dmims Chapter 39 Breaking Free from the Cracks in Time
Chapter 39 Breaking Free from the Cracks in Time
"Mavis, what exactly is going on? We need an explanation!" Having received no answer from Mavis, Jiraiya walked directly to Zeref and Mavis and pressed them for an explanation once more.
As the storm subsided, Jelf, who had just turned slightly to shield Mavis from view, now looked at the white-haired man approaching.
“It’s Acnologia… Acnologia has also come here through the rift in time…” Mavis closed her eyes, digesting the news that Acnologia was coming. She looked directly into Jiraiya’s eyes and said in a heavy tone.
Since Acnologia already exists in the rift of time, an unchangeable fact, we can only face it and stand with the people of this world!
At this moment, Orochimaru also came over and noticed that the time rift had become abnormal. Seeing that Zeref and Mavis could not leave at the moment, Orochimaru stopped trying to stop them.
After all, his primary goal—to prevent magic from leaving the ninja world—seems to have been achieved without him even lifting a finger.
His golden snake eyes narrowed slightly, and his face showed no embarrassment whatsoever for his betrayal.
Orochimaru, as if nothing had just happened, asked, "What exactly is the information about Acnologia? In the current situation, Lord Zeref, there's no need to avoid the topic any longer, is there?"
Mavis stepped away from Zeref's protective gesture and walked to Jiraiya and the other Konoha members who had also come forward. With an extremely serious expression, she said, "Everyone, I have some very unfortunate news. I never expected that, in addition to Zeref and me, Acnologia would also enter the time rift. If he really breaks through the time rift and comes to this world, it will be an enormous disaster for this world!"
First, Zeref and Orochimaru got mixed up, and now Acnologia is threatening us. Even someone as thick-skinned as Hashirama Senju is feeling a headache coming on.
Peace in the ninja world is already incredibly difficult to maintain, so why is another conflict from another world getting involved?!
At this moment, Madara Uchiha also brought Izuna Uchiha to Zeref's vicinity.
Seeing Zeref's seemingly calm but actually wary and alert demeanor, Madara Uchiha couldn't help but sneer, "What's wrong, Zeref? This cowardly attitude is truly shameful."
Despite Madara Uchiha's taunts, Zeref remained unmoved and calmly retorted, "That's because you know nothing about Acnologia's power. Indeed, ignorance seems to make one appear more confident and dazzling."
Madara Uchiha snorted coldly and said nothing more. He and Zeref stared intently at the black vortex in the sky.
Even after witnessing the power of Zeref and Mavis's magic, Madara Uchiha did not believe he would lose to either Zeref or Mavis in battle.
This is the confidence of Madara Uchiha, the ninja world's savior who grew up in battle and bloodshed, and who could summon the strongest tailed beast, the Nine-Tails, with just his Sharingan!
Uchiha Izuna: ...
Well, watching Uchiha Madara seize every opportunity to mock Zeref, and how Zeref always managed to deliver a flawless retort, Uchiha Izuna's eyes flickered slightly.
Especially when Zeref mocked Madara Uchiha, even uttering words like "ignorant," Madara Uchiha merely snorted coldly without getting angry, leaving Izuna Uchiha thoughtful.
If my brother had met Zeref before he died, they might have gotten along quite well.
...Anyway, anyone is better than that shameless and ruthless Hashirama Senju! Uchiha Izuna thought to himself.
"Acnologia is not human. To be precise, Acnologia was once human," Zeref explained calmly. "Now, he is the Dragon King who devours all magic power, the Black Feather of the End!"
Are we not human now, but we used to be human?
This strange statement immediately caught Orochimaru's attention, but he quickly realized that it might be similar to his Eight-Headed Serpent Technique, causing his body to develop inhuman characteristics.
It can only be said that Orochimaru, who stands at the pinnacle of science and wisdom in the ninja world, made a deduction based solely on Zeref's ambiguous statement, and the result was somewhat similar to the actual situation in Acnologia.
However, the statement that he was "completely not human" seems to have a deeper meaning, Orochimaru thought to himself.
Meanwhile, Mavis was also introducing Acnologia's basic information to the people of Konoha.
"What? It's just like Toad Boss, is it that scary?" Naruto said dismissively after hearing Mavis say that Acnologia was a black dragon with dark wings.
Although he didn't know what a dragon looked like, having just witnessed Gamabunta and Naruto with the One-Tailed Beast, he naturally equated Acnologia, Gamabunta, and Shukaku, whose power had not yet fully recovered, with their strength.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze exchanged a glance. Unlike Naruto, their first thought was of the Nine-Tails' enormous, sky-covering form and its endless, violent chakra during the Nine-Tails Night.
If Acnologia is something like the Nine-Tails, then the situation would indeed be terrible. Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced worriedly at the village and sighed inwardly.
click-
A sound as if something was being torn apart suddenly rang out, startling everyone, and their eyes instinctively followed the direction of the sound.
Cracks appeared to spread outward from the edge of the time fissure, and a huge, beast-like claw rested on the edge of the black vortex.
The scene became unusually quiet, and all the ninjas in Konoha focused their attention on the crack in time.
Following the claws, a huge, jet-black head emerged from the rift in time, leaving Kakashi's three genin speechless.
Even Naruto, who had just thought Acnologia and Gamabunta were similar to the One-Tailed Beast, was stunned. The power of some creatures can be sensed by the body's instincts even with just a glance.
The black dragon in the time rift kept trying to break free of the black vortex, and soon half of its body emerged.
Seeing that he would soon be free from the shackles of time and behold the real world before him, Acnologia felt a surge of joy.
Obediently opening its massive maw, its sharp fangs gleaming coldly, it raised its head and once again unleashed the roar of the Dragon King, before the stunned gazes of all the Konoha ninja: "Roar—"
"This... is Acnologia?" A bitter smile appeared on Jiraiya's lips. This guy was clearly no pushover!
Orochimaru stared in fascination at the black dragon emerging from the rift in time. Its massive body was covered with scales that looked incredibly hard, and every part of its body was filled with the beauty of power. Mysterious patterns spread across its pitch-black exterior, giving it a strange and awe-inspiring beauty.
Orochimaru examined it closely from a researcher's perspective, exclaiming, "What a near-perfect body! Its power is evident at a glance. If it were a summoning beast, it would surely have a formidable reputation, hehe."
Orochimaru's words made Zeref, who was standing next to him, look at him with a completely new gaze. He actually connected Acnologia with summoning beasts. Orochimaru, this guy, really dares to do that!
Because the scene was too quiet, and because dragons' senses far surpass those of humans, Orochimaru's words reached Acnologia, who had finally managed to poke half of his body out of the time rift.
He tilted his head slightly, and the dragon's superior eyesight allowed him to take in the view of Konoha Village and beyond.
The unfamiliar architectural style and scenery, as well as the energy in the air that felt similar to yet different from magical elements, left Acnologia somewhat puzzled.
Unlike Zeref and Mavis, who arrived in the ninja world unconscious, Acnologia's strength allowed him to remain conscious even within the time rift.
As he realized he was caught in a time vortex, Acnologia gradually began to understand.
Could it be another world...? Akurologia thought with some displeasure.
He was pushed into a rift in time by Anna and the others, and was already gradually absorbing the power of spacetime.
However, the rift in time suddenly fluctuated and changed. Not only could he no longer absorb the power of spacetime, but he was also trapped inside.
Even now, it took a lot of effort to just stick half of his body out of there.
Having gained a basic understanding of the current situation, Acnologia lowered his head to see which ant had dared to make such a presumptuous judgment on him. As his gaze swept across the room, he spotted a familiar figure.
"Hehehe, you're here too, Dark Mage." Acnologia let out a low laugh, greeting Zeref in a manner that seemed somewhat familiar to the others.
But what he said wasn't as friendly as his tone suggested: "Didn't you say that you would eliminate both me and humanity? Is this how you're trying to make me take this seriously?"
When Zeref first discovered Acnologia in the rift in time, his expression was very grave.
When Acnologia finally emerged from the rift in time, Zeref's expression had already returned to its usual calm.
He even gave Acnologia his signature gentle smile: "It's a pity, this wasn't my plan. I just came into this world by accident."
Even while talking to Jelf, Acnologia did not stop moving.
After half of his body broke free from the black vortex, the constraints and limitations imposed on him by the cracks in time gradually weakened.
He struggled relentlessly outward from the cracks in time, his massive form visibly regaining its freedom little by little.
"Don't let him break free!" Mavis shouted urgently, realizing that the rift in time was binding Acnologia.
Even if Mavis hadn't said anything, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya, and the others wouldn't have allowed this obviously troublesome guy to descend upon Konoha.
"Old man, I'll use oil!" Jiraiya leaned forward slightly, his expression serious, and his hands rapidly formed hand seals.
"Understood!" The tacit understanding between master and disciple allowed Hiruzen Sarutobi to instantly coordinate with Jiraiya and unleash a Fire Release technique.
Facing the unknown Acnologia, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya both unleashed their full power.
With the oil fueling the fire, the combined ninjutsu of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya was no less powerful than Madara Uchiha's Fire Release.
The oil-fire bomb hurtled towards Acnologia with unstoppable force. Orochimaru raised an eyebrow upon seeing this, also wanting to take this opportunity to test Acnologia's strength, and quickly formed hand seals as well.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" Orochimaru, in coordination with Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya, also used Wind Release, attacking Acnologia together!
It can only be said that even though they have become mortal enemies, Orochimaru, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Jiraiya are still very familiar with each other.
The proportions of the Wind Release technique perfectly complemented the combined ninjutsu of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya. With the support of Wind Release and oil, the Fire Release technique was incredibly powerful. Even Madara Uchiha, who was skilled in Fire Release, probably wouldn't want to face this attack directly with just Fire Release.
Its power was simply irresistible.
Unfortunately, it's only "almost," not "definitely."
Even more unfortunately, they were facing the all-consuming black dragon, Acnologia.
The towering flames engulfed Acnologia completely, and Kakashi's team of three were deeply shocked by what they saw. The power of the combined ninjutsu was worlds apart from the ninjutsu they usually saw.
Let alone the fact that they were just genin who had just participated in the Chunin Exams, even ordinary jonin would rarely see three kage-level ninjas working together to launch a combination ninjutsu like this.
"Hmph, that guy's definitely dead." Naruto raised his hand to his chin, closing his mouth which was agape in shock.
"Don't let your guard down, Naruto, no matter how strong or weak your opponent is." Minato Namikaze placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder, teaching him like a father.
"I know..." Naruto pouted and answered somewhat awkwardly. The unfamiliar teachings from his father made Naruto feel a little uncomfortable, but a full and slightly bittersweet emotion spread from his heart.
Seeing Naruto's somewhat awkward but undeniably obedient demeanor, Kakashi, as his teacher, felt both amused and heartbroken.
You know, Naruto wasn't usually this obedient when he was teaching him. However, Kakashi sighed inwardly: If Minato and Kushina were still here, Naruto would definitely be even more radiant and dazzling, just like his parents.
"Hehehe..." A deep laugh came from the place where the fire jutsu had been swallowed up.
However, apart from the three members of Kakashi's team, the rest of the people present did not show much shock on their faces, even Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, who were performing ninjutsu.
Judging from its appearance alone, Acnologia's body must have amazing defensive capabilities.
Moreover, judging from the attitudes of Mavis and Jelf, Acnologia is by no means an opponent that can be defeated so easily.
After Acnologia's laughter rang out, to everyone's astonishment, the combined ninjutsu released by Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two suddenly fluctuated.
Amidst the towering flames, a black tail traced a natural arc across the sky; Acnologia had completely broken free from the rift in time!
The black dragon, unharmed despite being bathed in flames, stretched out its body, opened its huge mouth with sharp fangs, and swallowed the flames mixed with oil and wind-style support!
"That's a fire-style technique! How could he... have swallowed it...? I've never heard of such a thing before..."
Sakura's expression was somewhat out of control. Although she wasn't the strongest among the genin this year, in terms of written test scores and theoretical knowledge of ninjutsu, Sakura was definitely one of the best genin.
Ninjutsu is arguably the most powerful attack method for most ninjas, something Sakura learned from her textbooks at the ninja academy.
At this moment, right in front of Sakura, the enormous black figure shattered Sakura's understanding of ninjutsu.