Ryoma reached out and caught the mask. The surrounding mist surged toward it, drawn in as if by an invisible force. At the same time, his Shadow writhed and rose, forming a black-robed figure beside him.
It was silent and lifeless, the avatar Ryoma, built from a ghost mask, Shadow Cloak, and Yin Release Chakra consciousness. "Konoha can begin now," Ryoma said, tossing the bone mask to Shadow. Shadow took it and sank back into the darkness, vanishing as if it had never been there.
This Shadow was similar to Obito but far stronger. With the Hogyoku forged from Moryo, its power would grow alongside the original body. When both Hogyoku were complete, Shadow would return, and Ryoma would truly enter the Shinobi World.
The dust finally settled. The Iwagakure Statue soldiers froze as Moryo died, and everyone looked to the altar. Only Ryoma remained standing there, with fading mist in the air.
The survivors let out shaky breaths as the tension eased. Ryoma flashed over to Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kakashi, who were braced against the rock wall. He frowned at the collapsed, roughly treated wound on Hiruzen Sarutobi's side.
"It has been treated for now," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, forcing calm. "What about Moryo?"
"It is dead," Ryoma replied. "I used the method taught by the Miko and the remaining Sealing Technique of this altar."
His expression did not relax. "After killing it, I saw some scattered visions."
"What visions," Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, his brow tightening as Kakashi listened in silence.
"I saw Konoha covered in fire and the Shadow of Ryoma. Not only Konoha, but other villages as well, and even the Tailed Beasts being released."
The faces of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kakashi changed at once. Kakashi reacted in anger, but swallowed his words under Ryoma's cold glance.
"Ryoma," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "the Miko prophecies have never been wrong. We must trust each other."
He looked back at Ryoma. "Are you certain, Ryoma?"
"The images were fragmented, but real," Ryoma said.
The air turned heavy as the meaning sank in. If all villages were attacked and the Tailed Beasts involved, it meant a crisis for the entire Shinobi World.
"We must return at once," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, swaying as he stood. "Every second counts."
The others agreed without hesitation. In flashes of light, they rushed away toward their villages.
At the same time, on the eastern coast of the Land of Fire, dusk spread gold across a wide green field. Three little girls played and laughed among the tall grass, weaving wildflowers into a wreath.
A sudden roar tore through the air from above. Dozens, then hundreds of dark shapes flew low toward the inland, casting shadows that swallowed the field.
The wreath was ripped away and scattered. The girls stared up in silence as the strange craft vanished into the distance. The calm did not return, and all eyes followed that direction.
That way seemed to lead to Konoha.
This is a break notice due to writer's block, plus a reminder about a side story. Do not wait today, this time I really need to take a day off. I sat in front of the computer for six hours and forced out more than three thousand words, but after I looked at it myself, it was clearly not acceptable.
It really would not work, it was too bad. I honestly asked myself how I could write something like that, and how such content could be shown to readers. What I am writing now is the Ryoma Clan plot, but it was obviously not satisfying enough, and the emotional impact was too weak. I deleted it directly, leaving only a little over one thousand words.
I reread the Ryoma Clan parts I wrote before several times and finally found a bit of the right feeling, but I also found some mistakes. First, I mixed up Ryoma Tokuma and Homura Mitokado. Ryoma Tokuma is the weaker one, while Homura Mitokado is stronger and more loyal to the Otsutsuki Clan Main Family.
In the earlier hospital scene, I wrote that Ryoma Tokuma was leading the team, but it should actually have been Homura Mitokado, who is harsher toward the Branch Family Members. I have already corrected that part. The second issue involves Ryoma's grandfather, Elder Riwugo, whom I also wrote incorrectly.
In the original work, during the plot where Fugaku Uchiha dies as a substitute, there is a scene showing the higher ranks of the Ryoma Clan. According to how I wrote it before, the Otsutsuki Clan Main Family was split into several branches, and in that scene, aside from Fugaku Uchiha participating as the head of the Branch Family Members, the others were not wearing Forehead Protector.
That means all of them were Otsutsuki Clan Main Family, implying that the Otsutsuki Clan Main Family has six branches, including the main branch led by Fugaku Uchiha.
The names Fugaku Uchiha and Elder Riwugo were created by me and do not exist in the original work, but their identities and status correspond to those two people, which can be seen from their seating positions. The right side ranks higher than the left, so those on the right have higher status. The center ranks highest, so Hiruzen Sarutobi, as the Hokage, sits in the middle.
The front row ranks higher, so Fugaku Uchiha has higher status than Fugaku Uchiha, and Fugaku Uchiha has higher status than Elder Riwugo. However, when I wrote Elder Riwugo before, I described him as an old man like Fugaku Uchiha, but he is actually more like a middle-aged man, which I have corrected. The relationship between Ryoma and him has also been changed from grandfather and grandson to father and son.
This part of the plot is giving me a headache. It needs to kill off the Otsutsuki Clan Main Family, reasonably break the Caged Bird curse mark, and let the protagonist properly show the Giant Tenseigan. On top of that, it has to firmly establish the protagonist's reputation and status across the Shinobi World.
It is really hard to write, and getting stuck several times has used up all my saved chapters. Let me take one day off. Because of the comments earlier, I was a bit anxious, and I need to organize my thoughts and try my best to write this climax properly.
Writing really is hard. As a final reminder, if things go smoothly and I do not get stuck, starting on September first there will be daily ten-thousand-word updates, and a 6500+ word side story will also be released. That side story was already finished last week and submitted to the editor.
So on the first, do not rush to send out your Monthly Ticket, and do not use it elsewhere. You need to click into this work and use the Monthly Ticket here to unlock it. Since the month is almost over, if you still have Monthly Ticket, you can also send them in to urge me on a bit.
On June 15, Konoha Year 61.
For the villagers of Konoha, this was an ordinary day. They only felt that more Ninja were moving across rooftops than usual, and family and friends who had been away on missions were returning home together. Life stayed under the sunlight until it set, and night slowly fell like a curtain being lowered on a stage, ending a calm and normal day.
Deep underground within the Ryoma Clan, there was a place the sun could never reach. It lay buried beneath the coldest layers of the Ryoma Clan Compound, far from any warmth. The air felt heavy and stale, carrying a sharp metallic smell mixed with old mold that made breathing unpleasant.