Swoosh
Swoosh
Swoosh
One dark purple mist after another surged into the sky, piercing straight into the clouds!
Each of these dark purple mists meant that a powerful shinobi had succumbed to the fear within their heart, sinking under the overbearing power of the Hegemon of Terror!
Rumble
In the blink of an eye, a bolt of thunder exploded across the firmament!
This thunderclap was extraordinary, appearing as if it could strike the deepest depths of a person's heart, causing them to tremble and fear unconsciously!
Following the sound of thunder, the sky rapidly grew dim. Subsequently, vortices appeared in the dusky sky, corresponding to the dark purple mists that had surged upward earlier; the two sides quickly linked together, forming a channel that could transmit energy.
Undoubtedly, the invasion of the Hegemon of Terror had begun.
The power of the Hegemon invaded the Shinobi World comprehensively at an unprecedented and terrifying speed, pouring into the bodies of those shinobi who had fallen into fear.
...
Hidden Stone Village.
"Tsuchikage-sama, what is wrong with you?"
"Quick, notify the Medical Squad immediately!"
"Damn it, is the Research Institute plotting against us?"
The Tsuchikage Building was in a state of chaos. Looking at the Third Tsuchikage, who appeared to be possessed, the Jonin of the Hidden Stone Village were all filled with hesitation and helplessness!
Just then, as the energy channel with outer space opened, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, snapped his eyes open, revealing a pair of purple eyes in his sockets that were filled with an eerie sense of evil.
A Hidden Stone Jonin arrived in front of Onoki: "Tsuchikage-sama, are you alright?"
Swoosh
Onoki reached out with one hand, piercing directly into the chest of the Hidden Stone Jonin and pulling out his heart. Then, he smiled and scrutinized it.
"Not good, Tsuchikage-sama is being controlled by Genjutsu!"
As the dense scent of blood spread, the Tsuchikage Building, and even the entire Hidden Stone Village, fell into greater chaos.
Similar events were happening at this moment in the Hidden Cloud Village, Hidden Mist Village, Hidden Sand Village, and even the Hidden Leaf Village.
The Third Tsuchikage, Fourth Raikage, Fifth Kazekage, and Fifth Mizukage were all affected.
They were the most outstanding group of shinobi in the Shinobi World; whether in terms of will or temperament, they were the top existences of the Shinobi World. However, because they were Kage and bore the future of their shinobi villages, their internal feelings of hesitation, anxiety, worry, and fear far exceeded those of ordinary shinobi in the current time when the Research Institute was rising aggressively. This point was sensed and utilized by the Hegemon of Terror, who favored fear most.
As for the other shinobi utilized by the Hegemon of Terror, they were almost all individuals with poor temperaments and weak wills.
But without exception, all shinobi whose hearts were corroded by the Hegemon of Terror were powerful individuals, with the weakest being experienced Jonin. After these shinobi obtained the power of the Hegemon, their strength surged instantly, and the several strongest Kage reached an unprecedented level in an instant.
Instantly, slaughter and fear spread throughout the Shinobi World!
...
At the top of the God Tree.
Feeling the boiling aura of the Hegemon in the surrounding air, Hikari Uchiha had a face of disbelief: "Why is it like this? We clearly checked many times; why are there still so many shinobi being controlled by the Hegemon of Terror?"
Karin's face was solemn.
While the Research Institute was pushing the Barrier Project with full force, she and Hikari had been searching for the forces of the Hegemon of Terror lurking in the Shinobi World, in addition to their cultivation. But no matter how they searched, they found no trace of the Hegemon of Terror, so they thought the power of the Hegemon of Terror infiltrating the Shinobi World was not much.
However, everything before their eyes showed that their previous search was worthless!
Kaguya Otsutsuki, the Progenitor of Chakra, was not much calmer than the two at this moment. Feeling the terrifying aura around her, she whispered: "This is the power of the Hegemon of Terror?"
Hikari looked at Shinji: "Shinji, what should we do now?"
Karin and Kaguya Otsutsuki also followed by looking toward Shinji.
Shinji gazed into the distance, his expression calm and unruffled.
He was not surprised by the current situation; he had already judged that taking action against Orochimaru would trigger uncontrollable consequences. Therefore, he had sent out the bait unit only when the Barrier Project was completely prepared and everything was ready.
The result was as he expected.
There was more than one "bomb" hidden on Orochimaru's body; the fake Shibai Otsutsuki was only one of them, and the Hegemon of Terror was the mastermind Shinji truly wanted to draw out.
"Wanting to spread fear in the Shinobi World?" With a light laugh, Shinji withdrew his distant gaze and met the eyes of Hikari, Karin, and Kaguya Otsutsuki: "Let's begin!"
"Yes!"
The three responded in unison.
At this moment, Shinji's composure soothed their panicked emotions, allowing them to regain their calm. Even the increasingly terrifying apocalyptic scenes around them seemed less frightening.
...
On the battlefield.
The fake Shibai Otsutsuki, wrapped in dark purple mist, also opened his eyes at this moment.
Hoo
He exhaled a long breath of turbid air, a look of satisfaction appearing on his face.
Like those shinobi who succumbed to fear, he had also fallen to the Hegemon of Terror and obtained the power of the Hegemon.
Only compared to others, this terrifying power originating from the Hegemon allowed him to feel like a fish in water.
One must know that the upper limit of Shinjutsu is Kekkei Shinra, a powerful level comparable to a Hegemon. The reason the fake Shibai Otsutsuki was previously suppressed repeatedly by Shion, Sasuke, and the others was that his body—born from Orochimaru—was only at the ordinary Six Paths level; no matter how exaggerated the increase in his strength from Shinjutsu was, his body was fundamentally useless.
Now, the power of the Hegemon supplemented the shortfalls of his body, allowing him to exert the power of Shinjutsu fully. Consequently, his strength soared again, and chakra was so abundant that it dissipated from his body, lingering around him as if it were physical.
"This is my true power! Ants, you should feel honored to have the fortune to witness this moment of me becoming a god! Hahaha!"
The fake Shibai Otsutsuki threw his head back and laughed loudly.
Just then, an eerie red light suddenly emerged in the originally dusky sky.
The fake Shibai Otsutsuki focused his gaze and found that the moon, which had just been obscured by dark clouds, had dispelled the clouds and was hanging high in the sky. And the surface of the moon was no longer silver-white but reflected a pattern of a crimson Nine Magatama Rinnegan!
"That is... Infinite Tsukuyomi?" After a freeze, the fake Shibai Otsutsuki exclaimed: "Someone has activated the Infinite Tsukuyomi?"
As if to verify the judgment of the fake Shibai Otsutsuki, countless branches hung down from the God Tree in the far distance. These branches dropped to the ground, firmly wrapping the living beings controlled by the Infinite Tsukuyomi and hanging them on the boughs of the God Tree.
In an instant, the God Tree, which towered into the clouds, spread all its boughs, forming a vast canopy that covered the heavens and earth like an umbrella.