TitoVillar
patreon
OPI Chapter 457: Across Worlds and Graves
🕑 Added 2025-07-10 01:19:44 +0000 UTC"Looks like there won’t be any surprises." Imu observing the fierce battle between Enma and Sanast from a close distance—separated only by a
"Looks like there won’t be any surprises."
Imu observing the fierce battle between Enma and Sanast from a close distance—separated only by a layer of hazy purple space.
He was currently in a different layer of the Underworld, entered using a technique modeled after the powers of the Door-Door Fruit.
Though this space shimmered with an eerie violet hue, in all other aspects, it was no different from the Door-Door space.
No matter how violently Enma and Sanast clashed outside, no matter how overwhelming their energy or pressure seemed—it couldn’t reach him. They couldn’t even sense his presence.
And the reason he was here personally...
Was precisely so he could step in at any moment.
To Imu, what happened in the Underworld mattered immensely.
Because to control this place was to control life, death, and reincarnation.
In the future, with his permission, techniques like Edo Tensei could work on Starfish. And if he wished, he could render them useless at will.
So to ensure the success of this Underworld conquest plan...
Imu had decided to personally protect Enma and eliminate Sanast.
But defeating Sanast completely would still take Enma some time.
So Imu shifted his gaze toward Senju Hashirama.
Amid the boundless forest, Hashirama had already summoned both his Wood Golem and Wood Dragon.
He was simultaneously commanding countless trees to engage the black-robed shinigami in direct combat.
One man fighting 3,000 enemies, and not losing ground in the slightest!
The more Imu watched, the more admiration flickered in his eyes.
As a transmigrant, getting to see Senju Hashirama with his own eyes—it did bring him a bit of joy.
Though he often criticized Hashirama for failing to unify the shinobi world outright, instead toying with the idea of balance through the distribution of Tailed Beasts—resulting in a chain of wars and tragedies that followed, and dragging the innocent beasts into suffering—
Now, as the ruler of the World Government, Imu found that kind of personality quite convenient to control.
Which was precisely why he had rejected Enma’s earlier request.
Hashirama was someone he absolutely intended to resurrect—and transfer to Umigakure. Along with Uchiha Madara.
Though for that, he’d still need to speak with that Sage of the Six Paths over in the shinobi world.
That, too, was one of the reasons Imu had decided to temporarily set aside World Government matters and remain in the Starfish Underworld for a while.
Sure, the war against demons in the shinobi world was important—but still not as critical as what was happening here.
First, Enma was uncertain about when the King of the Dead would be reborn. She said it’d be within a dozen days or so, but the exact number was unclear.
According to her, the moment of his rebirth would be when he was at his weakest—meaning Imu had to strike immediately.
Second, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo and Ōtsutsuki Hamura might invade. If they did, he would need to negotiate with them as well.
About two days later, Imu personally witnessed Sanast have his red scythe shattered by a single slash from Seika.
Then, as Enma’s Hellfire engulfed him, his soul was utterly annihilated.
The towering flames pierced the sky, casting a ghostly violet hue across the blood-red heavens.
Soon after, Senju Hashirama crushed the last of the black-robed shinigami on the battlefield.
Imu realized he had overestimated Enma’s power.
So even a ruler of the Underworld might not be that strong after all.
Or perhaps it was because this wasn't the Titan World? Or maybe her time to grow had simply been too short?
...
The World Government’s large-scale invasion of the Starfish Underworld had thrown the realm into chaos and unease.
Within the Citadel of the King of the Dead, the residents and soldiers pinned their hopes on the Shinigami Corps and on Sanast himself.
They prayed that Sanast and the 3,000 Shinigami under his command would crush the invaders—and reveal that this so-called 'Underworld Army of the World Government' was just a group of impostors making baseless claims.
But then, as the skeleton soldiers in dark crimson armor stood atop the city walls, and the black-robed Shinigami hovered silently in the sky…
They saw it.
At the distant edge of the charred earth between the twin volcanoes—a long, black line slowly began to emerge.
And under the flickering gaze of their soul flames—quivering violently in their sockets—that line surged into a vast, purple tide.
A colossal army of Titans, rumbling forward with thunderous steps, bearing down on them like a tide that could swallow the world.
The entire city fell into utter silence with astonishing speed.
The black-robed Shinigami immediately began to wonder—where was Commander Sanast?
Hadn’t he led 3,000 Shinigami to the battlefield?
Then why were these giants now appearing outside Citadel?
After all, in the face of Enma and Hashirama, neither Sanast nor the 3,000 black-robed Shinigami would have had a moment to transmit a message back via Den-Den Mushi.
But what happened next left every skull-headed soldier staring in dumbfounded shock.
From their vantage point, they saw the leading ranks of the titan army simply vanish into thin air as they marched forward!
The titans were lining up and stepping into a misty violet space, one by one.
Within that space, the seemingly blistering red lava had no heat at all—nor would anything sink into it. It was as harmless as a stage prop.
Only the towering city walls had any true defensive function.
And yet, as the frontmost titans neared the base of the wall, a massive opening—an 'air door' 70 meters high—suddenly formed on the wall's surface.
A swarm of Pure Titans, grinning stupidly, rushed in without a second thought.
At the same time—
Inside the walls, the city’s defenses had been fully deployed.
Ranks upon ranks of skeleton soldiers in armor had already formed vast, disciplined phalanxes, grim and battle-ready.
Above them, black-robed Shinigami wielding pitch-black scythes hovered in tight formations.
But even amidst this tense readiness—
All eyes turned as that strange 'air door' on the city wall opened once more, revealing a dim purple void within…
And out from it came one towering titan after another—each over ten meters tall, dressed in identical violet military uniforms.
In that instant, the skeleton troops and the black-robed Shinigami alike were utterly stunned.
...
[Tap, tap, tap]
The clear sound of footsteps was heard.
Ōtsutsuki Hamura walked into the brightly lit main hall of the Shinobi Sect. He wore a white high-collared robe adorned with six magatama across the chest.
“Brother, the cleanup outside is nearly done. As per your instructions, we’ve also captured those prisoners. Their strength has been sealed, and they’ve been detained inside a temporarily constructed barrier.”
“Mm. You’ve worked hard.”
Seated cross-legged on a floor cushion, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo gave a slight nod upon hearing his younger brother’s report.
Back when they had joined forces to defeat the King of the Dead, he had indeed requested that they try to capture some of the invaders alive—particularly those who seemed to possess high combat power or unique abilities.
At this moment, they were undergoing various forms of interrogation by the shinobi.
Thanks to the Uchiha clan’s Sharingan and the Yamanaka clan’s mind-reading techniques, a steady stream of intelligence was being extracted—about the Starfish Underworld, the World Government, even the world of the Kabane and the Demon Slayer world.
“If you hadn’t joined the battle this time… I wouldn’t have been confident I could defeat him. Unless—”
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo looked at Hamura, who was now seated cross-legged on the cushion across from him, and let out a sigh.
Even now, just recalling the recent battle filled him with lingering dread.
Three heads, six arms, six swords—each ablaze with eerie green flames—and a blinding blade light that could effortlessly shatter Chibaku Tensei into fragments.
By the latter half of the fight, Hagoromo had even been prepared to forcibly summon all nine Tailed Beasts back into his body to once again become the Ten-Tails’ jinchūriki.
Fortunately, Ōtsutsuki Hamura had arrived just in time.
Although his power was somewhat weaker, with the support of Ōtsutsuki chakra and the Tenseigan, he was still qualified to take part in the battle.
The King of the Dead was undeniably powerful, yet in the end, he still couldn’t withstand the combined might of the two brothers.
That said, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo had also sustained significant injuries and was temporarily forced to leave external affairs in Hamura’s hands.
“What’s our next move, Brother?”
Hagoromo met Hamura’s gaze. “I can feel that the Tenseigan on the Moon has lost its connection with me. Most likely, it was taken to another world through that so-called Dimensional Gate.”
“You have a plan?”
“Mm. I intend to travel to the Starfish Underworld, capture the reborn King of the Dead, and take back the Tenseigan from that World Government!”
Hamura’s tone was icy.
“That’s not wise.”
Hagoromo lowered his head slightly, speaking in a heavy voice, lost in thought.
“What matters most now is dealing with the demons that have appeared in the Shinobi World. Fortunately, those World Government people have managed to contain them within the Land of Swamps. For that, I’m genuinely grateful.”
Just as he finished speaking, a deep expression of regret crossed his face.
“This is also my fault. Back then, I got greedy. I thought there might be a chance to make use of it in the future, so I kept that demon that accidentally wandered into the Shinobi World, and sealed it inside the ‘Box of Ultimate Bliss’...”
Hamura remained silent, but he understood exactly what his brother meant by 'make use of'.
They had planned for Hagoromo to consume a second Chakra Fruit once the divine tree’s true body on the Moon bore it again.
When the time came, they would harness that demon’s soul to invade the demon world—curious to see what might be gained.
After all, who wouldn't be curious about another world?
Back then, after they had sealed away their mother and the divine tree’s true body—namely, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path—on the Moon, the reason Hagoromo distributed his chakra among others...
Was actually so that the chakra, imbued with his spiritual imprint, could grow by absorbing the spiritual and life energy of every person, including those yet to be born.
And once these people died, the chakra within their bodies would automatically return to the Demonic Statue on the Moon—the divine tree itself.
That’s right—Hagoromo had been planting a tree too.
But unlike their mother, he didn’t have the divine tree absorb the planet’s natural energy or the life force of all living things.
This method, though slower on the surface, had one major advantage: it produced repeatable results without harming the Shinobi World itself.
And as long as the number of shinobi continued to grow—and died 'in time', namely through warfare—
Then waves upon waves of chakra could be harvested, until the accumulation of quantity brought about a fundamental transformation.
It was, in a sense, like farming.
Eventually, it would bear a Chakra Fruit of potentially superior quality.
Sure enough, just as his brother had predicted, once humanity began to master the power of ninjutsu—
Mutual slaughter became inevitable. And in the process, it accelerated their training, application, and development of chakra.
However, the process was far too drawn out. Their lifespans simply couldn’t keep up.
Thus, Hagoromo became the ruler of the Pure Land, while Hamura, after passing away peacefully on the Moon, transformed his body into the core of the Tenseigan.
He also instructed his descendants to keep implanting Byakugan into it—because one day, it would become the most powerful weapon.
His soul, meanwhile, settled into seclusion within the Pure Land. From time to time, he would connect with the Tenseigan core on the Moon and observe every movement in the Shinobi World—especially the reincarnations of Asura and Indra's chakra—and report everything to his brother.
According to their plan, once Hagoromo consumed the second Chakra Fruit, the third would go to Hamura, and they would take turns from then on.
Powerful shinobi whose souls remained intact could also be kept in the Pure Land as a reserve military force—
To one day defend against other Ōtsutsuki invaders or even launch an invasion into the demon world.
However, the chakra those souls possessed in life had already returned to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path the moment they died.
The chakra they currently had was, in fact, allocated to them by Hagoromo, who had established rules to channel a portion of chakra back into their bodies.
That was why they felt like their chakra was constantly being replenished.
“Hmm?!”
Suddenly, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo sharply turned his head.
His gaze pierced through layers of obstruction, locking onto the distant end of the River Styx.
There, a spirit ship marked with a five-circle cross flag was cutting through the ink-black waves, entering the Pure Land.
But it was soon surrounded by patrolling shinobi stationed nearby.
“Brother?” Ōtsutsuki Hamura looked over, puzzled, only to hear Hagoromo speak in a low, grim voice: “The World Government has arrived… and there’s a clone of Senju Hashirama on that ship!”
“What?!”
Ōtsutsuki Hamura was visibly shocked.
