The exact moment the green light collided with the black spheres—the first second:
"PONG!!!"
A massive clanging sound, like metal striking iron, rang out!
A shockwave spanning over ten kilometers swept outward instantly!
The second second: the brilliant green light pierced through the two Tailed Beast Balls, whose masses were incredibly heavy, blasting a hollow space about twelve meters in diameter right through their centers. Immediately following that, it tore straight through them, scattering into dozens of thin green light beams that frantically swept backward!
The third second: from the center of the sliced-open Tailed Beast Balls, a golden light resembling two suns flared up brilliantly, frantically releasing an immense, colossal amount of energy within microseconds!
The fourth second: everything inside the canyon was entirely submerged in a cyan-gold light!
A giant fireball with a diameter exceeding ten kilometers bloomed, shining above the Land of Rain like an artificial sun!
Everyone across the entire Land of Rain, and even those living further away along the borders of the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire, only had to lift their heads to see the sky instantly push aside the atmospheric clouds, turning clear for a brief moment before transforming into a blazing crimson hue the next!
Countless people raised their heads at this moment, staring at this shocking spectacle that the ninja world hadn't seen in ages.
Until—
Twenty seconds later, the anomalous celestial phenomenon vanished, replaced by a massive, black-red mushroom cloud rising from the center of the Land of Rain and reaching straight into the atmosphere.
Even more drastic than Shinra Tensei's alteration of the terrain, the entire canyon... No, it could no longer be called a canyon. The collision between the two Tailed Beast Balls and the "Mountain of Swords" had completely leveled the entire canyon!
It had turned into a sunken basin.
On the side of the basin, the original upstream outlet of the canyon was furiously pouring muddy water downward. If left to develop naturally for a few months, this basin would likely soon turn into a quite massive lake.
And at this moment, at the edge of the basin—the former upper side of the canyon—beneath a high mound of sand and soil that had been pushed and piled up here, a bulging mound of earth squirmed. Soon, a tall figure crawled out. He was clad in a black robe, wore a Takigakure rogue ninja headband along with a black mask, and possessed eerie green eyes.
This person was none other than Kakuzu, an S-rank rogue ninja from Takigakure and a top underground bounty hunter in the ninja world, who had been targeting Hyuga Yu for a long time.
Right now, looking down at the devastated center of the basin, his eerie green eyes narrowed slightly as a cold gleam flashed through them. "Finally, this old man has waited long enough for the Hyuga brat to unleash this move!"
"Though a slight accident occurred, and the scale of this strike is more than just a bit larger than last time... however—"
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes as he looked toward the center of the battlefield below. Through his perception of the Earth Grudge Fear flesh inside Hyuga Yu's body, he could distinctly feel that Hyuga Yu's chakra was completely depleted. Yet, his physical condition had leaped to its peak after this strike, with the cellular activity inside his body reaching a terrifying, practically "inhuman" level!
And a physical strength of this caliber was something Kakuzu had only witnessed once before, decades ago, on that powerful shinobi known as the God of Shinobi.
Outsiders might feel wary, bewildered, or terrified of Hyuga Yu because of this, thinking how this brat grew stronger the more he fought, completely unlike a normal human. However, only Kakuzu knew that the moment Hyuga Yu was at his strongest was also the exact moment he was at his weakest!
"It was well worth the effort this old man spent leaking information and enticing Iwagakure to continuously raise the stakes and commit more forces. Hehehe... Now... the time for harvest has finally arrived!"
Seeing this, Kakuzu grew increasingly satisfied, and his gaze as he stared at the upstanding, Byakugan-wielding youth in the battlefield below became even more sinister!
On the other end of the upper side of the basin, the air twisted into a vortex, and Black Zetsu and Obito Uchiha leaped out from its center. At this moment, looking at the canyon that had been flattened into a basin, Obito Uchiha's expression was grave as he clicked his tongue slightly. "What a truly... exaggerated amount of power."
"Furthermore," he stared at the upright, standing figure in the center of the basin below, his gaze becoming increasingly complex, "he actually managed to contend against ultimate weapons like the Tailed Beast Jinchuriki as an ordinary shinobi, and survived!"
Hearing this, Black Zetsu shook his head, disagreeing with Obito's words. "The true power of the Tailed Beasts?"
"No, this is still far from it... Although Iwagakure's research into the power of the Tailed Beasts has made some progress, it still doesn't match Kumogakure's. Roshi and Han are both imperfect Jinchuriki; their strength is completely inferior to the Kage of each village, and the limit of the Tailed Beast Ball is definitely not just this."
"At a time like this, aside from the Tailed Beasts themselves, probably only Kumogakure's perfect Jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails can unleash the true power of a Tailed Beast..."
Thinking up to this point, Black Zetsu also furrowed his brow slightly and looked toward the center of the battlefield. "However... to be able to simultaneously fight two Tailed Beast Jinchuriki, Hyuga Yu's base power might... already be on par with Kumogakure's perfect Jinchuriki."
Obito Uchiha was stunned upon hearing this and raised his head in confusion, his expression beneath the white swirl mask looking dazed. "Base power?"
"Are you saying... this still isn't Hyuga Yu's full strength???"
"Compared to that, something far more troublesome has occurred—"
Black Zetsu shook his head, knitting his browless forehead with a rather grim expression. He turned his head to look toward the other side of the basin. There, Yahiko held his palms high, a dust-covered white barrier surfacing around his body, protecting Nagato, Konan, and the various members of the Akatsuki organization under the explosion of the Tailed Beast Balls and the "Mountain of Swords"—as well as... Hanzo of the Salamander, whom they had defeated.
Black Zetsu took a deep breath, his expression looking somewhat unsightly as he thought to himself, 'This... is actually the power of Ninshu!'
'That kid is practically like Asura reincarnated! Furthermore, the Rinnegan was actually delivered into the hands of someone like this by Madara Uchiha...'
'But the Asura of this generation shouldn't have reincarnated yet, so what on earth is going on with this orange-haired kid? Could this... could this be the work of the Sage of Six Paths?'
Meanwhile, as Obito Uchiha listened to Black Zetsu's words, he stared at the Byakugan youth on the field who was causing his mind to reel. The emotions within his heart churned continuously, and his gaze grew increasingly complex. Seeing such a powerful Hyuga Yu and contrasting it with the guy's past—which could be described as a dismal life trajectory—his significance to Obito Uchiha was like seeing his former self who had constantly chased after Kakashi Hatake.
And the more powerful Hyuga Yu became, the closer he got to becoming the Hokage, the deeper the impact his deeds had on Obito Uchiha. Especially since the futures of Rin Nohara and Kakashi Hatake were practically held in this person's hands, and his path ran completely contrary to the wicked path Obito was currently walking. This kind of event, acting directly upon reality, was far more real and persuasive than the "Talk no Jutsu" that Naruto Uzumaki would inflict upon Obito Uchiha during the Fourth Shinobi World War!
Thus, within Obito Uchiha's already despondent world, it felt as though a beam of light had suddenly been forcefully carved in, causing an uncontrollable surge of intense emotion to rise within his heart—one no less fierce than the moment he awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. And the name of that emotion was—
Jealousy.
At this moment, ignoring Black Zetsu's unsightly expression and having no idea what the "more troublesome matter" Black Zetsu mentioned was, he instead asked impatiently, "What on earth is going on?"
"Madara, you're saying this still isn't Hyuga Yu's full strength?"
"But his chakra is clearly almost completely depleted. This should be his limit, so how could he possibly have any strength left?"
"Strength left?" Black Zetsu sneered. He didn't offer any explanation regarding Obito mistaking him for "Madara Uchiha." On the contrary, under these circumstances, such a misunderstanding allowed him to better manipulate Obito Uchiha. Then, Black Zetsu turned his gaze toward Hyuga Yu in the center of the field. Taking a deep breath, as if he had already anticipated something, he sneered, "No,"
"this might just be the beginning!"
"The true Tenjin is about to descend upon the world!"
Obito Uchiha's gaze froze, murmuring in disbelief, "The true... Tenjin?"
"You don't need to worry too much; someone else will take care of him for us!"
"Watch closely,"
Black Zetsu looked down at the battlefield below where the atmosphere was growing increasingly tense, saying eerily, "The power that, once unleashed, is destined to be buried—"
"The power of Tenjin!"
Meanwhile, down below the basin, in the center of the devastated battlefield.
Panting heavily, Hyuga Yu stood firmly in place. In his hand, the 132-meter-tall giant green sword dissolved inch by inch, shrinking rapidly from over a hundred meters down to eighty meters, forty meters, ten meters, five meters, until finally, only a B-rank Wind Release: Vacuum Blade remained—measuring a completely ordinary 1.05 meters in length.
Then, even this remnant of wind within his palm dissolved inch by inch like uncatchable light... scattering completely.
Severe injuries covered the surface of Hyuga Yu's body. His bare upper torso was caked in dust and riddled with burn scars and swollen, ruptured gashes. The blood vessels on his forehead had even burst directly, and the streaming blood covered his entire face, making him look utterly gruesome.
"Ha... ha..."
He tried his best to suppress his heavy, erratic breathing, looking with a grave expression toward the two similarly shrunken figures standing across from him.
On the other side, Roshi and Han had simultaneously exited their Full Tailed Beast Forms and reverted to their normal human states, also continuously steadying their heavy breathing.
At this moment, staring at Hyuga Yu, who looked as if he had reached his absolute limit, an abrupt wave of excitement and intense killing intent rose within Roshi. Panting heavily, he lowered his voice and spoke to Han beside him, "Han, it seems... he's reached his limit too!"
"There's no way he can unleash a move like that a second time. Let's take this opportunity to strike together and finish him off right here—"
However, the moment Roshi's killing intent surfaced, Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki beside him, interrupted with a grim expression, "No, Roshi, you... retreat immediately!"
"Take Kitsuchi and escape from here right now!"
"Are you joking?" Roshi was stunned, snorting through his nose and almost laughing out of sheer anger. He pointed at Hyuga Yu across from them. "Can't you see the state that guy is in? He's completely at the end of his rope!"
Yet Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, ignored him entirely. His gaze remained fixed on Hyuga Yu, his expression growing heavier as if he had already foreseen something. He suddenly swung his hand, forcefully shoving Roshi away, and shouted urgently, "Hurry! If you don't run now, it'll be too late!"
Roshi looked completely uncomprehending, but seeing Han's urgent expression and recalling the warning Han had given before firing the Tailed Beast Ball, he vaguely suspected that Han might possess some information he wasn't privy to.
With that thought, Roshi immediately turned around and dashed toward Kitsuchi, who was further back, having just struggled to crawl out from a mound of earth where he had been buried.
As he ran, he cast a sidelong glance out of the corner of his eye toward the upright figure in the center of the battlefield. In the next instant, his expression shifted slightly as he saw—
On the field, Hyuga Yu, heavily injured and covered in dirt, looking quite miserable, seemed to suddenly perceive something. He abruptly turned his head and glared coldly in his direction.
But upon closer inspection, Roshi immediately realized that Yu wasn't looking at him, but rather at... Kitsuchi, who was right ahead of Roshi!
Following that, within a single breath, the injuries on the surface of Hyuga Yu's body began to rapidly heal at a pace visible to the naked eye. He narrowed his eyes slightly and took a step forward.
With the first step, his wounds across his entire body completely healed and scabbed over!
With the second step, the scabs peeled away, revealing newly formed skin beneath!
With the third step, the pale, fresh skin quickly melded in color with the rest of his skin.
Immediately afterward, an overwhelming aura manifesting from a higher level of life itself erupted tremendously from within Hyuga Yu!
At this moment, an indescribable sense of absurdity suddenly rose within Roshi's heart.
They had exerted every ounce of their strength just to beat the brat to near-death, yet now, the brat suddenly refreshed his health bar entirely. After showcasing two forms, he unleashed a brand-new third form, and basically told them that the battle had only just begun?
Meanwhile, on the other side, Hyuga Yu exhaled a heavy breath, his mind turning slightly solemn as he sensed the condition of his body—
'Chakra depleted. Even after fusing four abilities to push Wind Release to its absolute limit, I could only break even with two imperfect Tailed Beast Jinchuriki... I couldn't even completely obliterate their Tailed Beast Balls.'
'This has already surpassed the limits of conventional shinobi.'
'But... forget about comparing myself to the Sage of Six Paths; even when compared to those shinobi classified as beyond Kage-level, this still seems a bit lacking.'
'At most, it's enough to sit at the same table as the Six Paths of Pain, barely reaching the threshold of beyond Kage-level.'
'Even if I continue to pour a massive amount of time into this path, my upper limit is basically locked at this level.'
At this point, through exchanging blows with the two Tailed Beast Jinchuriki, Hyuga Yu had roughly gauged the limit of his combat power in his base state.
Then, he couldn't help but shake his head. 'As expected...'
'Shinobi have their limits, constrained by their bodies, chakra reserves, jutsu principles, and even their so-called willpower and ninja ways.'
'And I am also about to touch this limit. Continuing to stubbornly grind along this path makes it difficult to reach the level of the Otsutsuki Clan out in the starry skies within a short timeframe.'
'Therefore, tracing it back to its source, I must still start with this bloodline of mine.'
'It is also time... to make contact with the true Tenseigan!'
With that thought, Hyuga Yu abruptly turned his head, completely ignoring the two near-exhausted Tailed Beast Jinchuriki before him, and cast his gaze toward Kitsuchi on the other side—who was crucial to the resource materials for his upcoming ninja way.
At the same time, now that his Wind Release chakra was depleted, he forcefully stimulated the frantically multiplying cells within his body and the Caged Bird Cursed Seal on his forehead, squeezing out a massive amount of Caged Bird chakra. In an instant, he infused Wind, Yin, and Yang chakra nature factors into it, completing the fusion of the cyan chakra, and then quickly integrated this colossal amount of cyan chakra into every organ, tissue, and even every single muscle fiber in his body!
Immediately following that, Hyuga Yu's body lit up inch by inch!
A cyan light bloomed from within every single cell inside his body!
And during this process, accompanied by the cyan chakra burning ragingly like flames across the surface of Hyuga Yu's body—as if draping a massive cyan overcoat over him—Hyuga Yu's pure white eyes also burst forth with a brilliant cyan radiance at this very moment, growing brighter and brighter, brighter and brighter!
————
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