Boundless Darkness

"Forgive me, Sasuke, this is the last time." What awaited Sasuke wasn't the removal of his eyes, but instead, a phrase that sounded very familiar to him. It left him completely stunned. After infusing the final power of the Mangekyou Sharingan into Sasuke's eyes, Itachi had collapsed right in front of him.

"How could this be? What happened exactly? Did I kill him? But why? Why am I not happy? Instead, I feel sad, and there's something strangely unsettling about the whole situation."

Sasuke felt deeply puzzled. This feeling told him that perhaps the entire situation wasn't as he had imagined. Unfortunately, the injuries he sustained in the intense battle and the damage caused by Orochimaru's suppression had taken their toll. He collapsed beside Itachi and fell into unconsciousness.

"Sasuke!" Not long after, Naruto and his group had arrived. They rushed to Sasuke's side as they saw him lying on the ground. However, just as Naruto was about to touch Sasuke, Tobi suddenly appeared and used a space-time ninjutsu to disappear with Sasuke.

Naruto was left stunned for about three seconds before he snapped back to reality. Only then did he realize that they had once again failed, and Sasuke had been taken away right before his eyes, especially at the last moment.

"Damn it." A surge of anger surged through Naruto's mind, and he clenched a Rasengan in his hand, smashing it into the ground and creating a deep crater.

"Naruto, let it go. It's clear that the enemy planned this in advance. It's difficult to stop someone using space-time ninjutsu to take someone away," Kakashi said. He never expected victory to be snatched away at the last moment.

"Damn it, damn it, we were so close. Just a little bit more." Naruto couldn't accept it and yelled in frustration.

"Kakashi-sensei, what is that?" Suddenly, Neji appeared shocked and spoke with a slightly trembling voice.

"What happened... How is this possible?" Kakashi turned around and saw Neji's strange tone, but soon he too was dumbfounded. He stared at the sky, looking utterly bewildered.

The others were drawn to the scene, including Naruto. However, without exception, their expressions were filled with extreme shock. Even those who had taken Sasuke and Itachi away, like Tobi and Zetsu, were no exception.

This was because in the sky, a darkness was spreading rapidly in all directions. Alongside this darkness was another force that seemed to complement it, intertwining with it. On the other side of the darkness, tightly connected with it, was a golden-green light that brought a sense of relief. It was as if decades of suffering vanished the moment that golden-green light was seen.

Yes, the dark and the golden-green light continued to expand as if shrouding the entire world's sky. Of course, that was a bit exaggerated, but Kakashi and the others didn't think so.

They were certain that the darkness and the golden-green light were far away from them, yet even from that distance, they could see everything clearly. They could see the constant expansion, and they could especially grasp the enormity of the darkness and the golden-green light.

"Quick, let's return to Konoha!" Kakashi paid no attention to the golden-green light, but the darkness reminded him of what Jiraiya had told him. The boundless darkness, could it be that the boundless darkness had truly arrived? Even at this beginning stage, it was so terrifying. If it continued to develop, would the darkness really envelop the entire world?

Meanwhile, the Five Great Ninja Villages, the daimyos of the Five Great Nations, and countless ninjas all looked up at the sky where two blinding beams of light seemed to cover the entire sky. They could all confirm that these were two enormously powerful energies, releasing and spreading ceaselessly.

"What is this? Such immense chakra. One is filled with vitality, purity, as if it can bring the dead back to life, yet it's like the sun radiating over the earth. The other is an extreme darkness, an overwhelming sensation of being forever engulfed by darkness, both physically and mentally. It's so strange, two extremes of energy appearing together. Has the ninja world truly encountered a turbulent change?" pondered the Kages of the five major ninja villages: Kazekage Gaara, Mizukage Mei, Hokage Jiraiya, Raikage A, and Tsuchikage Onoki. Especially Jiraiya, who thought about the words of the Great Toad Sage.

"Is it all too late? How could this have happened so suddenly? Has the boundless darkness already started to descend?" Kakashi stood by the window, looking out at the distant darkness, utterly dumbfounded.

"No, it's only just beginning. Even if it costs me my life, I won't allow this darkness to cover the entire ninja world. Moreover, the Great Toad Sage said that if it truly comes to that point, the Beasts, who have existed since the time of the Six Paths, will definitely intervene."

"What we need to do now is to seize this opportunity to unite Konoha completely, gather our full strength, and unite with the other four villages to eradicate it together."

Jiraiya immediately transcribed the Great Toad Sage's prophecy onto the fastest and most secure scroll and dispatched it with a summoning beast to the other four ninja villages. In this moment, Kakashi cast aside the grievances and conflicts between the five major ninja villages.

"Fourth Hokage, please forgive me. Naruto has finally escaped the role of a Jinchuriki, and now I have to personally make him one again. However, rest assured, I won't force it. I'll give Naruto the choice and let him decide whether he wants to become a Jinchuriki for the Yin part of the Nine-Tails Chakra, the same Chakra that was used to seal the Nine-Tails when you split its chakra in two during the sealing."

"Unfortunately, the Yang part of the Nine-Tails vanished after Ryoha released it. If Naruto could possess both the Yin and Yang parts of the Nine-Tails Chakra, combined with Sage Mode and everything else, along with all of our strength, we should be able to take down Ryoha."

Jiraiya thought to himself. Indeed, inside the Fourth Hokage's remains was not just the Yang part of the Nine-Tails Chakra that Naruto originally possessed, but also a more aggressive and violent Yin part. The Fourth Hokage was concerned that Naruto might not be able to control the Nine-Tails' rage, so he separated the darkest and most ferocious part into two parts.

On the other hand, he sealed the relatively calmer Yang part in Naruto's body, hoping that one day, when Naruto grew, he would acquire the Yin part, achieving the ultimate balance of Yin and Yang, becoming the true strongest Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. Unfortunately, after the Yang part of the Nine-Tails was released, it disappeared without a trace. Nonetheless, it was a good thing in a way, as at least the Yin part remained.