Chapter 175: The Hollow Cannon! The Artificial Jinchūriki Mode, First Glimpse of Its Power!
Upon hearing that Uchiha Yashiro was going to conduct some kind of inheritance trial, Tsukasa immediately assumed the Uchiha clan had some kind of secret realm like in legends.
He would enter this secret realm, undergo trials like questioning his conscience, clarifying his will, facing moral dilemmas, and then trigger the phantom of some ancient Uchiha ancestor who would give him mysterious guidance and rewards.
What he found truly perplexing was that Yashiro started writing letters and summoning people right in front of him.
This man, who clearly disliked Tsukasa, led him back to the top of the Naka Shrine, to a zen courtyard behind the main building.
The courtyard was meticulously arranged with ingenious design. The trees, stones, sky, earth, rock gardens, statues... just looking at them made Tsukasa feel they were quite profound, perhaps containing very deep meaning.
Amidst the idyllic scene of bamboo fountains gently tapping, a red bridge hidden in the forest, a towering teahouse, white sand gardens, and playful koi in the pond—
Bathed in the lazy afternoon sun—
Tsukasa was ordered to change into a short-sleeved kimono and wait in the courtyard.
No one came for a long time.
Standing barefoot on the white sand, driven by curiosity, he accidentally broke two bamboo fountains. Afraid of paying for damages, Tsukasa hurriedly hid the bamboo pieces behind the rock garden in the courtyard. However, his clumsy movements caused him to topple half of the decorative stones behind the hill—
Making the courtyard look like a parking lot destroyed by a tornado.
He dared not touch anything else in the courtyard.
Everything looked valuable—his shinobi salary, even after receiving payment for that last mission, probably wouldn't be enough to cover the costs.
Finally, with nothing else to do, Tsukasa could only stand silently in the center of the courtyard, nervously closing his eyes and pretending to meditate.
Just then, two aged voices drifted from afar:
"Not bad!"
"This young man has such composure!"
"Unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, undisturbed even if deer ran past on his left!"
"Truly worthy of being called a young genius of the Uchiha clan!"
Tsukasa fell silent for a long moment, recalling how just a month ago he was called the 'disgrace' of the Uchiha clan—
Neglecting his training, obsessing over D-rank missions that even dogs wouldn't do, showing no respect for elders, arguing with superiors, and even getting kicked out of a brothel for visiting one.
This title of 'young genius' truly made him feel awkward.
Opening his eyes, he saw Yashiro walking ahead, followed by two distinguished-looking elderly men.
All three wore armor typical of the Uchiha clan during the Warring States period, carrying long swords and huge scrolls on their backs, fully armed.
Their imposing presence was visually striking!
One could only think: These are masters among masters!
Yashiro approached with his companions, stopped, and stared intently at Tsukasa, saying coldly:
"Kid—"
"As you can see, these two seniors—Uchiha Tekka and Uchiha Inabi—and I are the strongest remaining battle-ready members of the clan!"
"The three of us are all elite jōnin who have fought countless battles!"
"And even if the three of us join forces, we cannot defeat the strongest man in the clan—"
"Uchiha Fugaku!"
"If you want to compete with Uchiha Fugaku for the position of clan leader, even with the Great Elder's backing, your strength cannot be too far behind!"
"Within the Uchiha clan, we believe in only one rule, which is—"
"The strong rule supreme!"
He paused, took a deep breath, and suddenly drew the long sword forged from chakra metal from his waist!
The blade gleamed coldly in the sunlight, pointed directly at Tsukasa!
"Come on!"
"Use your full power and survive for ten minutes under the combined attack of the three of us!"
"That's how you pass the inheritance trial!"
Upon hearing this, the two Uchiha elders beside him frowned, a hint of worry flashing in their eyes as they looked at Tsukasa.
"Yashiro, isn't this a bit too much for this young man?"
"Yes, when Fugaku was this kid's age, he was still playing house with Mikoto."
"If the three of us attack at full power, an ordinary jōnin probably wouldn't last a minute before being killed!"
"Since it's the Elder's will, we'll follow it. The Elder must have his reasons!"
Yashiro immediately raised his eyebrows and retorted coldly:
"The Elder is the Elder! I am me!"
"Besides, even if we don't test him harshly, what about when he faces the other clan members?"
"These trials always have to be faced, especially within the Uchiha clan."
The two elderly Uchiha men fell silent briefly after Yashiro's words, but before he could finish—
A clear, youthful voice suddenly interrupted him.
"Yashiro-senpai, are you... sure you want me to use my full strength?"
Upon hearing this, the three men all turned around in astonishment, looking toward the source of the voice.
Tsukasa scratched his head, asking somewhat uncertainly:
"Are you... sure?"
Good grief—
Along his journey, Tsukasa hadn't fought many normal shinobi. He'd only encountered Kage-level opponents, and the rest were trash he'd mowed down with area-of-effect techniques.
He didn't even know how many jōnin were among them.
He'd originally planned to just stand there and let these three old men attack him for a while.
After ten minutes, when they got tired, they'd probably realize the difference in strength between them.
But—
Did Yashiro really want to witness his full power?
"???"
This left Tsukasa completely bewildered.
Hadn't Yashiro received the letters from Uchiha Shisui and Shinichi? Didn't he know that Tsukasa alone could take on an entire Sunagakure army?
Or were the two old men Yashiro brought actually unparalleled masters of the Uchiha clan? Armed with the clan's secret jutsu library, bringing techniques specifically designed to counter him?
Could that massive scroll behind them be some super sealing technique comparable to the Uzumaki clan's?
Yashiro was startled by Tsukasa's words, then scoffed, feeling utterly ridiculous.
A twelve-year-old Uchiha brat dared to speak to his senior like that?
Dared to lecture him in such a tone?
His gaze immediately darkened, and he grinned coldly:
"Use it!"
"Use your full power!"
"Don't blame me for not warning you—"
Yashiro suddenly opened his eyes wide, revealing his crimson three-tomoe Sharingan!
"If you're not serious, you really will die!"
Tsukasa, seeing the man's serious expression, also frowned slightly, his gaze becoming resolute.
He took a deep breath and slammed his fist against his chest!
"I understand!"
"I will do my best!"
"Perfect timing—I've also developed a new form these past few days!"
Tsukasa slightly widened his eyes, his pupils narrowing and becoming sharp, a blood-red color spreading across them. Blood vessels, similar to those seen when the Byakugan activates, appeared around his eyes—
Ultimately transforming into a pair of scarlet twin-tomoe serpentine eyes!
This was a manifestation of natural energy modification solidifying in his body!
In other words, these eyes could replace the Cursed Seal of Heaven, absorbing natural energy!
"Then—"
"Please, three seniors, give me your guidance!"
The next moment, the Eight Trigrams Seal on his abdomen lit up, the vortex-like sealing technique turning into a pool of darkness!
His fiercely beating heart instantly ignited with a blazing white flame!
Burning his soul, surpassing his limits!
This blazing white flame transformed into lines, accompanied by the violent dark chakra surging from his abdomen, rapidly spreading through Tsukasa's entire body!
A wild roar resonated in Tsukasa's heart in an instant!
At this moment, he realized that his theory was viable!
Artificial Jinchūriki Mode was achievable!
Moreover, the dark chakra from the Zero-Tails could be manipulated in this state using the Rasengan technique, forming Sage Art: Dark Rasengan!
However, since he wasn't currently in his Cursed Seal form—his Cursed Seal of Heaven had been locked by Orochimaru using the Evil Sealing Method—without the Cursed Seal's support, he couldn't fuse Sage Chakra, so he couldn't use that technique temporarily.
But—
Tsukasa raised his hand, his serpentine eyes narrowing slightly, revealing a hint of madness.
He seemed to have another way to use this simple, pure, and supremely powerful force!
That was—
Artificial Jinchūriki Mode: Hollow Cannon!
End of Chapter 175
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