seemed to tear open, revealing a long, narrow crack. The force pulling on chakra surged again, sweeping across the land. The Dragon Vein's barrier was struck by an external force.

With a sharp crack—

A small fissure appeared.

Karin, already near her limit, struggled to maintain the barrier. That tiny bit of pressure was the final straw.

The fissure rapidly expanded, and the entire barrier shattered. Karin collapsed, unable to continue.

The other Hokage immediately regained their ability to move.

"It's starting again?" Even Tobirama could feel the wild, chaotic pull of the chakra.

Minato rushed over to check on Karin, full of concern.

Everything that had happened—everything Naruto and Karin had predicted—was proving true.

But that didn't change how he felt.

Even if their existence was false...the emotions were real. This girl was, without a doubt, part of his family.

"Did we fail?" Karin stared up at the sky. She couldn't feel the pull of chakra, but the rain, flowing upward toward the sky, was clearly reflected in her eyes.

Minato shook his head with a gentle smile. "No, we succeeded."

"That person is just making a final stand."

"And..."

He was about to say something when the reverse rain suddenly began to fall again, pattering down from the sky. Minato paused for a moment, then smiled even more brightly. "Look, the rain stopped."

Karin nodded weakly, unable to speak. But in her heart, she repeated, 'the rain stopped.'

…

In the Core Dimension.

Kaguya, after adapting to the sealing technique's power, began to struggle once more. The stone block had dealt her significant damage, but she was immortal. The fabric strips tore, the iron needles snapped, and she extended her hands, bones spiraling out. Breaking free from the seal, she emerged, her face filled with malice.

"Naruto, you might need to use the power of your Bankai," Kurama's voice echoed from the inner world. "I still have some strength left. It should be enough to seal her completely."

Naruto ignored the suggestion. He extended his hand, gathering wind, which formed into the shape of a sword. It wasn't 'Vortex', but a blade formed from its power—something akin to a shadow clone.

Naruto grasped the blade, stepped back with his right foot, and hurled it toward Kaguya. The sword struck her chest, disintegrating into wind and vortices inside her body. 'Vortex''s power wreaked havoc on her internal organs, but it couldn't kill her; as her organs were destroyed, they slowly regenerated.

However...

Kaguya's movements stalled. Destruction and regeneration entered a cycle. She gritted her teeth, attempting to gather chakra once more.

Naruto gave her no chance. He cast another sealing technique, binding her again. This time, Kaguya couldn't struggle any longer. The destruction of her organs left her unable to summon her full strength, and with her hands and feet sealed, she couldn't rid herself of the chaotic energy inside her.

Kurama spoke again: "Naruto, I'm not so weak that I can't maintain the Bankai."

Naruto smiled. "I never planned on using the Six Paths' power to seal her."

"That wouldn't be interesting."

Kurama, puzzled, lounged on Naruto's shoulder. "Why not?"

"That's how the Sage of Six Paths sealed her back then," Naruto replied, gazing at the figure pinned beneath the stone. "Do you remember how the Soul Society was created?"

Kurama thought for a moment. "The Five Great Noble Clans bound the Spirit King and made him the lynchpin stabilizing the worlds… Wait... You want to make her into something like the Spirit King?"

"Why not?" Naruto replied.

"But there's already the Pure Land," Kurama yawned. "Why go through all this trouble?"

Naruto unsheathed 'Vortex', now returned to its base form. "Madara Uchiha's space is the boundary between life and death. It exists between the real world and the Pure Land. To enter that space, one needs the power of the Rinnegan."

"In other words, the Pure Land itself is probably also tied to the Sage of Six Paths. And linked to chakra."

"Souls should be just souls. They shouldn't be influenced by something as dangerous as chakra."

Kurama nodded in understanding. Naruto intended to use Kaguya as a lynchpin to create a Pure Land free from chakra.

Naruto stepped forward and opened a portal with 'Vortex'. This time, he didn't enter another space. He stepped back into the real world.

The Rinne Sharingan still reflected in the sky, casting its eerie light across the world.

"Kaguya has been sealed. Can this technique still be maintained?" Kurama murmured.

Naruto smiled. "Madara was the one who cast the technique. He's dead, and even his soul is gone."

As he spoke, he ascended into the sky, chanting an incantation.

"Limit of the thousand hands, respectful hands, unable to touch the darkness.

Shooting hands, unable to reflect the blue sky.

The road that basks in light, the wind that ignites the embers, time that gathers when both are together. There is no need to hesitate. Obey my orders.

Light bullets, eight bodies, nine items, book of heaven, diseased treasure, great wheel, grey fortress tower.

Aim far away, scatter brightly and cleanly when fired."

The long, complex incantation etched brilliant marks across the silent world. This was a destructive art even more powerful than the 'Black Coffin'.

"Hadō #91: Senju Kōten Taihō (千手皎天汰炮, Thousand-Hand Incandescent Heaven Culling-Sear)."

Energy surged outward from Naruto's hands, bursting into a dazzling wave of cherry blossom-colored light. It raced through the sky like shooting stars and struck the moon directly.

With an explosion, the moon shattered, its fragments scattering. The celestial body that had powered 'Infinite Tsukuyomi' was obliterated, bringing the technique to an end.

The towering trees, once standing tall across the land, withered instantly. The cocoons hanging from the branches lost their grip, and people began to stir, breaking free from the silken coverings.

Most raised their heads to the golden-haired figure, Naruto Uzumaki, dressed in white robes, floating in the sky. They didn't fully understand what had happened, but it was clear that Naruto had saved them.

The destruction of the moon had immediate consequences. The tides shifted uncontrollably, and the planet's rotation faltered.

Naruto remained calm, drawing 'Kurama' and raising it high. A sword formed from yin energy, floating in the air. A small rocky sphere appeared in the void where the moon had been, rapidly growing until it matched the previous moon's size within minutes.

...

Back in Konoha, Sasuke's resettlement plans hadn't yet been fully executed. Kakashi emerged from his cocoon, his face filled with astonishment. He had been reluctant to leave the world of 'Infinite Tsukuyomi', where his father, Rin, and everything he had lost in his youth were restored.

But the changes in the sky shattered the illusion in his heart.

He hadn't witnessed Naruto's destruction of the moon, but the debris in the sky and the power Naruto now wielded were clear enough.

Still—

To destroy the moon and create a new one in its place...

Was that something even a human could do?

"Naruto's power is terrifying," Jiraiya said, emerging from a toad, awe-struck. "The moon… Destruction and creation. Even the legendary Sage of Six Paths couldn't do more."

Kakashi remained silent.

"This is a good thing," Jiraiya stretched. "With Naruto displaying this kind of power, I doubt anyone will dare oppose Uchiha Sasuke's plan."

He, too, had regrets. In the 'Infinite Tsukuyomi' world, all the deaths of his students, the departure of his beloved, and the betrayal of his friends had been rectified. But Jiraiya was older, more mature, and accepted reality with grace.

Kakashi shook his head.

Shikaku Nara also emerged. "Isn't this the most natural thing?"

"The Sage of Six Paths once created an era. So why wouldn't Naruto Uzumaki, who is destined to create a new era, possess power equal to the Sage of Six Paths?"

They all stood, gazing at the newly formed moon as it took on a familiar shape.

Naruto descended back to the Land of Rain.

The first person he found was Karin. She remained unconscious, still wrapped in her cocoon, unlike the others who had already broken free.

"Remarkable," Kurama couldn't help but praise. "She accomplished this much."

Naruto gently opened the cocoon, revealing Karin inside. She hadn't changed much in appearance, except that her once beautiful red hair had mostly turned white, with only the tips retaining a faint red hue.

"Her soul is intact," Naruto said after a thorough examination. He sighed in relief, smiling. "She just overexerted herself using chakra, consuming a lot of her life energy. It's nothing too serious."

Kurama sighed in relief as well.

Naruto used 'Kurama' to create a simple shelter, laying Karin on a bed. He lowered his head and extended his sensory abilities without hesitation, probing the surroundings.

"Sage of Six Paths..."

"I've sealed your mother, destroyed 'Infinite Tsukuyomi', and even found the path to the Pure Land."

"I don't think there's any need to hide anymore. Come out and meet me."

"There are things we need to discuss."

For example...

The management of the dead.

The ground remained quiet, with no response.

~~~

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