Boom!
Rain poured down in torrents as thunder exploded across the sky.
Including Toroi, everyone stared at the flames in the distance that had been split apart, and at the figure walking out of the fire. Cold sweat gradually formed on their foreheads.
'What kind of ninjutsu was that?'
'Some unknown kekkei genkai?'
At the same time, in the distance, Hyuga Arata raised his hand. Blue chakra surged out, wrapping around his body like a robe fluttering in the wind.
His body was lifted by a gentle force, and he slowly floated into the air.
Soon after, two black chakra beads gradually condensed, floating around Arata's wrist.
The "beads" condensed by the Tenseigan were not Truth-Seeking Orbs that could only be used after merging all the elemental natures and releases. Their function was actually closer to the black rods of the Rinnegan.
However, when Arata attempted to condense a third chakra bead, the already extremely faint connection was suddenly cut off.
He lost his perception of the Tenseigan on the Moon and could no longer draw its ocular power.
"Such a quick response?"
No ripples appeared in Arata's blue eyes.
'It seems the Ōtsutsuki clan on the Moon hasn't completely died out.'
The current Ōtsutsuki Toneri should only be three or four years old, just like Naruto. If Toneri were alone, it would be impossible for him to sever the connection to the Tenseigan so quickly.
So this chance to borrow the power of that Tenseigan only existed once.
Realizing this, Arata suppressed the greed and excitement in his heart and lifted his gaze toward the dozens of unfamiliar presences in the distance.
'They've finally arrived.'
'With this much pupil power… it should be enough to give this performance a grand finale.'
Bzz! Bzz!
A sharp humming sound cut through the rain as gigantic shuriken spun violently toward Arata.
"Magnet Release: Twin Blades!"
Dazzling sparks exploded in front of him, bursting and scattering through the dark, gloomy rainstorm. In just a few seconds, dozens of lethal clashes occurred.
A cornered beast still fights.
Toroi had truly gone mad.
Ignoring the massive consumption of chakra, he attacked with everything he had, trying desperately to shred Arata.
He even stepped toward Arata himself, his blood-covered face twisted with ferocity.
And Shinra Tensei was not unstoppable.
The user also had to endure part of the recoil.
Just like when Deva Path Pain fought the enraged Six-Tails Naruto, when something could not be repelled, the technique would push the user away instead.
Arata could now feel a heavy counterforce pressing against him.
"So… a Magnet Release ninja. Toroi, right?"
Arata suddenly thrust his hand forward.
Several dull sounds rang out as the surrounding shuriken were blasted away by repulsive force.
Bang! Bang!
When Toroi attempted to control the shuriken again, Arata's figure suddenly disappeared from the air.
The target vanished from his sight.
"Above you!"
Todo's roar came from behind. Toroi's pupils shrank instinctively as he looked up.
But before he could react, an overwhelming force pressed down.
Boom!
It felt as if an iron wall had crushed him.
Toroi was forced to his knees, his body slammed to the ground, his kneecaps cracking with a horrifying sound.
"That symbol on your forehead…"
Rain slid down Arata's hood as he looked down at Toroi's forehead protector.
His brilliant eyes were brighter than the moon in the night sky.
"Tell me," he said hoarsely, his voice low.
"Does Ninshū still exist?"
Kneeling on the ground in humiliation, Toroi felt the lofty gaze above him.
Humiliation. Anger. Fear.
"All right. Still not talking?"
Arata's tone remained indifferent, calm like a mirror.
Crack! Crack!
"AAAH!!"
Amid a series of bone-shattering sounds, Toroi collapsed onto all fours with a scream.
"It's gone! Gone! Ninshū is just a legend!!"
"A legend…"
Arata murmured to himself.
"Ninjas still exist… but the Ninshū founded by Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo disappeared?"
'Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo? Ninshū?'
'What did that mean?'
Toroi's pupils trembled violently as an unbelievable guess formed in his mind. He struggled to look up at the figure above him.
Amid the storm and rain, that figure stood firm like jagged black cliffs.
Any raging tide crashing against it would shatter into pieces.
And Toroi's pride as a kekkei genkai ninja felt like a fish slapping against reef rocks before a monster like this, baring fangs and claws, only brought despair.
As if sensing something, Arata looked into the distance.
While he had been dealing with Toroi, the Konoha group had quietly escaped.
A rational decision.
Floating in midair, Arata made no move to pursue them. Instead, he turned toward a rustling forest nearby.
In the chaotic night, dense footsteps approached.
Dozens of muscular men burst from the forest.
"That's-"
"Lord Toroi!"
They were Kumogakure ninja stationed at the border between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Lightning.
But they had never expected to witness such a horrifying and bizarre scene.
Still, they reacted quickly.
Signal flares shot into the sky, their blinding light illuminating the dark rainstorm and casting multiple shadows of the Kumogakure ninja across the ground.
Within seconds, the area was completely surrounded.
There was no escape.
Kumo ninja possessed excellent combat discipline. In a moment they had sealed off every direction, locking down Arata's movements while waiting for orders.
"Run!!"
Toroi's desperate scream stunned the surrounding ninja.
The enemy was just one person.
Who exactly was supposed to run?
"This guy is a monster! A monster sealed here! His ability is-"
Before Toroi could finish revealing the information, Arata lowered his eyelids slightly.
Boom!
Toroi's limbs twisted as he was smashed into the ground.
Blood vessels bulged in his eyes as if about to burst. His face pressed against the ground, contorted in agony as he endured unimaginable pain.
The Kumogakure ninja's expressions changed.
Several hot-headed ones charged forward.
"Release Lord Toroi!"
Arata sighed.
"So noisy."
BOOM!!
It was like a human-shaped bag of blood had burst open.
Liquid and solid matter exploded outward, crimson spreading across the ground without form.
"Damn you!" one of the Kumo ninja roared. "Attack! Kill him!"
Arata finally lifted his head to look at the charging crowd.
He gently raised his arm.
The two chakra beads circled before him, spinning faster and faster.
Then, a silver ring appeared before him.
A perfect ring without a single flaw.
Facing the incoming ninjutsu of the Kumogakure ninja, Arata softly spoke:
"Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion."
With that indifferent command, a terrifying hurricane burst forth.
BOOM!!
The deafening roar tore through the rain curtain ahead. The terrifying shockwave shattered the ground beneath his feet as his hood fluttered back, revealing those deep, glowing blue eyes.
Several kilometers away, on a tree branch, a black-and-white figure emerged halfway from the trunk.
"No… impossible! Who is that?!"
For the first time in a thousand years, the well-informed Black Zetsu spoke with raw fear in his hoarse voice.
A chill rose from his very soul.
'Who was that man?'
'How could such power exist in the ninja world?!'
"Stop staring! Run!" White Zetsu was even more terrified.
He immediately dragged his body underground, fleeing without hesitation.
At the same time, in another direction.
Among the fleeing Konoha group, the "Hyuga Arata" at the rear suddenly stopped and looked toward a shadow beside him that no one had noticed.
"Heh… so you're Hyuga Arata. I've heard a lot about you."
A figure wrapped entirely in bandages stepped out.
His gaze greedily fixed on Arata's Byakugan.
"I originally came to track that Magnet Release ninja," he said with a smile.
"But the Byakugan… seems pretty good too."