A monster?
Indeed. The entity that Akimichi Chōza and the others gazed upon with such fear was, in truth, none other than Hyūga Kumokawa himself.
Watching the distant figures whose throats bobbed with swallowed fear, he knew the final effect of the Wind Release technique—a technique that had consumed most of the chakra he had painstakingly gathered over hours—had not disappointed him.
If Uchiha Madara could wield the terror of the B-rank Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation, then Hyūga Kumokawa, blessed with the Ōtsutsuki bloodline, could certainly achieve a similar feat.
The entrance was perfect, instantly cowing everyone present.
But this alone was far from enough.
He had to carve this fear into their very bones, to make his debut before the world an utterly unforgettable one.
"Humans... are you descendants of Ninshū?"
The ancient, raspy voice once again reached their ears. Aburame Ryōma, who had narrowly escaped death from that earlier strike, snapped out of his stunned terror and instinctively looked towards the black figure standing in the curtain of rain.
"..."
No one responded. Or perhaps, they were still frozen in shock.
'Ninshū? What Ninshū?'
"No answer?"
Kumokawa's voice was soft.
He slowly closed his eyes, opening his mind completely, reaching out to sense the power far above in the night sky.
If Ōtsutsuki Toneri could manage it without eyes, then he, possessing both the Byakugan and the Ōtsutsuki bloodline, had no reason to fail.
Kumokawa's spiritual force extended like thin threads, stretching towards the moon shrouded by dark clouds.
Just as his mental energy was about to reach its limit, he finally felt it—that strangely familiar power.
Even with the faintest connection, he could still sense its immense, terrifying strength.
It was the Energy Vessel, formed from the accumulated Byakugan of all Ōtsutsuki descendants, a qualitative leap born from sheer quantity.
Now, separated by hundreds of thousands of kilometers, relying solely on his bloodline, Hyūga Kumokawa pried open a sliver of "authority."
Something called "ocular power" began to flow into his body. The world before his eyes grew sharper, and the latent power within his Byakugan stirred.
HUM!!
In an instant, an exceptionally terrifying aura erupted from Hyūga Kumokawa.
Every person who looked at him felt an overwhelming tide of terror surge through them—a fear that seemed to originate from their very marrow.
It was as if a blade had been placed against their necks without their knowing, as if an apex predator was licking their skin. In that moment, everyone instinctively wanted to take a step back.
However, when Hyūga Kumokawa slowly opened his eyes, lifting the thin eyelids, those dazzlingly clear blue irises ignited in the darkness, as if gazing upon this world once more after countless centuries.
His gaze felt like a thousand blades piercing their bodies, pinning everyone in place with a single look!
'Such formidable power...'
Kumokawa lowered his gaze, looking at his own palm as he slowly clenched it, the bones emitting a soft crack.
Crack.
'Just a sliver, and it was already this powerful?'
"Not enough." His tongue lightly traced his lips as he whispered, "Not enough!"
At the same time, while Kumokawa averted his eyes and familiarized himself with this power—
"Hah! Hah!"
The people who had been frozen stiff, as if released from a binding, suddenly gasped, struggling to regulate their chaotic breathing.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Aburame Ryōma finally snapped out of that paralyzing fear. Sweat mingled with rainwater, tracing a path down his convulsing throat.
His pupils trembled as he stared at the distant figure. From beneath the terror surged a wave of unwillingness and hatred, twisting his blood-streaked face into a grotesque mask.
'Can't die. Can't die here!
Have to return alive. Have to tell Lord Danzō what happened here!
That terrifying chakra and presence... it couldn't possibly belong to some unknown entity!
They had likely truly unleashed a monster—one that had been sealed away long ago, now set free. A monster who had lived for who knows how many years!'
If such a monster regained its full strength, they stood no chance of survival. They had to act.
"Akimichi Chōza! Toroi!"
Like a cornered beast fighting for its life, the fear of death itself burned away his hesitation. Ryōma didn't hesitate anymore, his voice a ragged roar. "If you don't want to die here, while it hasn't fully recovered its strength... Attack!!"
His words jolted Chōza and Toroi back to reality. They instantly realized that if they didn't act now, it would truly be too late.
That terrifying presence was growing stronger by the moment. Soon, a mere glance from that monster might rob them of the will to fight.
Thus, the two opposing sides ceased all hesitation.
They were shinobi. Men who hung their lives by a thread, who licked the rust from their blades. They would not go down without a fight, even if their enemy was an undeniable monster!
Judging by that terrifying Wind Release technique, escape was impossible.
But if they could just hold out until reinforcements from either Kumo or Konoha arrived, there was still hope to kill this monster!
To fight a monster, one must become a little mad themselves. As long as they were madder than the monster, what did it matter if it was a monster? Go mad enough to bite the monster itself, and anyone could tear off a few bloody strips of flesh!
Whoosh!
The air seemed to boil with scorching intensity. Hyūga Kumokawa lifted his lowered gaze. Flames suddenly flickered within his blue eyes.
It was… an incoming tide of flame, an ocean of ignited fire!
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Projectile!"
"Fire Release: Great Flame Technique!"
"Wind Release: Violent Wind Palm!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
In the distance, the Konoha ninjas puffed their cheeks and formed seals, spewing scorching flames and surging gales from their mouths.
The wind fanned the fire, transforming it into a sea of flames.
It surged towards Hyūga Kumokawa, as if intent on reducing him to ashes!
BOOM!!
The oppressive heat wave, tangible enough to distort the air, rushed towards them like invisible hands of fire clutching at their throats, making Toroi and the Konoha ninjas instinctively hold their breath.
Their pupils trembled as they stared fixedly into the distance, searing the scene into their minds.
They saw the crimson waves of fire, like a vast, torrential flood. The light radiating from the tide-like flames carved out separate spaces between the two sides.
Everything was distorted by the scorching, terrifying inferno, consumed within the crimson tornado of fire. It was like stumbling into a scarlet dream; everything before their eyes turned illusory and surreal.
Vast amounts of rainwater were instantly vaporized into thick steam, blanketing the entire area in dense white fog in an instant.
"Did it work? Is it dead?!"
Toroi stared unblinkingly into the distance. The charred skin on his face had peeled away, revealing the scarlet blood vessels beneath, making him look even more like a monster himself.
But as the mist gradually thinned, his eyes flew wide open, a chill gripping his heart.
Within that sea of crimson flames, a figure distorted by the heat gradually became clear.
The violent, surging flames, upon reaching that figure, actually veered aside obediently.
Hyūga Kumokawa raised a hand before him. An invisible repulsive force diverted the flames to flow past his sides. Even the rain could only slide away on either flank. Only the firelight licked at his face, reflecting in those profound blue eyes, making him appear both divine and demonic.
Repulsion—an ability shared by the Rinnegan and the Tenseigan.
"Ants."
Ash swirled around him as he gazed at the distant figures, his voice soft. "Your power is as feeble as your lives."
Humm!
Blue chakra surged forth, enveloping his body like a flowing robe.
His feet slowly left the ground. Under the fearful, upturned gazes of the onlookers, his entire body began to float into the air.
At the same time, hundreds of meters away, among several dozen figures advancing through the shadows, the leader suddenly halted.
He looked up at the distant, levitating form. His rain-soaked white bangs covered his left eye, but his visible right eye narrowed slightly.
"What… is that thing?"
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