"Father!"
On another battlefield, after calming Hinata and Hanabi, Neji rushed over in a hurry.
Seeing the two men in combat, he finally shouted aloud.
Though so many years had passed, the memories of that time were still vivid.
He was confused why his father was here, yet he would never mistake him.
"Neji?"
"Neji."
Both men froze for a moment upon seeing Neji's arrival, but unlike Hiashi, Hizashi still launched an attack, causing Hiashi to almost stumble.
Fortunately, Hyūga Hiashi was no weakling—he immediately steadied his stance and shouted loudly to Neji.
"Neji, leave now!"
"That's right, Neji, you must get out of here quickly."
Though somewhat dazed, Hizashi also recognized his son, and amid the excitement, a faint sigh escaped him.
"Forgive me, I can't control my own body… I've caused you trouble."
"No, this isn't any trouble at all."
While parrying his younger brother's fist, Hiashi couldn't help but laugh.
"Hizashi, you've given so much for the clan and the village—if anyone's been a burden, it's me."
"But then, what am I supposed to count as?"
Hizashi's expression dimmed slightly. Looking toward Neji in the distance, he sighed.
"I was meant to protect the Main House, yet now I've become its enemy. Perhaps this is punishment for the hatred I once held toward it."
"Father…"
Neji's eyes widened. For a moment he didn't know what to say, but Hizashi continued speaking.
"In the end, even the will that made me willingly choose death for the village was denied. Is this the destiny of the Branch Family?"
"No! Such things will never happen again!"
Before Hizashi could finish, Hiashi had already cut him off.
"Did you forget what you asked me to tell Neji back then? That your decision was made to protect him and everyone in the village! Why are you saying these things now?"
"For me… everyone in the village…"
Neji stared blankly at his father. Even though he had long since read the farewell letter, his heart still trembled.
Hiashi took a deep breath and declared firmly, "And that night, I made a decision too—to change all of this, the Main House and the Branch House."
"Though the original intent was to protect the Byakugan, it ended up twisting into something else. What I truly hope is that the future Hyūga will no longer maintain relationships bound by bloodlines."
"There should only be comrades covering for each other in battle—and I have been striving for that ever since!"
Hiashi's words left the surrounding Hyūga ninja stunned. None of them had ever imagined hearing such words from their clan head.
"Is this… a joke?"
"Could that really be true?"
"Clan Head, he—"
The Hyūga around them were in disbelief. Hizashi and Neji also showed looks of astonishment.
"Will such an era truly come?"
After a long silence, Hizashi finally smiled faintly.
"Then, Brother… you'd better work hard."
"Of course I will. Neji and everyone else will see it."
Hiashi knew exactly what he had just said—but it was, indeed, what lay in his heart.
"Then, now… huh? Neji, you—"
Just as he was about to continue fighting, Neji had already walked over, assuming a combat stance as well.
"Neji, leave now."
Hiashi was momentarily stunned at the sight, but Neji shook his head.
"Clan Head, didn't you just say that we are comrades?"
"This—"
Hiashi was briefly at a loss for words, while Neji continued speaking.
"Besides, this time it's a mission assigned to me by Gen-senpai. Father, under Gen-senpai's guidance, I've already changed!"
"Gen-senpai?"
Having died too early, Hizashi had no idea who this "Gen" his son spoke of was.
"He is someone who broke free from destiny—and the one who showed me my path."
Neji spoke with absolute seriousness, readying himself for battle once again.
"I also promised Gen-senpai I would come to reinforce the front. I won't let him down!"
Hizashi stared blankly at his son for a long while before finally showing a faint smile.
Although he didn't know who this "Gen-senpai" was, it truly seemed he could see the change in his son.
He too hoped that through this battle, he might come to understand his son better—and give him more in return.
"In that case, let us—"
Hizashi nodded lightly. But at that very moment, a tremendous roar shook the heavens, as a torrent of chakra surged in from beyond the village.
That wave of chakra kept reverberating—it felt as though the entire village had been affected!
"What's going on over there?"
Everyone who was fighting against the Akatsuki froze. Their gazes turned toward the distant horizon, while Jiraiya frowned in curiosity.
"Hey, look at them…"
Kakashi suddenly sensed something and immediately warned the people around him. Only then did Naruto and the others notice the Edo Tensei shinobi whose expressions had suddenly changed.
"Don't tell me…"
"It's that guy, isn't it?"
"Damn it… it's really him?"
Most of these Edo Tensei shinobi had once been killed by the same person—no wonder their reactions were so intense.
They even abandoned the Konohagakure shinobi before them, intent on heading toward the outskirts of the village.
"That kind of overwhelming power… could it be that person's arrival?"
Atop a high cliff, Orochimaru licked his lips involuntarily. The eruption of chakra instantly reminded him of someone.
"Ōtsutsuki Genshiki?"
Meanwhile, inside the Konohagakure ANBU base, Uchiha Obito also froze in place.
"This chakra… there's no mistaking it—it's that guy! No wonder the moonlight felt strange!"
Uchiha Obito clenched his fists as painful memories surged into his mind.
He couldn't understand why, every single time he tried to act, it was either Kitagawa Gen or that Ōtsutsuki Genshiki who appeared!
"Damn bastard… what the hell is that guy trying to do this time?"
Obito didn't know what Ōtsutsuki Genshiki's true purpose was, but one thing he knew for sure—he needed to leave.
He had already seized the piece of "Senju Bark," and he didn't intend to stay here any longer. He feared that might have been Ōtsutsuki Genshiki's goal all along.
"Damn it… that bastard—"
As Obito vanished from the spot in an instant, Senju Tobirama cursed angrily, glaring furiously toward his elder brother.
"It's all your fault! If we had switched to suitable bodies earlier, would we have ended up being taken advantage of by that evil Uchiha brat?!"
"…"
Senju Hashirama said nothing, but his gaze clearly showed that he was truly angry!
Moreover, he had noticed something else.
"That guy's body… it carries much of my own power. Could it be…"
"What should we do now? Damn it, to think we'd be tricked by someone like that!"
Senju Tobirama's face was still full of shame and fury. He never could have imagined ending up in such a humiliating state.
"The things we lost—we'll take them back ourselves."
Senju Hashirama took a deep breath, stood up, and looked into the distance.
"Now's not the time to worry about that. Gen must have left a Flying Thunder God mark on the relics—it'll help us locate him. For now, we should focus on something else."
"Something else?"
Sensing for a moment, Senju Tobirama understood what his elder brother meant.
"This chakra… do you think it's Ōtsutsuki Genshiki?"
"It must be him."
Senju Hashirama nodded and strode straight toward the door.
"I'd like to see for myself what so-called Gods truly look like. It'll prepare us mentally for the battles ahead!"
Everyone in Konohagakure was drawn toward the clash outside the village—some had even run up onto the outer walls to watch.
Only the Uchiha family, standing "neatly together," froze momentarily when they felt the surge of that chakra tide. Then, without hesitation, they resumed fighting each other.
Whatever was happening outside seemed unrelated to them—Sasuke and Uchiha Fugaku were still striking at Uchiha Itachi with full force!
Meanwhile, outside the village, the battle between Kitagawa Gen and Jigen had grown even more ferocious.
Their clash could only be described as "heaven and earth collapsing." The shockwaves of their combat distorted the very space around them.
The distant mountain range showed signs of crumbling where their powers struck—speed and explosive force on a level far beyond human comprehension!
"Are you really Isshiki?"
While launching a frenzied assault, Kitagawa Gen couldn't help but taunt him.
"To think it's only to this extent… how disappointing. Why won't you just resurrect yourself and face me head-on?"
"Damn bastard…"
Jigen glared furiously at this "Ōtsutsuki Genshiki." He knew this man was a true lunatic!
That baseless slander was one thing—but now he actually intended to strike at him, seemingly planning to devour him as 'energy.'
When the "Guardian" faced a moment where the "Protected" was in crisis, they would choose to sacrifice themselves, transferring their own energy to empower the "Protected."
That was the Guardian's duty—the privilege of those "upper-tier" Ōtsutsuki—but to raise a hand against him went far beyond merely excessive.
"You're truly insane!"
Jigen roared, his power already pushed to its absolute limit.
"Have you even considered what kind of consequences will come from breaking that rule?"
"Consequences?"
Kitagawa Gen sneered and shook his head in disdain. He cared only for Isshiki's energy—and the things this man had kept hidden.
"You killed Kaguya, consumed the fruit, and concealed yourself. Aren't you afraid of the consequences?"
"…"
Jigen felt so furious he could almost vomit blood. Was this bastard ever going to stop?
"Absorbing a planet's energy to condense a fruit—that is the rule! And I never swallowed that damned fruit!"
"Sigh…"
Hearing this, Kitagawa Gen exhaled softly, looking at Jigen and shaking his head.
"You keep preaching about rules, but aren't you the one who broke them first?"
"…"
"I actually admire you. Rules are our greatest weakness—and battle exists only for those who defy them."
"…"
"I've always wondered… do we fight in order to evolve, or evolve in order to fight?"
"…"
"I should thank you—it's you who gave me the answer."
Kitagawa Gen's words made Jigen pause for an instant, because for that brief moment, they almost sounded reasonable.
But he immediately came to his senses, realizing it was all twisted logic!
He hadn't done anything—so why was every crime being pinned on him?
This was clearly something you had planned long ago, just to impose false charges on me, wasn't it?!
"In that case, as my way of thanking you, I'll also give it my all—and send you on your way."
Kitagawa Gen's expression shifted. Looking at Jigen with solemn respect, the Truth-Seeking Ball in his hand transformed into a ninja blade that gleamed with golden light.
"Please, judge my power well—let it be the final push toward our shared dream."
"Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!"
With a deafening roar, golden radiance consumed the entire sky, turning the black night into blazing day.
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