A blinding radiance swallowed the sky.
For a moment, all creation seemed to fall silent.
Then a blade of light tore across the heavens.
It was sharp, domineering, and utterly merciless. Everything in its path vanished without a sound.
This was no longer destruction that could be described as a natural disaster.
It was the power to erase a world.
Mountain ranges dissolved beneath the slash. The earth split apart as easily as soft clay.
Even space itself seemed fragile before it.
With Jōgan chakra, Yin–Yang Release, and senjutsu working together, Hikaru could clearly see the space touched by the blade becoming dangerously unstable.
It felt as though the slightest additional pressure would shatter it entirely.
Hikaru remained where he was, breathing slightly harder than before. A moment later, he gave a helpless smile and shook his head.
"As expected, using that technique without activating Jōgan Chakra Mode is still a little too much."
Drawing out Jōgan chakra without entering the full chakra mode, then merging it with several other powers, placed considerable strain on him.
Fortunately, his Jōgan had nearly completed the second stage of its development.
Even without entering Jōgan Chakra Mode, he could still call upon its chakra smoothly.
It simply could not compare to the efficiency and power he possessed after fully activating the mode.
Hikaru had expected that much and was not overly concerned.
His body had become extraordinarily powerful over the years. His recovery speed was also far beyond what it had once been.
Although the attack had drained a significant amount of chakra and left him momentarily exhausted, only a few breaths passed before he had mostly recovered.
Very few people in the shinobi world could even imagine such regenerative ability.
Once his condition stabilized, Hikaru turned his attention back toward Jigen.
That was what worried him now.
His intention had been to cripple Jigen and render him incapable of fighting.
That way, he could prevent Isshiki Ōtsutsuki from resurrecting while still extracting the information he wanted.
But after unleashing that strike, Hikaru suspected his plan might have failed.
No one could endure an attack like that without suffering catastrophic damage.
Jigen's body had already been in terrible condition before the battle began.
Hikaru could not be certain that he had survived.
Still, Jigen's fate was no longer his greatest concern.
The surrounding space had finally recovered enough stability.
That meant Hikaru could once again use Spatial Control.
If the battle continued, he would activate Jōgan Chakra Mode as well.
Once that happened, his control over space would rise to another level.
The difference between using Jōgan Chakra Mode and fighting without it was enormous.
Calling them two entirely different levels of power would not be an exaggeration.
Hikaru drew a slow breath and began searching for Jigen with his Jōgan.
It took only a moment for him to locate the monk collapsed in the distance.
Jigen's condition was even worse than Hikaru had expected.
His body appeared mostly intact on the outside, but his internal organs and chakra pathways had been devastated by the slash.
Over the years, Hikaru had repeatedly refined Konohanasakuya-hime and infused it with more of his abilities.
The technique had long since surpassed ordinary understanding.
It now possessed several properties that most shinobi could not even imagine.
One of them was target locking.
The concept itself sounded simple.
Actually achieving it was anything but.
However, Hikaru possessed the Jōgan and its extraordinary perception.
By combining that perception with spatial manipulation and overwhelming chakra pressure, he could force his technique to lock onto an enemy through the two connected forces.
This time, however, Jigen had unintentionally helped him.
If Jigen had not shattered the surrounding space earlier, completely locking onto him would have been far more difficult.
He was still an Ōtsutsuki.
Even if chakra pressure restricted him, he could normally escape through space.
But he had destroyed the very space he might have used to flee.
Hikaru's chakra quality was inferior to Isshiki's at its foundation, but Yin–Yang Release, senjutsu, and Jōgan chakra were all capable of injuring or killing an Ōtsutsuki.
By combining them, Hikaru had barely managed to suppress and lock onto Jigen.
The plan had worked.
Jigen had been trapped by Hikaru's chakra.
After such a long and exhausting battle, he no longer had the strength to fully escape the strike.
He had not taken the entire attack head-on, but his current condition was far beyond merely serious.
"It seems I won."
Hikaru's eyes flickered.
An unstable black portal appeared before him, but he stepped through without hesitation.
In the next instant, he stood before the collapsed Jigen.
His expression was distant and composed, carrying an unmistakable trace of superiority.
"The outcome wasn't particularly unexpected, but you were weaker than I imagined."
"I admit that you are powerful."
Jigen raised his head with difficulty.
His voice was weak, but his pride remained untouched.
"Or perhaps I should say that your vessel was chosen exceptionally well.
"It has already fused three forms of chakra, and its Byakugan evolved into something far greater.
"The power you brought into that body was hardly weakened at all.
"But how much of your true power have you actually brought down?"
A cold smile appeared on Jigen's pale face.
Combined with his bloodless complexion, the expression looked almost inhuman.
His meaning was obvious.
Jigen's body could not withstand Isshiki's full power.
Isshiki had been forced to suppress himself throughout the battle because the vessel was simply too weak.
Hikaru's body, on the other hand, was extraordinarily durable.
In Isshiki's mind, that meant Kaguya had been able to channel far more of her true strength through him.
That was the real reason he had lost.
The silver-haired woman who appeared behind Hikaru during his final technique had only reinforced Isshiki's misconception.
The phantom did not perfectly resemble Kaguya, but Jigen no longer cared about such minor inconsistencies.
He was convinced that Hikaru was Kaguya's vessel.
Jigen drew in a breath.
The cold smile on his face twisted into something savage.
At the same time, his chakra began to surge wildly.
"I admit that I lost the first round.
"Jigen cannot defeat you."
As the words left his mouth, an irreversible force erupted from within him.
Jigen's body began to change.
White light covered him completely.
Within that radiance, he slowly rose to his feet.
Even his voice changed.
"But what about me?"
"Brother, this situation doesn't look good."
Within the Pure Land, two white-robed figures sat together.
The endless realm around them was pitch-black. Only the area where they sat was illuminated by a single beam of light.
A small wooden house stood beneath it.
The building appeared simple, but the chakra flowing through it revealed that it was anything but ordinary.
Nothing existing within the Pure Land could truly be ordinary.
Hamura Ōtsutsuki and Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki had lived there for a very long time.
Perhaps somewhere deep within their hearts, they had always regarded themselves as human.
And human lives were not meant to last forever.
Birth, aging, illness, and death were part of the natural cycle.
The brothers revered nature above all else and had no desire to recklessly violate its laws.
Living within the Pure Land also prevented their chakra from leaking out and attracting enemies who were not yet supposed to arrive.
It allowed the shinobi world to continue developing without their direct protection.
They admitted that their original decision had been cruel.
But there had been purpose behind that cruelty.
A harsh present was still better than complete extinction in the future.
Unfortunately, the last decade had not been peaceful for either of them.
An anomaly had appeared in the shinobi world.
His soul did not belong there.
His rate of growth was unimaginable.
His methods and personality were equally troublesome.
His existence had torn apart a timeline that had once been almost fixed.
At the same time, he had breathed new life into a world that had long grown stagnant.
Losing sight of the future was frustrating.
But based on the anomaly's actions so far, the world seemed to be moving in a better direction.
Most irritating of all, the blood flowing through that anomaly's body belonged to their own descendants.
The person occupying both brothers' thoughts was naturally Hikaru.
His arrival had initially caused them to consider several possibilities.
In the end, they abandoned all thought of interfering.
As Hamura had once explained to Hikaru, the brothers believed deeply in nature.
If Hikaru's arrival was nature's choice, then they would not oppose it.
They had also wanted the shinobi world to regain its vitality.
The problem was that Hikaru had brought far more vitality than either of them had expected.
His actions had created genuine peace in many parts of the world.
Yet his extraordinary growth had also attracted an Ōtsutsuki far earlier than intended.
More astonishingly, Hikaru had killed that Ōtsutsuki.
That outcome had exceeded even their expectations.
At the same time, it had delighted them.
It proved that the shinobi world's thousand years of development had not been wasted.
Afterward, Hikaru appeared to settle down.
But that peace existed only on the surface.
His overwhelming power had drawn too much attention.
Among those who noticed him was Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, the man Kaguya had once intended to sacrifice to the Divine Tree but who had somehow survived.
Isshiki had noticed Hikaru—or more precisely, the power surrounding him.
He had traveled to Konoha to investigate what had happened five years earlier.
That alone had been enough to worry the brothers.
Events had then unfolded exactly as they feared.
Hikaru discovered Isshiki and waited until he left the Land of Fire before revealing himself.
The battle that followed was terrifying.
Neither brother had wanted to witness destruction on that scale.
But the most troubling development was that Hikaru had forced Isshiki to resurrect.
The cost of that resurrection was enormous.
Jigen's body was far too weak.
Using it to resurrect meant Isshiki would not survive for long.
After this battle, he would also need to find another suitable vessel for Kāma as quickly as possible.
His future would be desperate and miserable.
But that was a problem for later.
At this moment, his strength was nothing less than terrifying.
Isshiki was not like Urashiki.
He would not underestimate his enemy.
He would fight with caution, savagery, and everything he possessed.
"This really has become troublesome."
Hagoromo sighed.
His mood was clearly poor.
"That boy obviously did not take your warning seriously.
"Otherwise, he never would have taken such a risk.
"Perhaps you should have told him more when you met."
"Are you blaming me, Brother?"
Hamura's expression turned strange.
A moment later, he smiled.
"Perhaps I should have explained things more clearly.
"But I suspect the boy understood perfectly well.
"He simply chose not to cooperate completely."
Hagoromo sighed again.
In truth, he believed the same thing.
Hikaru was too intelligent to misunderstand vague implications.
He was also an exceptional shinobi whose ability to analyze information was remarkable.
Often, someone only needed to give him the beginning of an explanation before he inferred the rest.
Such a man could not have failed to understand what Hamura had been trying to tell him.
This was simply the result of Hikaru's personal will.
A man who knew the truth would not remain passive.
Especially not one who seemed destined to eventually stand at the same level as them.
"When this is over, I should speak with him personally."
Hagoromo remained silent for a moment before stating his decision.
"When this is over?"
Hamura's smile widened.
"Brother, are you truly so confident that the boy can defeat an opponent like Isshiki Ōtsutsuki?"
"I believe in him."
Hagoromo nodded.
He raised his head and looked toward the image of the outside world floating above them.
"And even if he is not strong enough, I will find a way to make him strong enough.
"I will ensure that he defeats Isshiki."
Hagoromo paused.
When he continued, his voice was deep and quiet.
"That boy's importance is beyond imagination."
Hikaru stared at the blinding radiance before him.
He had no idea what was happening within the Pure Land.
His only concern was how to deal with the danger in front of him.
He wanted to interrupt Isshiki's resurrection.
But his Jōgan showed him the truth.
The process could not be reversed.
Anything Hikaru attempted now would be meaningless.
He had anticipated that events might develop this way.
Yet when Isshiki's true power began to descend into the world, Hikaru still felt his heart tighten.
The pressure was unlike anything he had ever faced.
Even so, he forced himself to remain calm.
Panic only created openings.
A shinobi had to remain composed precisely when the situation was at its worst.
Besides, Hikaru had already considered this possibility.
There was no reason to lose control now.
He had also deliberately held back throughout the battle.
Part of him wanted to discover the true limit of his current strength.
"And Hamura has already shown himself.
"Would Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths, really stand by and watch Isshiki rampage through the shinobi world?"
Hikaru's confidence did not come solely from his own power.
It also came from what he knew about the hidden forces of the world.
Hagoromo still existed somewhere within the shinobi world.
If Isshiki lost control and began destroying everything, no one else could reliably stop him.
Growth had to happen step by step.
Naruto and Sasuke had followed such a path in the original timeline.
The shinobi world had as well.
First came the Akatsuki, then Nagato, followed by Obito and the mindless Ten-Tails.
After that came Six Paths Obito and Six Paths Madara.
The escalation had been gradual.
Madara's Infinite Tsukuyomi eventually reduced everyone else to spectators and created two saviors, but the shinobi world had still been tempered by every stage of the conflict.
The war had also led to lasting peace.
That development had fulfilled Hagoromo's purpose.
But it had not happened overnight.
Every stage had followed the one before it.
The current shinobi world was not ready to face Isshiki.
Hikaru had made preparations, but most of the world lacked his awareness of the coming threat.
Releasing an enemy like Isshiki into the world now would be catastrophic.
Hikaru refused to believe that the Sage of Six Paths would simply ignore such a disaster.
With that thought, Hikaru took a breath and looked toward Jigen—or rather, Isshiki.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"So you were forced into a corner after all.
"You look terrible."
Isshiki's condition truly was dreadful.
Under the Jōgan's extraordinary perception, very little could be hidden from Hikaru.
Isshiki's resurrected body had inherited all the flaws of Jigen's vessel.
Although it had forcibly transformed into an Ōtsutsuki body, one fatal weakness remained.
Isshiki, who had once possessed an almost limitless lifespan, was now living on borrowed time.
Hikaru could see that he had only a few months left at most.
For an Ōtsutsuki, that was an intolerable fate.
However, Isshiki's present strength was equally difficult for Hikaru to accept.
The chakra pouring from him was so vast that even Hikaru felt uncomfortable beneath its pressure.
His physical power was equally extraordinary.
Although his lifespan was rapidly burning away, his current body had still reached its absolute peak.
A flower blooming most brilliantly just before it withered.
For some reason, that image passed through Hikaru's mind.
Isshiki had reached his pinnacle.
After this, only death awaited him.
"I admit that I did not expect you to force me this far."
Isshiki's voice was calm.
He clenched and unclenched his fist, as though reacquainting himself with his power.
After a long moment, he released a quiet sigh.
"Still, I should thank you for allowing me to experience my true peak ahead of time.
"As expected, my power can only reach its full potential through my own body.
"There are still imperfections, but I have enough time to search for another vessel and place Kāma upon it."
He looked at Hikaru.
"You truly surprised me.
"After spending a thousand years sealed away, your combat skill and experience have improved to this degree.
"It seems you have occupied that vessel for a very long time.
"Even I cannot match such refined technique.
"But if this is all you possess, then you have no chance.
"Before absolute power, skill is meaningless.
"Descend completely.
"It is time for us to end the hatred between us that has lasted for a thousand years."
Hikaru felt his scalp tingle.
He would have welcomed some hidden power descending to assist him.
Unfortunately, no one was coming.
He could call upon the Tenseigan's chakra, but that power held limited value for him.
He possessed the Jōgan and chakra uniquely suited to it.
The Tenseigan's chakra was powerful, but it would never fit him as naturally as his own.
Regardless, the time for hesitation had passed.
Hikaru would fight Isshiki with everything he had.
There was no one behind him waiting to descend into his body.
Nor would he ever have accepted such a thing.
Otherwise, what difference would there be between him and Jigen?
Hikaru slowly closed his eyes.
The blue chakra surrounding him immediately became far more intense.
Jōgan chakra surged through his entire body.
Within the brilliant aura, his figure gradually blurred until his physical outline was difficult to distinguish.
Six black Truth-Seeking Orbs appeared behind him.
His body slowly rose into the air.
Hikaru opened his eyes and looked down at Isshiki.
"To deal with you, this is enough."
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