Kenya felt the Hōgyoku hidden within his body resonate faintly, the reminder from the system moments ago still lingering in his mind. He sank into deep thought.
Even though he had obtained the template ability of Aizen Sōsuke, his focus on the development of the Sharingan had never wavered. Now, he had already reached the limits of the Three Tomoe.
Compared to the powers from the "Shinigami" world, it was fair to say that Sharingan was a far more profound ability.
Kenya had long speculated about the path of evolution—Sharingan to Mangekyō, Mangekyō to Eternal Mangekyō, and finally, to the Rinnegan.
But the truth was cruel. Not every Uchiha could awaken the Mangekyō.
During the wars, countless Uchiha lost their loved ones, yet only a handful ever awakened Mangekyō.
In the bloody Warring States Era, where killing was common, why was it only Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna who had awakened it?
Kenya believed that only those of purer bloodline—those closer to Indra himself—could awaken Mangekyō Sharingan.
Aside from Indra's reincarnations like Madara and Sasuke, only those such as Uchiha Shisui, Itachi, and Izuna had managed to awaken it. Fugaku's case remained uncertain.
Why could Indra awaken the highest forms of the Sharingan without killing close kin? Likely because his bloodline was direct, descended from the Sage of Six Paths himself.
But over generations, as the blood diluted, awakening Mangekyō required cruel sacrifices—taking the eyes of one's kin to achieve eternity.
And beyond that, the true evolution required the power of the Sage of Six Paths.
Kenya clenched his left hand, feeling the energy of the Hōgyoku flow through him.
The essence of Indra and Asura's lineage was "evolution."
The Hōgyoku's essence, however, was "transformation."
Where Indra and Asura's bloodlines fused, the Hōgyoku evolved by absorption.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
The weakened Sarutobi Hiruzen roared, releasing a colossal earthen dragon toward Kenya, Orochimaru, and Kabuto.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
Orochimaru responded instantly with the same jutsu. The two dragons clashed mid-air, crumbling into mud that rained across the roof of the arena.
"What's wrong, Kenya-kun? Did that last move take too much chakra?" Orochimaru asked with a sly glance.
"How could it?" Kenya closed his eyes, shrugged, and smirked as he strode toward Hiruzen. "I just want to test something. Although using the Third Hokage as my first subject is a little extravagant… it's also quite fitting."
All of Konoha burned in chaos.
Sand Shinobi, Sound Shinobi, and Leaf forces clashed in a devastating three-way battle.
Under Aizen's order, the Sand ninjas did not yet turn against their Sound allies, but resentment smoldered. Once the operation ended, they would demand retribution.
Kenya's strategy had succeeded—Hiruzen had sent many of Konoha's forces outside the village searching for Orochimaru. The village's defenses were weakened, and the losses already far outstripped what had happened originally.
Yet Konoha was still the strongest of the Five Great Villages. Built on the foundation of countless geniuses, it would not fall from a single war.
The Ino–Shika–Chō trio, the Hyūga, and other great clans resisted fiercely, forcing the attackers into stalemate.
But two clans bore the brunt of tragedy—the Sarutobi and Shimura.
When Gaara entered the battlefield under Aizen's orders and unleashed Shukaku, the devastation fell squarely on those two families.
Against a tailed beast, even elite jōnin like Kakashi could do little.
By the end of this "Konoha Crush" plan, more than a third of Konoha's fallen shinobi would be victims of Gaara's rampage.
"Damn it! You monster! Give them back!"
Not far away, Konohamaru, dragged to safety by Iruka, wept as he screamed.
Gaara, fully consumed by Shukaku, glanced coldly before lifting a massive claw.
The ground corroded into sand, rising into a tsunami towering over twenty meters high.
Temari and Kankurō, fighting Sarutobi and Shimura shinobi nearby, could only watch in grim silence.
Elsewhere, under Pakura's lead, the Sound's summoned serpent tore open Konoha's barrier.
"Sarutobi, Shimura… your clans will be erased from history today."
Gaara recalled Aizen's words and mercilessly directed the tsunami toward Iruka and Konohamaru.
"Quicksand Waterfall Flow!"
The wall of sand crashed forward, too vast for Iruka to possibly evade.
But just as it was about to consume them—
A blade of light cleaved the wave apart, scattering sand across the battlefield.
Shukaku's eyes narrowed. Standing upon a massive toad, sword in hand, was none other than Naruto.
"Stop right there, bastard!!!" Naruto shouted from atop Gamabunta's head.
"It's you…" Gaara muttered in Shukaku's voice, eyes burning with hostility.
The next instant, Gamabunta's massive blade clashed with Shukaku, shaking the earth.
Temari trembled as she watched the battle of titans unfold.
And at that very moment—
Boom!!!
On the roof of the Konoha Arena, a vast black energy erupted, shattering the Four Purple Flame Formation and surging into the heavens like a god descending.