Three days ago, when San, Tetsuya, and Shota stepped into the abyss, the last vestige of warmth was utterly crushed, and the world people knew was gone forever. The sky is forever shrouded in a gray mist, obscuring the sun and stars.
Beneath my feet lay the parched Kurotsuchi ground, so dry you could fit a finger between your fingers. With each step, I could hear the cracking sound of the soil breaking apart. Looking around, I couldn't see even a single withered blade of grass.
"Keep up with me, don't stray too far."
Shen walked at the very front, his voice muffled by the gray fog.
Several differently colored lights could be faintly seen in the distance, like lighthouses in the darkness.
Tetsuya supported Shota as they followed behind, her fingers constantly resting on the short sword at her waist. Shota's face had grown paler and paler since she entered the area, fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead, and her steps began to falter.
You've come! My child! The voice seemed faint, not as if heard through the ears, but as if it burrowed directly into the mind, as thin as spider silk and as soft as cotton.
"What's wrong?" Can asked in a low voice, but before Shota could answer, he heard a hissing sound coming from the gray fog next to him.
Three gray-black soft-bodied monsters suddenly sprang out, their bodies like melting asphalt, dragging translucent tentacles, their two scarlet eyes staring intently at them.
With a flick of his wrist, San unleashed a wind blade that precisely severed the tentacle of the foremost monster. Black blood splattered on the ground, instantly igniting thick white smoke, and even corroding small pits into the hard Kurotsuchi.
"Try to avoid getting monster blood on yourself."
As Tetsuya spoke, she drew her short sword, the blade swiftly slicing through the monster's body. "Most monsters' blood is poisonous and corrosive; it'll cause trouble if it gets on your skin."
Shen had already dealt with the other two. The black monster's corpse twitched a few times on the ground before turning into a puddle of black water that seeped into the soil.
He turned to look at Shota, his brows furrowing slightly—the boy had fallen to the ground, his body trembling slightly, his lips an unnatural bluish-purple.
The mournful whispers echoed repeatedly in his mind, carrying a gentle soothing tone, like someone speaking close to his ear, their breath carrying a familiar warmth. He instinctively tried to find the source of the sound, but all he saw was boundless darkness, and in that darkness, countless eyes seemed to be quietly "watching" him from a great distance.
" Shota!"
Can quickly walked over, reached out and touched his forehead; the burning heat made Can's heart tighten.
"Hang in there a little longer, we'll be there soon."
He bent down and picked Shota up in his arms, gently comforting her.
Shota opened her mouth, but couldn't make a clear sound.
He felt as if something was drumming in his mind, buzzing, and fragmented images were flashing before his eyes, but he couldn't see them clearly.
My hands and feet felt as heavy as lead, I didn't even have the strength to lift my fingers, and the Chakra in my body was in chaos, as if it was about to break through my meridians.
"Hold on."
Shen took out a small porcelain bottle from his bosom, poured out a white pill, and put it into Shota's mouth.
The pill, carrying a faint herbal scent, slid down his throat. Shota felt the drumbeats in his mind finally slow down, and his vision cleared a bit. Leaning against Ginseng's back, he could hear his steady heartbeat and the distant roars of demons.
But this clarity lasted only a moment. The effects of the medicine disappeared as quickly as the tide receded, fatigue returned, eyelids felt as heavy as lead, and then consciousness sank completely into darkness.
Can felt the person on his back breathing become calmer until he fainted, and then his pace quickened.
"Let's go to the Vermilion Bird Division's camp first." San's voice was still cold, but there was a hint of softening compared to before. "Fei's side is closer, and we urgently need to stabilize his condition."
Not far away, the Magic Array of Vermilion Bird Division glowed with a pale red halo, like a spark floating in the darkness. Outside the shield, pairs of scarlet lights could be faintly seen flickering—those were lurking monsters, staring at them, the "intruders," with cold eyes.
The gray fog still lingered, and the roars of the monsters in the distance never ceased. The three figures, like three tiny specks of dust, walked step by step toward that faint light in the dim abyss.
In Shota's mind, his body suddenly emitted a pale blue light, isolating the black threads from him. "Were these things present from the very beginning?"
"Come here, my child!" The whisper gradually became clearer, and the silk threads seemed to come alive, becoming joyful.
Finally, the light around him disappeared, and dark purple light followed the silk threads and wrapped around his soul. With each wrap, he felt his consciousness become clearer, but it also became more difficult to control his direction—as if a gentle hand was leading him deeper into the darkness.
Suddenly, Shota's soul trembled violently, and a pale blue light re-emerged from his chest, but it was no longer in a defensive posture. The light cracked along the lines of his soul, like shattered glass, forcibly dividing his soul into two parts, one large and one small.
In the small ball of light, Obito's consciousness suddenly returned.
He could clearly feel that the dark purple light threads wrapped around his body loosened slightly, and the whispers in his mind weakened, replaced by fragmented memories.
"I... am Obitu?"
He muttered to himself, the ball of light flickering slightly, filled with an incredulous bewilderment.
The larger ball of light was still tightly wrapped in black silk threads, with only the star-shaped mark on its forehead flickering like a candle in the wind.
The real Shota did not awaken; the consciousness within her soul was like a deep sea, unable to even make a ripple.
"Thank you... for saving me."
Obito turned to the green light not far away, his voice still weak from just waking up.
He vaguely remembered that it was this green light that protected his consciousness and prevented him from being swallowed by the abyss.
As soon as he finished speaking, his ball of light began to dim, as if his energy was rapidly draining away—the impact of the soul split had almost exhausted his remaining soul power.
"This time, I'm really going to die."
Grandma's kind smile became clearer in my mind. She always said, " Obito should become a great hero like his parents, protecting the Village!"
But now, he couldn't even protect himself, let alone return to Konoha and protect the Village. A wave of desolation washed over him, and the white light trembled, almost going out.
Just then, a green light suddenly shone, and a warm halo spread out, gently enveloping Obbito's ball of light.
"I went through so much trouble to save your life, how can you give up so easily?"
A gentle voice rang out, and a blurry figure emerged from the green light. He circled the orb of light around Obbito, his tone tinged with helplessness.
"There should still be... hope. It's just a pity that I've only just recovered a little energy, and now I'm going to have to waste it here again."
After saying that, his consciousness probed into the souls of Obituo and Shota, trying to find a way to leave this hellish place from their memories.
But the moment his consciousness touched Shota's soul, a chilling power suddenly surged from the star-shaped mark on Shota's forehead, forming a solid barrier that blocked his probe.
"What are you looking for?"
A sinister voice rang out from behind the green figure, devoid of any warmth, like the whisper of a demon.
The temperature inside the space suddenly dropped, and even the light seemed to slow down. The green figure stiffened, subconsciously wiping away non-existent cold sweat, and its tone instantly softened.
"Um, well, I did save your life, so relax. If you mind, I'll take him away right now and won't bother you."
He made a move to leave with Obbito's ball of light, but as soon as he took a step, a black thread blocked his way, radiating a chilling pressure.
"Actually, you don't need to be so nervous."
The owner of the voice finally revealed himself. He stood beside Shota's spirit form, his body wrapped in black threads, a faint smile on his face. "I also want to thank you for bringing him back here. This is his true 'home'."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the green figure and Obbito's orb of light, his tone carrying a hint of seduction: "In exchange, I can send you away from here. However, the next time we meet, we will be enemies."
At this point, his smile deepened. "Of course, you can also choose to stay—try what it feels like to be filled with this abyssal energy. As the host here, I'm very hospitable."
The green figure clenched his fists. He could sense that the opponent's strength far surpassed his own, and staying behind would only lead to certain death.
But looking at Shota, who was wrapped in black threads, and Obituo, whose energy was almost depleted, he hesitated. If he left like this, Shota might never have a chance to wake up again.
Shota looked at the green figure's clenched fist, her tone still calm, without a trace of threat, only an almost compassionate honesty: "No need to hesitate."
Shota's soul already carries my mark; from the moment he was born, this was his destiny—forcibly stripping away the black threads will only cause his soul to scatter, and you will all be dragged into nothingness by the backlash, annihilated.
He raised his hand, and the black threads were no longer meant to obstruct, but instead gently wrapped around He and Obbito's bodies. There was no sense of oppression, only a gentle protective shield: "As agreed before, I will send you out."
As the words fell, a narrow passage suddenly appeared in the darkness of the abyss. The black threads on the passage walls glowed with a soft light, making the remnant soul of Obbito in He's arms appear a little brighter.
Shota stood at the entrance of the passage, looking at them: "Once you get out, don't try to come back. He's 'alive' only when he's here."
He took one last look at Shota, who was gently lifted into the air by the black threads. The light that enveloped him no longer struggled, but instead gradually blended into the surrounding environment, like a drop of water merging into the sea...