Chapter 357: The Clash Between the Rinnegan and Tenseigan

Chapter 357: Chapter 357: The Clash Between the Rinnegan and Tenseigan

Looking at the trees before him, their gnarled roots intertwined and their branches twisting around one another, the Third Hokage’s face was filled with shock and melancholy.

It was no exaggeration to say that Konoha had been built upon the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai.

The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had relied on his unparalleled Wood Release Kekkei Genkai to bring an end to the chaotic era and establish Konoha, which now stood at the head of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

In the decades since Konoha’s founding, the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai had become completely intertwined with the village itself, becoming one of Konoha’s very symbols.

After the First Hokage passed away, no one in the village, from the highest ranks to the lowest, could accept the reality that the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai had been lost.

And so, Konoha’s leadership began a long-running series of experiments involving the transplantation of the First Hokage’s cells, hoping to recreate the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai.

However, the results of those experiments were bitterly disappointing.

Despite the countless personnel and resources Konoha poured into the First Hokage cell transplantation experiments, all they gained were mutilated corpses whose bodies had been devoured by the First Hokage’s cells.

Faced with failure after failure, along with the deaths of large numbers of volunteers, Konoha’s leadership was eventually forced to compromise and accept the cruel reality that the village had lost the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai.

Yet the temptation of Wood Release’s overwhelming power was simply too great.

Behind the village’s back, Danzo and Orochimaru secretly continued the First Hokage cell transplantation experiments.

And through sheer luck, they eventually produced a child who successfully fused with the First Hokage’s cells and gained the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai.

But the Third Hokage knew nothing about this.

In the Third Hokage’s mind, the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai had become just like the countless legends recorded in ancient texts—a relic of history, a legend people might occasionally bring up in idle conversation.

One could imagine, then, just how shocked he was when he saw that the mysterious man before him, dressed in the Akatsuki’s black cloak with red clouds and wearing a single-eyed spiral mask, was capable of using Wood Release.

The Third Hokage’s gaze grew solemn. "Who exactly are you? Why can you use Wood Release?"

Standing atop the massive tree, Obito withdrew his gaze from Amegakure in the distance and looked down at the aged Third Hokage.

"Defeat me, and you’ll find out who I am."

The Third Hokage furrowed his brow. "Damn it!"

Although his understanding of space-time ninjutsu was inferior to the Fourth Hokage’s, after their previous exchanges, the Third Hokage had already more or less figured out the mechanics behind Obito’s Kamui.

And precisely because he understood this, the Third Hokage knew that as long as Obito himself had no intention of attacking, no one could land a hit on him.

Moreover, Obito could use Wood Release.

He had no need to engage anyone at close range. Even from a great distance, he could reap life after life with Wood Release.

The ANBU corpses scattered across the ground were the best proof of that.

Drip... drip...

At that moment, the rain falling from the sky gradually intensified, and a thin mist even began to rise amid the curtain of rain.

The downpour washed away the blood staining the ground, quickly forming shallow pools of pale-red water.

Suddenly, half a body emerged from the massive tree Obito had created with Wood Release.

It was a bizarre figure with two Venus flytrap-like leaves protruding from his shoulders, his body divided into one black half and one white half.

He was none other than Zetsu of the Akatsuki.

Obito asked in a grave voice, "What happened in the village?"

Zetsu replied, "The leader of Kamigami launched a surprise attack on the village!"

"The leader of Kamigami!?"

Obito’s expression immediately darkened.

He had already gained a fairly thorough understanding of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. So although he had no desire to openly clash with them ahead of schedule, deep down, he did not fear them.

But the mysterious and immensely powerful Kamigami was different.

Kamigami was an organization even he regarded with considerable wariness.

Still shaken, Zetsu said, "Yeah. That guy is absurdly strong!"

Obito wasn’t particularly surprised by that.

There were only a handful of people in the entire shinobi world powerful enough to force Pain into summoning the Gedo Statue inside his own village.

Listening to the conversation between Obito and Zetsu, the Third Hokage also turned his gaze toward Amegakure in the distance and thought, "Kamigami has appeared as well? Then the ones fighting inside Amegakure are the leader of the Akatsuki and the leader of Kamigami?"

......

On the outskirts of Amegakure, atop a highland on the opposite side.

Two figures clad in raincoats stood silently beneath the curtain of rain.

Had anyone approached for a closer look, they would have discovered that these two were none other than Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, and his right-hand man, Kabuto Yakushi.

Listening to the faint, intermittent roars of the Gedo Statue coming from afar and watching the dazzling golden light flickering above Amegakure, Orochimaru extended his tongue and licked his lips.

In his hoarse voice, he said, "I never expected the old man to still have this much nerve. To think he actually dared to launch a surprise attack on the Akatsuki!"

Kabuto smiled as well. "This surprise attack on the Akatsuki planned by Lord Hokage has certainly done us quite a favor."

The Akatsuki had never given up on hunting Orochimaru.

However, Orochimaru understood better than anyone the principle that a cunning rabbit always kept several burrows, and as a result, the Akatsuki’s attempts to hunt him down had come up empty several times.

Still, repeatedly evading the Akatsuki’s pursuit was no small burden even for Orochimaru.

So when he received secret intelligence that Konoha was about to launch a surprise attack on the Akatsuki, he had also made his way to Amegakure, intending to learn the outcome of the battle firsthand.

Sensing the violent chakra surging within Amegakure—a chakra that had even surpassed the level of a Tailed Beast—as well as the numerous powerful chakra signatures scattered around the village’s outer perimeter, Orochimaru’s expression gradually turned solemn.

"I never imagined the Akatsuki was hiding so many secrets. Even with Konoha, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure attacking together, they’ve still been dragged into a bitter battle."

Curious, Kabuto asked, "Lord Orochimaru, do you know who’s fighting inside Amegakure right now?"

A trace of wariness flashed through Orochimaru’s snake-like vertical pupils as he replied in a low voice, "One of them should be the leader of the Akatsuki—the Rinnegan wielder, Pain. As for the other one..."

Kabuto quickly pressed, "Who is the other one?"

After thinking for a moment, Orochimaru shook his head.

"I can’t guess who it could be either..."

......

Inside Amegakure.

Hyuga Kagami, enveloped in Tenseigan Chakra Mode, currently wore an utterly disgruntled expression.

He truly hadn’t expected Nagato’s chakra to be completely connected to the Gedo Statue.

Because of that, the Four Symbols Seal he had used during his earlier surprise attack could sever Nagato’s control over the Six Paths of Pain through the black receivers, but it could not sever the connection between Nagato and the Gedo Statue.

Thus, when Hyuga Kagami condensed four Truth-Seeking Balls in less than ten seconds and activated the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, intending to finish Nagato off once and for all, Nagato—despite still being restrained by the Four Symbols Seal—sent the Gedo Statue crashing straight into his face.

Others might not know the true nature of the Gedo Statue, but Hyuga Kagami knew it perfectly well.

The Gedo Statue was the husk of the Ten-Tails. It could also be considered another form of the Divine Tree.

Its exterior was incomparably tough, rendering it practically immune to ordinary ninjutsu. Although Hyuga Kagami’s Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, powered by Truth-Seeking Balls, could just barely breach its defenses and cut into the Gedo Statue, the sensation was like trying to slice through thick, ancient oxhide with a sharp blade.

The deeper the golden sword cut, the greater the resistance became, until eventually it could go no farther.

And the moment Kagami withdrew the golden sword, the Gedo Statue’s body would rapidly regenerate at a speed visible to the naked eye. Even a gash more than ten meters long could completely heal within the span of just a few breaths.

Knowing the true nature of the Gedo Statue, Hyuga Kagami wasn’t particularly surprised by this.

If Truth-Seeking Balls were capable of completely destroying the Gedo Statue, the Sage of Six Paths would never have needed to go through all the trouble of sealing it within the moon, nor would his younger brother, Hamura Otsutsuki, have needed to personally remain on the moon to guard it.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

At that moment, the Gedo Statue swung both of its enormous arms once again, attacking Hyuga Kagami.

Everything in their path was reduced to devastation. Entire stretches of buildings were swept aside by the Gedo Statue’s arms, collapsing amid a succession of thunderous explosions.

"Tch!"

Staring at the Gedo Statue’s two colossal arms hurtling straight toward him, along with the shockwave carrying countless chunks of stone, twisted pieces of metal, and clouds of dust, Hyuga Kagami clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Beneath the mask, through the extraordinary perception of those brilliant Tenseigan, Hyuga Kagami determined in a mere instant that there was no way to evade such a massive, all-encompassing attack with no blind spots.

So instead of dispelling the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion in his hand, he used the fifth Truth-Seeking Ball he had only just condensed to unleash the Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.

Whoosh!

In an instant, a hurricane erupted from Hyuga Kagami’s hand, surging toward the Gedo Statue’s massive arms and the enormous shockwave following close behind!

BOOM!

The two colossal storms collided, instantly producing a piercing howl of wind!

The violent gale created by the two storms crushing against one another was terrifyingly powerful. Even while enveloped in Tenseigan Chakra Mode, Hyuga Kagami was effortlessly blown away, streaking through the air like a meteor before smashing violently into the ground.

The enormous Gedo Statue fared even worse, being directly overturned and sent crashing to the ground in a sorry state.

Using the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion to slice apart the rubble and debris that had subsequently fallen on top of him, Hyuga Kagami climbed out of the ruins.

Protected by the Tenseigan chakra enveloping his entire body, he hadn’t suffered any real injuries.

However, his chakra consumption had become considerable, and he was beginning to feel the strain.

"I can’t keep burning through chakra like this!"

With that thought, Hyuga Kagami pushed his Tenseigan to their limit, searching through the curtain of rain and clouds of dust for Nagato’s real body.

At that moment, accompanied by a faint tremor running through the ground, the colossal Gedo Statue climbed back to its feet.

And Hyuga Kagami immediately noticed that the wooden cart carrying Nagato was directly beneath the Gedo Statue.

Hyuga Kagami’s gaze sharpened.

In the next instant, he transformed into a streak of blue light and shot straight toward Nagato!

During their battle, Hyuga Kagami had noticed that all of Amegakure’s civilians had gathered inside an underground shelter in the southwestern corner of the village.

Although he had done his best to prevent the battlefield from spreading toward that area, in a battle at this level, the extent of the destruction was simply not something he could control.

If this fight continued, sooner or later, the entire village would be caught in the devastation.

Therefore, he had to end this battle as quickly as possible!

Clap!

Staring at Hyuga Kagami as he came hurtling toward him, Nagato slammed his palms together and roared with a twisted expression, "Shinra Tensei!"

In an instant, an incomparably violent repulsive force erupted outward in every direction with Nagato’s wooden cart at its center, sweeping away every piece of rubble and shattered stone around him!

Hyuga Kagami, still flying through the air, felt as though he had been struck head-on by a massive hammer. With nothing to brace himself against, he was immediately blasted backward and slammed into the remains of a broken wall.

Leaning against the shattered wall, Hyuga Kagami’s expression turned fierce as he thrust a hand toward Nagato.

"Wheel of Will!"

"If I can’t get to you, then I’ll just drag you over here!"

Under the tremendous attractive force of the Wheel of Will, Nagato and the wooden cart beneath him were both lifted into the air and dragged toward Hyuga Kagami.

"Bansho Ten’in!?"

Nagato was utterly shocked.

Until now, it had always been him who tormented his enemies with Shinra Tensei and Banhso Ten’in.

This was the first time he had ever been attacked by a similar ability!

"AAAH!"

Startled by the unexpected reversal, Nagato let out a furious roar.

Following Nagato’s roar, the Gedo Statue immediately grabbed Nagato as he flew toward Hyuga Kagami with one hand, while clenching its other hand into a fist and smashing it toward Kagami, who was lying against the broken wall.

This was exactly the moment Hyuga Kagami had been waiting for!

He abruptly rolled aside, narrowly avoiding the Gedo Statue’s strike. Using the cloud of dust kicked up by the blow as cover, he activated the Body Flicker Technique and charged straight toward Nagato, who was still clutched in the Gedo Statue’s hand.

As the distance between them rapidly closed, Hyuga Kagami no longer cared whether he might damage the Rinnegan in Nagato’s eye sockets.

He swung the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion in his hand with all his strength, ruthlessly thrusting the golden blade straight toward Nagato!

But at that very moment, Hyuga Kagami suddenly noticed something.

The corners of Nagato’s mouth had actually begun to curl upward, the hint of a smile about to spread across his face.

In an instant, an overwhelming sense of danger descended upon Hyuga Kagami.

But having already committed himself fully to the attack, he could no longer stop his momentum. All he could do was heighten his vigilance and prepare to manipulate his fifth Truth-Seeking Ball for an emergency defense at any moment.

At the exact moment that sense of danger arose in Hyuga Kagami’s heart, the Gedo Statue opened its enormous mouth.

A dragon-shaped phantom shot out from within, spiraling through the air as it rushed directly toward Hyuga Kagami.

Both sides were moving at tremendous speed.

In the blink of an eye, they collided!

Hyuga Kagami didn’t even have time to manipulate his Truth-Seeking Ball into a defense before the dragon-shaped phantom passed straight through his body.

And that wasn’t all.

As the dragon-shaped phantom pierced through him, it latched onto his spirit and attempted to rip his very soul out of his body!

Hyuga Kagami’s body suddenly froze, a vacant expression appearing on his face.

But almost immediately, that blankness disappeared.

His consciousness returned.

Although his expression had become grave, there wasn’t the slightest trace of panic on his face.

Unlike ordinary shinobi, Hyuga Kagami, who possessed the Tenseigan, was no less familiar with matters concerning the soul than Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan.

Thus, after suffering a direct attack on his soul, he was only stunned for a brief moment before recovering. He immediately poured Tenseigan chakra into his spirit with all his might and began wrestling against the dragon-shaped phantom for control of his own soul.

The smile that had yet to fully spread across Nagato’s face instantly froze.

Never in his wildest imagination had he expected anyone to actually withstand the Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals he had unleashed through the Gedo Statue.

He unconsciously muttered, "Th-This... How is this possible!?"

After his brief shock, Nagato’s expression twisted savagely as he roared, "Die!"

In an instant, Nagato frantically poured his Rinnegan chakra into the Gedo Statue, driving the dragon-shaped phantom to tear at Hyuga Kagami’s spirit with all its strength.

Hyuga Kagami threw caution to the wind as well.

He slapped the gourd-shaped artifact at his waist and released the seal placed upon it.

If this were purely a contest of their own chakra reserves, he truly was no match for Nagato of the Uzumaki Clan.

But Hyuga Kagami still had the Dragon Vein...