At the entrance of a certain underground black market in the Land of Fire, Fujin, clad in his black robe with gold trim, slowly walked out. In his hand, he held a scroll. After emerging from the underground black market, Fujin looked up at the sky, then his figure flickered and vanished from the spot.
Northeastern part of the Land of Rivers.
Within a dense, sprawling mountain forest, in a deeply shadowed area untouched by sunlight, was the dark and damp entrance to a cave. At the entrance, a figure draped in a white robe was slowly walking. This was a man with a slender face and pale complexion. He wore a black hood, a long braid hung down his back, a Roman numeral IV was tattooed beneath his left eye, and a black, diamond-shaped mark was visible on his chin.
Just as the man was about to step into the cave entrance, he suddenly stopped.
"Who's there?" The man whirled around, his voice low and serious as he demanded, looking towards the direction behind him.
Tap, tap, tap~
As the man's words fell, the faint sound of footsteps echoed from the shaded woods not far behind him. Dappled light and shadow filtered through the dense canopy, illuminating a powerfully built figure. The newcomer was dressed in the distinctive black robe with gold trim of the Divine Court. It was Kazuhiko.
The man in the black hood at the cave entrance saw Kazuhiko's attire, and a sharp, dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. Clearly, he had recognized Kazuhiko's affiliation.
The man in the black hood said gravely, "You're a member of the Divine Court? What do you want, following me?"
Kazuhiko, having emerged from the shadows, didn't immediately answer his question. Instead, his gaze swept intently up and down the man at the cave entrance. A figure from over a thousand years ago… actually still alive today. The ninja world truly is a place where methods of achieving long life exist.
Thinking this, a smirk spread across Kazuhiko's lips. "Master Jigen, a pleasure to finally meet you!"
Hearing Kazuhiko utter his name, Jigen's eyes instantly sharpened. Immediately following this, the black diamond-shaped mark on his chin began to change, and numerous strange, black markings started to spread across his body. At the same time, a fierce, oppressive aura rapidly surged forth from him.
Swoosh~
His figure vanishing from the spot, Jigen reappeared instantaneously in front of Kazuhiko.
WHAM!
Jigen lashed out with a powerful kick, and Kazuhiko's body was sent flying backward, crashing heavily against the trunk of a large tree before finally coming to a stop.
Cough~
Kazuhiko spat out a mouthful of blood, then looked up at Jigen, a fervent, almost excited gleam in his eyes.
Seeing Kazuhiko, whom he had sent flying with a single kick, Jigen's expression, however, was extremely grave. Since when were members of the Divine Court so easy to deal with? That kick just now… his opponent must have deliberately taken the blow head-on to test his strength. A bad premonition began to rise in Jigen's heart.
"Heh heh, after living for a thousand years, is this all the strength you possess?" Sure enough, a mocking smile touched Kazuhiko's bloodied lips, his tone laced with derision. As he spoke, he brought the index and middle fingers of both his hands together, then crossed them in a plus-shaped seal.
Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof!
Several plumes of white smoke erupted, and five figures appeared beside Kazuhiko. It was Tatsuya, along with his four permanent clones: Jizo, Suijin, Fujin, and Kagutsuchi.
Seeing this, the pupils in Jigen's eyes constricted sharply. However, before Jigen could react, a purplish-red barrier of light suddenly rose from the surrounding forest, completely enclosing the area and trapping them securely within.
Four Red Yang Formation! A barrier ninjutsu that required the combined efforts of four top-tier ninja, each possessing chakra levels comparable to that of a Kage, to execute. At the four cardinal points of the Four Red Yang Formation stood four of Tatsuya's standard clone bodies. This time, to deal with Jigen, Tatsuya had deployed almost his full strength.
Looking at the flaming barrier that had risen into the sky, a sarcastic smirk appeared on Jigen's lips. This barrier ninjutsu was useless against him. For Jigen, who possessed the ability of spatial teleportation, no barrier ninjutsu, no matter how strong, could possibly contain him.
Seeing the mocking expression on Jigen's face, Tatsuya remained unconcerned. A faint smile touched his lips, and he gently waved his right hand. Beside him, a sky-blue aura suddenly flared up around Suijin. Having perfectly fused with Toneri Otsutsuki's body cells and Hinata Hyuga's high-purity Byakugan, Suijin's current body had successfully awakened the Tenseigan. Now, Suijin entered his Tenseigan Chakra Mode.
Suijin extended his right hand, and an incredibly powerful suction force instantly erupted. Outside the crimson Four Red Yang Formation, the giant Tenseigan blazed with brilliant light. Empowered by the Giant Tenseigan, this suction force was astonishingly strong. Caught completely off guard, Jigen's body was rapidly pulled towards Suijin.
As his body flew through the air, Jigen was initially startled, but then a savage grin spread across his face. A black rod quickly materialized in his right hand. Trying to fight him at close range? They were practically seeking death! This black rod was an object created from Yin-Yang Release, possessing the ability to absorb and disrupt an opponent's chakra. Jigen could already envision his opponent collapsing in disarray under the assault of his black rod.
However, the smile on Jigen's face quickly froze. Several black Truth-Seeking Orbs rapidly flew out from Suijin's body, then coalesced in his left hand, forming a long black sword. This entire series of transformations was completed in mere seconds.
CLANG!
Their bodies rapidly closed the distance, and Jigen's black rod violently collided with the black sword in Suijin's left hand. With his body immobilized in mid-air by the powerful suction force, the smile on Jigen's face was completely frozen.
Shlick!
The sound of a longsword piercing flesh echoed. Tatsuya, appearing beside Jigen in a flash, had run him through with a single sword strike. His eyes filled with profound unwillingness, Jigen's aura gradually weakened. He had been too careless! In just a single exchange, before he even had a chance to unleash his true power, he had been directly killed by this despicable native!
"Tch!" Tatsuya let out a soft, dismissive sound and slowly withdrew his longsword. Jigen, in this current era, was far too weak!
He glanced towards Jizo and Kagutsuchi on either side of him, giving them a subtle nod. The two of them flickered and vanished from the spot. In the cave ahead, lay what Tatsuya truly desired.
Beside Jigen's corpse, Tatsuya and Suijin remained standing quietly. The Jigen before them was merely the vessel inhabited by Isshiki Otsutsuki. With Jigen's death, the Kama seal that Isshiki Otsutsuki had implanted in his body would now enter a state of reincarnation. Tatsuya was prepared to wait right here for Isshiki Otsutsuki to revive.
Deep within the cave system, inside a massive cavern within the mountain, Jizo and Kagutsuchi quickly appeared. In the darkness, a colossal creature lay dormant. It was a juvenile Ten-Tails, its form only a little over twenty meters long, its appearance almost… cute, in a monstrous way.
Looking at the slumbering juvenile Ten-Tails, a smile appeared in the eyes of both Jizo and Kagutsuchi. Their true target… had been found.