BOOM!
The downpour intensified, thunder cracking across the sky.
Including Toroi, everyone watched the figure emerging from the diverted flames, a bead of cold sweat gradually forming on their brows.
'What kind of jutsu was that?
Some unknown Kekkei Genkai?'
Meanwhile, in the distance, Hyūga Kumokawa raised his hand. Blue chakra surged forth, enveloping his body like a robe fluttering in the wind.
His body was lifted by a gentle force, slowly ascending into the air.
Following that, two black chakra orbs gradually coalesced, floating and circling around his wrist.
The "orbs" condensed by the Tenseigan were not Truth-Seeking Balls that could only be used after merging with the Ten-Tails; their function was more akin to the Rinnegan's "black rods."
But just as Kumokawa attempted to condense a third chakra orb—
Suddenly, the already extremely faint connection was severed.
He lost his perception of the Tenseigan on the moon and could no longer draw upon its ocular power.
'So quick to react?'
Kumokawa's blue eyes remained unrippled by emotion. 'It seems the Ōtsutsuki clan on the moon hasn't been completely wiped out yet.'
The current Ōtsutsuki Toneri should be only three or four years old, like Naruto. If he were alone, it would have been impossible to sever the connection so swiftly.
Therefore, the opportunity to borrow that Tenseigan's power was, for now, a one-time event.
Realizing this, Kumokawa suppressed the greed and palpitations in his heart. He lifted his gaze towards the dozens of unfamiliar presences in the distance.
'Finally here, he thought. The ocular power I have now should be enough to serve as the grand finale for this performance.'
Hum! Hum-Hum!
Giant shuriken sliced through the rain and wind, emitting a sharp hum as eight of them spun towards Kumokawa in a strangling formation.
"Magnet Release: Twin Hornet Blades!"
Several brilliant sparks erupted and splashed before him in the dim, gloomy rainy night. Dozens of strangling strikes occurred within mere seconds.
A cornered beast fights desperately.
Toroi had truly gone mad, disregarding chakra consumption entirely, attacking with all his might in an attempt to shred his target.
He even actively strode towards Hyūga Kumokawa, his mangled face twisted into an utterly grotesque mask.
And "Shinra Tensei" was not irresistible; the user also bore part of the recoil. Just as when Pain's Deva Path fought Six-Tails Naruto, encountering something that couldn't be repelled would cause the user to be flung back. Kumokawa now felt a heavy recoil pressing upon him.
"Magnet Release ninja… Toroi, is it?"
Hyūga Kumokawa abruptly thrust his hands forward. Several dull thuds echoed as the encircling, strangling shuriken were flung away by the repulsive force.
Thud! Thud!
Just as Toroi tried to manipulate the shuriken for another attack, Hyūga Kumokawa's figure abruptly vanished from the air.
His target disappeared from his field of vision.
"Above you!"
Akimichi Chōza's roar came from behind. Toroi instinctively looked up, his pupils contracting.
But before he could turn and react, immense force suddenly crushed down upon him from the front.
Boom!
It felt as if an iron wall had slammed down on him. Toroi was crushed to his knees, his kneecaps emitting an unsettling crack.
"This insignia on your head…"
Rainwater dripped from the hood. Hyūga Kumokawa looked down at Toroi's headband, his brilliant eyes more dazzling than the moon in the night sky.
"Tell me," his voice was hoarse and low. "Does Ninshū… still exist?"
Kneeling on the ground in a disheveled state, Toroi felt the condescending gaze upon him, experiencing only humiliation, anger, and fear.
"Still won't speak?"
Kumokawa's tone remained indifferent, his voice steady and flat as a mirror.
Crack! Crack!
"AHHH!!"
Amidst a series of sickening bone-cracking sounds, Toroi collapsed onto all fours with a miserable cry, hurriedly shouting, "No! It's gone! Ninshū is just a legend!!"
"A legend?" Kumokawa murmured as if to himself. "Shinobi still exist, but the Ninshū founded by Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo has vanished?"
'Wait… Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo? Ninshū? What does he mean?'
Toroi's pupils trembled violently. An unimaginable guess surfaced in his mind. He struggled to lift his head and look at the figure above him.
Amidst the violent storm, that figure stood as hard and unyielding as jagged black cliffs. Any monstrous wave crashing against it would be shattered to pieces.
His own pride as a Kekkei Genkai ninja felt as laughable as a fish slapping against a reef in the face of this monster. Baring fangs and claws only yielded despair.
As if noticing something, Hyūga Kumokawa looked into the distance.
While he had been dealing with Toroi, the Konoha ninjas had unanimously fled.
A rational choice.
Floating mid-air, Kumokawa did not pursue. Instead, he turned his gaze towards the rustling forest on the other side.
Through the chaotic night came the sound of dense footsteps. Dozens of heavily muscled, burly figures burst forth.
"That's…"
"Lord Toroi!"
The Kumo ninjas stationed at the border between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Lightning had arrived, never expecting to witness such a terrifying and bizarre scene.
However, they reacted swiftly. Flares shot into the air, their blinding light illuminating the entire dark, rainy night, casting the shadows of the Kumo ninjas in multiple streaks upon the ground.
Within moments, the area was encircled, leaving no angle for escape. It seemed nothing could get away now.
The Kumo ninjas' combat discipline was high. They completed the blockade in a very short time, sealing off Hyūga Kumokawa's every possible move from all directions, quietly awaiting orders from their commanding officer.
"Run!!"
Toroi's agonized, desperate roar reached their ears, momentarily stunning the bewildered Kumo ninjas.
'There's only one opponent. Who exactly needs to run?'
"This guy is a monster! A monster sealed away here! His ability is—"
Before Toroi could finish relaying the intelligence, Hyūga Kumokawa's eyelids lowered slightly.
Boom!
Toroi's limb bones twisted as he was slammed into the ground. Blood vessels bulged in his eyes as if about to burst. His face, pressed against the earth, contorted into a wrinkled mess, his entire body enduring unimaginable pain.
Seeing this, the Kumo ninjas' expressions shifted. A few impulsive ones charged forward.
"Release Lord Toroi!"
Hyūga Kumokawa sighed. "So noisy."
POW!!
It was like bursting a human-shaped bag of red blood. The stored liquid and solid matter exploded with a wet puff! Scarlet lost all form, spreading across the ground!
"You damned bastard!" Seeing this, the Kumo ninjas angrily shouted the order. "Attack! Kill him!"
Hyūga Kumokawa finally lifted his head, looking at the charging Kumo ninjas.
He gently raised his arm. The two chakra orbs circled before him, gradually accelerating.
Thus, a silver ring appeared before him—a perfect ring without any defect.
Facing the incoming ninjutsu of the Kumo ninjas, Hyūga Kumokawa softly uttered a few words:
"Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion."
As the indifferent decree was issued, a terrifying hurricane surged forth.
BOOM!!
An ear-splitting roar swept across the curtain of rain. The terrifying shockwave caused the ground beneath their feet to crack and collapse. His hood fluttered back, revealing those profound blue pupils.
On a tree several kilometers away, a figure of alternating black and white emerged halfway from the trunk.
"No… no! Impossible! Who is that?!"
The knowledgeable Black Zetsu stared at the distant, floating figure, his hoarse voice filled with horror. A chill surged from the depths of his soul.
'Who is that thing? That kind of power… how can it appear in the ninja world?!'
"Stop staring! Run!" White Zetsu was even more terrified. He immediately pulled their shared body underground, fleeing far away without hesitation.
Meanwhile, in another direction, among the utterly disheveled Konoha ninjas fleeing for their lives, the "Hyūga Kumokawa" at the rear of the group suddenly stopped. He looked towards a patch of unnoticed shadow beside him.
"Heh heh, so you're Hyūga Kumokawa. I've heard so much about you."
A figure swathed entirely in bandages stepped out from the shadows, his greedy gaze fixed on Kumokawa's Byakugan. "I originally came tracking that Magnet Release ninja. But… the Byakugan seems pretty good too."
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