Heavenly Restriction Uchiha - 261 (Patreon)

Chapter 261: The Fall of the Stars

Orochimaru and the others planned to set one enemy against another. While the God Tree fought the “Ōtsutsuki Main Clan,” they would seize the opportunity to lead the Ninja World out of danger.

Collective strength was simply too weak in the face of extraordinary individuals.

The people of the Ninja World could contend with ordinary Ōtsutsuki, but once high-tier Kekkei Mōra were involved, a powerhouse like Shinku could easily wipe out every team on her own.

...

Inside the Tower of Heaven.

Orochimaru maintained the sealing ritual for the Ley Line Jinchūriki while using Inoichi Yamanaka’s Mind Transmission Jutsu to contact the Konoha Command Center.

“Has everyone been moved into position?”

Orochimaru asked for an update.

“They’ve been positioned at the designated locations,” Jiraiya replied. Minato was occupied with other matters, so Jiraiya was temporarily overseeing the Konoha Command Center in his place.

“Tsunade is here with me. Katsuyu told her that the true enemy...”

“I already know. The information from Shingetsu is more accurate.”

Orochimaru cut him off and said calmly, “You don’t need to concern yourself with anything else. Proceed according to the original plan.”

Jiraiya hesitated for a moment before asking in a low voice, “Can we... really succeed?”

Standing atop the Hokage Building, all he had to do was look up to see them.

Countless stars...

were falling.

Orochimaru fell silent for several seconds, then chuckled softly.

“No matter how many shooting stars there are, they can never outshine the full moon.”

...

[Full-domain dimensional scan complete]

[Detected: Source-Essence God Tree consciousness entity has completed proxy substitution. Activity threshold exceeded. Closed-loop interference with the Source Tree is forming...]

[Interference failed]

[Determination: Variables have exceeded limits. Initiating reset protocol]

[Erase all sentient life forms within the domain. Preserve the Source-Essence God Tree’s core. Recover the Tree Fetus’s remnants]

[Mechanical armor fully charged. Spacetime anchors locked]

[Regional containment barriers disengaged. Star-Annihilation Array deploying...]

[Objective defined: Eradicate the Source-Essence God Tree’s autonomous consciousness. Maintain the Tree Fetus’s Source-Essence Absorption cycle]

[Initiate——]

A cold will utterly devoid of emotion resounded through the domain.

Countless points of starlight erupted from the grid, densely packed and seemingly endless, weaving together into an impenetrable canopy of destruction.

High above the Ninja World, the white ice blossom suspended in the sky suddenly unfurled and rapidly expanded.

Pure white radiance spread across the shattered Blue canopy, sheltering the entire Ninja World beneath it.

The will of the God Tree had no human heart or mind. By its logic, the Ninja World was the only child it had successfully raised to maturity, and protecting it was pure instinct.

A faint glow flowed through the veins of the ice crystals.

In the next instant, starlight struck the icy canopy.

There was no earth-shattering roar. Shattered starlight and splinters of ice scattered in every direction, sending ring after ring of ripples outward along the canopy’s surface.

The God Tree’s roots absorbed the shattered starlight. The canopy grew larger still, covering an ever wider area.

The cold hum of machinery sounded once more.

[Detected: God Tree Agent has activated defensive protocols. Chakra energy cannot inflict effective damage. Recalculating subsequent elimination strategy...]

[Plan confirmed. An anomalous individual capable of inflicting fundamental damage upon the Source-Essence God Tree has been detected within the area]

[Target locked. Retrieving information...]

[W-type Cosmic Human, Individual Code: Shingetsu Uchiha]

[Data Analysis: Bearer of the God Tree bloodline. Possessor of ocular abilities]

[Possesses a high-level ability to seal perception links. Aggregating intelligence... Inherent Shackle Structure Name: Heavenly Restriction]

[Deep analysis in progress...]

[Ability development is extremely advanced. Rare specimen]

[New strategy generated...]

[Retain the specimen codenamed Shingetsu Uchiha. Establish an informational link with the Source-Essence God Tree. Plan completion rate extremely high. Conversion rate extremely high. Priority execution authorized]

[Sample exhibits significant power-level fluctuations. Individual combat units must be dispatched for capture]

[Mission initiated——]

...

“So I’m being underestimated...”

Shingetsu murmured to himself.

“When you go into a garden to pick a flower, you probably wouldn’t mind saying which one you’re picking out loud either, would you?” Shinku was the only one there who could answer him.

Before the Starry Sky Grid appeared, she had been like a wildcat with its fur standing on end, clawing and biting with the air of someone who believed herself invincible.

But now...

An enemy had descended from the heavens.

“Shingetsu Uchiha, let’s join forces.”

Shinku spoke slowly. “I have no intention of saving Shibai, and you should stop worrying about the people of the Ninja World. With the two of us working together, we might be able to escape the blockade.”

“Well...”

She paused, then suddenly broke into an almost neurotic smile.

“Let’s call it eloping. It suits us perfectly!”

“You fell for me at first sight, and I even left you a token of our love. It must be fate!”

Shingetsu rolled his eyes at her and curled his lip in disdain.

“It’s not that I want to be harsh with you. I just haven’t figured out how to communicate with a lunatic.”

Shinku’s smile vanished.

“Why...”

“You know everything, yet from beginning to end, your emotions haven’t changed at all.”

“Aren’t you even a little afraid of death?”

“Do you really intend to face an enemy you have no chance of defeating, or are you hoping that submitting to them will buy you a chance to survive?”

“If we don’t leave now, it really will be too late.”

Shingetsu ignored her and looked toward the starlight flowing across the distant sky.

Deep within the void, countless scattered streams of starlight seemed to be gathered together by an invisible hand. A beam of rainbow light swept around the canopy and descended abruptly into the Void God Realm.

As the light faded, a figure emerged.

By human standards of beauty, the humanoid creature appeared utterly flawless.

Its skin shimmered with a cool white glow. A pair of curved, white-jade horns rose from its head, while its hair flowed with glittering stardust. Hazy ripples spread continuously through the surrounding space.

Its pupils were pure white, and its appearance bore some resemblance to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.

But the level of power was entirely different.

It stood there in silence as an invisible pressure surpassing even Kekkei Mōra spread outward, shutting out the destructive storm generated by Shibai’s corpse and creating a vacuum around itself.

The luminous canopy manifested by the God Tree’s will suddenly dimmed. As though provoked by the newcomer’s presence, it gave off distinct fluctuations of fear and loathing.