Chapter 221: Dōjutsu Showdown, Umashikabi!
Ame-no-Tokotachi. Also known as Ame-no-Tokotachi-no-Kami!
But Kinoshita Genichi preferred to call this dōjutsu... the Future Self.
Beside him, a clone that others could not see took form.
This so-called Future Self was a clone that came from the future. To be precise, it was the Kinoshita Genichi from exactly 10 minutes in the future, who had crossed time and space to arrive in the present.
The instant the Future Self appeared, it vanished again, reappearing next to a Hiraishin Kunai a hundred meters away from Nagato.
This kunai had been knocked away by Nagato at the very beginning of the battle and had been all but forgotten.
At this exact moment, Nagato, under Black Zetsu's control, had just completed the Saṃsāra of Heavenly Life Technique.
Hiss!
Madara Uchiha's body, which had fallen from the Gedo Statue's head to the ground, began to steam.
The resurrection was complete. At the same time, Nagato, having just used the jutsu, was incredibly weak, one might even say on the brink of death.
But with Black Zetsu possessing him to maintain his life functions, he wasn't dead yet. Under Black Zetsu's control, his right hand rose and plucked out his right eye.
Aloe White Zetsu immediately emerged from the ground to catch the eye.
But just as Black Zetsu was about to pluck out Nagato's left eye, an invisible hand suddenly appeared. With the speed of a lightning bolt, it snatched Nagato's left eye and then vanished.
"What?"
Black Zetsu was stunned. He looked around but found nothing.
He then looked toward Kinoshita Genichi, only to see that Genichi was busy temporarily sealing the Gedo Statue in ice.
"It wasn't him?"
Black Zetsu was suspicious.
Aloe White Zetsu immediately tried to sink into the ground, but the invisible hand made a grabbing motion and missed him.
"He runs fast..." the Future Self snorted.
Unable to find the source of the attack, Black Zetsu immediately abandoned control of Nagato and burrowed into the ground.
Thud!
Nagato collapsed. His consciousness gradually returned, but his life force was already extinguished.
"I never thought... it would end like this."
Nagato had never anticipated this outcome. "Yahiko... I'm sorry..."
The Future Self appeared beside Nagato. Looking at the dying man, he couldn't help but sigh softly.
Was it pity?
No.
Was it regret?
No, that wasn't it either.
It was a sigh for how fate twists and toys with people.
"Genichi... I know you're nearby."
Nagato turned his head with difficulty, his empty sockets seeming to "see" the Future Self. "As a final request... take care of Konan... let her... let her live a good life."
The Future Self did not respond.
Nagato sighed in a low voice, "What a failed life... I hope you can succeed."
As his voice fell, his last wisp of life faded away completely.
Nagato was dead.
At almost the same moment, the Wood Golem clapped its hands together. A giant red torii gate fell from the sky, slamming down and suppressing Uchiha Tekka, whose body had just finished regenerating.
"Dammit..."
Tekka couldn't believe he had been suppressed by a mere Wood Golem.
"That bastard Kinoshita Genichi... he's already mastered Wood Style to this extent!"
Tekka was inwardly shocked, but when he saw that Madara had been revived, he became ecstatic. "Hahaha..."
Tekka's face twisted as he laughed. "This day has finally come!"
"Kinoshita Genichi, you've lost! You don't understand the power of the Rinnegan at all!"
Thud, thud, thud...
The Wood Golem stomped over, placed its giant hand on Uchiha Tekka's head, and began to absorb his chakra.
Immediately, cracks appeared on Tekka's face. His skin began to split and peel off, and his laughter stopped abruptly.
...
On the western edge of Konoha.
Seeing the Susanoo vanish and the Gedo Statue sealed in ice, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly asked, "Hizashi, is the battle over?"
Hizashi Hyūga's eyes were wide. "No, something new is happening!"
"Could it be... This is trouble!"
Sakumo Hatake, who had just returned, quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
Hizashi Hyūga swallowed. "Nagato... seems to have been controlled by Madara. He formed a seal, and now... Madara is revived!"
Revived?
The surrounding Konoha shinobi were all stunned.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi and Sakumo Hatake understood immediately. It was the Rinnegan's Saṃsāra of Heavenly Life Technique.
Madara was truly revived, no longer an Edo Tensei body!
Hiruzen urgently asked, "What about Genichi?"
A nearby Hyūga shinobi quickly replied, "Genichi-sama is fine. Uchiha Tekka has been suppressed by the Wood Golem."
"And... it seems one of Nagato's Rinnegan was stolen by... something. Even the Byakugan can't see it!"
Hizashi said, "It must be Genichi's dōjutsu."
"I observed Genichi activate some kind of dōjutsu earlier, but I couldn't see what form it took. The theft of the eye just now seemed to be related to space-time."
Hiruzen's brow relaxed slightly. "The Flying Thunder God Technique?"
In truth, they had wanted to go to Genichi's location earlier, but that battlefield was simply unapproachable. They could only remain here and watch.
Knowing Genichi was alright, Hiruzen and Sakumo both breathed a sigh of relief.
At this moment, Minato Namikaze arrived with Jiraiya, appearing beside Hiruzen.
"Sandaime, how is Genichi's side?" Minato asked.
Hiruzen's voice was grave. "Nagato used the Saṃsāra of Heavenly Life Technique to revive Madara."
Minato and Jiraiya's expressions changed instantly.
Jiraiya looked out into the distance, his gaze complicated. "Then Nagato... he..."
Hizashi said, "Jiraiya-sama, Nagato... is already dead, from using the jutsu and having his eyes taken."
"Dead..."
Jiraiya sighed.
Nagato, the one he had once seen as the Child of Prophecy, was dead just like that.
The Rinnegan... it was Madara's all along.
This world's destiny... where was it headed?
Jiraiya's emotions were in turmoil. Minato, at his side, was more direct. "Since Madara is revived, let's all go support Genichi!"
Hiruzen nodded. "Minato, please take us there."
Minato nodded. He moved behind the three men, and black Zero-Tails chakra condensed into tentacles, resting on the shoulders of Jiraiya, Hiruzen, and Sakumo.
The next moment, all four of them vanished.
...
On the Hokage Building.
Seeing the battle outside the village seem to pause, Tsunade quickly asked, "Genichi, what's happening with your main body?"
The Rinne Puppet Clone replied, "Madara is fully revived. Nagato is dead."
Tsunade and the others' faces turned grim.
Uzumaki Ina quickly asked, "If Madara is fully revived, he'll be even stronger than before, right?"
The Rinne Puppet Clone nodded. "The Edo Tensei state is close to his living self in power, but in reality, the gap is huge."
"Especially for someone like Madara."
The stronger the individual, the greater the gap between their Edo Tensei form and their peak living form.
For someone like Uchiha Tekka, the difference wasn't that large. His Complete Susanoo just couldn't fully stabilize its chakra form.
But Madara was different.
His revived body had far more chakra than his Edo Tensei form, and much greater power output.
Most importantly, with a living body and the Rinnegan, he can use its unique dōjutsu!
Against those who can't sense it, Limbo: Hengoku is a god-tier skill.
It can treat the nine Tailed Beasts like little chicks.
It could be said that, below the level of the Six Paths, Madara is invincible, even with only one eye.
"But..."
Seeing the worried expressions on Tsunade and Ina's faces, the Rinne Puppet Clone smiled. "Don't worry. The main body has a plan."
...
Beside the ice-sealed Gedo Statue, Genichi also noted Nagato's death.
This was somewhat outside of his plan.
"Sigh, it's all my fault for being too strong," Genichi admonished himself with very superficial and fake sincerity.
He had originally planned to let Nagato go and deal with the other four Great Shinobi Villages.
But, having Madara do it would be just the same.
Poof!
The ice-sealed Gedo Statue was unsummoned and vanished.
At this moment, Minato and the other three appeared beside Genichi.
"Sensei, everyone, you're here," Genichi greeted them. At the same time, he opened his left hand, and a Rinnegan appeared in his palm.
Hiruzen and the others looked over, completely unable to see how the eye had appeared.
Jiraiya asked, "Genichi, Nagato's eye... are you going to transplant it?"
Genichi said flatly, "To be precise, it's Madara's left eye."
"When Madara himself uses the Rinnegan, it must have something similar to a Mangekyo Sharingan—a dōjutsu unique to him. I must guard against that."
Hiruzen's expression was grave. "Do you have intel on it already?"
Genichi's left palm split open, and the Rinnegan was immediately swallowed.
A faint green light glowed as the wound in his palm vanished. But then, right before their eyes, Genichi's left palm split open again, and a purple Rinnegan opened.
"So fast?" Jiraiya was stunned.
Genichi noticed Jiraiya's expression and smiled. "If you trained your 'Sage Transformation' to a certain level, you could do it too."
Of course, he wouldn't tell Jiraiya that this palm had already had a pair of Rinnegan transplanted into it once before.
Sage Transformation...
Jiraiya was shocked. "You... you trained yourself to that extent!?"
Sage Transformation was far more dangerous than Mount Myoboku's Sage Mode.
While some of the stone toads on Mount Myoboku were from failed Sage Mode training, the vast majority were the result of failed Sage Transformation.
Sage Mode, in the end, was just a temporary creation of sage chakra to boost one's nin, tai, and genjutsu.
But Sage Transformation... that was what Gamamaru, the Great Toad Sage, had.
That was the most orthodox path, the one with the highest ceiling, but also the most dangerous.
Minato wasn't as shocked. He smiled to himself and thought, "That's Genichi for you. It seems like nothing is impossible for him."
Genichi adjusted to Madara's left eye, thinking, "Although my analysis of the Rinnegan is already quite deep, and my Mangekyo Mirror Eye's copying ability is stronger after its promotion, I still can't use its unique dōjutsu."
"But, this is within my expectations. This isn't what I need it for anyway."
He looked up toward Madara, who had already installed his right eye.
Clang!
Madara's armor fell away, revealing his upper body and the face of Hashirama on his chest.
Crunch!
Madara, his right eye open, bit down on his own right forearm. Blood flowed.
"THIS is the feeling of battle!"
"Hahaha!"
Madara laughed heartily.
This feeling of rushing blood... it had been too long. Far, far too long.
"Madara-sama, I must remind you, the other Rinnegan has been stolen by Kinoshita Genichi," Aloe White Zetsu said.
Madara's laughter slowly stopped. He snorted, "That's because you are all useless."
"But, it doesn't matter. I'll just take it back."
Madara clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within his body. His spirits were high; losing one eye hadn't dampened his mood in the slightest.
Black Zetsu also emerged from the ground, attaching to one-half of Aloe White Zetsu's body. He looked at Genichi and said, "The one who stole the eye just now was probably his dōjutsu."
"Some kind of un-perceivable clone?" Black Zetsu wasn't sure.
Madara, one eye closed, looked at Genichi. "That third eye... it has also awakened the Mangekyo..."
"So, which eye's dōjutsu was that just now? Or was it more than one?"
"His own two eyes have changed as well."
"Is this... all of his power?"
Madara grew excited. "Good!"
He took a step forward and shouted, "Kinoshita Genichi, now you will witness my true power!"
Hearing Madara's voice, Hiruzen and the others all tensed, preparing to strike.
"Sandaime, Sensei, all of you, just keep an eye on Uchiha Tekka. Leave Madara to me."
As he spoke, Genichi also took a step forward. "Then... let's begin."
Opposite him, Madara immediately activated his Rinnegan's dōjutsu.
Limbo: Hengoku!
"Only one..." Madara was slightly dissatisfied.
On the other side, Kinoshita Genichi saw the Limbo shadow appear next to Madara. He mused, "As expected, 'Mirroring' can't copy this jutsu. But... even if I can't use the Rinnegan's power, I can use this eye to see the Limbo shadow."
"But first, let's try electromagnetic sensing..."
Genichi closed his palm-Rinnegan and tried to sense with his electromagnetic abilities. "As I thought... it doesn't work."
"In that case..."
The palm-Rinnegan opened again. Genichi immediately activated his Illusory Mirror Clone once more.
This clone was a perfect replica of Madara.
Then, Genichi and the clone linked via electromagnetic induction, achieving real-time information sharing, infinitely close to shared vision.
"Playing stealth, are we..." Genichi smirked. He activated his Mangekyo dōjutsu, Ame-no-Tokotachi, and condensed his Future Self once more.
He had dismissed it earlier.
It was again the clone from 10 minutes in the future. The time wasn't too long or short; it guaranteed enough combat time without consuming too much chakra.
The further the Future Self was from the present, the more dōjutsu power and chakra it consumed.
Ten minutes was the most cost-effective.
"Hm?"
"That is..."
"He... he even copied Limbo?"
Madara's eye widened. He saw Genichi's Future Self. First, he was surprised, but then he sensed something. "No... it's not Limbo."
"It's the dōjutsu of that Mangekyo on his forehead. I see."
He'd never expected there to be such a similar jutsu.
At this moment, the two invisible clones (Limbo and Future Self) rushed toward each other. The Future Self was the first to condense an Electromagnetic Rasengan.
When it was still over fifty meters away from the Limbo shadow, it suddenly thrust the Electromagnetic Rasengan forward.
Boom!
The earth collapsed, and rubble flew everywhere.
The charging Limbo shadow was suddenly thrown to the ground. It was then enveloped by the expanding electromagnetic chakra, unable to move.
The Future Self used a body-flicker to appear in front of the shadow. He raised his hand, and black rods shot out, pinning the paralyzed Limbo shadow to the ground.
"What?"
Madara stared in shock as his Limbo shadow was taken out. "From that distance... space-time?"
"Is it the dōjutsu of those eyes?"
Despite his shock, Madara was still able to analyze the situation quickly.
At this moment, Black Zetsu, as well as Hiruzen's group on the Konoha side, were all staring in confusion at the spot where the fight was happening.
They could see neither the Future Self nor the Limbo shadow.
But they could see the effects of the Future Self's attack on the environment.
Madara, ever-perceptive, noticed this from the expressions on Zetsu and the others.
"What's going on?"
Seeing an empty patch of ground suddenly explode, Jiraiya couldn't help but ask, "Genichi, what in the world is happening?"
Genichi, at the front, didn't answer. His "battlefield observer," the Illusory Mirror Clone, explained: "Madara's dōjutsu creates a clone that normal senses cannot perceive or see."
Jiraiya was aghast. "Not even Sage Mode?"
Minato said, "No, Jiraiya-sensei. I couldn't sense a thing just now."
He looked at the Illusory Mirror Clone's Rinnegan. "I'm afraid only the Rinnegan can see it."
As Minato spoke, he thought to himself, "Genichi is as cautious as ever. He'd rather be over-prepared than under-prepared."
In his view, Genichi had stolen Madara's Rinnegan for two reasons: one, to weaken Madara, and two, because he must have anticipated this exact situation.
Even if he didn't know what Madara's dōjutsu was, having a Rinnegan in hand would provide a trail to follow.
Even though his Mirror Eye could also copy the target's Rinnegan.
Double insurance. Absolutely foolproof.
"Still... Genichi's Mirror Eye can even copy the Rinnegan's dōjutsu? That's astonishing," Minato marveled internally.
He, like the others, assumed Genichi's Future Self was a copy of Madara's Limbo.
And it wasn't just Minato. Because Genichi hadn't explained, Hiruzen and the others all believed the same thing.
However, they were more horrified by how terrifying Madara's dōjutsu was.
"In that case, without a Rinnegan, there's no way to fight Madara at all!" Jiraiya said, his expression grave.
Against such a dōjutsu, even the Flying Thunder God Technique would be of little use.
You can't even sense the enemy's attack. By the time you do, you've already been hit.
On the battlefield, having dealt with the Limbo shadow in one blow, the Future Self continued its charge toward Madara.
However, Genichi could tell from Madara's gaze that he could see the Future Self with his Rinnegan.
"With Madara's combat intellect, he'll probably figure out that my last move was a space-time ninjutsu," Genichi mused.
That move, which had one-shotted the Limbo shadow from dozens of meters away, was the dōjutsu of his right Mangekyo Mirror Eye.
Its name was [Umashikabi]!
But Kinoshita Genichi preferred to call it... 'Telekinesis'!
(End of Chapter)
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