Satori initiated the attack by releasing a flurry of feathers that gleamed like steel needles. Yoichi tracked the lethal rain and used his Phantom Steps to glide through the air.
He left only a fading shadow behind for the projectiles to strike as he retreated to a high branch.
"Is that all, little human?" the demon hissed, its voice echoing with a thousand hollow laughs.
The laughter was cut short when Gamabunta bellowed, "Don't let it breathe," while spitting a thick wave of oil.
Katsuyu added a stream of acid to the spray while Manda launched his massive body into the sky.
"Don't order me around, Toad!" the snake hissed with a hunger that shook the air.
Satori merely tilted its wings to catch a draft and rose higher, looking down with a mocking sneer at the failed assault.
Watching the summons fail to ground the beast, Sakumo moved his hands to weave the Lightning Blade jutsu.
The electricity hissed around his white saber like a thousand birds.
"Torifu-Sensei, now!"
Sakumo commanded with a voice like ice.
Torifu roared in response and employed the Human Bullet Tank to rocket toward the beast like a giant cannonball. The force of his movement created a boom that shook the forest floor, forcing Satori to spin in a tight circle to dodge.
"So much effort for such a slow move," the beast cackled as it watched the giant human fly past.
I must hide first after I deliver a significant attack to this creature.
Yoichi realized the creature knew the future by sensing their intent, making even the fastest ninjutsu useless. He then slowed his breathing to hide his pulse, watching his teammates strike with a burning focus.
Jiraiya stepped forward and met the demon's gaze with a determined grin.
"Let's see if can you read this!" He shouted while launching the Great Vairocana Palm.
A wave of golden energy hit the air and pushed against the sky.
Satori screeched in surprise as it struggled to resist the heavy pressure, its wings straining against the weight of the sudden strike.
As the demon bathed in the golden light, Tsunade jumped high into the clouds.
"Stay down," she screamed, her young voice full of fire as she delivered the Dragon Elephant Drop.
Her heel struck the air and created a visible shockwave that slammed into the demon's chest.
The wall of air forced the creature downward toward the waiting earth with a violent crash.
The creature plummeted into the path of Orochimaru, who moved with Slithering Steps across the grass. He lashed out with the Twin Fang Assault, his hands moving like blurring serpents to find a gap in the guard.
Satori twisted its neck wildly, its eyes widening as it realized these children were truly dangerous.
The strikes landed with a series of heavy thuds, kicking up a massive cloud of debris that masked the monster.
While the dust settled, the creature stood tall without a single scratch on its dark skin.
In a crackling laughter, Satori mocked them.
"You children play well. But your hearts are still far too easy to read."
The demon drew its unnatural durability from the Box of Ultimate Bliss, its life tied to the ancient, cursed chakra within.
As long as the box remained whole, the beast could shrug off any strike.
It fed on the shock of the young ninja, enjoying the realization that their best efforts had done nothing.
The creature flapped its wings and perched onto the box. It looked down with a cruel gaze as the wood began to groan and the lid swung open.
Numerous mindless bodies crawled out of the darkness like a flood of living puppets.
The victims moved with jerky, unnatural rhythms while their blank eyes searched for a target.
The young Sannin and Sakumo grimaced at the macabre sight of the rising army.
The air grew cold with the stench of death as the thralls surrounded them.
"The box stores the souls of those who failed," Satori explained with a mocking cackle.
The mindless bodies rushed the group in a chaotic wave meant to overwhelm their senses.
Torifu surveyed the approaching horde. His face was grim as he recognized the shredded uniforms on some of the puppets.
"Do not hesitate," he commanded, his voice heavy but firm. "They are already gone. To leave them like this is a greater insult than a clean death."
"Kill them all!"
The young Sannin and Sakumo nodded, though their eyes showed the weight of the task.
They began to strike down the thralls with efficient, cold precision. Each fallen body was a reminder of the box's hunger, but they did not slow their pace.
These exceptional talents carved a path through the mindless crowd, their movements fueled by a mix of pity and professional resolve.
Amidst the slaughter, Satori suddenly tilted its head and sniffed the air.
Its cruel eyes shifted away from the fight and toward the dense forest perimeter.
A sharp, whistling cackle escaped its throat as it felt the presence of new souls.
It sensed the jagged, heavy intent of warriors hiding in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to scavenge the remains of the battle.
Satori let out a shriek of pure delight, its wings trembling with excitement.
"More guests for the banquet."
It thrived on the scent of fresh blood, and the arrival of more victims meant more fear to consume. The beast looked back at the Konoha group and laughed, knowing their pressure was about to double.
High above, Yoichi grimaced as his Spirit Aperture flared with a warning heat.
He sensed several clusters of dense chakra moving through the undergrowth with disciplined stealth.
Stone Shinobi!
He acknowledged the Iwagakure scouts were circling them like vultures, drawn by the massive chakra signatures of the boss summons and the fight against this grotesque creature.
Satori did not wait for the newcomers to strike first. With a violent flap of its wings, the demon launched itself from the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
It ignored the grouo and dived toward the tree line with terrifying speed.
"I can smell your cowardice," the beast screamed, its claws extended to reap the hidden Stone ninja from their cover.
The forest erupted in screams as Satori crashed into the foliage. The demon began to hunt the scouts with predatory efficiency, sensing their panic before they could even form a hand sign.
It relished the taste of new terror, leaving the Konoha group to deal with the remaining mindless puppets while it feasted on the hidden intruders.
At this point, Yoichi's eyes went cold with patience.
This was the only moment the beast would stop reading his heart to indulge its own bloodlust.
Phantom Steps allowed him to vanish, becoming a blur of silent motion. He then glided through the air, feet never making a sound against the leaves.
Not a single spark of killing intent escaped him.
Yoichi kept his mind as still as a frozen lake while closing the distance. Following that, he appeared behind the distracted monster in an instant.
A deep breath fueled the dark, heavy flow of Heavenly Demon Qi into his hand.
His skin took on a faint, predatory glow during the release of the Malevolent Palm. The strike landed squarely between the shoulder blades of the beast.
Corruptive energy surged deep into the creature's core.
"SKREEEEE-GAAAH!"
Satori let out a piercing screech that shattered the silence of the woods.
The creature arched its back in agony, wings flailing wildly as the dark Qi ate away at its internal structure.
It stumbled forward.
The golden glow in those eyes flickered for the first time since the battle began.
The monster's weakness was finally exposed.
Satori could dodge any attack it sensed, but the beast possessed no defense against energy that bypassed the physical shell.
The Malevolent Palm struck the connection between the demon and the Box.
By tainting that chakra with Heavenly Demon Qi, Yoichi disrupted the flow of immortality.
So that's how it is...
The realization of the creature's fragility felt like a puzzle piece clicking into place.
Satori turned its head, face a mask of shock and boiling rage.
"HOW? I FELT NO THIRST FOR BLOOD! NO INTENT! I SHOULD HAVE SEEN YOU!"
Yoichi stood still as the dark energy corroded the monster's spirit.
No second strike came immediately.
Instead, he watched the wings of the beast tremble with a cold, analytical focus.
"You don't read minds at all, do you?"
Yoichi asked, his voice cutting through the screams like a blade of ice.
A slow step forward followed, his presence remaining as calm and empty as a shadow.
The secrets of this creature had been clear from the start.
As a transmigrator, Yoichi held the information about the Box and its guardian deep within his memory.
"You sense the fear in your opponents," the young shinobi continued, his tone flat.
"You track the ripple of intent and the heat of terror. You move based on the shape of attacks before they even launch."
A slight tilt of the head accompanied his words as the monster struggled to find a foothold.
The monster pulled back, a jagged, hideous grin splitting its face despite the pain. "Gah-hah! Clever brat! But do you know whose skin I wear?" Satori hissed, voice thick with oily malice.
"This host is your mission!" Satori sneered, golden eyes flashing with a wicked light.
"Kill me, and you kill the prince of your land! Your mission will rot! Your own village will cast you out! Can your cold heart handle being an outcast?"
The boy remained silent, his gaze never flickered at the threat of social ruin.
This moment had been planned for since the first exchange of blows.
Winning was not enough.
The goal was to flip the script of the hunt and force the beast to taste true terror.
"I have no fear for you to taste, but I can see yours growing..."
Yoichi said, his voice dropping to a whisper.
The Heavenly Demon Qi flared, a suffocating dark aura that drowned the air. Satori's face twisted in genuine horror as it realized it could no longer find a single spark of hesitation to exploit.
_____________
Thanks again for the benefactors!
The next chapter should be the end of this fight.
Thanks for reading once again, see you tomorrow!