Jigen's gaze swept across the Hyuga residential district. Soon, among the rows of houses, he locked onto a large traditional Japanese-style building.
That was the home of the branch family head, Hyuga Hizashi!
"Found it..."
Jigen flew straight there!
The Konoha Barrier Team members on duty immediately sensed the anomaly!
"An intruder has breached the barrier!" He closed his eyes tightly, his brow deeply furrowed. "This chakra... what's going on... quickly notify the Hokage!"
Unobstructed all the way, Jigen landed in the spacious courtyard.
He didn't barbarically destroy the walls, but instead walked along the stone-paved path to the tightly closed door. He reached out, gently pushed the door open, and walked inside.
"..." At the entrance, he glanced at the shoe rack, took off his shoes, and walked barefoot across the floor to a sliding door at the end of the hallway. After a slight pause, he reached out and slid the door open.
In the dim room, the outlines of furniture were barely visible.
Jigen moved quietly to the bedside.
A handsome, long-haired young man lay sleeping peacefully, eyes closed, breathing steady.
But just as Jigen extended his palm, the young man on the bed suddenly opened his eyes and struck sharply at Jigen's face!
Smack! Jigen's palm moved slightly, effortlessly catching the young man's wrist. He didn't spare his praise: "Excellent crisis response awareness. You woke up when I reached the door, yet counterattacked without showing any sign. Unfortunately, just as the words suggest, you're still too young, Hyuga Neji..."
Neji demanded: "Who are you!"
Jigen looked at the mark symbolizing the Caged Bird on Neji's handsome forehead and said calmly: "Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is you, Hyuga Neji. The Hyuga's strongest genius, yet bound by a pitiful mark. I can help you remove this mark and let you unleash your true potential."
Neji was momentarily stunned, but then refused: "Thank you for your kind offer, but this mark is no longer a shackle to me. My heart is no longer caged!"
Jigen said flatly: "Oh, your mindset changed during your growth? Unfortunately... when you grow up more, you'll understand that many things are beyond your control, unless you die."
Jigen's palm quietly applied more pressure.
Neji's body trembled violently: "I... can't move?!"
Black markings were released again from the wedge on Jigen's chin, spreading to his palm. A pitch-black spatial portal opened beside him - he was going to take Neji away!
BOOM!!
But just then, a fierce palm strike came from behind, interrupting Jigen's transfer!
Hyuga Hizashi stood at the door, his Byakugan fiercely observing the room as he shouted: "Villain, get away from Neji!!!"
Jigen turned to look: "Hyuga Hizashi. Revived from Edo Tensei, then stayed in Konoha, participated in the Fourth Great Ninja War. At the war's end, truly resurrected by Indra with Rinne Rebirth..."
Hizashi said: "In today's ninja world, I'm not much of a big shot, yet you know my background in such detail. It seems you've had your eye on my Neji for quite some time!"
Yes... Hyuga Neji was the earliest person Isshiki had chosen as a 'vessel'!
If Neji hadn't sacrificed himself in the Fourth Great Ninja War in the previous life, then Jigen would have planned to place the 'wedge' on Neji!
[This is an extended setting of this work. The original "Boruto" never mentioned this]
Jigen turned around: "If possible, I'd like to leave quietly without causing destruction."
Hizashi said: "Fine. Release my son, and you can go wherever you want!"
"Very well..."
Jigen released Neji's arm.
Whoosh! Almost simultaneously, Hizashi's eyes focused, and he charged forward in one swift motion!
"Heh." Jigen's mouth curved upward. He effortlessly caught Hizashi's full-power punch and kicked him flying with one foot!!
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE...!
Hizashi crashed through three walls in succession, then through the courtyard wall, flying to the street outside. After smashing into a telephone pole, his back slammed heavily against another compound's wall before finally stopping!!
"Uwaaah...!!" Hizashi's face contorted as he spat out a mouthful of blood, horrified: "What terrifying physical strength! Even though I defended with chakra, my ribs were still broken in one hit!!"
As he struggled to get up, black rods appeared out of nowhere and pierced through both his shoulders!!!
Hizashi was even more horrified: "What... what's happening? My Byakugan didn't detect any signs?!"
Thud. Hizashi collapsed to the ground: "The black rods are interfering with my chakra. I can't move my body...!!"
Neji cried out: "Father!!!"
Jigen murmured: "The same Byakugan, but diluted through generations of bloodline, has long lost its original purity. When reduced to a certain scale, it becomes invisible."
The secret technique 'Sukunahikona's' shrinking limit could even make things invisible to the Otsutsuki's Byakugan. Only the Tenseigan could detect traces.
The huge commotion also alerted other Hyuga clan members.
Soon, Hyuga Hiashi arrived with the Hyuga family's experts, seeing the dying Hizashi: "Hizashi!!!"
Hizashi said with difficulty: "Neji... is in danger! The enemy... is very strong!!"
After saying this, he lost consciousness and fainted!
Hiashi stood up and arranged: "Natsu, take Hizashi to the hospital and find Shizune for treatment! Everyone else, follow me!"
Hiashi led the Hyuga experts charging into the courtyard.
Jigen shook his head: "Must you complicate simple problems..."
Hum! A black staff appeared in Jigen's hand. As he swung it, screams rang out continuously!
Hiashi spotted an opening when Jigen finished his attack and struck out with both palms!
—Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!!!
BOOM!!!
The powerful air blast shattered an entire wall. Jigen stepped back slightly and steadied himself: "Oh... this is the Byakugan's taijutsu, Vacuum Palm? By human standards, it's quite good."
Whoosh!
He charged toward Hiashi in one swift motion.
Hiashi's Byakugan contracted sharply: "So fast!!"
Almost instinctively, Hiashi's feet spun as chakra erupted from all his body's pressure points!!
—Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!!
BOOM...!!
High-density chakra combined with rotation as Revolving Heaven was deployed!!
Clang clang clang clang...!
When Jigen's staff touched the edge of Revolving Heaven, it began crumbling inch by inch!!
Whoosh!
Jigen performed a backflip and landed.
After Revolving Heaven ended, Hiashi was about to take further action.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
But black spikes emerged from his eye sockets!
"Ugaaahhh...!!!" Hiashi covered his bleeding eyes and knelt screaming.
Jigen said slowly: "This is what the barking of the weak sounds like..."
It turned out that the staff in Jigen's hand wasn't its true size, but had been shrunk and used as a weapon.
The fragments shattered by Revolving Heaven had entered Hiashi's eyes. Jigen made those fragments instantly return to their original size, creating this horrifying scene!
This was the power of 'Sukunahikona' - simple, yet impossible to defend against!
Seeing this, Neji's eyes turned red: "Enough!! Please stop! I'll go with you, don't hurt anyone else anymore!!!"
Jigen murmured: "That's more like it..."
"Arooooo...!"
Suddenly, from the side rear, a lightning hound came winding forward, pulled by lightning chains!!
—Lightning Release: Thunder Wolf Kill!
Jigen swept his staff, dispersing the lightning hound!!
Clang!
Jigen planted his staff and turned: "Hokage, Hatake Kakashi..."
Kakashi stood on the roof beam and suddenly lifted his eye patch, his left eye focusing on Jigen's head!
Jigen's thoughts raced: Kamui? Fine then. Uzumaki Naruto turned the Tenseigan from Hamura's temple into satellite-like technology similar to Amado's. The commotion here probably can't escape his notice.
A great battle is inevitable. Jigen will definitely die, and Isshiki will resurrect in Jigen's vessel. To avoid duplicate personalities, when the wedge resurrects, other simultaneously existing wedges will also disappear. In other words, if I use Jigen's body to place the wedge on Hyuga Neji, when Jigen dies and Isshiki resurrects, the wedge on Neji will still disappear. I'd have to use Isshiki to place the wedge again to truly make Neji my 'vessel'!
Rather than go through all that trouble, better to abandon Jigen and let Isshiki resurrect here! Then, before formally fighting Uzumaki Naruto, leave my 'wedge' on Hyuga Neji!
—Kamui!
Crack...
Jigen's head was separated by Kamui, blood spurting from his neck!
According to the 'wedge's' principles, if the vessel dies, even if decapitated or burned to ash, it will trigger the forced resurrection mechanism!
RUMBLE...
Extremely terrifying chakra swirled around Jigen's body... Isshiki's resurrection was imminent!
...
Hidden Rain Village.
After receiving Hinata's warning, Naruto immediately began preparations!
"Fighting Isshiki isn't really about strength. Without targeted measures against his 'Sukunahikona' and 'Daikokuten,' no matter how strong your chakra is, there's still risk of being killed..."
"Sukunahikona can turn weapons into invisible particles. If they enter skin and eyes, then instantly return to original size, they become the most terrifying weapons..."
"To defend against this ability, I need to completely isolate my skin from the outside."
"This can be accomplished with the Truth-Seeking Ball taijutsu 'Dōko Agaryū,' but only the eyes cannot be protected by Dōko Agaryū, so I need auxiliary tools."
Naruto opened a drawer and took out a mask - the very one he wore when entering the Reincarnation Realm to protect against the golden-eyed toad's poison mist. This mask was made by Amemiya Ruri and could fully protect the entire face, including the eyes, without affecting vision. The built-in charms stored oxygen for sealed breathing.
Yes, wearing this mask would prevent inhaling weapon particles through breathing and protect the eyes.
"Isshiki's Sukunahikona can shrink anything he touches or looks at, but he cannot shrink living beings other than himself. In other words, against living things - objects with souls - his ability is ineffective..."
Naruto's eyes focused as he bestowed a soul upon this mask!
—"From today on, your name is 'Hannya'!"
Hannya replied: "Yes, Hannya Paramita, my great father!!"
Naruto put Hannya on his face.
—Dōko Agaryū!
Sizzle sizzle sizzle!
The pitch black of Truth-Seeking Balls covered every inch of skin on his body!
Naruto asked: "Are you all ready too?"
Behind Naruto, the ten Kurotaro brothers said in unison: "Ready, Father!"
Naruto declared: "Then follow me to settle things with Isshiki once and for all!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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