A month passed in a flash. During this time, Muramasa lived in a residence arranged by the Kamisato Clan, working with the craftsmen every day to build the Statue of the Omnipresent God. He also took this time to examine the changes in some of his original abilities in this world.
The demon blade in his hand had absorbed the ideals of that young man and could now continuously supply him with magical energy. The effect was the same as, if not greater than, the 'purple pendant', and its full potential had yet to be explored. His ability to project weapons, including its derivative abilities and the magecraft he could use, had not changed much, only losing the bonus from 'Mystery'.
The biggest change was in his eyes. As a subspecies of Clairvoyance, his superb dynamic vision and long-distance sight remained unchanged, and were even enhanced when using Electro. The change was in its ability to see through cause and effect. This ability had two uses. The first was passive, acting like a sixth sense to perceive potential connections, more akin to the skill of judging people and situations that 'Muramasa' had honed throughout his life. The second was active, by concentrating his gaze. Before coming to this world, he could use this to see through a single thread of entangled cause and effect. But here, the scene his eyes saw had changed dramatically, becoming several shining constellations.
At first, he had understood them to be symbols of their past, present, and future. But the last time, the image had included more about 'dreams'. So, the scene probably wasn't what he was spying on, but a 'self-expression' of those constellations. But this point would require repeated verification in the future.
Besides this interlude, he also witnessed the gradual completion of the statue and the Tenryou Commission's preparations for war.
"The provisions are ready, the troops are sufficient! We march now!" Kujou Takayuki gave a morale-boosting speech, ordering his adopted daughter, Kujou Sara, and his eldest son, Kujou Masahito, to lead the main force to the front lines.
The Tenryou Commission, holding the purple tomoe banners of the Shogun, marched with a thunderous roar to the Kujou Encampment on Kannazuka.
With the war in full swing at the front, the implementation of the Vision Hunt Decree at the rear had to be postponed for a long time, which allowed Yoimiya and the others to relax for a while. Those who were willing to go to the trouble of offending Vision holders had mostly gone to the front with the main army. Most of those left behind had little interest in the decree—rather, the fact that they could use the hunt as an excuse to slack off was more important. Three thousand Mora a month, why risk your life? If you get hurt, you don't even get paid.
At this rate, it was a question whether they could even collect the required one hundred Visions in a year.
"So the Statue of the Omnipresent God is considered complete, right?" Looking at the tall statue, some of the craftsmen let out a sound of completion. Others were already thinking about where to go for fun after work. The construction of the statue had been a long project, and to keep their minds sharp, these men hadn't had a drink in a long time.
"Lord Muramasa, how about you join us for a meal after work?" The leader of the craftsmen looked up at Muramasa, who was still making measurements on the statue, and shouted.
"Hm?" Muramasa looked down at the craftsmen, then considered his own schedule for the night. "Forget it. The Yashiro Commission is still waiting for me. One job is done, it's time to prepare for the next."
With that, Muramasa jumped down from the statue, patting the dust from his hands. "It's tough being a celebrity…" Though he was just a single smith, the quantity and quality of his swords were no less than those of a large forge. It was said that among some samurai, he had already earned the title 'The Ever-Moving Hammer of Inazuma'. So, it was no surprise to them that he had immediately accepted a subsequent commission from the Yashiro Commission. After a moment of thought, he looked at the statue again. "By the way, why did you leave such a large stone base at the bottom?"
The size of the base had originally been planned to be only half to a third of its current thickness. But at Muramasa's suggestion and adjustment, the base now looked almost disproportionately large.
"This way, doesn't it better fit the lofty image of the 'Ogosho-sama'?" He looked up, at the statue's eyes which stared straight ahead. But at that height, all that could be seen were the distant bay and the thunderclouds. Sacrificing some aesthetics for meaning was not a new thing for sculpture. Though, I just thought that there should be some space left to record something—though I don't know what yet.
"The inlaying of the Visions is not the craftsmen's responsibility, right?" Muramasa hid his inner monologue and confirmed with the craftsmen. After getting a confirmation, he didn't linger and left the site.
"The war has been going on for some time, hasn't it? I wonder how the situation is."
…
On Watatsumi Island, in Sangonomiya Shrine
"How are the arrangements in Ritou?" The supreme leader of Watatsumi Island, the 'Divine Priestess', asked about the progress of other matters while writing down strategies on paper.
"Yes," the shrine maiden below began her report. "We have purchased a large amount of grain from some foreign merchants at a low price. A few merchants are still unwilling to lower their prices. They think the Sakoku Decree is only temporary and that they don't need to sell off their goods at a loss yet. But most are not sure themselves. It's only a matter of time before they give in. Our people have already bypassed the Kanjou Commission's inspection with the grain and are heading for Watatsumi Island."
The shrine maiden was very proud, even feeling that the inspections on the Inazuma side were nothing special.
"Don't be too optimistic." The 'Divine Priestess' didn't even look up, her hands not stopping, processing information from both sides at the same time. "I'm afraid the Inazuma side also wants this war to happen, and for it not to end too quickly. The reason is still unknown, but the fact that this procurement went so smoothly is certainly thanks to that."
Hearing her leader say this, the shrine maiden immediately suppressed her smile. "Yes."
"One more thing," the shrine maiden continued. "We have also found a Tenryou Commission spy in the vicinity of Watatsumi Island."
"Do you know his origin?"
"Not clearly. We only know he is likely a doushin, by the name of 'Shikanoin Heizou'."
"Lock him up for now," she said after a moment's thought. "If he has a Vision, he likely came here to escape the Vision Hunt Decree. Even if he has other motives, we cannot trust him now and must avoid any distractions."
The shrine maiden nodded and looked at the four walls of the room. Just looking at the number of words written on them made her scalp tingle. Over two hundred strategies, taking into account all possible enemy movements and formations.
"Forgive my foolishness, Lady Kokomi…" The shrine maiden, for the first time, called the leader by her real name. "These strategies, I'm afraid the soldiers below will have a hard time understanding them."
"They don't need to understand." Kokomi stopped writing and hung the scroll on the wall. "These are for us, the strategists at the rear, to see. After all, a so-called 'secret plan' was never meant to be carried in a brocade pouch on one's person."
The overwhelming pressure of the sword strike was supreme. Under the dim sky, it left only a single horizontal slash, yet it possessed a might that surpassed even Obito's pale blue Susanoo! The gale kicked up by the slash howled. Kakashi shielded his face with his elbow, struggling to watch the scene above, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"This level of attack... Damn it! The gap between us is this huge!" Asuma was also hunched over, staring at the sword strike above, his cigarette clenched tightly in his teeth in frustration. He had watched Kusuo grow up step by step. Although he hadn't provided any help in the process—Kusuo had done it all on his own—Asuma had never slacked off, gritting his teeth and trying to keep up with even a fraction of his student's progress. But alas, the gap only grew wider.
"Captain Kakashi! Captain Asuma! We need to retreat! It's too dangerous here! There's a canyon behind us where we can take shelter and observe the battle," a few Anbu members suggested, struggling against the wind.
"Let's fall back!" Kakashi and Asuma exchanged a look and immediately gave the order.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
A dozen figures moved with swift agility, completely retreating in a short amount of time. They were all elite ninja of Konoha, but here, they could only look up at the powerhouses on the two statues with a sense of awe and helplessness! The disparity in strength was enough to instill a bit of despair in their hearts!
CRACK-BOOM!
The sword energy slammed into Obito's Susanoo. The latter was full of confidence, refusing to believe that Kusuo could shatter his proud Susanoo with a single strike. This was the ultimate secret of the Uchiha clan, the dōjutsu that symbolized destruction and ruin. How could it be broken so easily!?
However...
CRACKLE—
A crisp sound made the expression on Obito's face freeze, then turn to astonishment. He stared in shock at the lower half of his Susanoo, which had been cleanly sliced off by Kusuo's sword.
"How... How is this possible?" Obito roared in disbelief. He couldn't accept this reality.
Kusuo raised his sword towards him, his voice cool. "Go back. You're no match for me right now." He planned to nurture Obito, to let him grow into a super-Kage level powerhouse, and then slaughter him. Otherwise, even if he went through all the trouble to kill him now, the increase to his system's synchronization rate would be minimal.
That's right. Kage-level, the highest combat power of a village, was no longer worthy of his attention!
"Insolent!" Obito glared back at Kusuo viciously. He clasped his hands together, channeling his chakra to regenerate the body of his Susanoo. With a great flap of its wings, a circular shockwave expanded from its feet.
BOOM!
The giant statue of Madara Uchiha shattered on impact. The tall, majestic, pale blue, semi-complete Susanoo soared high into the sky, looking imposing.
Kusuo sneered, finding Obito's arrogant expression laughable. He was constantly using Madara Uchiha's name, yet he had just carelessly shattered his statue. If Madara knew, wouldn't he claw his way out of his coffin!? Speaking of which, Madara's body should have been acquired by Kabuto or Orochimaru by now. According to the timeline, that should be the case. He just didn't know if Kabuto would still go down the crazy path of imitating his revered master, Orochimaru.
Looking up, Kusuo didn't waste any more words and raised his hand for another slash. Another massive sword strike cut through the air. This time, Obito was prepared. He no longer dared to take the hit head-on with his Susanoo. He controlled the Susanoo to dodge, and with a flap of its giant wings, Kusuo's incredibly fast sword strike merely grazed its foot. The glowing blue chakra foot fell through the air and then dissipated into light.
"Is that all you have?" Obito seemed to have noticed that Kusuo's methods were one-dimensional, his only means of attack being the continuous slashes from his sword. While troublesome, it gave him a glimmer of hope for victory.
"Your slashes are indeed unparalleled in the ninja world," he said confidently. "Their power, speed, and range are all impeccable. In that regard, I'll call you the strongest! However!" Obito's tone shifted. "No matter how strong your sword strike is, what good is it if it can't hit my body?"
He suddenly burst into wild laughter, his face狰狞 and triumphant. "My dual Kamui, enhanced by Hashirama Cells, can continuously use space-time ninjutsu to enter a special dimension. Whether it's taijutsu, ninjutsu, or shuriken tricks, no method can hit my true body! Despair! You mortals, suffering and barely surviving in this false and deceitful world! Until one day—I will end it all and create a perfect, happy, new world!"
Obito spoke to himself, growing more and more excited.
Far away, the Konoha ninja hiding in the canyon had already sent intel back to the village. Against an enemy of this level, their dozen members were not enough. At the very least, Lady Hokage, Princess Tsunade, and Lord Jiraiya had to be present. With them joining forces with Lord Kusuo, they could surely bring this mysterious Uchiha remnant to justice! They even dismissed Obito's speech as the ravings of a deranged, chunibyo teenager. What false world? What creating a new, perfect world? They didn't understand.
Only Kakashi's eyes were filled with suspicion and pain. Only he could vaguely grasp the meaning behind Obito's words. However, even Kakashi couldn't guess what Obito was truly planning.
A giant yellow flare and a reverse summoning jutsu had already relayed the message back to the village. Tsunade and Jiraiya were on their way.
Kusuo stood on the head of the First Hokage's giant statue, his expression neutral. He was the only one present who fully understood Obito's words. But honestly, knowing the whole story, he felt no sympathy. In fact, he almost wanted to laugh. Perhaps this was the tragedy of a desperate simp combined with a sad tool?
In the sky, the severed right foot of Obito's Susanoo had regenerated. From within the diamond-shaped crystal at its forehead, Obito, having finished his chunibyo speech, gave a cold look!
"Kamui Shuriken!"
SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
The giant semi-complete Susanoo suddenly launched two massive shuriken from its hands. They shot towards Kusuo's position at lightning speed. Kakashi, Asuma, and the others watched nervously. However, just as they were concentrating on the rapidly approaching shuriken, thinking of how to stop them, the shuriken... suddenly vanished!
-------
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