Danzō Shimura's figure crossed the death zone intertwined with repulsive force and howling gales like a bolt of black lightning.
Eleven Sharingan flashed crimson on his right arm, and the Mangekyō Sharingan newly embedded into his right eye socket burst forth with an eerie, bizarre glow.
"Hahaha, humph, humph, hahahahaha!"
Amidst his wild, maniacal laughter, he had already broken into a range within one hundred meters of the Giant Tenseigan. The gale spewed by Baku clashed against the Tenseigan's repulsive force, forming a bizarre vacuum zone around his body.
At the same time, Danzō Shimura raised both hands, forming three hand seals: Rabbit – Ram – Boar.
Izanagi, activate!
This was one of the ultimate Dōjutsu sealed away within the Uchiha clan. At the cost of blinding one of the user's eyes, it recorded the caster's present state. For the duration of the technique, regardless of what kind of injury the caster suffered—even death—their body would physically revert back to the recorded state.
Danzō possessed twelve Sharingan in total, and the duration of Izanagi granted by each eye was one full minute.
During these twelve minutes while the Dōjutsu remained active, he was invincible!
At that moment—
The surface of the Giant Tenseigan's eyeball—flattened earlier by Hiruzen Sarutobi—was covered in cracks. Fragments of purple chakra sloughed away, exposing its pure white main body beneath.
Enraged to the absolute extreme, it suddenly perceived Danzō Shimura's approach, its pupil constricting violently.
"A mere human dares to draw near—"
However, before the voice echoing in the minds of everyone present could finish, Danzō Shimura snapped his head up. Closing his left eye, his crimson right eye burst wide open!
A four-bladed windmill pinwheel spun madly!
"Kotoamatsukami!"
An invisible, silent Dōjutsu power seeped into the Giant Tenseigan's colossal consciousness like a trickling stream.
In an instant, time seemed to freeze.
The main body of the Giant Tenseigan trembled violently, the pattern of a Mangekyō Sharingan surfacing within its pupil—a sign that Kotoamatsukami was tampering with its willpower!
"What... what is... this..." The Giant Tenseigan's voice resounded in everyone's mind, carrying a note of shock for the very first time.
The corners of Danzō Shimura's mouth hooked into a cold, scheming sneer:
"Become my puppet, Tenseigan!"
Long before receiving Hyuga Yu's notice regarding today's crisis, Danzō had already harbored the desire to snatch Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan.
Any political figure who learned the true capability of Shisui Uchiha's Dōjutsu could never turn a blind eye to it—not even if Shisui had proactively pledged allegiance to the Konoha high command, and not even Hiruzen Sarutobi, who accepted that allegiance on the surface.
An ability capable of overwriting the will of others was simply too dangerous.
Left unchecked until Shisui Uchiha fully grew his wings, the Uchiha clan could even use it to seize power, forcefully interfering in Danzō Shimura's bid for the seat of Fifth Hokage—a position he was determined to claim.
Danzō had no idea how dangerous a Tenseigan actually was, nor how much damage it could inflict upon the village.
In his calculations, Minato Namikaze was right here anyway. Even if the village-threatening explosion predicted by the Reconnaissance Team occurred, Minato could simply warp it away.
In fact, it would be best if Minato Namikaze died along with that thing.
Compared to a calamity descending from the sky, the hearts of men were clearly far more dangerous.
Thus, Danzō couldn't wait. He had made up his mind to use the village's crisis to eliminate the threat posed by Shisui Uchiha once and for all!
Furthermore—
Even if his actions were exposed, as long as he brought the Giant Tenseigan—which was powerful enough to contend with all of Konoha—under Foundation's control via the Mangekyō Sharingan's Dōjutsu, it would not only expand his own faction's power, but also give him an excuse to brush off the village leadership.
And now was the moment of harvest!
Danzō stared greedily at the Giant Tenseigan controlled by Kotoamatsukami.
"Hmph. They made this thing out to be so terrifying, yet it seems... to be nothing more than this."
However, right at that moment—
"A Genjutsu of this level!? You expect to control ME with this?"
Both being ocular Kekkei Genkai, the Giant Tenseigan ranked far higher than a Mangekyō Sharingan. Even though the Giant Tenseigan was currently in an incomplete state, it was still a construct of the exact same tier.
The instant the Mangekyō Sharingan activated, the Tenseigan detected the Dōjutsu power invading its consciousness like maggots clinging to bone.
It immediately let out a furious, shocked mental roar!
Like tens of thousands of people screaming into one's ears at once, this howl manifested as a physical spiritual shockwave. It dispersed the Mangekyō Sharingan's Dōjutsu power, surging back into Danzō Shimura's mind like a tsunami!
Danzō Shimura instantly bled from all seven facial orifices, flying backward like a kite with its string cut!
Yet, in the very next moment—
He appeared in front of the Tenseigan once again, his state completely restored to the moment recorded before he activated the Mangekyō Dōjutsu.
'It detected it!?'
Restored by Izanagi, Danzō's expression turned grim, his face darkening dramatically.
However, having no retreat left, he turned his sinister gaze back toward the Giant Tenseigan.
"Then how about another shot!?"
As his words fell, Danzō unleashed the Mangekyō Dōjutsu once more. Blood gushed violently from his right eye socket, trickling down his cheek and dripping onto the ground!
The second Kotoamatsukami, activate!
CRACK!
The fractured body of the Giant Tenseigan shook violently. This time, driving out the Kotoamatsukami Dōjutsu power wasn't as effortless as the first, but it still possessed strength to spare!
Moreover, the glare it directed at Danzō Shimura grew increasingly ferocious!
"You insect, DIE!"
Forcibly reclaiming control over its body, its gaze turned lethal. Shrinking its pupil, a beam of purple light roared straight toward Danzō Shimura!
—BOOM!!!
A colossal mushroom cloud rose from the center of the battlefield!
Yet bizarrely, Danzō Shimura—who had been reduced to minced meat in an instant—appeared in front of the Giant Tenseigan once more after a brief flicker.
Only now did the first Tomoe Sharingan on his arm snap shut.
Seeing the first Sharingan go blind, Danzō felt a pang of intense pain, his face darkening completely.
"A mere object dares to defy its master!?"
Opening his right eye wide once more, he glared straight at the Giant Tenseigan!
The third Kotoamatsukami, activate!
Under normal circumstances, it was impossible for Danzō to fire off a Mangekyō Dōjutsu like Kotoamatsukami in succession, let alone three times within a single minute.
However, prior to this, he had activated another Dōjutsu—
Izanagi.
Izanagi restored the caster's state to the exact moment recorded—the moment before Danzō had used Kotoamatsukami.
This meant that as long as Danzō died, he could unleash another full-power Kotoamatsukami attack against the Giant Tenseigan.
Now, with the effects of three Kotoamatsukami stacking, a terrifying volume of Dōjutsu power roared inside the Giant Tenseigan's body, on the verge of triggering a qualitative transformation!
Even the Giant Tenseigan finally noticed something amiss.
'I actually can't kill him! Every time I kill him, he unleashes that Genjutsu again!?'
Enduring the triple Kotoamatsukami, it immediately shifted its strategy. With a flicker of its gaze, it fired a beam that sliced Danzō Shimura directly in half!
This rendered Danzō temporarily incapacitated.
However, Danzō was even more ruthless. Gritting his teeth, he brought his own palm down and broke his own neck!
In the next instant, he revived completely unharmed once again.
The fourth Kotoamatsukami, activate!
When Hyuga Yu flew from the edge of the Forest of Death into the center of the battlefield, this was the exact sight that greeted him.
By this time—
The Giant Tenseigan had suffered twelve consecutive waves of Kotoamatsukami attacks. The spiritual energy constituting its consciousness had been forcefully shattered, leaving it hovering in place stupidly, completely motionless.
Meanwhile—
Danzō's Izanagi had only consumed three Three-Tomoe Sharingan, meaning he still had nine full minutes of invincibility remaining.
Noticing Hyuga Yu swooping down from the sky, a touch of smug self-satisfaction crossed Danzō's face. Giving a cold snort, he was just about to undo the Izanagi hand seal and lecture Yu—
It seemed as though the situation had been resolved, and Konoha had won this battle.
However—
Hyuga Yu's expression darkened slightly. He instantly manipulated Wind Release to wrap around Danzō's hands just as he was about to undo the Forbidden Jutsu!
"Stop! Danzō-sensei, do not release Izanagi!"
Danzō Shimura was cautious by nature. Though he didn't understand why Yu was stopping him, he immediately complied with Yu's warning and asked:
"Hmm? Tennin, what did you discover?"
Hyuga Yu shook his head at him. "This eye... something is wrong with it."
Seeing Danzō come online an entire major patch early with the Izanagi + Kotoamatsukami build, Yu wasn't actually worried about his life...
With Izanagi + Kotoamatsukami—the two ultimate Genjutsu of the ninja world—stacked on a single person, Danzō in this form possessed Super Kage-level mechanics and peak Kage-level strength. If not for having used Kotoamatsukami prior to the Five Kage Summit and having Obito Uchiha standing by, Sasuke Uchiha would never have lasted until Danzō's Sharingan ran out at the eleventh minute.
Sasuke would have been completely brainwashed by multiple uses of Kotoamatsukami within two minutes, slitting his own throat.
And it wasn't just Sasuke; any of the Five Kage facing Danzō's broken mechanics in a one-on-one battle back then would have suffered the exact same fate.
What truly worried Yu were the consequences of Danzō's actions—
At this moment—
A flicker of unease flashed through Yu's heart. He instantly flared his embryonic Tenseigan, scanning the Giant Tenseigan.
There, he saw—
Inside the Giant Tenseigan, the thousand-plus Byakugan wills that had fused to form its consciousness seemed to have scattered completely, yet the innermost core remained unscathed despite the relentless barrage of Kotoamatsukami.
It hadn't lost consciousness at all; it was laying low!
It seemed to have already analyzed the mechanics of Izanagi through [Mind Reading]. It was currently waiting for Danzō Shimura to voluntarily release the Forbidden Jutsu before delivering a fatal, decisive strike!
And that single core will...
Was precisely the embryonic consciousness derived from Hyuga Hizashi's pair of purple Byakugan, sealed inside its two-meter stone core!
Now—
Under the gaze of Yu's embryonic Tenseigan, it instantly realized its concealment had been exposed. At the same time, sensing the malicious intent in Yu's eyes, the purple Byakugan immediately gathered the spiritual energy of the remaining Byakugan, preparing to force the Giant Tenseigan into launching a counterattack!
However—
The spiritual energy shattered multiple times by Kotoamatsukami had stagnated inside the Giant Tenseigan, forming a long-suppressed, physical storm of Yin Release. How could it be re-fused so easily!?
The purple Byakugan's actions were like lighting the fuse of a massive bomb!
In a single instant—
The entire Giant Tenseigan flared brightly!
Yet, right at that moment—
A figure moved even faster than it!
With a flash of teal light, Hyuga Yu landed right in front of the Giant Tenseigan!
Raising his right hand, he spread his five fingers and slammed his palm onto the surface of the Giant Tenseigan!
"Yang Release: Organic Inter-Devouring!"
Just then—
An indifferent, emotionless, monotonous juvenile voice—sounding like a machine reading off text—echoed in Yu's mind:
"—Hahaha, this is the exact moment I've been waiting for!"
"—Hyuga Yu, you've fallen into my trap!"
From the very beginning—
The emotionless logic that had provided tactical support and strategies from the sidelines was the true core consciousness controlling the Giant Tenseigan. The other volatile, furious, emotional consciousness was merely a disguised primary personality it had crafted based on Hyuga Hizashi's persona.
Its true objective was to entice Hyuga Yu into fulfilling a necessary step in its survival logic—
Using the Tenseigan ability: [Yang Release: Organic Inter-Devouring].
This was a technique that used Tenseigan chakra to link chakra reserves together, allowing entities to fuse with and devour one another.
After estimating the combat power of everyone in Konoha, the Giant Tenseigan had immediately calculated that Hyuga Yu was an existence it could not match in direct combat!
Whether it was the hidden Giant Tenseigan authority Yu possessed to ambush someone, or that unanalyzable, unknown energy he wielded, entering a direct battle with Hyuga Yu presented variables far beyond its calculation capabilities.
Yet the Giant Tenseigan faced the dilemma of 'death upon birth'. Without acquiring enough Byakugan, its life would end like a Mayfly after a grand firework display.
However, there was one single area where it held an absolute advantage over Hyuga Yu—
And that was—
The scale of its Tenseigan chakra.
Higher-grade Tenseigan chakra would devour lower-grade Tenseigan chakra.
As long as an opportunity was created to link their chakra together, the Giant Tenseigan could suppress Hyuga Yu through sheer scale, cutting off his resonance with the Giant Tenseigan on the moon!
In the process, it could assemble the wills of a thousand Byakugan to invade Hyuga Yu's brain, seize control of his body, swallow him whole, and acquire his ability to endlessly create Byakugan!
At this moment—
Hyuga Yu raised an eyebrow slightly. His brain, operating at a calculation speed not at all inferior to the Giant Tenseigan's, rapidly synthesized all the intel. Finally, he looked at the burning sphere before him with a hint of surprise:
"How did you deduce that I would definitely use Yang Release?"
"—Through reverse-deduction of Konoha's situation, I calculated that you had already foreseen the possibility of my birth. You instructed Konoha's upper echelon to make preparations specifically to contain the damage I caused within a controlled range."
"—In short: you were afraid I would self-destruct!"
"—Therefore, I intentionally exposed a flaw to entice the strongest person in Konoha to come forward. According to my calculations, only he possessed the ability to trigger my explosion ahead of time."
"—Everything has unfolded according to my calculations."
A glint of recognition flashed in Yu's eyes as he looked at the sphere.
"Not bad. Strictly in terms of strength, Danzō is indeed the strongest person in Konoha right now besides me. Furthermore, the timing you chose was immaculate—you even tricked me."
"However, now that our chakra is linked, you must surely realize..."
Yu smiled as he looked at this entity that had resorted to any means necessary just to survive:
"I don't actually have the power to save you."
"Yang Release has its limits. With my current physical strength and vitality, I can create at most 3,000 pairs of Byakugan. That is nowhere near enough to satisfy the number of Byakugan required for you to evolve into a complete form."
"Your calculations made an error as well!"
However, the Tenseigan's emotionless, juvenile voice admitted candidly:
"—My model only supported calculations up to this step. It is like the common saying: 'clutching at the very last straw'."
"—If you possessed such capability, I would devour you."
"—If you do not possess such capability, then I will clutch onto you, my last straw, and drag you down to the bottom of the river with me."
"—Now, you and I are bound together. If you cannot think of a way to save me, then... you will perish alongside me, carrying your dreams to the grave."
"You're certainly quite frank..." Yu let out a soft smile, then spoke calmly:
"However,"
"You made another miscalculation—"
As the Giant Tenseigan began to erupt with massive purple flames, looking as though it were on the verge of exploding, the flames threatened to spread along Yu's resting palm straight onto his body—
Forcing him into Tenseigan Chakra Mode and burning him to ash alongside it.
Yet, right at that moment—
Hyuga Yu lightly lifted his palm. Under the sudden, violent constriction of the Tenseigan's pupil, he utilized his [Transformation] ability to effortlessly pull his Yang Release-covered hand away from the burning surface of the Tenseigan. Mischievously, he even patted it twice, like patting a puppy on the head.
Then, Yu raised his head, speaking calmly to the entity before him:
"The only one dying today is you."
"Next, I will use Wind Release: Super Shinra Tensei to hurl you beyond the atmosphere."
"It's going to be a glorious firework display."
The Giant Tenseigan froze for a brief instant. Then, the mechanical, juvenile tone echoing in Yu's mind suddenly accelerated by fifteen times, its pitch blurring into a single unbroken line:
"—This is impossible. The scale of my Tenseigan chakra far exceeds yours! I hold absolute dominance! Until I give up devouring you, it is impossible for you to break free!"
Following that, as if frantically calculating this possibility, a stream of meaningless, chaotic garbled code erupted in Yu's mind:
"¥ #@%.........%@@"
Yu simply watched it in silence.
It wasn't until the flames burning from the Giant Tenseigan's surface consumed nearly ninety percent of its body that Yu spoke indifferently:
"I despise looking up at others—even if they aren't human."
A terrifying blade-like wave of repulsive force instantly exploded downward from the Giant Tenseigan's surface!
The ground directly beneath it collapsed like it had been carved away by a blade, forming a twenty-cubic-meter pit. The Giant Tenseigan sank right into it, leaving only a single inch of its pristine white eyeball resting beside Yu's hand.
It looked as though it were completely prostrating itself before Yu like a loyal subject—or like a puppy rolling over to expose its undefended belly.
The Giant Tenseigan's hurried voice immediately rang out in Yu's mind:
"—Matched to a perfect 45-degree golden downward viewing angle for you."
"—Do you... possess a way to save me?"
Yu smiled slightly. "Is that how you beg someone for help?"
The Tenseigan's juvenile, cold voice instantly transformed into a flattering tone, sounding like the most treacherous, sycophantic courtier in the world:
"—Master, please... save me!"
Only now, in the final moments of the Giant Tenseigan's self-destruction countdown, did Hyuga Yu reply in a rapid, chilling voice:
"Destroy your core consciousness now!"
"!?"
The Giant Tenseigan couldn't comprehend it.
If it destroyed its own self, what meaning would its existence hold? It would be far better to turn into a massive bomb and annihilate everything within its line of sight!
Until—
It saw...
Hyuga Yu raise his palm, slice out his own eyes, and hold his pair of gem-like, embryonic Tenseigan—glowing with a pale blue-white radiance—open right before its face!
————
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