Naruto: The Senju After the Age of Gods

Chapter 280: Collision of Yin–Yang Release

"Eight Trigrams: Rotation!"

Hikaru had no intention of sparing them.

Likewise, they had no intention of letting this intruder go.

They did not know where Hikaru had come from, but that no longer mattered. What mattered was how to eliminate this enormous threat.

They had already realized his terrifying speed came from the seed-like markers hidden beneath the ground. He was using them to perform spatial transfers.

Then they only needed to destroy those seeds.

Under the guidance of Yin–Yang Release, one of the Ōtsutsuki swiftly unleashed a Rotation that would have left the Hyūga of the shinobi world staring in shame.

In an instant, the ground was blasted open, leaving behind a massive crater.

Every seed Hikaru had hidden there was swept away.

"These Byakugan really are interesting."

Hikaru silently considered the matter.

He had always wondered why these people still possessed Byakugan.

In his memory, their Byakugan should have already been gathered to form that enormous Tenseigan.

But after thinking about it, he could roughly guess the answer.

Perhaps that giant Tenseigan had been formed mainly from the eyes of the main family.

The reason the Ōtsutsuki on the moon had fallen into this state was ultimately because of the conflict between the main family and the branch family.

If nothing unexpected had happened, the branch family’s eyes likely carried a flaw similar to the Hyūga branch family in the shinobi world.

The Caged Bird.

It was the technique every Byakugan user hated most.

Not only could it destroy the eyes, it could also take the bearer’s life.

If the branch family had used their own eyes to create the Tenseigan, then once the main family discovered it, destroying those eyes would have been effortless.

Using their own eyes to gamble was no longer a matter of whether it was worth it.

It was a matter of whether they had brains.

Hikaru felt they probably did.

Otherwise, they would never have won control over the moon.

But whether they had Byakugan or not did not matter much to him.

It would not affect him either way.

"Not bad," Hikaru said calmly. "You destroyed all my markers so I can’t use Flying Thunder God. The idea isn’t bad."

"You only act so arrogant because of that damned spatial transfer ability," the Ōtsutsuki ninja said darkly. "Without it, you’re nothing."

"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!"

The moment his voice fell, he rushed in front of Hikaru.

His palms turned into countless afterimages, striking directly toward Hikaru’s tenketsu with the support of his Byakugan.

And because of the Yin–Yang Release chakra mixed into the technique, his Sixty-Four Palms carried far more pressure and killing power than the Hyūga Clan’s version.

"Hmph."

Hikaru shook his head.

He admitted this attack was powerful.

But it was far from impossible to handle.

Besides—

he had already removed his restrictions.

What method could he not use now?

With a casual motion, a ninja blade appeared in his hand.

In the next instant, his chakra surged wildly.

"Yin–Yang Release: Konohanasakuya-hime!"

As Hikaru swung the blade, the image of a silver-haired woman appeared behind him.

A silver, invisible edge bloomed through the air.

At that moment, the ground trembled violently.

A silent fissure appeared in front of Hikaru.

The crack rapidly extended into the distance, seemingly without end, then spread outward as though trying to tear the land apart.

"Damn it!"

Facing that blade which seemed capable of destroying everything, the Ōtsutsuki ninja’s face turned deathly pale.

Not only him—

even the companion beside him reacted the same way.

He immediately forced himself to change moves.

He had to block this attack first.

Otherwise, before he could even touch Hikaru, he would already be dead.

His palms withdrew, forming a defensive curtain.

Unfortunately, it was still too late.

And more importantly—

his strength was far too weak before Hikaru’s strike, which fused three kinds of chakra together.

Buzz.

The blade passed through his body.

At the same time, it engulfed the two people behind him.

That terrifying, world-rending force crossed space and left a deep scar across the surface of the moon.

When everything finally settled, Hikaru slowly sheathed his blade.

He could feel that this ninja blade was probably near the end of its life.

But no matter what, it had completed its mission.

And it had done so beautifully.

Looking at the three Ōtsutsuki frozen in place, Hikaru chuckled softly.

When a breeze swept past, their bodies suddenly turned to dust.

Carried by the wind, they disappeared completely before his eyes.

Interestingly enough, the moon’s surface still had decent air.

Beyond that, Hikaru could also see a thin layer outside the moon, almost like a protective shell.

Standing on the moon, he could turn his gaze toward the shinobi world.

From here, the shinobi world had become a blue planet.

Viewed from this angle, it was beautiful.

However, judging from the landmass on that blue planet, it seemed quite different from the one in his memories of his previous life.

But regardless of the differences, Hikaru had learned something interesting.

He could not pinpoint the exact location of the shinobi world, but he now understood one thing.

The so-called shinobi world was likely only the tip of the iceberg on that blue planet.

How large the world truly was, Hikaru did not know.

But perhaps one day, he could properly explore it.

In truth, he had always known the shinobi world was very, very large.

After all, the Ōtsutsuki were beings who harvested entire planets.

If the shinobi world were truly that small, why would it have entered their sights?

It could only be said that they had happened to land within the territory covered by the shinobi world.

Nothing more.

"Looks like there will be plenty to do in the future. But before that..."

Hikaru stretched lazily.

His gaze had already locked onto the distance.

At this moment, quite a few Ōtsutsuki ninjas had arrived on the moon’s surface.

He knew the battle ahead would not be easy.

But for some reason, he felt even more excited.

Perhaps members of the Senju Clan were naturally fond of battle.

...

"Elder, what happened?"

On the moon’s surface, a large group of Ōtsutsuki ninjas quickly rushed into the distance.

They had gathered together after receiving an order.

The order had come so suddenly that none of them knew what had happened.

It was not because Hikaru’s technique lacked power and they had failed to sense it.

Rather, the moon’s internal defenses were too strong.

After all, they relied on the power of the Tenseigan for protection.

No matter how intense the tremors on the moon’s surface were, those inside were not likely to sense them easily.

But just because they could not sense it did not mean others could not.

For example—

the current clan leader of the Ōtsutsuki on the moon had definitely noticed everything.

He had sensed the moment one of the moon’s teleportation arrays was activated.

After that, he also sensed combat breaking out on the surface.

He did not know who had arrived.

But anyone capable of reaching this place was definitely not simple.

Especially after detecting the ripples caused by that person’s technique, he became even more certain.

This was dangerous.

So he decisively ordered one of the Ōtsutsuki elders, Ōtsutsuki Ran, to lead a group and eliminate the threat.

Ōtsutsuki Ran was a legendary figure among the moon’s Ōtsutsuki.

His strength ranked within the clan’s top five.

During the "War of Freedom," he had personally killed several elders of the main family.

Although he had been injured as well, no one doubted his combat power.

He was one of the pillars of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.

"I don’t know exactly what happened," Ōtsutsuki Ran said calmly. "But stay alert. This will not be simple."

His expression was slightly grave.

He had naturally sensed the abnormality earlier as well.

Especially that vast chakra, which contained Yin–Yang Release even purer than theirs.

That was no joke.

It also proved from another angle that the invading enemy was far more difficult to deal with than expected.

Ran drew a deep breath.

His Byakugan silently locked onto the man in the distance, whose body radiated terrifying chakra.

At this moment, the four clansmen originally responsible for intercepting him had completely vanished.

He could not find any trace of them.

Not even the remnants they should have left behind.

This made Ran’s heart sink further.

Chakra erupted from his entire body.

Clearly, he was prepared for a brutal battle.

Following his movement, every clansman behind him also surged their chakra to the greatest level they could sustain without damaging themselves.

During the war against the main family, all of them had suffered wounds that could not fully heal.

They truly did not dare fight with everything they had.

"They’re here?"

Hikaru stood quietly in place.

Feeling the chakra soaring in the distance, he took a deep breath, and his own chakra stirred slightly.

In the next instant, red markings appeared around his eyes.

Facing so many enemies, he naturally had to be a little careful.

In the previous battle, he had used only basic theory combined with Yin–Yang Release.

This time, he decided to combine Sage Art with Yin–Yang Release.

For him, this battle was more of an experiment.

An experiment with his own strength.

And also a test of his current limits.

Of course, Hikaru always left himself a way out during such tests.

He knew that doing so meant he would never truly possess the conviction of one burning his boats.

But he had not come here to break through his limits.

He only wanted to become more familiar with his own power.

That was all.

"Sage Art: Yin–Yang Release: Eternal Burial of the Deep Forest!"

Hikaru raised one hand upright.

A vast chakra infused with Yin–Yang Release and senjutsu erupted instantly.

The ground rumbled.

A small forest suddenly rose from the surface of the moon.

Countless vines thicker than a person burst out of the ground and rapidly surged toward the Ōtsutsuki rushing at him.

"This is..."

Hikaru’s technique stunned the Ōtsutsuki for a moment.

But soon, they had no time to care.

Because they could clearly sense what kind of terrifying power those branches contained.

"Dodge or destroy them! Don’t let them bind you!"

Ōtsutsuki Ran roared.

Then he charged forward first, slamming his palm toward the branches.

His hands, infused with Yin–Yang Release, shattered Hikaru’s Wood Release with a single strike.

But his face immediately turned ugly.

From that clash, he could feel pain radiating through both hands.

And that had already been the greatest power he could use in his current state.

For someone carrying old wounds, this was not good.

The toughness of this technique was actually so high.

If he wanted to deal with it, he would have to use even more power.

And if even he found it this difficult...

how could the clansmen behind him possibly handle it easily?

The answer was obvious.

As Hikaru continued releasing chakra, the trees kept growing.

Many Ōtsutsuki immediately attacked, trying to smash the branches apart.

But they soon encountered the same problem as Ran.

Some unlucky ones failed to dodge in time and were instantly caught by vines.

Then the Wood Release transformed into spikes and shot out, piercing them through.

Some were not killed immediately.

But the vines began madly absorbing the chakra within their bodies.

In just a few breaths, several Ōtsutsuki were drained into shriveled corpses.

Those who had chosen not to attack, or had withdrawn after realizing something was wrong, leapt rapidly through the forest, dodging the strangling assault of the terrifying Wood Release.

For a time, chaos erupted.

Thunderous booms rang out again and again, like an earthquake spreading across the land.

Countless rocks split apart across the moon’s surface.

"This damned power... Asura!"

After shattering who knew how many branches, Ōtsutsuki Ran finally remembered something.

From the beginning, he had felt this technique looked strangely familiar.

But because of the battle, he had no time to think about it.

As the fight continued, fragments of memory began resurfacing.

He finally remembered an ancient record he had once read about the era of their ancestor.

It mentioned the two children left behind by their ancestor’s elder brother.

Their stories.

Their powers.

"No wonder this man can use Yin–Yang Release. So he is a descendant of Asura."

Ran dodged another Wood Release attack and stared through the forest at Hikaru.

"And those eyes... what exactly are they?"

"Tenseigan? No, impossible. He doesn’t have that bloodline. And if it were the Tenseigan, we would already be dead."

"This man is too mysterious."

"And far too dangerous."

Far too dangerous.

In Ran’s view, perhaps only their clan leader could deal with him.

Or—

all of them would have to risk their lives.

The thought made Ran’s heart sink lower and lower.

Risking their lives was never the best option.

But if there was truly no other way, he could only do it.

Just as he was thinking, Hikaru moved again.

This time, he directly charged into the forest created by his own Wood Release.

...

Hikaru had no intention of staying in the rear.

He wanted to properly move his body.

Yin–Yang Release combined with senjutsu and Wood Release.

The effect of this technique was almost excessively good.

No matter how highly Hikaru had estimated his own performance, he still realized in the end that he had underestimated himself.

Yin–Yang Release truly deserved to be one of the strongest powers in this world.

Even those genuine extraterrestrial Ōtsutsuki still used Yin–Yang Release.

Because the enhancement it gave to techniques had already reached an extreme level.

It seemed that any technique fused with Yin–Yang Release would undergo an unimaginable change, producing unbelievable power.

"But my Yin Release and Yang Release are still too weak. Even though the power is strong, my reserves aren’t enough. I can’t keep using them together with techniques so recklessly."

Improving Yin–Yang Release was difficult for Hikaru.

His foundation in both powers was also relatively shallow.

Even though he had mastered their fusion, he could not significantly increase his reserves.

Fortunately, his recovery ability seemed to work quite well with Yin–Yang Release too.

As long as he used it sparingly, his chakra would not run into problems.

Against these Ōtsutsuki, Hikaru felt things would be very uncertain without Yin–Yang Release.

But that did not mean he had no trump cards.

For example—

he still had not used his Jogan Chakra Mode.

He believed that once he activated that mode, its power would not necessarily be inferior to Yin–Yang Release.

Beyond that, he also had Tailed Beast Chakra Mode.

In other words, although his abilities were scattered, he had many of them.

He could take his time.

He could gradually reveal his power according to the strength of his opponent.

"And besides, for some reason, all of these people are heavily injured. That’s a good thing for me."

"They don’t dare go all out from the start, so I can keep probing them while testing my own strength."

As he thought this, Hikaru had already rushed in front of an Ōtsutsuki ninja.

The man was startled by Hikaru’s terrifying speed, but he still reacted quickly.

Unfortunately, his reaction was far too slow before Hikaru.

Hikaru did intend to conserve Yin–Yang Release chakra.

But his method of conserving it only meant not excessively pairing it with techniques.

It did not include taijutsu.

Bang!

Hikaru punched out.

Black-and-white chakra bloomed over his fist as it slammed into the man’s chest.

The Ōtsutsuki immediately spat out blood.

However, Hikaru sharply noticed a green glow appearing around the man the moment he was struck.

"Yang Release again? Looks like they really do have mature records on how to use Yin–Yang Release."

The thought flashed through Hikaru’s mind.

Then he showed no mercy and kicked the man in the stomach.

Crack!

This time, even with Yang Release protection, the sound of bones breaking still rang out.

Clearly, the man had suffered badly.

After taking one down, Hikaru did not pause.

His figure flickered, and he appeared before another Ōtsutsuki.

His ninja blade was drawn again.

Covered in Yin–Yang Release, its edge became even sharper.

Although this would bring the blade that had accompanied him for years closer to the end of its life, Hikaru no longer cared.

The blade sliced across the Ōtsutsuki ninja’s throat.

No matter how powerful Yang Release was, Hikaru refused to believe the man could survive after having his carotid artery severed.

Unless every one of these people possessed Senju Hashirama-level vitality, they were dead.

Hikaru’s figure flashed continuously.

Black-and-white light flickered through the Wood Release forest like a ghost.

At this moment, his speed was fully displayed.

Within this forest, any place could become his transfer point.

He could launch attacks at anyone from anywhere.

"That damned bastard..."

Watching his clansmen constantly being injured and killed by Hikaru’s ghostlike assaults, Ōtsutsuki Ran’s heart felt as if it were being carved open.

Their branch family had paid everything for freedom.

In the end, they had indeed gained freedom and even seized the ultimate power within Hamura’s temple.

But the price had been unimaginable.

In particular, to activate the ultimate Tenseigan, nearly every single one of them had been left with wounds that could never heal.

The massacre against the main family had also caused their population to plummet.

And the main family’s retaliation had been equally bloody and cruel.

They had killed almost all the children and women.

Now, every death among the Ōtsutsuki meant the clan’s population was permanently reduced by one.

Such cruelty was difficult to imagine.

If not for the fact that they still had one child who represented hope for the future, they would not even dare imagine what would become of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.

But now, this damned descendant of Asura had killed who knew how many of them in such a short time.

How could Ran accept that?

Listening to the screams of his clansmen, Ran’s expression grew increasingly bleak.

And increasingly dark.

Soon, he made a decision.

He could not allow this to continue.

He had to stop it.

With that thought, Ran clasped his hands together.

In an instant, an enormous chakra erupted across the surface of the moon.

As that power burst forth, Hikaru stopped.

The surviving Ōtsutsuki looked toward Ran with sorrow in their eyes.

"Elder..."

Some could not help but call out.

"Enough. All of you, fall back."

Ran shook his head indifferently.

His gaze locked onto Hikaru as he slowly said, "Leave the rest to me."

"I will stop him..."

"Even if I die."

...

"Ran..."

Deep inside the moon, an Ōtsutsuki holding a shakujō trembled as he softly called that name through gritted teeth.

He was the clan leader of the moon’s Ōtsutsuki.

He had led the branch family’s rebellion against the main family.

He was also the one who had successfully seized control of the Tenseigan.

Although the branch family had paid a tragic price, they had finally gone from "slaves" to people.

The collars around their necks were gone forever.

Today should have been peaceful.

Just like any other day.

But unexpectedly, he sensed someone arriving on the moon through a teleportation array.

As for those inferior creatures from the shinobi world, he had never taken them seriously.

In his view, the people of the shinobi world were lowly beings.

Only the Ōtsutsuki Clan were the true masters who had shaped this world.

If not for their ancestor fighting alongside his elder brother to seal the world-destroyer, the shinobi world would have ceased to exist long ago.

Moreover, according to their ancestor’s will, such a shinobi world should have been destroyed, not preserved.

Because of that, he held particular hostility and contempt toward the people of the shinobi world.

In the original timeline, Ōtsutsuki Toneri wished to destroy the shinobi world.

And on the moon, the Ōtsutsuki had also been divided into two ideological factions—

one sought to destroy the shinobi world.

The other sought to protect it.

Some of those who wanted to protect the shinobi world had left.

Those who remained on the moon all upheld the belief that the shinobi world should be destroyed.

He was one of them.

So was Ōtsutsuki Ran.

Ran had followed him through many years of battle.

He was one of his most trusted clansmen.

One of his friends.

This time, when a lowly creature from the shinobi world arrived and revealed extraordinary combat power, he naturally considered Ran the best person to send.

But he had never imagined that while observing everything through the Tenseigan, he would discover that the damned intruder was not some "lowly creature" at all.

He was actually Asura’s descendant.

Indra and Asura were recorded in the history of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.

They knew of those two.

They also knew the two had later fought each other.

And in essence, the descendants of those two were the same as the Ōtsutsuki.

They were descendants of their ancestor’s elder brother.

"This is troublesome..."

The moment he realized this, he understood that this situation was far from simple.

He felt no affection for these ancient relatives.

After all, he followed his ancestor’s will.

He would still choose to kill them.

But he also had to be wary of them.

After all, they too possessed power.

Sure enough—

when that man began slaughtering Ōtsutsuki clansmen, the clan leader was furious.

Every clansman who died was one fewer forever.

How could they afford such losses?

Yet just as he was about to act personally, Ōtsutsuki Ran made his choice.

He chose to hold nothing back.

He chose to fight with everything he had.

He chose death.

For them, fighting at full power allowed them to obtain unimaginable strength.

After all, they were descendants of Ōtsutsuki Hamura.

But their current physical condition meant that once they fought at full strength, only death awaited them.

The Ōtsutsuki clan leader took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

He did not interfere.

This was Ran’s will.

As clan leader, he had to respect it.

And he also needed to understand the full extent of that damned descendant of Asura’s abilities.

If Ran won, then everything would be fine.

If Ran lost, this information would allow him to eliminate that man cleanly.

And perhaps in the future, when they destroyed the shinobi world, this information would still prove useful.

"I will fulfill our ancestor’s will."

"I will kill them all!"

...

"He’s going all out..."

Standing quietly on a tree branch, Hikaru felt that vast power, and his expression grew solemn.

That power was genuinely enough to make one’s heart tremble.

The chakra soaring into the sky was proclaiming this man’s strength.

Hikaru could sense that this man’s power had reached an unimaginable peak.

At the same time, he knew that if he continued treating this battle the way he had before, he might truly be killed.

These Ōtsutsuki were terrifying.

Although Hikaru had always looked down on Ōtsutsuki Toneri—

and he did not know what state Toneri was currently in—

he knew he could not use Toneri’s situation to judge these people.

Toneri’s lack of combat experience was real.

But these people were different.

They had experienced a war to overthrow the main family.

Every one of them had undergone life-and-death trials.

Even if their actual combat experience was not especially rich, they were not like Toneri, who relied purely on raw power.

They had some real combat experience.

They possessed immense power.

And they had deep knowledge of techniques.

No one could underestimate such opponents.

Even if Uchiha Madara or Senju Hashirama were here, they would have to be cautious.

Let alone Hikaru.

"You are very strong," Ōtsutsuki Ran suddenly said. "To force me this far... as expected of Lord Asura’s descendant."

"Oh?"

Hikaru raised an eyebrow, then nodded lightly.

"So you people still have some remarkable records. You even know Asura."

"Of course we know."

Ran’s voice was indifferent.

"But as Asura’s descendant, you should not have come here."

His aura had already condensed to its peak.

"Since you have come, do not leave."

"Because sooner or later, we would have gone to find you."

"Yes... you really would have come."

Hikaru nodded lightly.

In the next moment, the chakra inside his body began to change.

Pale golden light surfaced around him.

In the blink of an eye, his entire body was covered in that golden chakra.

The chakra quickly formed into a cloak, and strange black markings appeared across the golden radiance.

At that moment, Hikaru’s aura erupted completely.

It was no weaker than Ōtsutsuki Ran’s.

Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.

He truly had not used it for quite some time.

Especially now that the power of the Nine-Tails had already absorbed the Eight-Tails, Five-Tails, and Three-Tails into itself.

He had yet to properly test it.

Hikaru raised his head slightly and looked at Ōtsutsuki Ran, whose expression had changed once again.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"So I came early."

"Are you ready?"

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