Naruto: The Senju After the Age of Gods

Chapter 281: The Jogan and the Tenseigan (Part 1)

After fully activating Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Hikaru could clearly feel his strength leap upward once again.

Especially now that this Nine-Tails Chakra Mode contained the power of other tailed beasts as well, Hikaru could feel that his current state had become far more terrifying than before.

A pure Nine-Tails Chakra Mode alone would already allow him to rampage through the shinobi world almost unhindered.

Combined with Sage Art, Hikaru could say he was not much weaker than Naruto before receiving the Six Paths Yang Power.

In some ways, he might even be stronger.

And now things were even more unusual.

After all, he had fused other tailed beasts into it.

Although the fusion was still extremely crude, and even his system had probably not fully activated it yet, he had already received real benefits from it.

Hikaru had always known he was strong.

But exactly how strong, he had never been entirely sure.

He did have reference points.

Whether it was Uchiha Madara or Senju Hashirama, both could be used for comparison.

However, he had never truly walked their path.

The path he had taken had always been closer to that of those alien Ōtsutsuki.

So whether those reference points were accurate or not was something he could not properly judge.

"But this time, I should be able to get a rough idea."

Hikaru lightly clenched his fist, his gaze locking onto Ōtsutsuki Ran in the distance.

"And once I return, I’ll definitely summon Senju Tobirama.

"Perhaps I can summon Senju Hashirama as well. Then I’ll be able to get far more accurate information."

In the past, Hikaru had not been able to summon those two, so naturally he had made no such plans.

But now that he could do it, he would not waste time worrying over whether it was right or wrong.

Techniques were created to be used.

Perhaps some techniques went against certain people’s wishes, but in truth, many people still wanted to return to life.

Even if it was only to see how the world had changed, or to see how their family was doing, that could still fulfill a lingering wish.

Thinking of this, Hikaru’s eyes grew incomparably cold.

Even though tailed beast chakra covered his body, his eyes were still a brilliant blue.

His gaze swept over Ōtsutsuki Ran, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

That smile instantly gave Ran a bad feeling.

He immediately prepared to defend.

And in that same instant, Hikaru had already arrived in front of him.

A ninja blade wrapped in gray-and-white chakra slashed toward Ōtsutsuki Ran like a storm.

But Ran had already prepared himself.

His body continuously dodged, and at the same time, his fists kept searching for chances to strike Hikaru.

Interestingly, neither of them seemed able to hit the other.

Whether Hikaru’s blade appeared to land directly on Ran’s body, or Ran’s fist seemed to strike Hikaru, the result was the same.

A transparent, hazy layer of light—sometimes green, sometimes gold—blocked the attack.

Boom!

The collision of their chakra made the entire moon’s surface tremble faintly.

The massive chakra, mixed with Sage Art, tailed beast power, and Yin–Yang Release, clashed again and again.

Any one of these powers was already terrifying.

The destruction they could cause was beyond imagination.

The surviving Ōtsutsuki facing the aftershocks of their clash actually felt somewhat powerless to resist.

They were proud people.

Although they still had not fully understood who Hikaru was, they were certain of one thing.

Hikaru had definitely come from the shinobi world below.

They had always looked down on the shinobi world.

As members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, they truly looked down on the people there.

Like their clan leader, they had inherited their "ancestor’s will."

They would inevitably find a way to destroy the shinobi world.

In their view, it was only natural for Ōtsutsuki Ran to reach this level.

Under full power, every casual strike carried the force to tear heaven and earth apart.

After all, Ran had long since displayed his strength.

And as an Ōtsutsuki, this was perfectly normal.

But now, someone from the shinobi world had actually reached this level too.

How could they accept that?

They watched the ground continuously split apart.

The terrifying energy struck the barrier formed by the Tenseigan and sent ripples spreading across it.

Their faces became unbearably ugly.

At the same time, they felt genuine grief.

Because if Ōtsutsuki Ran fought like this, his death was certain.

"Who exactly is this man? Why is he so strong?"

"That golden chakra... it looks a little like the tailed beasts described in the ancient texts."

"Speaking of ancient texts, his power seems... it seems a little like the legendary Asura."

At that moment, the Ōtsutsuki ninjas watching from the side finally seemed to realize something.

Although they had once belonged to the branch family, they had still read many ancient records.

Thus, they knew some things from the distant past.

Even if they had nearly forgotten those things, now that someone had brought them up, their memories began surfacing rapidly.

But they remembered too late.

Because Hikaru seemed to have realized that competing with Ōtsutsuki Ran in taijutsu was not suitable for him.

Hikaru’s taijutsu was indeed strong.

But he had discovered that Ōtsutsuki Ran’s taijutsu was even more exaggerated.

Ōtsutsuki Ran, who had fully unleashed his power, had shown Hikaru what true Gentle Fist looked like.

He had also shown Hikaru what it meant to completely integrate Yin–Yang Release into taijutsu.

Hikaru had indeed fused Yin–Yang Release into his taijutsu.

But compared to Ran, there was still a long distance between them.

This was something he had to admit.

After all, this was Hikaru’s first real attempt to use it in live combat.

His opponent, however, had used this method for who knew how long, and had likely reached an extremely high level of familiarity with it.

Bang!

After another exchange, Hikaru directly used Flying Thunder God to open up distance.

He could continue clashing with this man.

Hikaru could tell that Ran’s flame of life could no longer last long.

However, he did not intend to continue doing that.

Toward someone who dared to fight to the death, Hikaru truly did not mind giving him some dignity.

Thinking of this, Hikaru no longer hesitated.

The chakra throughout his body began to surge wildly, and his gaze became even firmer.

"Are you planning to go all out?"

Ōtsutsuki Ran seemed to see Hikaru’s intention.

He stopped as well, then asked with a slightly solemn expression.

"It doesn’t count as going all out," Hikaru said softly, shaking his head. "But I don’t intend to keep wearing away your remaining life either."

His expression turned serious.

"I have always respected those who are willing to risk their lives for what they want to protect.

"Rather than let you die in such a frustrating way, I might as well let you die more cleanly."

"I appreciate the sentiment," Ran said with a light laugh.

This was perhaps the first time he had smiled since meeting Hikaru.

"But why are you so certain that I will be the one to die?

"Descendant of Asura, confidence is good. But too much confidence becomes arrogance.

"Still, if you lose, I will have my clansmen bury you properly."

Hearing this, Hikaru only chuckled and gave no reply.

He took a deep breath.

Then the chakra throughout his body began to surge.

He slowly raised his hand, and chakra swiftly gathered together.

At the same time, a black sphere appeared in his hand.

Behind him, the shadow of the silver-haired woman appeared once again...

...

It had to be said.

Combat was indeed one of the best ways to improve oneself.

Hikaru had not gone into this battle with a death-or-breakthrough mindset.

After all, he had no need to push himself into a desperate situation just to break through.

But through his continuous exchanges with Ōtsutsuki Ran, Hikaru had quietly integrated and improved his strength further.

He had never been able to use his power so freely and without restraint.

Aside from the abilities that could reasonably belong to "Senju Hikaru," none of his other powers had a clear origin.

Nor could he casually tell others that he possessed them.

All of these powers were taboo.

Moreover, he had used these powers to create false identities and had caused a great slaughter in Kirigakure.

He did not want his public image to collapse.

So the things that needed to remain hidden had to stay hidden.

He was the Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure, a man both respected and feared.

Other identities had nothing to do with him.

This rare chance to unleash every ability at once, while facing an opponent who was truly powerful, gave Hikaru unimaginable gains.

Even though their battle had not lasted long, Hikaru was still someone with a system.

With the system’s help, he gained a deeper understanding of certain powers he had not deliberately used, and especially of powers he had never used together before.

What he wanted to do now was make some of his previous ideas reality.

Such an opportunity was far too rare.

If he wanted to encounter another chance like this, he would probably have to wait eleven or twelve years.

So he cherished this moment.

He wanted to properly test what level his full strength had reached.

As his chakra surged, the moon’s surface trembled once again.

Especially when that silver-haired woman appeared, an unimaginable aura of destruction began to gather rapidly.

Seeing this, all the observing Ōtsutsuki ninjas broke out in cold sweat.

That destructive aura almost made it impossible for them to breathe.

At this moment, even the clan leader of the moon’s Ōtsutsuki wore a face full of disbelief.

The intensity of this technique was truly too high.

Even if he were the one facing it, the outcome would not be good.

Unless he directly used the power of the Tenseigan.

But using the Tenseigan came with a price.

"Have Asura’s descendants already grown to this level?"

The Ōtsutsuki clan leader silently gritted his teeth.

His hand tightened around his shakujō.

He was thinking.

Thinking about what he should do.

But the thought did not last long.

Soon, he closed his eyes.

At that moment, a terrifying aura silently emerged.

A faint yellow light slowly appeared along with it.

He had made his decision.

And he had begun preparing.

"This power..."

Ōtsutsuki Ran felt the change in Hikaru.

He felt the black chakra sphere filled with destructive aura.

His face suddenly darkened, and the chakra throughout his body surged wildly upward.

Of course he could sense how terrifying that power was.

But now, he did not care.

No matter the result, he was already certain to die.

And he was certain that his clan leader was watching.

If he could draw out this man’s limits, that would be a good thing.

That way, if he failed, others would have information with which to deal with him.

Ran took a deep breath.

In an instant, his figure vanished from everyone’s sight.

With a single step, he had already rushed in front of Hikaru.

His speed at this moment was suffocating.

Brilliant chakra appeared in his hand.

In only a few breaths, he was already before Hikaru.

He leapt high into the air, and the chakra in his hand condensed to the limit.

The flame of life inside his body was already flickering unsteadily, but he paid it no attention.

He still struck down with his palm.

"Yin–Yang Release: Eighty Gods Air Attack: Tenth Form!"

A crushing pressure surged toward Hikaru like a flood.

Hikaru also keenly realized that what Ran was using now was no longer Gentle Fist.

It was a far more domineering, far more terrifying taijutsu.

"Could this be Eighty Gods Air Attack?"

Hikaru seemed to realize something.

This overbearing technique, completely different from Gentle Fist, was very likely Ōtsutsuki Kaguya’s ultimate taijutsu.

Eighty Gods Air Attack had eighty forms.

Every form carried fatal power.

If Hikaru took this head-on, he would probably be reduced to ashes instantly.

However, while Ran’s aura was overwhelming, his move seemed to contain only one form.

This immediately told Hikaru that this man was probably only using one form.

But even if it was only one form, the effect was terrifying enough.

Fortunately, Hikaru’s technique was ready as well.

At the moment Ran was about to strike him, Hikaru released his own technique.

"Yin–Yang Release: Sage Art: Tailed Beast Ball!"

Hikaru had to admit that he was terrible at naming techniques.

In truth, for someone whose strength had reached his level, the names of techniques no longer mattered much.

The essence of a technique was the use and fusion of chakra.

Names existed only to make techniques easier to remember, or to make others remember them.

This time, he had fused together every power he could use.

Sage Art, Yin–Yang Release, kekkei tōta, and tailed beast power.

He had left none of them out.

Although doing so made the technique somewhat unstable, he felt he could still control it.

The pitch-black Tailed Beast Ball, streaked with silver-gray patterns, shot forward at terrifying speed.

It collided violently with Ōtsutsuki Ran’s attack.

In an instant—

heaven and earth changed color.

...

Boom!

When Hikaru’s Tailed Beast Ball collided with Ōtsutsuki Ran’s Eighty Gods Air Attack, a deafening roar resounded across the moon.

From afar, a point of blazing white light suddenly erupted on the moon’s surface.

In an instant, that spot of white expanded violently, becoming a brilliance so dazzling it illuminated the entire moon.

At that moment, the massive moon seemed to have been dyed into a white star.

Faced with this, Hikaru had no choice but to temporarily close his eyes and summon his Nine-Tails form to withstand the shockwave that followed.

Ōtsutsuki Ran also wanted to defend.

But he could no longer do so.

He could only endure the eruption of that terrifying power.

Two completely different forces collided, as if twisting all things.

Amid the roar, countless rocks on the moon’s surface distorted, then were torn to pieces.

In the end, not even dust remained.

Ōtsutsuki Ran’s body also began to twist.

However, a layer of green light appeared over his body.

That was Yang Release protecting him.

But he could not sustain it for long.

The flame of life within his body grew dimmer and dimmer.

The aura of death had already surrounded him.

Pfft!

Suddenly, Ōtsutsuki Ran spat out a mouthful of blood.

His face had turned waxen white.

He could no longer hold on.

The green light covering his body began to fade.

Finally, when his flame of life was completely extinguished, the light vanished as well.

At that moment, his body began to warp.

Then it slowly turned into ash.

Under the continuous scouring of the shockwave, his body disappeared completely from this world.

When everything finally settled, Hikaru slowly opened his eyes.

Looking at the bare ground, now unnaturally smooth as if sliced flat by a blade, Hikaru could not help but take a deep breath.

He himself did not know how much destruction that attack had caused.

But he understood one thing clearly.

The ground beneath him had sunk by more than ten meters.

As for how far the affected range extended, even his Jogan could not see it all.

He raised his head slightly and looked toward the barrier above.

Obvious cracks had appeared across it.

Although it was repairing itself rapidly, the spiderweb-like fractures were still extremely clear.

No matter what kind of barrier it was, it had a limit to how much power it could withstand.

The collision between Hikaru and Ōtsutsuki Ran had touched the limit of that barrier.

Still, Hikaru felt lingering fear.

If he had not released his Nine-Tails form at the critical moment, perhaps he would have vanished without a trace just like Ōtsutsuki Ran.

After all, the defense of his Nine-Tails form was very strong.

Naruto had used this form to block who knew how many attacks.

But even this form had been directly destroyed by that terrifying impact.

And now, Hikaru felt another trace of lingering fear.

That protective shell was clearly the key to maintaining oxygen on the moon’s surface.

If that shell had broken, he would have truly been in trouble.

"Fortunately, this protection is provided by the Tenseigan’s power. Otherwise, things would have been terrible."

Hikaru silently sighed.

Then he leapt up and ran forward.

That attack had directly destroyed the Wood Release he had created, along with the Ōtsutsuki who had been watching from the side.

But Hikaru still remembered the direction in which they had retreated.

He could follow it.

And he knew that all those people were underground.

As long as he found an entrance, that would be enough.

His speed was extremely fast.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the deep crater.

...

"Damn him! Damn him!"

Inside Hamura’s temple deep within the moon, the Ōtsutsuki clan leader’s face was filled with rage.

He had seen Ōtsutsuki Ran’s death.

That miserable end, without even bones left behind, had filled his heart with fury.

But while furious, he remained calm.

Because he felt he had almost grasped the limits of this descendant of Asura’s strength.

He had to admit that this descendant of Asura possessed an extremely complicated set of powers.

As recorded in the clan’s ancient texts, he seemed to possess multiple forms of power and could use them without conflict.

The power of nature.

It seemed that power was also called Sage Art.

The power of the tailed beasts.

The power of chakra fusion.

And Yin–Yang Release.

There was one point he still had not fully understood.

According to the ancestor’s records, Indra and Asura each inherited one kind of power.

Yet this descendant of Asura had mastered complete Yin–Yang Release.

That truly surprised him.

But even though he was surprised, he did not take it too seriously.

He did not know what had happened in the shinobi world.

Nor did he care.

What he cared about was that the strength of this descendant of Asura was absurdly powerful.

So many complicated and mighty powers were controlled so well in his hands.

He did not know whether this man was an exception, or whether every descendant of Asura—and perhaps even Indra—had become like this.

He shook his head lightly.

He no longer wanted to think about these things.

He admitted that this descendant of Asura possessed terrifying power.

If he faced this man without borrowing the Tenseigan’s power, the result would probably only be death.

It was not that he would necessarily be unable to win.

Rather, the injuries within his body made prolonged combat impossible.

He might not die because of the battle itself.

He might simply be dragged to death by that damned man.

Shaking his head slightly, he tightened his grip on the shakujō in his hand.

Looking at the enormous yellow eye before him, now glowing even more brilliantly, he turned and walked out of the temple.

As he left, the shakujō in his hand produced a strange rhythm.

The giant Tenseigan resonated with it.

He was going to kill that descendant of Asura.

So many clansmen had died at this man’s hands.

As clan leader, he had to make this man pay the price.

And to ensure that he could kill him cleanly and smoothly, he had already decided to use the power of the Tenseigan.

Ōtsutsuki Ran could give his life to protect the clan.

As clan leader, so could he.

...

Boom!

With a loud blast, a pale yellow, film-like transparent layer shattered.

Hikaru slowly descended from the sky.

After landing fully, he raised his head and surveyed everything around him.

He had to admit—

the current surroundings were very different from what he remembered Naruto seeing here.

The internal space of the moon was extremely vast.

Looking up, clouds drifted through the sky.

Within the cloud layer, a small sun scattered light down, making the interior of the moon incredibly bright.

On the ground, Hikaru could see lush forests and ancient-looking villages.

Beside the villages were winding streams.

Everything looked peaceful and calm.

He had to admit that this place was truly beautiful.

It did not look like the inside of the moon at all.

If not for the crescent-shaped island floating in the distance, the ring of meteorite-like stones of various sizes surrounding it, and the floating buildings standing above the clouds, Hikaru might have thought he had returned to the shinobi world.

His gaze shifted slightly and locked onto the glowing sun in the sky.

"That sun is artificial. No wonder they can survive here.

"I was wondering earlier. The moon’s surface is so desolate. Even if these people are Ōtsutsuki, they still need to eat and drink.

"There’s naturally no sun inside the moon, and without sunlight, they shouldn’t be able to farm. How exactly did they survive?

"So this is the secret.

"But the chakra needed to maintain a small sun like that must be astronomical. Are they using the Tenseigan to provide energy?"

Thinking carefully, Hikaru suddenly realized he might have remembered incorrectly.

In the original story, the interior of the moon had light too.

Besides, without such a sun, how could those Ōtsutsuki have lived for so long?

Even Toneri, who was the only one left in the future, would still die within a month if he did not eat or drink, no matter how little resources he consumed or how powerful his bloodline was.

If that happened, how would he cause trouble for Hinata and Hanabi?

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Hikaru frowned slightly.

Then his figure vanished instantly.

The moment he left, a beam of light struck the place where he had been standing.

The rocks there instantly turned into powder, then vanished completely with the breeze.

Hikaru appeared on the ground not far away.

He raised his head and looked into the sky.

Above the clouds, where the palace stood among the ring of stones, roughly a hundred Ōtsutsuki clansmen had appeared.

And in front of them, a figure holding a shakujō floated in the air, looking down at Hikaru from above.

That figure slowly descended from the sky.

At that moment, Hikaru finally saw what he looked like.

He was an old man with white hair.

However, the chakra within him was unimaginably terrifying.

Especially the shakujō in his hand.

It made Hikaru feel a fatal threat.

Strangely, through his Jogan, Hikaru discovered that the shakujō seemed to be connected to something.

And the power emanating from that shakujō did not only make Hikaru feel fear.

It also gave him a sense of familiarity.

"Familiarity? What is this?"

Hikaru’s expression became extremely wary, but he already had a guess.

The only power capable of making him feel such danger from the depths of his heart was probably the Tenseigan.

"Descendant of Asura, do you know how great a sin you have committed?"

The old man descended to a certain height, then stopped in midair.

His voice was exceedingly cold.

Within that coldness was deep hatred.

"Today, you must die. You must pay for your sins."

"Why are all of you so certain I’m dead?"

Hikaru raised an eyebrow, seeming somewhat curious.

"That man earlier—sorry, I didn’t even know his name.

"He also said I would die. But in the end, he was reduced to ashes.

"Now you’re telling me the same thing. What exactly makes you people so confident?"

"Strength," the old man said indifferently. "Strength beyond your reach."

His voice remained cold, and at this moment, his chakra condensed to its limit.

He slightly raised the shakujō in his hand.

In the next instant, vast chakra filled with destructive aura gathered around him.

"Remember this. The man you killed was named Ōtsutsuki Ran. He was my friend.

"And the one who kills you is named Ōtsutsuki Maha!"

The moment his voice fell, Ōtsutsuki Maha swung the shakujō fiercely.

At that instant, dazzling light bloomed from the tip of the staff.

An endless torrent of energy surged through the shakujō and blasted toward Hikaru.

Feeling that power, Hikaru immediately activated Flying Thunder God.

Brilliant white light flashed again.

In an instant, the ground vanished like dust.

When the white light faded, nothing remained where it had struck.

"Spatial technique?"

Ōtsutsuki Maha frowned.

Then he snorted coldly and swung his shakujō again.

As a strange power spread out, Hikaru’s expression changed.

At this moment, space seemed to become heavy.

All perception related to space became chaotic.

Hikaru knew that he could no longer use Flying Thunder God.

The Flying Thunder God marks he could sense were still there.

But no one knew where they would send him now.

Hikaru did not dare take that risk.

He was not someone like Jiraiya, who would casually touch space-related things without any preparation or warning.

Jiraiya had been lucky.

After trying it, he had been transported to Mount Myōboku.

But if Hikaru used Flying Thunder God in this clearly disrupted space, his end might be to be thrown into some unknown dimension.

And he might never be able to escape from that space for the rest of his life.

"Now, little rat, you have nowhere to run."

Ōtsutsuki Maha’s voice rang out again.

His figure descended once more, finally stopping about ten meters above the ground.

His expression was cold to the extreme.

No emotion could be seen in his white eyes.

And the chakra around him was so vast that it inspired despair.

"I told you. You will die.

"Even if I fall as well, your ending is already decided."

"You really are confident."

Hikaru looked at him indifferently.

Then the corner of his mouth suddenly rose into a smile.

"Speaking of which, aren’t you curious about my eyes?"

"Your eyes?"

Ōtsutsuki Maha stared at Hikaru coldly.

He was indeed curious about Hikaru’s eyes.

After all, those eyes looked very similar to the Tenseigan.

But after observing them for so long, he had not discovered anything particularly special about them.

"That’s right. My eyes."

Hikaru chuckled softly.

Then he slowly closed his eyes.

"I was originally wondering whether there was any need to use them.

"But now it seems I have no choice..."

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