Chapter 368: Uchiha Hikari: Chiya, You... Be Careful; The Mysterious Demonic Blade [HN]

The Valley of the End.

The waterfall roared, and mist filled the air, forming a stark contrast to the oppressive silence of Kusagakure.

Uchiha Chiya stepped out of the Kamui space.

Following closely behind him was Uchiha Hikari, whose face was still somewhat pale, as well as the Box of Ultimate Bliss, which was tightly wrapped in several layers of sealing talismans yet continued to emit an ominous aura.

“Go back and rest first, Hikari.”

Chiya looked at Hikari, his voice unusually gentle.

A strand of pure Yang Release chakra gathered at his fingertip.

He gently brushed it over the wound on Hikari’s shoulder.

The wound, which had been deep enough to expose the bone, began healing at a visible speed, leaving behind only a faint red mark.

Hikari felt the warmth spreading from her shoulder and Chiya’s breath so close to her.

Her heart once again began beating faster despite herself.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, only a quiet whisper came out.

“…Yes, Chiya, you… be careful.”

She looked deeply at the strange box.

Then she looked at Chiya.

She finally withdrew her reluctant gaze.

Only then did she use the Body Flicker Technique and leave toward Konoha.

Chiya watched until she disappeared.

The slight ripple in his eyes instantly subsided, becoming deep and cold once more.

He raised his hand.

The Box of Ultimate Bliss floated into the air and landed in the open space between the two enormous statues in the Valley of the End.

The sealing talismans flickered erratically as they desperately suppressed the darkness attempting to seep out from within the box.

“What truly tempting power…”

A cold and hoarse voice sounded like a freezing spring emerging from beneath the earth.

The shadow beside Chiya twisted.

Black Zetsu’s abstract black figure slowly condensed.

His distinctive eyes stared fixedly at the Box of Ultimate Bliss, filled with greed and desire.

“Such pure and enormous dark chakra, even carrying a trace of… ancient evil. Uchiha Chiya, you really do always manage to surprise me.”

Chiya did not look at him.

His gaze remained fixed on the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

Purple light flowed through his Rinnegan as if he were analyzing its internal structure.

“A surprise? Perhaps. But this power is unruly and filled with an intent of destruction and deception. Extracting it directly would likely only bring disaster upon myself.”

Black Zetsu let out a low, cold laugh.

“Hehehe… Of course you cannot extract it directly. The Box of Ultimate Bliss is alive. It chooses its host, and it also devours its host. If you want to obtain its most fundamental energy core, you must enter it and suppress and strip it away from its source.”

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of temptation.

“Just like when you forcibly read Hiruko’s memories before, except this time… the risk is countless times greater. Inside is a domain ruled by it, filled with every kind of negative creation it can manifest. It can even reflect the deepest weaknesses hidden within your heart.”

Chiya remained silent for a moment.

The scene of Hikari being dragged toward the box and the miserable state of Mui after being devoured by Satori flashed through his mind.

He naturally understood the risks.

But awakening Kaguya required an unimaginable amount of energy.

The Tenseigan’s energy was unstable, and using the power of the Tailed Beasts involved too many complications.

The dark energy contained within the Box of Ultimate Bliss, which was different from the chakra system, might be a crucial breakthrough point.

It might even contain clues connected to other worlds, such as the “Warring States Era” mentioned by his future daughters.

“What? Even the mighty Uchiha Hokage is hesitating?”

Black Zetsu spoke sarcastically.

“Or is it that little Uchiha girl from earlier who has given you an unnecessary attachment?”

Chiya coldly glanced at Black Zetsu.

That gaze was like an actual icicle, causing Black Zetsu’s form to involuntarily contract.

“Do what you are supposed to do, Black Zetsu. Monitor the energy fluctuations and make sure the external seal remains stable. If the box shows any abnormality before I return, or if Konoha suffers any damage because of it, our contract will make sure you understand the consequences.”

Before he finished speaking, Chiya no longer hesitated.

The ocular power of his Rinnegan surged toward the Box of Ultimate Bliss like a tide.

The distorted human faces carved into the surface of the box suddenly lit up and released painful wails.

The gap that Mui had once opened slowly opened again.

Darkness even denser and more viscous than before surged out from within, carrying a suction force capable of devouring everything.

Chakra erupted from Chiya’s body, forming a purple chakra cloak.

He resisted the tremendous suction force.

Then he took one step forward and entered the bottomless vortex of darkness.

The gap violently closed after he entered.

The Box of Ultimate Bliss trembled violently several times before the sealing talismans on its surface erupted with brilliant light, forcibly stabilizing it.

Only the roar of the waterfall remained, along with Black Zetsu’s strange, flickering eyes within the shadows.

…

The instant Chiya stepped into the Box of Ultimate Bliss, he felt as though he had been completely severed from the real world.

All around him was an endless chaotic void.

There was no up, down, left, or right.

There was only viscous darkness that seemed almost liquid.

The dense negative energy was like countless tiny poisonous insects, frantically attempting to penetrate the chakra defense surrounding his Rinnegan and erode both his mind and body.

Hatred, fear, greed, despair…

Countless extreme emotions transformed into invisible whispers that directly echoed within the depths of his mind.

“Get lost.”

Chiya snorted coldly.

The pressure of his Rinnegan erupted at full force.

Purple ocular power swept outward from him like a storm, forcibly driving the surrounding darkness and whispers several meters away and forming a relatively stable domain.

He floated within the void.

His eyes were sharp as lightning as he scanned the strange domain.

The energy level here was extremely high.

It also carried an ancient aura of rules that did not belong to the Shinobi World.

He slowly flew toward the core area where the energy felt most concentrated and heavy.

The deeper he went, the denser the darkness became.

The corrosive power of the negative energy also increased geometrically.

Even with his strength, maintaining his chakra defense was becoming increasingly difficult.

Suddenly, the darkness ahead began to writhe.

Several familiar figures condensed from within it.

“Chiya… save me… I’m in so much pain…”

It was “Uchiha Hikari.”

Her clothes were tattered, her body covered in wounds, and bloody tears flowed from her eyes as she stretched out a trembling hand with a miserable and helpless expression.

“Chiya! Why won’t you come stay with me?! Do you have another woman?!”

This was “Tsunade.”

Her expression was twisted, her eyes filled with jealousy and madness, and her chakra was running wild as she threw a punch toward him.

The force was surprisingly similar to that of the real Tsunade.

“Chiya-kun… our children… they’re gone… It’s all your fault… It’s all your fault!”

This was “Uchiha Mikoto.”

Tears streamed down her face as she held an empty swaddling cloth in her arms.

Her eyes were hollow and despairing.

There were even “Mirai” and “Chimi.”

They lay in pools of blood, barely breathing as they looked at him with eyes filled with both admiration and resentment.

These images created from negative energy were not merely similar in appearance.

They could also imitate portions of chakra fluctuations and emotions, directly targeting the softest places within a person’s heart.

They surrounded Chiya, crying, accusing, attacking, and begging.

Together, they formed a chaotic and grating symphony of mental contamination.

Chiya’s eyes never showed the slightest fluctuation.

He looked at these twisted illusions, and the corners of his mouth curled into a cold and contemptuous smile.

Wasn’t this basically similar to genjutsu?

Trying such tricks against an Uchiha like him.

“Low-level mental contamination tricks. You think these illusions can shake me? Ridiculous.”

He did not even bother forming hand seals.

The ocular power within his Rinnegan surged once again.

“Almighty Push!”

A repulsive force far more violent than before erupted like an invisible tsunami.

In an instant, all the surrounding illusions, together with the dense dark energy, were violently pushed away, crushed, and purified.

Shrill screams echoed through the void.

The images formed from negative energy melted like snow beneath the sunlight and returned to the chaotic darkness.

Chiya’s robes fluttered in the wind.

He remained completely unharmed as he continued toward the core with firm steps.

The offensive power of these illusions was not particularly powerful.

However, their ability to erode and interfere with the mind was extremely terrifying.

If not for Chiya, who had lived two lives, possessed the Rinnegan, and had countless abilities at his disposal, even a Kage-level powerhouse would probably have already lost control of their mind and been assimilated and devoured by the negative energy.

After moving forward for an unknown amount of time, the surrounding darkness began to develop traces of dark red patterns.

They pulsed like blood vessels.

The pressure from the energy was almost suffocating.

Finally, at the end of his vision, a strange point of light appeared.

It was a relatively bright area.

Something floated at its center.

It was an ancient stone platform.

A blade was embedded in the stone platform.

The scabbard appeared to be made from some kind of dark purple wood.

Dark red patterns resembling blood vessels coiled around it, emitting an evil aura that originated from the same source as the Box of Ultimate Bliss but was even more concentrated.

The hilt resembled pale bones.

At its end was a gem that constantly rotated and emitted a dense red light filled with malice.

But the most eye-catching part was the blade itself.

Although most of it remained inside the scabbard, the short exposed section of the guard and blade already emitted a strange aura capable of cutting through and devouring everything.

A pure sense of “destruction” could be felt from it.

Combined with the “negative emotions” gathered within the Box of Ultimate Bliss, it seemed to exist on an even higher level.

The feeling this blade gave Chiya…

Was demonic.

“A demonic blade…”

Chiya’s pupils contracted slightly.

The aura of this blade was completely different from every ninja blade he knew.

It was filled with violence and a force governed by rules that did not belong to this world.

Could this be the true core responsible for the strange and enormous energy of the Box of Ultimate Bliss?

Just as Chiya approached the stone platform and prepared to examine it carefully, something happened.

“Vmmm!”

The demonic blade suddenly began vibrating violently.

The dark red patterns on its scabbard writhed like living creatures.

In the blink of an eye, they condensed into a red eyeball.

It suddenly locked onto him.

“Crack…”

A crisp sound rang out.

The seemingly sturdy scabbard suddenly developed countless cracks on its own.

Then it exploded.

Brilliant dark red light filled with ominous energy shot into the sky, instantly illuminating the core area of the chaotic void.

Within the light, a humanoid figure rapidly condensed.

It was a tall figure wearing ancient, tattered armor.

Its face was blurred and indistinct.

Only a pair of eyes, identical to the condensed eyeball, remained clearly visible.

They were filled with endless desires for slaughter and destruction.

The figure grasped the completely unsheathed demonic blade with one hand.

The blade was long and narrow, carrying a dark blood-red color.

A chilling, eerie light flowed along its edge.

The moment the figure took shape, there were no words and no hesitation.

It moved.

Its speed was so extreme that it seemed to tear space apart.

A dark red blade flash swept toward Chiya’s neck like the scythe of the Grim Reaper, accompanied by a shrill sound as it tore through the air.

Wherever the blade passed, even the chaotic darkness was split in two, leaving behind marks that remained impossible to mend.

The battle erupted abruptly in the core of the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

Chiya’s Rinnegan instantly captured the opponent’s movements, and his heart tightened slightly.

This speed and sharpness were far beyond those of any opponent he had encountered before.

“Susanoo!”

A skeletal chakra frame instantly appeared and protected him.

“Clang!!!”

A deafening clash of metal erupted.

The demonic blade slammed into the skeletal Susanoo.

The sturdy bones, which were strong enough to defend against a Tailed Beast Bomb, were violently shaken by the strike.

Fine cracks even appeared across their surface.

The tremendous impact forced Chiya backward several steps before he barely managed to stabilize himself.

He looked at the figure holding the blade and the weapon that continued to hum while radiating overwhelming murderous power.

His expression became completely solemn.

This blade and the existence that was the incarnation of the blade’s will were far more troublesome than he had anticipated.

The deepest secret of the Box of Ultimate Bliss seemed to be…

This demonic blade from another world, possessing a will of its own.