Chapter 46: Battle of the Soul
The moment Masahiko collapsed, he was utterly bewildered.
Although Hashirama and the others thought it was perfectly normal for him to pass out now, he knew the truth: the whole "overdrawing life force" thing was complete nonsense.
"Did I stand up too fast and faint from lack of oxygen?" This was his last thought before losing consciousness.
Kazama Valley Battlefield.
After Masahiko fell, his three students burst into tears.
Hashirama choked back sobs. "Great-Uncle, have a safe journey. I will never forget your help to the Senju clan!"
Tobirama looked sorrowful. He stepped forward and examined Masahiko closely. Then his expression turned strange.
"Brother..."
Hashirama ignored him, still lost in his monologue of grief.
"Brother! Stop crying! Great-Uncle is still alive! His breathing is steady. He's just asleep..."
"Huh?" Hashirama looked up, his face a mask of confusion.
"Really?" The three students were overjoyed.
Deep within Masahiko's consciousness.
Masahiko found himself in a place that was both familiar and strange.
"Is this... the Uzumaki compound? The location is right, but when did the buildings become so retro? And why is everything black and white? Also, the compound is huge... is it because the population grew?"
Then, Masahiko witnessed a massive war. He couldn't hear anything, and he couldn't see faces clearly. He could only watch the battle through the play of black and white light and shadow.
In the monochromatic scene, countless people fell, and countless more charged forward. Two figures, seemingly leaders, were locked in mortal combat. Finally, the one losing ground pulled out a "disc." After a few movements, both were sucked into the disc. The battle finally ended, leaving behind only ruins.
"A disc? That's the mask..." Masahiko murmured, looking resigned.
"I was wondering why destroying the Dead Demon Consuming Seal only gave me 2 Witness Points. So it was you causing trouble, Shinigami..."
"Am I experiencing a Naruto-style possession?" Masahiko shook his head slightly, a relaxed smile appearing on his face.
Countless transmigrator predecessors had told him that a transmigrator's soul was twice as strong as a normal person's. Masahiko firmly believed this.
The black and white images shattered, leaving only a seemingly boundless space. In this space, there were only two people—or rather, two souls.
"As expected of a Shinigami? In just two years, it went from a faint wisp of soul to gradually taking human form. But me... What the hell?! Why am I a stick figure?!" Masahiko looked down and was horrified. Thin arms, thin legs... he was clearly a stick figure.
Opposite him, the Shinigami instinctively charged. Masahiko turned and ran.
"Damn it! Is this what 'twice the soul strength' looks like?! Those predecessors lied to me!" Masahiko cursed as he ran, feeling incredibly wronged.
"Fine... I can only rely on myself. This is my soul world; I should be in charge." For some reason, the first thing Masahiko thought of was a League of Legends stick figure animation he had seen in his past life.
"Grant me strength, League of Legends! Leona, possess me!" As he thought this, a longsword and shield actually appeared in his hands.
Masahiko was overjoyed. He planted his feet and turned to face the Shinigami. "Die! Zenith Blade!"
Five minutes later...
A stick figure missing an arm was running across the boundless plain. The difference in strength was too great. Masahiko's sword stabs were like tickles to the Shinigami. In the end, he had only managed to escape by desperately biting a chunk out of the Shinigami's soul.
Masahiko looked back at the relentless Shinigami chasing him, his face full of grief and indignation. This is bullying! Even Uchiha Madara didn't treat me this badly...
"Screw relying on myself! System! Come out! Help!"
Name: Uzumaki Masahiko
Age: 22 Years (-)
Nin: 553 (+)
Tai: 489 (+)
Jutsu: 3834 (+10) (Convertible)
Academy Basic Three: LV10 (100000) (Maxed)
Shuriken Jutsu: LV10 (100000) (Maxed)
Earth Release: LV4 (121223/200000) (+)
Wind Release: (Fusable 1/2) LV6 (425628/600000) (+)
Fire Release: (Fusable 1/2) LV6 (412335/600000) (+)
Water Release: LV2 (10000/20000) (+)
Lightning Release: LV4 (103608/200000) (+)
Fuinjutsu: LV6 (413328/600000) (+)
Yang Release: LV5 (200000/400000) (+)
Yin Release: LV-1 (-1000/0) (+)
Special Talent: Sensory Perception
Mining: LV6 (10030/20000)
Forging: LV8 (40059/60000)
Overall Evaluation: S
Witness Points: 41
Yin Release LV-1? What the hell is that? Is it because my arm got eaten?
But it was a blessing in disguise. Yin Release had finally appeared in his status bar. Masahiko decisively dumped all his Witness Points into Yin Release.
Yin Release:
LV6 (409000/600000) (+)
Masahiko's stick figure arm grew back. It felt like someone was inflating him; his entire soul expanded rapidly.
When the transformation was complete, Masahiko looked up to find the Shinigami right in front of him. Reacting instinctively, he reached out and slammed the Shinigami to the ground. The Shinigami struggled violently but was completely powerless against him.
Only now did Masahiko have time to look at his current soul form. He hadn't turned into a giant as he imagined. Instead, he looked exactly like his real self, even possessing a similar sense of strength.
"Is a LV6 soul this solid? Then at LV9 or LV10, would I be like the Sage of Six Paths, able to manifest as a soul?" Masahiko thought, then shook his head. "But I'm not going to die!"
He looked down at the struggling Shinigami in his hand. "If this were decades later, and you had the power to absorb the Nine-Tails, I really wouldn't be able to do anything to you."
"But now..." Masahiko struck with both hands, shattering the Shinigami completely. The fragments drifted toward Masahiko and were absorbed into him. Masahiko sighed in relief, feeling his soul become even more solid.
Yin Release:
LV6 (510000/600000) (+)
"Excellent. That's equivalent to gaining 10 Witness Points. And..."
A familiar line of text flashed in Masahiko's eyes: "Witnessed and completely changed a Naruto world Side Story: The End of the Shinigami. Received 8 (*10) Witness Points."
"Plus the previous 2 points... does that mean the entire Dead Demon Consuming Seal plot was worth 10 points?" Masahiko muttered. "Such an important jutsu only gave 10 points, while the Kaguya clan destruction gave me 50. Is it because Kaguya is too important and part of the main story? Or is it because side stories max out at 10 points?"
Masahiko couldn't figure it out. A system without a manual really was a pain.
"Time to go out... I wonder how many people are waiting anxiously outside. Did Hashirama shed a few tears when I fell? Thinking about it, this coma really happened at the perfect time."
With a thought from Masahiko, the soul world dissipated. In reality, Masahiko opened his eyes.
"Great-Uncle, you're finally awake." A gentle female voice reached his ears.
Masahiko had imagined many people who might be the first person he saw when he opened his eyes, but he never expected it would be Mito.
Oh, right. And the 8-year-old brat, Senju Kenji.
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you