Infinite Anime [286-287] (Patreon)

Chapter 286: Eight Gates Released Formation

At this moment, Gusion murmured under his breath, chanting the binding spell of a Bakudō from Bleach. He intended to use a soul-targeting Bakudō to restrain Obito at the spiritual level, binding his actions from the inside out.

That way, even if Obito used intangibility to evade physical attacks, he would still be tied down by the Bakudō and unable to smoothly cast jutsu at the critical moment.

Gusion had read Obito's mindset perfectly. Seeing the anxiety and unease in his eyes, he knew Obito was reluctant to use Izanagi with his Mangekyō.

This hesitation and gambling mentality meant Obito would not use Izanagi to escape until the very last second.

Sure enough, throughout the first four minutes of Gusion's assault, Obito showed no sign of forming seals to cast Izanagi, probably hoping Gusion would exhaust himself first.

As the chant concluded, Obito's intangibility time was also nearing its limit. At the final moment, Obito gritted his teeth, prepared to weave signs and release Izanagi to cheat death once more.

But Gusion released his Bakudō before Obito could commit. "Bakudō 63: Sajō Sabaku!"

Golden, serpent-like chains shot forth, clinging to Obito's body and binding him tight. For a moment, Obito's arms and fingers were completely restrained; he couldn't even form hand seals.

In panic, he could only try to hold out for the last few seconds of intangibility, scrambling for a way to form the seals for Izanagi.

Gusion's blade, relentless and merciless, continued its ferocious barrage on Obito. In these few seconds of spiritual rigidity, Gusion would decide the outcome.

In an instant, the Mazuko Blade in Gusion's hand moved even faster. A storm hewed outward in all directions, and at the eye of it the air turned into a roiling red mass.

Sword-light empowered by Ryou and Conqueror's Coating, paired with the strobing thunder of his Raijin Mode, sealed the space completely.

"Wait, Gusion, I still—"

Obito, desperate, spoke in terror, trying to persuade him one more time.

But the moment his intangibility ended, Gusion had no intention of bantering. He brought his blade down in a single, clean stroke and severed Obito's head.

And with sharp eyes and quicker hands, as Obito's head flew, Gusion flickered forward, snatched the head, and dug out the two Mangekyō Sharingan—eliminating future trouble.

With that done, the storm gradually subsided. Gusion placed the two Mangekyō in a small vial of secret fluid given by Orochimaru, then tossed Obito's head to the ground.

He looked down at Obito's falling corpse and head. "I've got nothing to say to a beast."

After confirming there was no sign of a fake-out resurrection, Gusion finally relaxed. It was a pity, though—someone like Obito, a small boss by Naruto standards, hadn't even dropped a loot chest. That annoyed him.

For a moment, he even regretted not pulling out his bed at the last second and chopping Obito while sitting on it.

In the distance, Konan, seeing Obito slain, eased a little and was about to bring Nagato to rendezvous with Gusion.

But Gusion shouted, "Konan, take Nagato and run!"

He didn't pause to regulate his breathing. Looking west with grave expression, his Observation Haki had warned him of danger ahead of time.

He had chosen to end Obito with brute force without regard for expenditure precisely because he didn't want to fight a troublesome opponent while leaving Obito around to ambush him.

The Explorer Squad that had been lurking in the shadows stepped onto the battlefield.

Gusion's gaze locked directly onto the burly man in crimson battle armor at the front of the seven—his aura was powerful, far beyond an ordinary Kage's.

Gusion had seen fourth-tier explorers in this world, but the likes of Kirigakure's Black Tech were nothing compared to this man—whether in base stats or sheer danger.

"Wind, your setup wasn't so hot—looks like you didn't crush a single one."

Lonely Noise carried a greatsword, smiling. He clearly preferred this kind of scenario over picking over corpses afterward.

"At least we floored Nagato, didn't we? And can you wipe that grin off?" Silent Wind said helplessly. "This is what you wanted anyway, right?"

Lonely Noise gripped the greatsword's hilt one-handed, let it swing off his shoulder and skim the ground, kicking up dust. His face showed feverish fighting spirit. "Hahaha, saving the Calamity for last—best ending possible."

"Be careful, don't overplay it. The one opposite isn't an ordinary fourth-tier. Meteors aren't so easy to slice apart."

Silent Wind cautioned, watching Gusion carefully. "In Sage Mode, combined stats are 76—clearly lower than yours—but his combat technique is very high, and his lightning is troublesome. Don't give him a chance to counter."

Silent Wind had analyzed Gusion's strength as an explorer. He believed Gusion was the type who, once he caught your opening, could kill you in one string—strength couldn't be judged by stats alone.

"Enough chatter. Get to work. You guys clean the field, I'll have some fun."

Lonely Noise strode toward Gusion with his greatsword, smiling. "I'm not that pedantic, or I'd be nagged to death. Might not be entirely satisfying, but come—let's fight."

Gusion and Lonely Noise met eyes for two seconds, then both smiled. He felt like he'd met his own kind.

Compared to the Kage of this world, Lonely Noise's combined attributes were absurdly high. Only because he wasn't as balanced as Gusion—his Spirit wasn't particularly high—could Gusion see his exact stats.

Aside from a 70 in Spirit, all of Lonely Noise's physical stats were at 80—an absolute heavy-armor warrior.

Judging by his eyes and presence, Gusion figured Lonely Noise's combat technique wouldn't be lacking either. This was a tough enemy.

From a profit standpoint, killing these explorers—whether from Heaven's Will or End Space—might not benefit Gusion. But if he didn't fight, they definitely wouldn't spare him or Nagato.

So there was no need to overthink it. Kill them all; with faction bonuses, maybe some fine Dead Man's Chest would drop.

As Lonely Noise's teammates moved to flank and hunt Konan and Nagato, Lonely Noise charged. He looked big and heavy, but moved with surprising agility. His sprint roared like a raging wild beast.

His greatsword dragged along the ground, the airflow alone cleaving the earth before the blade even rose.

Gusion didn't spare attention for Konan. In his view, aside from Lonely Noise, the others were average. Even if Konan couldn't win, she should at least be able to escape with Nagato for a while.

As Lonely Noise charged, Gusion launched his own charge. The ruins behind him shattered under his sudden burst, spraying backward like a rain curtain.

Mazuko's Opening Slash, crashing down like a landslide toward Lonely Noise.

Boom—

When the Mazuko met the greatsword, the sound wasn't like blades clashing, but like a giant bronze bell struck—vibrations rippled outward, the ground beneath them fragmented in an instant.

As the greatsword and Mazuko rebounded in the shock, Gusion and Lonely Noise met eyes at close range—each saw rising battle intent in the other.

No need for words. Explorers are that kind of creature—at the moment interests collide, life and death can be decided in an instant.

The weak are culled by the Space; only the strong can keep moving forward within it.

Under tremendous force, Gusion shed the impact, stepped back, and only stopped when he slammed into a house wall. Feeling the ache in his wrists, his interest only grew.

"Not just flashy poses, huh."

Gusion rolled his wrists, sidestepping and watching Lonely Noise's movements.

Lonely Noise stood his ground without retreat, hefted his greatsword onto his shoulder. "Shame your strength's a bit light—not quite satisfying."

Gusion gauged Lonely Noise's combat specialization to be at least high Master level. Not something an average fourth-tier explorer could manage—elite among elites—though he wasn't sure about any special status.

Lonely Noise, for his part, was impressed by Gusion's technique, yet disappointed by Gusion's lower stats.

Just as Lonely Noise was about to move again, he frowned, glancing toward a teammate at the edge of the field. "Little Flower, don't meddle."

Little Flower was their team's "healer." Though a man, his "heals" were plentiful. He had just cast support skills on Lonely Noise, stacking several buffs—raising Lonely Noise's attributes and adding offensive multipliers.

Lonely Noise wasn't happy about it. He already wasn't having enough fun; now his teammate was buffing him, ruining the experience.

Before Little Flower could argue and warn the leader not to get cocky, the surge on Gusion's side drew all eyes.

Gusion first created several shadow clones, then his aura began to change.

The clones sprinted toward the rear to support Konan and prevent accidents—and perhaps try to kill these explorers.

Gusion's true body, however, dispelled Sage Mode.

Before the fight today, the slots in his Origin Seed had been set to the versatile Armament Haki for offense and defense, the flexible Bakudō for utility, and Shadow Clone which he'd left in from routine study.

Just now, after using the Origin Seed to cast Shadow Clone, he removed it and slotted in a new skill.

This was a new trick Gusion had been developing: cast a skill first, then swap it out; if the previously cast skill is a sustained effect, it can persist.

"Because it's unstable, I hadn't planned to use this."

Gusion's aura fluctuated violently, putting Lonely Noise and Little Flower on guard.

The new skill he slotted into his passive bar was the Eight Gates Released Formation!

After smashing through Konoha, Gusion had acquired a compendium of forbidden jutsu that included the Eight Gates.

However, the Eight Gates was based on the chakra system. Excited research led to disappointment: he couldn't use it. Even if he converted his soul-source to chakra and learned it, he would lose Sage Mode.

The Eight Gates is a berserking release, even more unstable than his self-developed Demon God secret art. In that state, there's no way to gather natural energy—Sage Mode wouldn't be maintainable.

After much thought, he couldn't adapt the Eight Gates to a unified system. Inspired by Shadow Clone, he wondered if embedding the Eight Gates into the Origin Seed might make it usable.

Like with Shadow Clone—no chakra needed if it's in the Origin Seed.

So what about the Eight Gates?

The result: it transformed into a burst-type forbidden art not based on chakra, but on Gusion's own physiology.

Limited by his body and his current understanding, even with the skill in the Origin Seed he could not open the final Gate of Death, nor reach the Seventh Gate of Wonder like Gai.

But he could open up to the Sixth Gate—Gate of View.

The Eight Gates is powerful, but its drawbacks are many. It's too violent. With overlapping principles, Gusion not only couldn't use Sage Mode, he also couldn't use Demon God.

But none of that mattered. Even opening only the Sixth Gate, he underwent a rebirth.

In Raijin Mode, Gusion's hair stood on end. Power surged around him, making his robes billow.

Veins crawled across his skin, like vines climbing the powerful lines of his muscles.

Holding Mazuko, purple mist coiling, he opened the Sixth Gate and exhaled scalding steam.

Feeling his heart hammering and power flooding like a tsunami, Gusion tightened his grip and bared white teeth in a grin. "Use whatever buffs you want. I'm in a hurry…"

With that, the ground underfoot caved, blasting out a crater nearly a hundred meters wide.

With a thunderous boom, Gusion's speed broke into high supersonic. The piercing sonic boom hadn't yet spread before he was already upon Lonely Noise.

When Mazuko came down, it truly had the force to topple mountains and sever seas. Before the blade reached, the earth was already splitting apart.

Gusion's battle fervor and killing intent surged. When Mazuko met the greatsword, both weapons screamed under the strain—clearly, even epic-grade durability struggled under such savage clashes.

To Lonely Noise's shock—and delight—this time he felt an overwhelming, mountain-crushing force in Gusion's strike. The man who had always stood unshaken was actually blown away.

In the Eight Gates state, Gusion became like a crimson dragon. With Lightning Mode, his speed rose further; his flash-steps abandoned elegance for pure brutality—every step was explosive excess.

"Hahaha… Now we're talking!"

Adjusting his stance to meet the charge, Lonely Noise laughed madly. "Forget those eyes—let's have a proper brawl!"

Chapter 287: Information on the Shinigami Seed

"H-how… how is this possible…"

Little Flower watched the upturned earth roll like a flung carpet, ravaged again and again by tremendous force.

Their invincible war god, Leader Lonely Noise, was being suppressed head-on by Gusion.

It was the first time he'd seen their leader suppressed like this in a mission world—especially since Gusion's combined stats, even buffed, shouldn't surpass Lonely Noise's—yet Gusion had the initiative.

Boom—

When greatsword and Mazuko clashed, the shockwaves collapsed the ground, birthing a pit hundreds of meters deep. The gusts cleared rubble outward, blooming into a giant stone lotus.

"Hahaha… exhilarating!"

Lonely Noise roared with laughter even as he sent a directive over team comms: "Retreat. Leave the Land of Rain."

The other six members were stunned when they received it—especially strategist Silent Wind, who stumbled mid-chase after Konan.

He looked back in disbelief at the battlefield where Lonely Noise and Gusion fought. It was no longer a place humans could stand.

The rapid-fire exchanges tore at the terrain with endless gales. Even Jōnin-level powerhouses could hardly approach.

At the center of the chaotic storm, they could only see two crimson figures collide and recoil.

With each clash, one figure shed a little of its crimson… and picked up another kind of red.

Lonely Noise's full-score epic battle armor was shattering—he was getting hurt every exchange.

"How…"

Silent Wind was floored. By his intel, Calamity's concrete strength should be early Tier 4 among the stronger ones. Even estimating high, fully buffed, his combined stats shouldn't exceed eighty.

In a straight fight, Lonely Noise should have had the upper hand. For safety, he had even left Little Flower to buff Lonely Noise.

Yet Gusion was hard-suppressing a fully stacked Lonely Noise with manic tactics.

If he only watched the spectacle, he might think Lonely Noise was playing around. But Lonely Noise had told them over team comms to retreat!?

A razor-edged slash came from the side; Silent Wind snapped back to dodge a shadow clone's strike.

Sweat beaded on his brow. A terrible premonition maxed out. He knew what Lonely Noise's order meant—Lonely Noise believed he couldn't win!

What now?

By his deal with the Moon, they would only intervene once. The Ōtsutsuki on the Moon treasured the Giant Tenseigan's energy and wouldn't casually use it.

Even if he could get them to strike again, another meteor would kill them all. Not an option.

Their strongest trump had been played, yet Gusion's burst still exceeded expectations. Were they truly in a dead end?

"Brother Wind, what do we do? Really retreat?"

A teammate asked, unwilling—not because the cooked duck called Rinnegan was about to fly, but because if they retreated now, they might never see their leader again.

Most of them had been saved by Lonely Noise and joined the group out of respect. To just run now—they couldn't bring themselves to do it.

Silent Wind, sweating, analyzed the situation. He couldn't find a way to beat Gusion. Unless Gusion burned out in the Eight Gates, stepping into the main field would just feed the meat grinder.

Judging by how Gusion was suppressing Lonely Noise head-on, Gusion's sword specialization was probably at an absurd grandmaster level. Such a master could instantly kill any outsider who dared intrude.

So to break the game, they could only try from the periphery. Did Gusion have a soft spot? Any bargaining chip?

He looked toward Konan fleeing with Nagato, mind racing. Grab Nagato? Would that even work? Gusion was an explorer—he wouldn't care about Nagato's life.

Even trading the Rinnegan might not move him; Gusion could have another way to obtain it. Besides, seven fourth-tier explorers dropping Dead Man's Chest would be quite tempting too.

No matter how he turned it over, Silent Wind found no better plan. Finally, he gritted his teeth. "All out. Capture Nagato!"

Stepping out from the shadows, he had few choices. He could only gamble that Gusion wouldn't give up the Rinnegan—conservatively at least a peak dark-gold item, perhaps higher.

At his order, the team's spirits rallied as they charged toward Nagato.

Seeing the trust in his teammates' eyes, Silent Wind sighed inside. He knew he might have made the wrong call. Rationally, he'd known from the start that retreating was best.

But the best choice isn't always the one people want to make.

…

Elsewhere, in the duel, Lonely Noise was caught by Gusion's borrowed-force backspin and swept across the chest with a kick.

Without his armor's protection, he took the hit full-on. His chest caved slightly; he coughed out mouthfuls of blood with bits of organs.

He saw his teammates' decision and grew more anxious. But the fight was at its climax—he couldn't spare even the split-second to speak over team comms, or he would die instantly.

If he died, his teammates wouldn't even have the chance to retreat.

Gusion swept Lonely Noise away with a kick, then gathered his blade as he advanced and slashed down like a landslide.

When his edge pressed Lonely Noise's greatsword and they locked eyes in the gale, Gusion didn't see fear of death in his opponent—only the rising spirit of a warrior.

Yet beneath the excitement was worry—not for himself, but his comrades.

In the previous exchange, Gusion had found Lonely Noise's opening. This time Lonely Noise's defense was rushed, his stance unstable; Gusion knocked the greatsword aside.

Immediately, Gusion shifted from slash to chop, bringing the blade down from above to cleave the giant.

At the critical instant, Lonely Noise made a decision Gusion admired. He abandoned his greatsword, freed his hands, sidestepped, planted his feet, and drove a punch toward Gusion's chest.

The punch was heavy enough to dent the air; clearly, Lonely Noise's close-quarters specialization was at least Master level.

Gusion had just swung down; his blade and torso were dropping. He couldn't pull back to slash again or bring the edge up to guard.

So he let go, tilting forward at a delicate angle while shifting sideways. Left arm and left leg rose together, and to Lonely Noise's amazement, with perfect timing, Gusion's elbow and knee crashed into his punching wrist.

The blow never landed on Gusion—instead, it was countered in the worst possible way.

The crack of a wrist shattering rang clearly even amid the storm. With an up-down pincer, Gusion broke Lonely Noise's right hand.

As Lonely Noise's greatsword spun down into the pit and Gusion's Mazuko fell as well, the two launched into barehanded combat without hesitation.

But Lonely Noise had lost tempo. One slow step leads to another. Gusion, after ruining his right hand, didn't alter his movement. Borrowing the forward force of Lonely Noise's punch, he retreated and pulled at Lonely Noise's body.

As Lonely Noise's torso pitched forward, Gusion released his grip—but only for an instant. While retreating on borrowed force, he adjusted his posture—upper body from forward to leaning back—and his left leg, which had struck the wrist, extended forward to join his right and entwine.

Lonely Noise never expected that this seemingly reckless brute would use soft-style grappling under the Eight Gates' iron-body taijutsu.

Even a veteran like him had to admire the on-the-fly judgment. Given Gusion's retreating posture, this was the optimal offense.

Gusion's left leg was already connected to Lonely Noise's right arm. Due to inertia and injury, Lonely Noise couldn't pull back in time and was instantly snared.

Gusion twisted midair; Lonely Noise's flesh and bone spiraled like a twisted rope—the right arm completely ruined.

Lonely Noise didn't abandon his hunger for victory. He formed a hand-knife with his left and slashed at Gusion's legs, ready to trade an arm for Gusion's mobility.

But in that instant, Gusion's Thunder Fruit flared to the limit. He poured soul-source recklessly, unleashing torrents of high-voltage lightning that stunned Lonely Noise's body for a split second.

Gusion braced with both legs, wrenching Lonely Noise's mangled arm, pulling his body as he dropped. His hands clamped onto Lonely Noise's head.

As the paralysis ended, an even fiercer strike arrived.

Muscles bulging, Gusion wrenched Lonely Noise's head down. His right knee, wrapped in Ryou and Conqueror's Haki, smashed into Lonely Noise's face.

With a thunderclap, Lonely Noise's head snapped back, his face caving.

The whiplash straightened his forward-leaning torso. Gusion was already in motion: two straight punches—first shattered the larynx, second crushed the heart.

As Lonely Noise staggered back from the impacts, Gusion spun into a roundhouse, his kick taking Lonely Noise's head—snapping the neck free from the skull, leaving only skin attached.

With a roar, Lonely Noise's body slammed into a ruin, throwing up dust.

Unhurried, Gusion dropped into the pit, picked up Mazuko, and walked to Lonely Noise's side.

Lonely Noise lay there, barely able to move, life-source plunging below freezing.

He looked at Gusion with no fear in his eyes. Thanks to an explorer's physique, he could still speak. "So this is… the summit of martial arts."

"There's no summit in sight. We're all just climbers," Gusion said, drawing Mazuko. "That was satisfying. If I weren't pressed for time, I'd fight you longer."

"So my gap… with the Forerunners is this vast? The Seed… the Seed… If only I hadn't…"

Lonely Noise coughed blood in great gouts, voice fading, his eyes carrying the satisfaction of a warrior after a rousing battle and the regret of endangering his team.

Struggling, he said between bloody coughs, "Let's make a deal. Spare my teammates, and I'll tell you intel about the Seed—and give you a way to get it."

Mazuko halted at Lonely Noise's neck. "Have your teammates stop. Sign a contract."

Lonely Noise sent a message over team comms. His teammates, locked with Konan and Gusion's clones, halted.

Gusion produced a contract. Explorers from different Spaces could sign binding contracts; the contents notarized by each Space.

Konan, unaware of the details, assumed the ninjas had fallen back to save comrades. Rational as ever, she chose not to interfere, and continued escorting Nagato away from the battlefield.

Gusion swiftly drafted the terms: Lonely Noise would provide the whereabouts of the next Seed and a method to obtain it; if fulfilled, Gusion would spare Lonely Noise's team.

"In our place, there's a powerhouse called the Soul Singer. He has a Seed—and his next world is Bleach."

Lonely Noise said weakly. He'd been beaten to the brink; without treatment, he had minutes at best.

He pulled an item from storage but couldn't lift his hand. With his shin bones broken, he was paralyzed.

"This is a special world locator. You can choose a world you've been to. Your blade is a Zanpakutō, right? That means you can enter Bleach."

He explained, shooting a look to his approaching teammates to keep calm over comms.

As an Adjudicator, he knew Gusion's strength best. Don't be fooled by the consecutive battles; without Lonely Noise to hold him, Gusion could slaughter everyone here in under ten seconds if he got serious.

"What does the Seed do?" Gusion asked.

"Not sure… Everyone who's fought him has died. But that he has a Seed is certain; plenty of people on our side know."

"How do you know he's going to Bleach?"

Gusion pressed. He was determined to obtain the Seed—and he wanted to revisit Bleach anyway. He was willing to accept the deal—if the intel was solid.

"The day before we came here, I saw the Soul Singer in the market buying a Bleach locator. Given his style, he'll go. Based on our timing, he should enter Bleach in 29 days by our clock."

Lonely Noise explained. He knew Adjudicators and the rumored higher special explorers ran on 30-day cycles; the Soul Singer would be the same.