Chapter 57: Crimson Hell
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In his reflections, Kagami Uchiha acknowledged the pivotal moment when he began altering the timeline—the day Sakumo Hatake chose exile over death.
That single act created ripples that reshaped the entire shinobi world. Even now, standing at the edge of Roran, he understood the consequences.
Sasori's presence here, seeking Roran at this time, was another butterfly effect. The simultaneous attacks on Konoha by three major nations—an unprecedented occurrence—was also his doing.
Yet, what he feared most was the possibility of Naruto Uzumaki appearing again, an immutable sign that history was correcting itself.
But no...
The absence of Naruto proved one thing:
The timeline had diverged beyond repair.
This world was now untethered from its predetermined fate.
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Looking down from their perch, Kagami and Sasori saw Sara, the Queen of Roran, narrowly saved by Kagami's kunai.
The red-haired queen, despite her near-death experience, composed herself quickly. Her sharp eyes landed on the two men.
"Thank you for saving me…" she began, her voice trembling but steady. "I am Sara, queen of this land. I will repay your kindness."
Kagami scoffed, cutting her off with a dismissive wave.
"No time for morning dramas. Sasori, keep an eye on your cousin. Just make sure she doesn't die."
Sara blinked, confused.
"Cousin?"
Sasori frowned but said nothing.
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Their conversation was interrupted by the metallic whirring of puppets approaching. The lifeless constructs radiated a faint blue-violet glow—traces of the Dragon Vein's power.
Kagami observed the flow of chakra, sensing its weight and purity.
"This is the primordial energy of the land," he muttered.
His eyes lifted toward the central tower, where a man with a scraggly beard stood, staring down at them with disbelief.
"Sasori-sama!"
The voice carried over the battlefield. Sasori's expression darkened as recognition set in.
"Mukade? Why do you look so old?"
Before the man could answer, Kagami interjected with a smirk.
"He's from more than twenty years in the future."
Kagami's hand rose, cutting the air in a sharp motion.
"Enough talk. Time to die."
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Countless invisible slashes tore through the approaching puppets, reducing them to nothing more than scrap.
Mukade's body was severed at the waist by a single clean strike.
Yet, even as his lower half collapsed, a surge of blue-violet chakra burst forth, stitching his body back together.
Mukade's form warped grotesquely, swelling to an inhuman size. His upper body remained humanoid, but his lower half morphed into a massive centipede-like structure, stretching hundreds of meters long.
The tower beneath him crumbled under his immense weight, collapsing into ruins.
Sasori quickly pulled Sara to safety, sealing her mouth with a piece of puppet debris to silence her protests.
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Watching from the ruins, Kagami's lips curled into a faint smile.
Mukade roared, his voice echoing across the desert.
"Sasori! Behold my immortality! I have surpassed you!"
Electric-blue flames sparked around him as he unleashed the power of the Dragon Vein.
Kagami stood unfazed, perched on a broken tower.
Mukade snarled, his voice a guttural growl.
"Die! Dragon Vein Fireball!"
A massive surge of blue-violet flames roared toward Kagami, threatening to engulf him entirely.
Without moving, Kagami flicked his wrist, slicing the attack in two with an unseen slash.
The flames curved harmlessly around him, unable to touch his body.
"Is that all?" Kagami mused, his tone cold.
Mukade screamed in frustration, unleashing an even larger torrent of flames.
Kagami remained still, lifting a single hand.
In his palm, a spinning blue sphere began to form.
Rasengan.
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The spiraling sphere soon erupted into a fiery blaze, expanding to a massive size.
Flames danced along its surface, radiating an intense heat that distorted the air.
Kagami's voice was laced with cold amusement.
"Let me show you what true fire looks like."
The fiery Rasengan grew, transforming into a ball of crimson fire. The light it emitted was harsh and unyielding, burning with an almost divine fury.
It wasn't just fire—it was annihilation incarnate.
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Even in his sealed state, Sukuna felt the power of the flames.
He had always prided himself on his mastery of fire, a force he considered his own. Yet, as he watched through the veil of Kagami's mind, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of unease.
These flames were unlike anything he'd ever seen—cold, unmerciful, and utterly devoid of life.
They didn't burn to sustain; they burned to destroy.
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Kagami raised his hand, the crimson sphere hovering above his palm.
With a simple gesture, he launched the attack.
The fiery orb descended slowly, like a falling sun.
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Sasori didn't wait to see the aftermath. Grabbing Sara, he bolted toward the outskirts of the city, cursing under his breath.
"Damn that Kagami! Does he have no regard for anyone else?"
As he ran, the oppressive heat of the attack bore down on him, threatening to consume everything in its path.
Mukade froze, his monstrous form trembling under the weight of Kagami's power.
In his final moments, a strange thought crossed his mind.
"Such a magnificent death… Am I even worthy of it?"
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Kagami's voice was calm and detached.
"Time to exit the stage."
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"Flame Release: Crimson Hell."
The world ignited in a sea of red.
Flames surged in every direction, consuming the city, the puppets, and everything in between.
For a moment, the desert was no more. There was only fire.
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