At this moment, 'Takuno', who had been watching from the sidelines, let out a light chuckle, breaking the brief dead silence: "Heh, I really didn't expect that you would actually use that 'Talk no Jutsu' routine."
His tone carried a hint of playfulness and mockery.
Without turning his head, Takuno responded calmly: "Whether it's 'Talk no Jutsu' or whether I know how to use it—don't you already know? Besides..."
Only then did he turn slightly to look at the projection of his complete memories, "Didn't you also fail to dodge this explosion?"
'Takuno' stretched lazily, his joints letting out slight cracking sounds, his tone appearing somewhat disinterested: "I didn't dodge, but... it's getting a bit boring."
Takuno understood.
The profound connection originating from the same soul meant that the communication between them had long since transcended ordinary language.
A single thought, a single look, and each other's ideas became as clear as transparent flowing water.
When both sides saw through what the other was about to say and the meaning they intended to express, conventional dialogue instead felt redundant and dull.
As for why he chose to endure it head-on rather than dodge?
That was absolute confidence in his own strength!
The power of the opponent's self-destruction seemed vast and majestic, but the people manipulating that power—whether it was 'Gaara' or those two memory entities—were too weak in Takuno's eyes.
Although the total amount of explosion energy was staggering, it was overly dispersed due to the incompetence of the controllers, like splashed water; the impact force was thinned out across the entire Turtle Island.
The power after such dispersal was simply not enough to break through all his abilities and thus kill him.
If it were Takuno himself self-destructing?
He would definitely compress that destructive power with precision, controlling it within the smallest range capable of swallowing only the four targets.
Only with such condensation could the power be pushed to its peak!
Of course, if he truly faced that kind of situation, he would never choose to take it head-on with his original body.
Choosing to endure the explosion with his body this time was, in Takuno's view, a "repentance" ritual for the deceased.
Under the premise of confirming he faced no fatal risk, he stood there, calmly accepting the final "judgment" or "punishment" launched by the opponent at the cost of their life.
This was perhaps a small, almost cold act of atonement within his heart for being the chief culprit who created their desperate lives.
But...
Takuno's gaze became sharp and firm again, his heart without a ripple.
He absolutely did not regret making the choice to create those memories.
If there were a need in the future, he would still, without hesitation, take the same cold steps again!
With the danger passed, his plan had finally reached the last step; all that remained was to erase that key memory.
Takuno stretched his body. By now, the shocking wounds all over him had already healed for the most part.
This amazing self-healing power was an important manifestation of his current strength; as long as an injury wasn't fatal, he could recover as before at a speed far exceeding ordinary people.
The nearby 'Takuno' also possessed this formidable physique.
However, in that previous destructive explosion, the damage sustained by the original body and the clone was far lower than that of the two memory entities, and this was not solely dependent on self-healing.
A key factor was that Takuno had long ago branded a set of exquisite sealing formulas directly into his own flesh and blood.
The function of this formula was to resist ninjutsu attacks of all attributes.
The impact generated by 'Gaara's' self-destruction was, in essence, the purest explosion of chakra energy.
This kind of explosion possessed a unique property: it could simultaneously trigger all the protective formulas on Takuno's body aimed at elemental chakra.
Because for the sealing techniques in his flesh, the defensive core lay in the nature transformation of chakra itself, and no matter the attribute, at its root, it is still chakra energy.
This set of sealing techniques had been researched a long time ago, but Takuno never had the time to upgrade it until it was handed over to Kabuto, allowing the research on this sealing technique to continue.
Now, this defense system engraved in the flesh had been strengthened and upgraded.
Ninjutsu with a power rating below B-rank would not be able to cause him the slightest damage, even if he were completely defenseless and made no attempt to block.
For ninjutsu with a power reaching B-rank or above, this formula could also significantly weaken the destructive force, playing a key buffering role.
However, "B-rank" here does not refer to the inherent rank classification of the ninjutsu, but rather the actual destructive power.
Ninjutsu power depends not only on its rank but is also closely related to the strength of the caster.
For example, if an incompetent ninja forcibly uses a B-rank ninjutsu, its power might not reach B-rank, whereas a low-level Fire Release cast by Madara might possess power far exceeding a B-rank Fire Release released by an ordinary ninja.
Of course, relying solely on this passive sealing technique—which functions continuously as long as chakra flows in the body—the two memory entities would not have been so heavily injured to the point of being near death.
After all, as "replicas" of Takuno, they also had these protective sealing techniques engraved within them.
The factor that truly caused the massive difference in survival status between the original and the memory entities was the last and most critical ability: Dark Release!
This was the brand-new Kekkei Genkai that Takuno had finally obtained by luck after countless attempts, having excluded known Kekkei Genkai combinations and adventurously exploring uncertain attribute combinations.
Dask Release granted him extraordinary power over chakra.
Absorption and Transformation: It can indiscriminately absorb chakra in any form.
Decomposition and Purification: It can directly decompose and revert incoming ninjutsu attacks into the purest chakra and absorb them.
Ninjutsu Seizure: For ninjutsu, he can even choose not to decompose them but instead directly seize and take control of the opponent's ninjutsu, making it his own!
Therefore, when facing the massive storm of chakra generated by 'Gaara's' self-destruction, although the total amount was so vast that even Takuno could not completely absorb it all through Dark Release, he still successfully took in an extremely significant portion of the energy.
Precisely because of the powerful absorption of Dark Release, the explosion power that actually acted upon him was drastically reduced.
In contrast, those two memory entities knew nothing of the existence of Dark Release or its operating principles.
Under the explosion's impact, they could only rely on their own physical strength and those passive defensive sealing techniques in their flesh to endure it head-on.
Even so, they were only heavily injured and did not die on the spot, and given time, they too could fully recover.
This was sufficient proof of the strength of Takuno's basic abilities.
This was the capability the current Takuno possessed!
'Takuno's' tone carried a hint of relief from completing a task and an indescribable depth as he cast his gaze toward the true Takuno: "The remaining path must be walked by you alone, my 'dark side'."
As the words fell, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
The true Takuno coldly looked back at this existence identical to himself; since the other flatly denied being his dark side, he naturally would never admit to being the other's dark side either.
This silent confrontation seemed to have been long expected by the other.
Before Takuno could open his mouth to retort, 'Takuno's' figure began to become thin and blurry, like ink marks scattered by an invisible wind, slowly and irreversibly dissolving into the air.
In the instant before his form completely vanished, the disappearing 'Takuno' locked his gaze on the original, his lips curling into an easy, almost triumphant arc.
Behind that smile hid not only the pride of successfully playing a trick on the original but also a deep understanding of the choice the other was about to make—a path of resolve he was certain Takuno would inevitably choose.
Erasing memories.
This was in no way comparable to simply sealing memories.
The pain it brought crudely pierced through physical barriers to act directly upon the most fragile spiritual origin.
The intensity was no different from letting a conscious person undergo open-abdominal surgery without anesthesia; every shred of pain exploded and sliced clearly deep within the soul.
This was a form of torture sufficient to make an ordinary person collapse instantly and their spirit be annihilated.
Under these conditions, he himself was even the one holding the scalpel...
However, given Takuno's personality, once he decided this path was necessary, there was no longer any possibility of wavering.
Toward himself, he was always "cruel" enough.
In those hallucinatory trials used to open his eyes, he could unhesitatingly grant "himself" a life even more tragic and desperate than the original work;
So, when reality required it, he would show not a single moment of hesitation or softness when striking at this real, unique self!
To climb to the peak of power and pursue that ultimate goal, he maintained—from beginning to end—that cold and rigorous equal severity toward the original body, the true self, and the shadows in the hallucinations!
This belief, rooted deep in his soul, was as firm as a rock.
It was precisely because 'Takuno' had sufficient understanding of himself that he didn't need to ask anything; knowing the other would do it was enough.
With the final settling of this thought, 'Takuno' completely vanished into the air without leaving a single trace.
Deep within Turtle Island, the deafening roar originated from the ceaselessly rushing Waterfall of Truth.
The cold water mist filled the valley, soaking the figure sitting cross-legged on the boulder beneath the waterfall.
Takuno's tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open, and those signature crimson eyes—the three-tomoe Sharingan—appeared with them.
Unlike in the past, the three pitch-black tomoe in his pupils were now rotating in a profound and slow rhythm, flowing with a restrained and deep mysterious light.
He clearly sensed the surging changes within his body.
Under the baptism of the Waterfall of Truth's unique power to face one's inner heart and temper the spirit—though the process was a bit strange—there were also unexpected gains; his ocular power had actually improved by another notch!
The sensation of this power's growth caused his heart to stir slightly.
Although that legendary ultimate realm of the Mangekyō Sharingan still felt as if it were separated by an invisible barrier and remained out of reach, looking at the current Uchiha clan, with this improved ocular power, he was confident he was already a top-tier figure among them.
"Heh... an unexpected joy indeed." A low sigh escaped Takuno's throat, carrying a trace of imperceptible satisfaction.
He slowly stood up, and the three-tomoe Sharingan transitioned back into a pair of pitch-black eyes. His gaze was cast toward a nearby spot like a falcon.
There, a Kumo ninja stood stiffly by the slippery rocks like a puppet that had lost its soul, his eyes hollow and empty—the very proof of being completely controlled by his Genjutsu.
Takuno walked over with steady steps; the convenient route to reuse the Waterfall of Truth was right before him, and he naturally needed to ensure this "passage" remained valid for the long term.
He no longer intended to bother finding a new target every time.
The goal was clear: make this existing tool continue to serve its purpose.
Takuno's long fingers quickly and precisely formed complex seals, his fingertips glowing with the light of chakra.
Countless incantations darted from his fingertips into the Kumo ninja's body, and a complex and mysterious sealing formula was branded deep within the ninja's body, quietly vanishing.
The effect of this seal was like a precise timing device; once the trigger conditions were met, it would again strip the subject of consciousness and drive him to automatically return to Turtle Island, precisely assisting Takuno in entering this place to complete the Waterfall of Truth's training procedure.
With the sealing finished, a red glow flickered slightly in Takuno's eyes.
Powerful Genjutsu energy again invaded the Kumo ninja's brain, skillfully weaving and covering the real memory fragments.
A false experience about his attempt to use the Waterfall of Truth to temper his will, only to fail in the end, was seamlessly implanted, becoming the "truth" the Kumo ninja now believed in.
Having done all this, Takuno's figure no longer lingered for a second.
With a light "poof" sound, his body turned into a wisp of curling white smoke and completely dissipated into the mist filling Turtle Island, as if he had never appeared.
The moment Takuno vanished, the dazed Kumo ninja suddenly gave a start, and the spirit instantly returned to his hollow eyes.
He looked around blankly, completely unaware of the fact that he had been controlled for a long time.
In his memory, there was only the frustration of "himself" training hard before the Waterfall of Truth without results.
He looked helplessly at the roaring, pouring waterfall and let out a deep sigh, his face filled with exhaustion and a sighing lament over the difficulty of tempering one's will.
"Sigh... still no good." He muttered to himself, shaking his head.
Since this attempt failed, he would set it aside for now.
He straightened his clothes, which were soaked by the water mist, turned, and walked toward the exit of Turtle Island.
Next time, he would come to challenge it again after his strength had improved a bit more.
As for giving up? This thought never seemed to have surfaced in his mind.
The Waterfall of Truth possessed a specific functional value in Kumogakure, but its importance varied significantly.
Its core, nearly indispensable role was for the several "Jinchūriki"; it was regarded as a necessary trial stage for a Jinchūriki to effectively control the Tailed Beast's power within them.
However, for the other ordinary ninjas in the village, the trial of the Waterfall of Truth occupied a completely different position.
It was not a mandatory requirement or a path of *Cultiv* that must be taken.
Successfully passing the trial was certainly the icing on the cake, but even failing to pass would not have a substantial negative impact on one's ninja career or strength improvement.
Given this "non-essential" nature, the ninjas of Kumogakure generally appeared quite pragmatic in their attitude toward the Waterfall of Truth.
Once the first attempt to challenge it failed, the vast majority of people would choose to give up voluntarily and no longer obsess over repeated attempts.
The key reason driving this common choice lay in a realistic assessment: the potential ability improvement or gain brought by the Waterfall of Truth was considered to have low "cost-performance" compared to the difficulties and risks faced in overcoming its trial.
Kumo ninjas generally believed that investing a large amount of time and energy into repeatedly rushing this non-essential trial yielded rewards that did not prove the sacrifice was worthwhile.
Rather than wasting time here, it was better to use that time on other tangible training gains!
The real reason the ninja controlled by Takuno wanted to use the Waterfall of Truth again was, naturally, because of some hints left by Takuno.
Just as the Kumo ninja left Turtle Island, Takuno himself also returned to that familiar laboratory.