Chapter 361 – Power Beyond Time
"Judgment of the Thunder Realm, Ninefold Prohibition."
Nine spears of lightning shot forth, streaking toward Ōtsutsuki Tenshiki with lethal intent. Tenshiki moved with blurred speed, weaving through the air as he narrowly evaded the strikes one after another.
"Thunder Field."
A faint smile curved at the corners of Hatake Yusuke's lips. Suddenly, the nine spears of lightning shifted, interlocking into a formation that resembled a massive barrier. In an instant, they unleashed a torrent of golden electricity. The terrifying flashes of light enveloped Tenshiki, causing his body to seize under a momentary, paralyzing shock.
"Punishment of the Thunder Commandments, Annihilation of Heaven and Earth."
In that split second, a colossal object—resembling a concentrated bolt of divine lightning—descended from the heavens. Its speed had already surpassed the threshold of light. Before Tenshiki could even process the threat, the bolt struck directly above his head, erupting into a blinding pillar of pure white radiance.
As the light gradually faded, Tenshiki's robe was left in tatters, and one of the horns on his head had been snapped off. Yet, despite the visible damage, his aura grew even denser, and his face remained eerily calm, devoid of even a hint of anger.
"He's still alive after that?" A stout man, hiding far in the distance, stared at Ōtsutsuki Tenshiki with a face pale from shock.
"This is just too absurd. With power like that, how is a protagonist of the ninja world supposed to fight back? Even with Plot Armor, it feels like it'd be useless," the fat man muttered to himself.
To his eyes, Tenshiki's current power was so overwhelming that, in this entire world, no one besides Hatake Yusuke could possibly stand against him. If things progressed normally, the shinobi world would have no hope of resisting. Plot Armor? Forget about it.
Ōtsutsuki Tenshiki was now faintly transcending the limits of this world's Heavenly Laws. Even Plot Armor couldn't bypass the Heavenly Laws, considering a protagonist's luck was itself a gift from those very laws.
"Try this next attack. Today, I shall represent the heavens to enforce judgment," Yusuke said with a thin, confident smile.
"Awakening Max, Thunder God—Divine Fall Lightning Punishment."
"Expansive Truth-Seeking Orb."
Ōtsutsuki Tenshiki immediately sensed the impending danger. Nine Truth-Seeking Orbs began to swell rapidly. Already massive, the black spheres expanded further, turning into gargantuan orbs of destruction.
"It's useless. This time, I am truly carrying out a sentence in the name of the heavens," Yusuke declared, his smile unwavering.
"Damn, this Suo is too crazy. He can actually force control over this world's Heavenly Laws. We're both world travelers, so why is the gap between us this huge?" the fat man complained, his face full of helplessness.
"Little one, that's enough. While I am also surprised, you must understand that he is truly no ordinary man. If it weren't for your connection to him, because your fate is tied to his, you would still be a commoner right now." A voice suddenly echoed in the fat man's ears.
"What? Who's there?" the fat man asked, panic surging through him.
"I am the manifestation of the Heavenly Laws. You may call me 'Ao'," the voice replied.
"So, the power I have... it was your gift?" the fat man asked.
"Correct."
"Senior, do you think I wanted it this way? I've been a God of Death for twenty years. At first, it felt great, but in that place, there wasn't a single person to talk to besides you. Do you have any idea what those years were like for me?" the fat man complained, his voice cracking as if he were on the verge of tears.
"Anyway, why are you here? You can even talk to me directly now," the fat man continued. Though his tone was far from polite, he didn't dare to truly underestimate the Heavenly Laws.
"Even though this world is a minor one, I do not have the ability to descend directly. However, that boy has suppressed the Heavenly Laws of this world to such an extent that I can speak with you temporarily," Ao explained.
"Then, what about our world?" the fat man asked.
Ao informed him that time in their original world was still frozen. If the fat man and Hatake Yusuke did not return soon, that world would face total destruction.
And when that happened, the Naruto world that Hatake Yusuke spoke of would also crumble, for this ninja world was merely a realm born from imagination.
"Is there a way for us to go back?" the fat man asked urgently.
"No. However, that boy surely has a way of his own," Ao said.
With that, the voice vanished.
"Senior... Senior!" the fat man called out, but there was no response. At that exact moment, Yusuke had ceased using the power of the Heavenly Laws.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Hatake Yusuke's lightning had completely shattered the Truth-Seeking Orbs. Simultaneously, half of Tenshiki's body had been obliterated. Due to the lingering influence of the Heavenly Laws, Tenshiki found himself unable to even regenerate.
"Cursed human... how can you be this powerful?" Ōtsutsuki Tenshiki uttered, his face contorted in disbelief.
"Isn't it just that you're too weak?" Yusuke replied with a relaxed smile.
"Looking at your state, it seems you don't have many tricks left," Yusuke added, a hint of regret in his voice. It was truly rare for someone to force him to use such a significant amount of power.
"Do not underestimate me, you lowly human!" Ōtsutsuki Tenshiki's eyes erupted with a terrifying surge of dōjutsu power.
"Severance of Causality."
In an instant, Tenshiki's wounds healed completely, and his power surged to an even higher level than before.
"It can't be copied?" Yusuke stared, his expression shifting to one of genuine surprise.
He knew full well that his previous attack was a punishment delivered in the name of the Heavenly Laws. Even a technique like Izanagi shouldn't have been able to undo it.
Izanagi, at its core, was just an illusion. It could deceive the Heavenly Laws, but it could never negate the actual power of the Heavenly Laws themselves.
"Wait... this power is causality? A law even more potent than time. I didn't expect this. It seems I've truly underestimated this world," Yusuke murmured with a bitter smile.
Presently, Ōtsutsuki Tenshiki's right eye had grown dim. He closed it. He had used his dōjutsu to sever his own causality, effectively removing himself from the suppression of this world's Heavenly Laws. As long as a being lived under the heavens, they would be suppressed by them. That was what made this technique so terrifying.
Why did Yusuke understand the power of causality so well?
Because he possessed a Devil Fruit—the Causality Fruit. And to this day, it remained the only fruit he had yet to awaken.
In the world of One Piece, this fruit belonged to Urouge, the Mad Monk. It was notoriously difficult to develop. Because Yusuke had integrated almost every Devil Fruit in existence, he had raised the upper limit of this fruit to an incredibly high level, making it exponentially harder to awaken.
Even the Awakening Cards from the system couldn't assist him in awakening this specific power.
The System had once told him:
"This fruit is unique. Only you can develop it through your own path."
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