Chapter 286: Reincarnation Complete
On the moon, by sharing nearly all of his own chakra with Ōtsutsuki Toneri, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki finally succeeded in accelerating the dissolution of the Kāma within Toneri's body.
This meant that once the dissolution was complete, he could smoothly reincarnate into the boy's body.
But with nearly all of his chakra exhausted, the life of Jigen's body was about to come to an end. That was the price of this method.
For thousands of years, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki had never attempted this approach. First, because he had never found a truly compatible vessel. Second, because the cost was far too great—without being absolutely certain of his safety, he would never risk consuming all of his chakra.
Now, having completed the process and watching Ōtsutsuki Toneri gradually transform, Isshiki finally revealed a relieved expression.
He injected the last trace of chakra into the Tenseigan and once again peered down at the shinobi world.
At that very moment, he saw Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama locked in fierce battle.
Madara, who had devoured the Ten Tails and become its jinchūriki, was now so powerful that even Isshiki himself would hesitate to take him on directly.
Yet now, he was witnessing someone he had previously dismissed as unimpressive actually going toe-to-toe with such a Madara.
Startled, he observed carefully.
Before long, he noticed something unusual about Hashirama's power.
Even Madara, who could perfectly wield Yin-Yang Release, found some of his attacks being neutralized during the fight.
This sight made Isshiki's heart stir.
"The power of Yin-Yang Release cannot be dispelled by ordinary ninjutsu. Conventional chakra is a lower-tier energy compared to it—completely suppressed, incapable of affecting its superior…"
"In that case, it seems I underestimated this so-called Senju Hashirama."
Gradually, Isshiki began to regard Hashirama in a new light.
His countless years of secret dealings had made him well aware of the Senju clan's origins.
"Sage Mode, is it…"
Unfortunately, with his chakra drained, his current body had virtually no combat strength left and was about to wither away.
Otherwise, Isshiki would not have minded descending himself to learn more about this senjutsu chakra.
If such power could threaten Madara, who had evolved into a true Ōtsutsuki, then it could naturally threaten him as well.
Conversely, if he could master this power, his chances against Madara would greatly improve.
At that moment, Isshiki turned his gaze toward Toneri.
Under the catalyst of his total chakra infusion, Toneri's body—once just an infant—was now growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In a very short span, he progressed from baby to child, then to adolescent.
Meanwhile, the Kāma that Isshiki had inscribed upon him continued to dissolve, merging deeper into his body.
"Just a little more…"
Isshiki staggered to his feet, step by step moving toward his target.
Even walking consumed tremendous strength, nearly unbearable for him.
At last, the frail vessel struggled its way to Toneri's side.
By now, Toneri had grown into a youth of about sixteen or seventeen.
Under the control of Isshiki's chakra and Kāma power, he remained in a semi-conscious state, devoid of will.
He had no idea what was happening to him.
Like a lamb awaiting slaughter, he stood powerless before his fate.
Soon, the Kāma's dissolution spread to his surface, strange markings unfurling across his skin.
These patterns extended from his forehead, spreading across his body and converging at his feet.
The moment the markings fully connected at Toneri's feet would be the instant Isshiki's Kāma was completely unlocked.
And that was also the moment his reincarnation would begin.
Isshiki's vision grew blurry.
It felt as though all the strength within him was being extracted by some higher law.
This signaled that Jigen's body—the body of the ascetic monk who had sustained him for millennia—was about to collapse completely.
Time ticked away, second by second.
As his body neared total collapse, with Toneri's Kāma just short of fully dissolving, Isshiki could wait no longer. He triggered the reincarnation ritual immediately.
If he delayed, once this body perished, he too would vanish into nothingness.
With the last fragment of chakra consumed, Isshiki activated the ritual. In an instant, Jigen's body burst with an inner light.
Beams of radiance shot outward through the cracks splitting across his form as his body rapidly disintegrated.
Next, a blinding cluster of light erupted from his collapsing remains, surging into Toneri's body.
Once the light fully entered Toneri, Jigen's remains vanished into dust, scattered upon the air.
Toneri's body then began undergoing a new transformation.
He grew again at a tremendous pace, from a seventeen-year-old youth to a young man of nearly twenty in mere moments.
At this point, Isshiki had completely seized control of the vessel.
He began to release his power.
A torrent of chakra erupted instantly, like a dam unleashing an ocean's worth of floodwater.
The overwhelming energy not only poured outward in a terrifying aura but also forced Toneri's body to transform again.
In that moment, he was no longer Ōtsutsuki Toneri. His body reshaped itself into Isshiki's true form.
The horn upon his forehead appeared—symbolizing that Isshiki's reincarnation was now fully complete, and that he had reclaimed all of his original power.
After a while, the transformation ended. Isshiki stood restored in his true appearance.
He lowered his gaze to his right palm.
There, the unique markings could be seen, along with the lines on his head, arms, and even the soles of his feet.
Yet upon close inspection, the patterns bore tiny imperfections—subtle flaws not easily noticed at first glance.
These markings should have been seamless.
But now, they were not.
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