Two fingers curled tightly around the white orb of unknown material.
The Yang Release clone handed it to the main body. As the clouds above parted slightly, golden sunlight spilled down, illuminating the smooth, jade-like surface of the orb, which gleamed unnaturally—its brilliance unmistakably extraordinary.
Holding the fist-sized orb in her palm, Hikari found it too large to grip properly, so she simply cradled it, examining it closely.
Truthfully, she had already glimpsed it when the clone returned, but at the time, she had been in the critical stages of reversing the Eight Gates and had no leisure to study this enigmatic artifact of the Six Paths. Thus, it had remained in the clone's possession until now.
Seeing her main body scrutinizing the orb, the Yang Release clone explained:
"I've tried every method I could think of during this time."
"Sealing techniques, the Byakugan, Sharingan ocular stimulation, even implanting Hashirama's cells and stimulating them with Yang Release—nothing worked."
"I even fed it to Samehada, but it couldn't digest it. Since I don't have the Shikotsumyaku, I had to leave it to you. Maybe you can unlock its secrets."
"Mmm~"
Samehada, its body wrapped in bandages, let out a muffled sound, as if corroborating the clone's words.
Hikari nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
Her eyes began to glow, veins bulging around them like squirming earthworms, crawling outward along her cheeks. Her ashen pupils rippled like liquid mercury as an invisible wave of ocular power swept forward, probing deep into the orb's interior.
Her clone's Byakugan had been unable to see inside the orb clearly, so she now relied on her own unique gray eyes—currently undergoing their "fetal movement" phase—to see if they could trigger some kind of reaction.
Her ocular power easily penetrated the smooth outer shell, encountering no resistance. Yet, in an instant, her gaze turned blank with confusion.
Darkness.
An endless, boundless darkness stretched before her, devoid of even the faintest glimmer of light. The orb was like a solid iron sphere, seamless inside and out.
She had never encountered anything like this before.
With the Byakugan, objects typically fell into one of two categories:
Transparent—Even completely solid objects could be seen through, their internal structures laid bare in perfect detail. Blocked—Like the Root's barrier seals, where only obstructing chakra could be seen, preventing any penetration.
But this mysterious white orb presented a third scenario.
Her ocular power could penetrate it effortlessly, yet she still couldn't perceive its interior—as if it were nothing but an abyss of pure void.
This thing must hold an incredible secret.
Her eyes burned even brighter.
The "key" at her brow slowly rotated. The triangular seal's inner ring expanded, enveloping it in reverse. Then—
Boom!
Three great gates swung open simultaneously, unleashing a torrent of vitality so potent it seemed to overflow like divine nectar.
A fierce gust sent her white robes fluttering wildly.
Purple.
A dazzling violet radiance erupted around her, so intense it seemed to dye even the sky.
The Yang Release clone, watching her main body unleash such chakra, couldn't help but feel a shiver of awe. Behind her, Samehada writhed uncontrollably—like a starving beast catching the scent of a feast.
After reversing the Eight Gates, Hikari had drained the life force from every plant and tree within a half-mile radius of the pond.
Though the Sharingan had filtered out most of the impurities, the sheer volume of energy she had absorbed was staggering.
The repeated strain of the Eight Gates, the rapid healing via Shikotsumyaku, and the life force consumed by her evolving gray bones—all these deficits had been filled to overflowing by the external life energy.
Her life essence had been fortified, fundamentally elevating her base attributes. Normally, this vitality remained dormant, invisible.
She had only felt healthier, stronger, more energetic—her chakra reserves thicker than before.
But that was it.
After all, even Naruto Uzumaki—with his vastly superior Sage Body and dozens of times more vitality—merely had greater chakra reserves and faster healing. Nothing truly extraordinary.
Yet she had forgotten one crucial difference.
Naruto's immense chakra and vitality suffered from the same flaw as all Uzumaki and Senju: raw fuel without the proper mechanisms to utilize it.
The Senju and Uzumaki were like massive fuel tanks—lacking the firepower of cannons or the defense of steel plating. No matter how vast their life force, it couldn't bring about fundamental change.
But she was the opposite.
Her gray eyes, deep in their fetal movement phase.
Her Shikotsumyaku, evolved to its third stage.
The all-purpose offense and defense of Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
The chakra-draining Tailed Beast Cloak.
The life-force-exploding Eight Gates.
Mastery over all five nature transformations.
She was a walking arsenal of elite abilities—only lacking a proper fuel source.
Reversing the Eight Gates had filled that final gap. Now, all those previously constrained powers were finally revealing their true potential.
The moment she lifted the seal, she realized the cascading effects of her enhanced vitality.
Just opening the first three Gates produced more chakra than the Sixth Gate had before.
The Yang Release clone no longer cared about the Kaguya treasure—her full attention was locked onto the profound mysteries of the reversed Eight Gates.
This was the path to godhood she had longed for.
Endlessly absorbing external life force to push her physiological limits.
Infinitely increasing chakra, physical prowess, and spiritual power.
At the start, it granted a budding Sage Body.
The more life force devoured, the greater the unleashed power upon release.
A supreme S-rank ninjutsu combining growth and explosive force—requiring the Byakugan's precision, Shikotsumyaku's bodily control, the Sharingan's extreme Yin power, and Hashirama cells' Yang shell to construct this ultimate Yin-Yang secret art.
If she ever reached the Six Paths level, she could name this technique:
Kekkei Mōra – Six Paths: Reversed Eight Gates!
While the Yang Release clone marveled at the transformation, Hikari's ocular veins bulged further, stretching from her eyes down to her cheekbones.
A violet torrent of chakra surged through the pathways beneath her eyes. Her pale skin made the engorged veins appear faintly purple, forming intricate, root-like patterns.
Her eyes were changing.
She could feel it—a yet-unformed ocular power stirring within, forcibly awakened by the chakra infusion.
Her ashen pupils underwent a qualitative shift as her ocular power wove an impossibly complex structure.
A new dojutsu was emerging.
Her heart raced. She had successfully tapped into her gray eyes' latent potential.
But ocular power drained rapidly. She couldn't afford to waste time.
Her gaze locked onto the orb.
The darkness remained, yet… she glimpsed something.
Tiny black seals, covering the inner walls like an intricate labyrinth—no exit, no end in sight.
Her chakra converted into ocular power at a frantic pace. Her still-developing eyes, forced to activate prematurely, grew dry and itchy—like overuse after days without sleep.
But it didn't matter.
Pure green life energy flowed from the "Gates", merging with the violet chakra to nourish her eyes.
Under this supreme vitality, the discomfort vanished instantly. Her eyes felt reborn—warm, moist, as if returned to the womb.
"Life energy really is omnipotent."
She marveled inwardly.
This green energy represented the purest form of life itself—a panacea capable of healing any wound. A mere wisp could save a ninja on death's door.
In theory, with enough life force and an intact soul, even resurrection was possible. Restoring damaged Byakugan or Mangekyō Sharingan was but a trivial application.
As she continuously repaired her eyes, her ocular power pressed onward, slowly deciphering the orb's inner inscriptions.
These were not normal seals.
They belonged to no known system in the ninja world. Yet…
She could read them.
Forgotten memories surfaced—Kaguya clan scriptures, a script every member was required to learn, said to originate from their ancestral progenitor.
Their sacred texts, ceremonial tools—all bore these symbols.
And now, these very same markings covered the orb's interior.
"So this really is a Kaguya treasure!"
Excitement blazed in her eyes. This artifact, rumored to be a relic of the Sage of Six Paths, was finally yielding its secrets.
Seeing her main body's exhilaration, the Yang Release clone realized—the mystery had been solved.
She quickly pulled Samehada forward, its bandages unraveling.
The orb had come into their possession thanks to Samehada. Now that its secrets were being unveiled, it was only right to share the discovery.
(Even if Samehada had no eyes.)
"Yo-ho-ho-ho—"
For some reason, she imagined a certain skeletal laugh.
"Mmm~"
Samehada, oblivious, wriggled its tail-like hilt like an eager pet dog—a weaponized, fish-like canine.
Shaking off the odd thought, the clone channeled violet chakra into her palm and gripped Samehada's hilt.
It shuddered in delight, its spines bristling as it feasted on the rare delicacy, no longer begging Hikari for more.
Clone and sword sat atop a boulder, patiently awaiting the main body's findings.
Time passed.
The sun dipped westward. Clouds drifted.
The distant roar of the waterfall grew irritating.
Hikari's expression cycled through shock, elation, confusion, and back to shock in an endless loop—each shift making the clone fidget like a child with a toothache.
Samehada, sensing its master's impatience, wriggled eagerly as well.
Finally, after minutes of unbearable suspense, the clone blurted:
"What did you see?! At least give us a hint!"
"Almost done!"
Hikari waved her off, muttering as she committed the inscriptions to memory. Then, the purple markings receded, her ocular power calming.
She looked up.
The clone sat stiffly, waiting.
Hikari couldn't suppress her grin.
"It's an Ōtsutsuki sealing technique!"
The clone blinked.
Given the Kaguya clan's origins, an Ōtsutsuki artifact wasn't entirely surprising.
"What kind of seal has you this excited?"
After reversing the Eight Gates, only something capable of achieving Kekkei Mōra or reaching Six Paths-level power could elicit such a reaction.
"Don't tell me it's Chibaku Tensei!"
"Of course not!" Hikari wasted no time.
"It's a space-time seal—one that can imprison objects in another dimension, similar to Kamui. But the seal itself isn't the prize. What's inside is—"
She took a breath.
"The Ten-Tails."
"WHAT?!"
The clone shot to her feet, staring at the tiny orb in disbelief.
"That's impossible! The Gedo Statue is with Akatsuki! The tailed beasts haven't been—"
"A different Ten-Tails."
Hikari's grip tightened. Her ashen eyes reflected the golden sun.
"To be precise—a Ten-Tails embryo. Or… the seed of the Divine Tree."
"The Divine Tree?!"
The clone's mind reeled.
She knew exactly what that meant.
The Divine Tree was the cornerstone of the Ōtsutsuki's conquest. Planted on a planet, it drained all natural energy and life force, bearing a chakra fruit that granted godhood.
Kaguya herself had ascended this way.
If this orb truly contained a Divine Tree seed, it wasn't just a cure for Shikotsumyaku's degeneration—
It was a key to omnipotence.
Plant it. Wait a thousand years. Consume the fruit.
No training needed. Just power rivaling Kaguya's.
But then—
The clone froze.
A Ten-Tails embryo required an Ōtsutsuki sacrifice to activate.
And the only living Ōtsutsuki in this world was…
Her gaze slowly lifted, mirroring Hikari's.
On the moon.
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