"Shinra Tensei."
Once again, a repelling-force storm erupted, blowing away the Five Element jutsu attacks coming from all directions.
Like he sensed something, Izayoi suddenly retracted his gaze from the Black Hoe Clan, who were locked in battle with other squads, and glanced toward the shadowy land on his left.
A black-robed figure wearing a mask that covered the upper half of his face dashed out from the darkness, flying rapidly toward Izayoi.
"Earth Style: Hell Swamp."
It was as if the Root members had received some command; they immediately ceased their firepower attacks. One of them used Earth Style again, turning the ground beneath Izayoi into a swamp.
Two mud-hands reached up, trying to grab Izayoi's feet and pull his body into the swamp.
This tactic had been used more than once already.
As expected, Izayoi's body floated up again after a few seconds since he had last used repelling force, avoiding the grasp of the mud-hands. While hovering midair, he spread his arms and softly said, "Shinra Tensei."
The invisible repelling force instantly blew away the rising mud-hands, along with the charging Aburame Torune.
But when the force hit Aburame Torune's body, his form suddenly turned into countless black insects, scattered and crushed by the repelling storm.
This was the Aburame Clan's secret technique: Insect Clone.
Just as the force spread a few meters outward and hadn't yet fully dispersed, Yamanaka Fu suddenly burst out from the churning swamp, charging at Izayoi. His whole body was glowing with flames—he was completely covered in explosive tags.
"Have they discovered Shinra Tensei's weakness? I guess so. After so many rounds and so many elites, if they didn't notice, they'd be too incompetent."
Watching Yamanaka Fu charging at him with a suicidal intent, Izayoi softly chuckled and said to himself, "In that case, let's see what trick you're trying to play."
After speaking, Izayoi once again unleashed a repelling storm.
However, the force of this storm was far weaker than the previous one—at least one level lower.
After all, there is no perfect ninjutsu in this world. Even Kekkei Mōra and divine arts are no exception.
Izayoi's repelling and attracting forces only had one advantage over Tendo Pain—shorter cooldown time.
Nagato needed to transmit chakra through Yin-Yang Release black rods to let Tendo Pain use Shinra Tensei.
Even the weakest Shinra Tensei needed five seconds to convert chakra into repelling force.
That's why every time Tendo Pain used Shinra Tensei or Bansho Ten'in, there would be a five-second cooldown.
If Nagato's main body used Shinra Tensei, the cooldown might be shorter—or maybe not. Izayoi didn't know Nagato's cooldown time, but his was two seconds.
To be precise, when using a Shinra Tensei on the same level as Tendo Pain, Izayoi needed to charge for two seconds to convert chakra into a repelling storm.
If he didn't charge at all, the repelling force would only be like a strong gust of wind with rebound properties.
This was still thanks to his Chakra Control (Gold) trait, which let him mobilize a considerable amount of chakra instantly.
But even if it's just strong wind, it was a rule-based power. Without enough strength, no one could resist it.
Obviously, Yamanaka Fu didn't have that strength.
The repelling storm, like an invisible carriage, rushed forward and smashed Yamanaka Fu—who had jumped into the air—down to the ground.
Boom boom boom—
Before hitting the ground, Yamanaka Fu exploded like a firework.
While slowly descending, Izayoi immediately used Shinra Tensei again, and the strong wind blew away the half-formed mushroom cloud.
Looking at the spot where Yamanaka Fu's body landed, Izayoi saw that the crater left by the explosive tags contained no limbs or flesh—just a puppet made from synthetic material.
That Yamanaka Fu had only been a puppet.
Izayoi's expression didn't change. He had clearly seen through it long ago.
Just as the strong wind faded, Shimura Danzo appeared before him like teleportation. Two fingers thrust toward Izayoi's left eye.
Mimicking Tendo Pain's demeanor, Izayoi said calmly, "So you finally dare to show yourself? Shimura Danzo, today is the day you die."
Just as the words fell, Danzo's fingers stopped only a few centimeters away from Izayoi's eyeball.
Looking at this 'Tendo Pain' with a face full of black piercings, Danzo's expression slightly changed as if recalling something.
"No… back then, the kid with the Rinnegan wasn't you! I see… That red-haired brat died, and you got your comrade's eyes…"
"Hanzō already confessed everything. He left this world before you. Amegakure now belongs to us—Akatsuki." Izayoi delivered a big present for Akatsuki.
Then, with just a slight glare, he released a powerful repelling storm that sent Danzo flying.
As he was blown away, Danzo gave a strange smile.
The next second, his body vanished like a mirage.
Then he reappeared in front of Izayoi again. Two fingers turned into afterimages stabbing toward Izayoi's left eye.
Izanagi!
Record state up close, then restart from failure.
To those unfamiliar with Izanagi, Danzo's move would be completely unexpected.
Even the one called "Shisui of the Body Flicker," Uchiha Shisui, wasn't able to dodge Danzo's surprise attack and got caught.
After tasting success against Shisui, Danzo now repeated the same trick.
From getting blown away to reappearing, not even a second passed.
Izayoi had just unleashed a repelling storm—he couldn't even use the instant version yet!
Staring at the purple ripple-patterned eye, Danzo's gaze was full of greed.
The eyes of the Sage of Six Paths are mine!
But even though he was fast, Izayoi was even faster.
Izayoi, whose Tenseigan had already sensed something wrong, raised his hand quickly and grabbed Danzo's wrist.
Looking at Danzo's shocked face, he said, "To find the flaw in Shinra Tensei and even come up with countermeasures—truly impressive. But your strength is your weakness. The gap between us is just too great!"
"Farewell, Shimura Danzo…"
Kotoamatsukami!
Facing Izayoi preparing his ultimate move, Danzo—who had nothing to fear while in Izanagi's state—didn't hesitate to use his strongest trump card against Izayoi.
His right Mangekyō Sharingan with the shuriken pattern spun wildly, and the tomoe connected into black lines, forming a black shuriken design.
As Danzo widened his eye, the powerful dojutsu nurtured for years—enhanced further by Hashirama cells—instantly penetrated into Izayoi's mind.
In the next moment, both their minds entered a blood-red space similar to Tsukuyomi.
A moon-sized eyeball floated above, its pupil bearing the same shuriken pattern.
The massive eye turned like a living creature, searching for its target to destroy with its manifested will.
Soon, a figure appeared.
But the manifested person wasn't Tendo-Pain-Izayoi, nor Izayoi himself—it was Shimura Danzo.
"Why am I here?! Did Kotoamatsukami fail? Impossible!"
Danzo, who just had the omniscient viewpoint, now manifested in the red space, looking utterly baffled.
Wasn't this supposed to be Kotoamatsukami's illusion space? Just pull the enemy in, and then destroy or alter their will?
Why was it different from what he expected?!
Danzo, who had thought victory was in his grasp, now completely lost composure.
He looked around but couldn't find any trace of Izayoi.
And he couldn't return to the heavenly Kotoamatsukami eye, either.
Just as he started making hand seals in pain to cancel the illusion, his face changed again: "Why can't I cancel it? Isn't this Kotoamatsukami's illusion space? Don't tell me—"
Shhhk—
As if responding to Danzo's confusion, two long cracks suddenly opened in the blood-red sky above the Kotoamatsukami eye.
Then, these two cracks slowly spread open, and blue-white light burst out from within.
The dazzling blue-white light was like sunlight, instantly turning the oppressive and eerie blood-red world into a beautiful, heavenly space.
When the cracks fully opened, a pair of blue-white eyes hovered high in the sky.
White light flowed around the pupils, forming a wind-blown white flower pattern—absolutely stunning, and containing the supreme ultimate ocular power.
If Kotoamatsukami's eye was the moon, then these eyes were like two enormous suns, gazing down at Danzo and the illusion.
Then, a young boy's voice—not the tone of Tendo Pain—echoed throughout the blue-white space.
"Your eye technique, before these eyes… is nothing worth mentioning."
As the voice fell, the stunning blue-white eyes shone like the noonday sun, flooding the space with light.
The first to be swallowed—was the Kotoamatsukami eye.
Just from touching the white light, the moon-sized eye disintegrated into dust—without even making a sound.
"This isn't the Rinnegan… You're not that Rinnegan brat—Who are you?!"
Even as a spirit, Danzo sensed death's presence. He shouted desperately, "I'm sure I've never heard your voice! Who sent you to kill me? If we have no grudge, spare me, I'm willin—no!!"
Before he could finish, Danzo saw the white light crashing down and let out a final hopeless scream.
His body—like the Kotoamatsukami eye—turned to dust.
To be precise, the entire space vanished into nothingness.
—
Time in the illusion space was unknown, but in the real world, it was just an instant.
In the eyes of the Root members, Danzo was still being grabbed by the wrist and glaring with his right eye—the Mangekyō Sharingan with the shuriken pattern.
But quickly, some Root members with sharp eyes and sensing skills changed expressions.
They all saw that the Mangekyō Sharingan in Danzo's right eye suddenly turned back into a three-tomoe Sharingan.
Its light vanished, and the Yin Chakra in his brain disappeared instantly.
At the same time, Izanagi deactivated, and all the Sharingan on his right arm closed.
With no Yin Chakra suppressing them, the arm made from Hashirama cells began squirming like something was trying to break free. Failing to erupt outward, it started rushing toward his main body to destroy from within.
Rip—
Izayoi reached out and tore off the entire arm.
Danzo didn't even scream once.
Though not dead yet, the so-called "Pot Shadow" had become a half-dead vegetable.
Looking at Danzo's still-open, lifeless eyes, Izayoi murmured, "The strongest genjutsu, huh… It really lives up to its name."
Other than Izayoi, no one knew what had just happened.
Even Yamanaka Fu's Yin Chakra couldn't enter Izayoi's body—it got bounced off by Ōtsutsuki resistance and ultimate ocular Yin Chakra…