"Naruto: My Ninja Skills"Chapter 202: Accumulation of Time
"What kind of enemy? Is it really as exaggerated as you say? Hmph."
Ōtsutsuki Kinshiki, who had just been kicked away by Hashirama Senju, might have looked rather pathetic, but no one could expect Hashirama to defeat an Ōtsutsuki with a single kick.
So when Kinshiki charged back again, Tobirama Senju crossed his arms coolly in front of his chest, gave a disdainful snort, and rushed directly at Kinshiki.
As Tobirama sprinted forward, the armor plates on his body clattered against each other, sounding like...
the jingling of ornaments on a pampered young lady's head.
Tobirama looked cool. Tobirama charged in. Tobirama...
Wait, Tobirama, why did you go down so fast?
After realizing Hashirama's strength, Kinshiki naturally used the same all-out approach against Tobirama, just to be safe.
So in just one exchange, a gaping hole was blasted through Tobirama's chest. His body snapped in half like a piece of sugarcane and was tossed aside like a rag.
Of course, Tobirama wasn't completely defenseless. Sensing the danger, he instantly activated Flying Thunder God—but... only the upper half of his body managed to teleport away.
His lower half was left behind for Kinshiki.
Yūshin pursed his lips and shook his head at Hashirama, even spreading his hands unconsciously... What was the rush? Why couldn't Tobirama listen before charging out?
"Hashirama, have you ever heard of the Sage of Six Paths?"
"The legendary creator from the myths? I've heard of him."
"The enemy before us is—?"
"I understand. I'll approach this like when I dealt with Madara Uchiha!"
To be honest, when facing Madara Uchiha, Hashirama always harbored some hesitation, but when confronting a stranger threatening to destroy Konoha... he would show his most ruthless side.
Seeing Tobirama's sorry state after just one exchange, Hashirama felt there was no need for further testing.
With a crisp clap, Hashirama pressed his palms together in front of his chest. In an instant, he entered Sage Mode, and the perfect sage markings appeared on his face.
"Yūshin, you're not in any shape to fight. Wait for me... I'll be right back!"
With that, Hashirama charged at Ōtsutsuki Kinshiki.
In terms of raw power, Hashirama Senju was a once-in-a-millennium monster. Kinshiki's forte was taijutsu, but even just talking about physical combat...
Hashirama possessed the "Body of the Sage," after all.
As for Tobirama, while his brother battled the powerful enemy, he retrieved his lower half and seemed ready to help.
Yūshin couldn't bear to watch:
"Tobirama, don't cause trouble. What can you accomplish in a fight at this level? Just sit quietly and watch with me."
Yūshin had summoned Tobirama partly to help set up the barrier, and partly to use him as transportation to arrive quickly—nothing more. He never intended to rely on Tobirama's combat ability.
"Nonsense! My Flying Thunder God Slash—"
"The enemy has spatial abilities and is extremely sensitive to spatial fluctuations. If he wants to escape, this barrier might not even work."
Tobirama tried to save face, but Yūshin wouldn't allow it.
The main purpose of this barrier was to contain and limit the battlefield. With everyone's destructive power, it was necessary to confine the damage... As long as the chaos stayed within this barrier, it wouldn't bring too much destruction to the Shinobi World.
Of course, Yūshin's advice was useless—Tobirama still insisted on joining the fight. Fortunately, Edo Tensei bodies are immortal, so he could mess around as much as he liked.
Yūshin shook his head—fine, let him do as he wants. He couldn't very well point at Tobirama and ask, "What are you even good for?" After all, Tobirama had already served his purpose as transportation.
But Tobirama's hyperactivity was understandable—there was nothing entertaining in the Pure Land, and now he finally had a chance to stretch his legs... Wait, was his refusal to let Yūshin summon him just tsundere behavior?
Yūshin ignored the battle between Hashirama, the "third wheel," and Kinshiki, focusing his gaze on the now-healed Shichimi.
He closed his eyes, searched for the feeling, then opened them again. This time, his irises had turned scarlet, first showing three tomoe, then the pupils and tomoe connected into a complex pattern.
"Oh, so this is what the Mangekyō Sharingan is like."
His attitude was just like Madara Uchiha's in the original timeline, after seizing Hashirama's sage chakra and scoffing, "Hmph, so this is Sage Mode."
Next, Yūshin used the Mangekyō Sharingan to cast a genjutsu on Shichimi. Of course, it wasn't a powerful mind-control technique—just scenes from Shichimi's life, and some final words she had left behind.
"Shichimi, your mission is complete. You are free now..."
Shichimi looked at Yūshin, then nuzzled his palm with her snout, and with a "poof," disappeared.
Casting such a genjutsu didn't even require the Mangekyō; Yūshin just wanted to try it for fun.
In short, he could use the Mangekyō Sharingan's power as much as he wanted, with no fear of it running dry—the same reason Shichimi could use these eyes without worry.
Whether it was Obito Uchiha or Indra, neither of them had the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, but no matter how much they used their eyes, they never worried about blindness.
Indra was the third-generation Ōtsutsuki, very close to Kaguya, the God Tree, and the Ten-Tails; Obito had Hashirama's cells, so Asura's power maintained his Mangekyō, and he used it at an absurd frequency. As for Yūshin? As the "God Tree-Man," would he ever need to worry about his Mangekyō going blind?
It's almost laughable.
If he really focused on research, he could probably even evolve these eyes into Rinnegan—but Yūshin had no reason to do so. It's like Pikachu refusing to evolve.
While Yūshin played with the fox and adapted to the Sharingan, Hashirama was locked in fierce battle with the enemy, and Tobirama, though unwilling to be a bystander, was still just playing a supporting role.
The Edo Tensei Hashirama wasn't much weaker than he was in life, so in theory, he could unleash the True Several Thousand Hands, but given the limited space, he didn't need to.
After all, the enemy didn't have any "Gundam" skills, so Hashirama didn't need to show off—Wood Golem and Wood Dragon were more than enough.
If Hashirama could say only one thing to this enemy, it would be: "So you're a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths? You're even easier to fight than Madara Uchiha."
And he wouldn't be wrong—Kinshiki's methods were too simple, truly a lower-ranked Ōtsutsuki.
From the very start, Hashirama maintained absolute dominance. For a native shinobi to possess such power was beyond Kinshiki's expectations.
The fight lasted just over half an hour before Kinshiki fully grasped his situation... Victory was impossible.
So, he decided to flee.
But things weren't that simple. Come and go as you please? Hashirama had fought "weaker" opponents his whole life and understood their psychology perfectly. The moment Kinshiki thought about running, Hashirama immediately sensed it.
Hashirama was an incredibly well-rounded shinobi, but his overwhelming combat ability often made people forget his versatility. For example, his genjutsu was actually quite strong, though he really only knew one—Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.
His sealing jutsu was also powerful, though he only mastered a few—the most iconic being Sage Art: Gate of the Great God.
Giant dark red torii gates fell from the sky, stacking one atop another, completely suppressing Kinshiki—as if he were locked in an intricate puzzle box.
This technique was perfect for him, since it was originally developed to restrain Tailed Beasts.
Under the pressure of Sage Art: Gate of the Great God, Kinshiki found his chakra couldn't circulate properly. In this state, escape was impossible—he was thoroughly defeated.
"Huh, is it over?"
Yūshin, perfectly mimicking an elderly man's gait, shuffled step by step to the center of the battlefield... When you're old, you fear falling. No matter how capable you are, one fall might mean you never get up again.
"Yūshin, how do you plan to deal with this guy? Do we need to interrogate him for information... But my instincts tell me he won't say anything."
Having subdued the enemy, Hashirama asked as Yūshin approached.
This showed he still respected the boundary between life and death. When alive, he made the decisions; but now, as a dead man, the living should decide.
Regardless of his stance, Kinshiki looked like a silent, stoic type—extracting intel from someone like him would be extremely difficult.
Fortunately, Yūshin didn't need any information from him.
"Hmph, as long as he's under control, he'll talk eventually."
Tobirama was still Tobirama—his nature never changed.
Yūshin didn't indulge him. Without warning or hesitation, he immediately released Tobirama's Edo Tensei.
"Tobirama's a bit noisy—let's send him back to the Pure Land... Hashirama, don't worry, this guy lived a very fulfilling life with no regrets left in this world. Letting him out for some fresh air was enough—no need for him to keep offering opinions."
It was somewhat rude to summon and dismiss Tobirama at will, but there was no need to explain it to Tobirama—just to Hashirama.
"Hashirama, you don't know how he spent his final years..."
Yūshin didn't mention Tobirama's policies, to spare Hashirama the heartache. He only described Tobirama's final act of living and dying together with Chihori.
"Hahaha..."
Hashirama burst out laughing.
"That's so unlike Tobirama... No, it's exactly like him. Hahaha."
Hashirama never cared much about Yūshin messing with Tobirama's soul—now, even less so.
Seeing his brother's dramatic life, like something out of a romance novel, Hashirama was certain he had no regrets. If so, why linger in the world of the living?
While Hashirama laughed, Yūshin casually refroze Tobirama's body.
Kinshiki, seeing the two ignore him, began to struggle secretly.
But Hashirama wouldn't let him succeed. After finishing his laughter, he turned to Yūshin again:
"So, this guy..."
"Yeah, I know what to do with him."
Yūshin also had something he wanted to say to Ōtsutsuki Kinshiki, but there was no need to voice it. That line was... The sorrow spanning a thousand years—it's you waiting for me at the end.
Yūshin placed one hand on Kinshiki's head, and the unique power of the God Tree began rapidly corroding Kinshiki's body... After all, Kinshiki, like Kaguya, was one of the Ōtsutsuki specifically created as fertilizer for the God Tree.
Now, Kinshiki was fulfilling his role as fertilizer to the fullest.
"What is this... This Wood Release feels different..."
Hashirama was shocked—this was his first time seeing Yūshin use Wood Release, and it was truly extraordinary. The scale might not be massive, but the "purity" was astonishing.
In just a moment, even the Great God Gates were completely corroded.
"Yeah, you could say this is the source of Wood Release—the most fundamental form." Yūshin explained briefly.
The God Tree was indeed the most fundamental Wood Release.
In just over ten minutes, the mini God Tree had absorbed all of Kinshiki's power, then quickly condensed a small chakra fruit.
Of course, this fruit was nothing compared to the one the God Tree produced after absorbing the planet's power and Isshiki's strength—the one Kaguya eventually consumed.
The mini God Tree's fruit only contained a portion of Kinshiki's power.
Yūshin plucked the fruit and devoured it in just a few bites.
"Eh, doesn't taste like much—just like a bag of water."
That's what he said, but with this chakra replenishment, his withered skin and body quickly returned to youth. His white hair didn't turn black, but unlike its previous dried appearance, it now brimmed with vitality—similar to the divine white hair of a Ten-Tails jinchūriki or Sage of Six Paths.
Then, Yūshin flicked his arm and shot out a dark red chakra spear.
In his eyes, the Mangekyō pattern had faded, replaced by pure white pupils... Kinshiki's Byakugan.
Yūshin looked up at the sky, uncertain whether he hoped for a response or not...
Sage-sensei, can you see me?