The abilities of the Mangekyō Sharingan are ever-changing, each with its own distinct characteristics.
The so-called strongest physical attack: Amaterasu, black flames that would never extinguish until the target is completely consumed.
The so-called strongest spiritual attack: Tsukuyomi, where time, space, even mass, all are under the caster's control.
The strongest genjutsu: Kotoamatsukami, which allows the caster to turn anyone they see into a puppet under their will.
Each Mangekyō technique has its own unique style, and all of them are incredibly powerful.
But if one had to choose the strongest among them, there is only one answer:
[Eight Thousand Spears (Yachihoko)]!
Eight Thousand Spears: by leaving a special mark on a target, the user can freely manipulate that person's spirit and chakra. Chakra can even be transferred to oneself or others, ignoring distance altogether.
The true origin of the Mangekyō's ocular powers is not the Sage of Six Paths, but the Ten Tails itself.
The fusion of Yin and Yang at its source. The extreme of Yin becomes the Infinite Tsukuyomi, capable of enslaving the minds of countless living beings; the extreme of Yang forms the Divine Tree, drawing in endless chakra!
As the saying goes, one must look beyond the surface to see the essence. The power of Eight Thousand Spears, which can devour both chakra and spiritual power, is essentially identical to that primal force. The difference between the two lies not in nature, but only in scale.
In the original story, even Six Paths–level Naruto could not resist the control of Eight Thousand Spears. This alone speaks volumes about the overwhelming might of the Uchiha clan's ultimate weapon!
"I know your plan is to use the power of Eight Thousand Spears to extract the chakra of Asura and Indra from within Naruto and Sasuke, but…" Uzumaki Kushina's voice trembled with hesitation, "are you sure this won't endanger Naruto's life?"
Even though Yuki Yoru had reassured her thousands of times, when it came to her son's life, Kushina could never truly set aside her unease.
And after finally seeing her beloved again, that feeling of protectiveness reached its peak. She couldn't bear to relive the pain of loss ever again.
"…Has he agreed?"
Yuki Yoru did not directly answer Kushina's concerns, instead asking her back.
Kushina was stunned, then after a moment of hesitation, she nodded and slowly drew out a sapphire blue crystal from her robes.
Yuki Yoru waved his hand in satisfaction, and the sapphire blue crystal floated from her palm into Yuki Yoru's hand.
This crystal was entirely crystal blue. It emitted a dreamy glow from within. If one were to feel it carefully with spiritual power, they could even touch some inexplicable images from it, as if a golden light flashed by.
"Since you have agreed to this deal, I will naturally ensure Naruto's life is not put at risk." Yoru smiled warmly and handed the crystal to Hiromi.
Hiromi accepted it. In Kushina's shocked gaze, she unfurled a scroll and retrieved a demonic mask.
"T-That's…!" As the former princess of the Uzumaki clan, the one once chosen by Uzumaki Mito herself, how could she not recognize this mask: "Yumi, are you..."
"Since he has agreed, we naturally can't let him continue to rest under the Six Paths."
Yoru gave a gentle smile, nodding at Hiromi, while also signaling to Miroku at the side to be ready.
Hiromi did not hesitate at all and directly put the mask on her face. Immediately, an aura that did not belong to this world enveloped her.
A cold and desperate chill came over, as if the door to the underworld had been knocked open with a crack at this moment, connecting it with the real world.
Hiromi's brow twitched, as if bearing immense pain, but she forced herself to remain steady, arms outstretched, her crimson hair rising wildly into the air.
The next moment, a white Shinigami phantom appeared behind her.
The figure was clad in white robes, its face withered and grotesque, a short blade clenched in its mouth, and twin horns sprouting from its head—like a demon from hell itself.
But unlike the Shinigami that Minato once summoned during the Nine-Tails' attack, this one carried subtle differences.
With the Shinigami's arrival, the temperature of the surroundings plummeted instantly.
Kushina Uzumaki stood to the side, her expression solemn, her delicate face taut with tension.
Even now that she had become a Shinigami, she was still extremely cautious about one of the most powerful sealing jutsus of the Uzumaki clan in the past. The spiritual power in her body also involuntarily activated.
As Hiromi manipulated her chakra, the Shinigami removed the short blade from its mouth and silently cut a wound across its own abdomen.
Hiromi let out a muffled groan. A wound appeared on her abdomen as well, and blood kept overflowing. At the same time, in the 'Shinigami's' abdomen, an orb of blue soul light suddenly floated out and landed on the open ground in front of it.
And as this blue orb of soul light appeared, Kushina quickly activated her Reiryoku to keep this orb of soul light.
Sensing part of the soul being taken away, the demonic Shinigami's expression shifted slightly. Yet, instead of reacting, it simply extended its other massive hand, reaching toward Hiromi's soul.
But just then—
A colossal surge of spiritual power erupted, crashing down like a mountain, overwhelming and unyielding!
"Spiritual Seal!"
Miroku, long prepared, let out a sharp cry as her spiritual pressure roared outward, sealing off the surrounding space entirely.
The Shinigami, about to act, suddenly realized its body was bound immovably in place. It was then that its gaze fell upon Miroku and the others encircling it.
In that very instant, the once-stoic Shinigami seemed to "awaken," as if some hidden switch had been flipped. Its glowing eyes locked hungrily onto Miroku, and the massive hand once reaching for Hiromi instead swung toward her with terrifying speed.
This creature… it was no different from the Shinigami summoned on the night of the Nine-Tails' attack. Not only was its appearance almost identical, but even its methods of attack were exactly the same.
Only its power—was far greater.
The Shinigami's arm stretched unnaturally like rubber, extending endlessly toward Miroku.
But Miroku had long been ready. She would not allow herself to be taken so easily. At that instant, the boundless ocean of spiritual power within her erupted with earth-shaking might, causing the very ground beneath them to tremble.
"Spiritual Power Infusion!"
The ground writhed and cracked open as countless stone statues emerged, forming a wall that intercepted the Shinigami's arm.
These stone statues were obviously not made with ordinary Earth Style jutsu. Not only did their eyes emit the glow of a soul, but their movements and combat style were no different from ordinary people.
After blocking the Shinigami's arm, they even took the initiative to attack and fought with the Shinigami.
"I'll hold this thing off as best I can," Miroku said quickly to Yoru "But whether I can keep its attention… I can't guarantee."
"Don't worry. This is just an extra layer of protection."
Yoru spoke calmly as he watched the Shinigami engage Miroku's statues. Slowly, he raised his palm. "I've already paid a considerable price. And with Obito's current condition, the old ones below will be forced to watch closely."
As the deep blue and even black spiritual power surged, the surrounding world suddenly began to tremble.
Everyone present couldn't help but change their expressions as they felt the spiritual power rising from Yuki Yoru's body.
The color of this spiritual power was as deep as ink. Its intensity was so high that it was like a sticky substance. The most terrifying thing was that there were pure white eyes blinking on the spiritual, as if they were observing this world on behalf of their master.
When the people present felt this spiritual power, they all subconsciously tried to touch it with their own spiritual power, but the feeling that was transmitted back was like facing a vast sea or a mountain...
Is this the spiritual power of Yuki Yoru, the Master of Souls?!
Not to mention Kushina Uzumaki's shock, even Hiromi Uzumaki, Miroku, Hikari Uchiha, and the others, who had come into contact with it countless times, were also shocked by the vast spiritual power that was being released from Yoru at this moment.
That pitch-black, ink-like spiritual power spread outward, sealing off the surrounding space completely.
Once it was done, Yuki Yoru took a deep breath. His hands closed as if grasping something unseen, and the spiritual power within his body surged once more. In his palms, the black energy condensed continuously until it crystallized into two orbs of jet-black crystal.
The crystals floated gently, drifting to rest before Uchiha Hikari.
"From here on, I leave it to you, Hikari."
"…Understood."
Uchiha Hikari gave a slight nod, his scarlet Mangekyō spinning rapidly. At that moment, the highest-level power of the Mangekyō's ability was unleashed in silence, directed at the unconscious Naruto and Sasuke before him.
Their bodies glowed with a faint red light, and the Eight Thousand Spears mark Hikari had planted earlier now shone brilliantly!
...
Meanwhile…
Within the Pure Land.
The distant world on the other side was filled with a sense of deathly stillness. Besides the monotonous black and white, there were no other colors.
Two figures sat cross-legged, like peaceful meditating Buddhas. But the constantly changing expressions and the tightly frowned brows on their faces did not look like they were free from earthly desires at all.
"Uchiha Obito…"
Hamura Ōtsutsuki looked solemnly at the elderly man beside him: "Brother, that guy's speed of adapting is beyond imagination. At this current level, it won't be long before he can fully adapt to the Six Paths' realm."
"Coupled with the Gedō Mazō being in his hands, there's a high possibility that he'll discover Mother's existence."
"Don't worry."
The Sage of Six Paths slowly opened his eyes, his Rinnegan flickering with an unusual light. Clearly, even he was astonished by the battle between Obito and Shisui.
Yet even so, he remained calm.
"Our seal is unbreakable. Unless he gathers every tailed beast and forcibly fuses them into the Ten-Tails, stepping into the same realm I once reached in life—Mother's seal will not be compromised."
"But…"
Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki couldn't help but want to say something.
He always felt that it was strange that Obito could grow to this extent in such a short time.
Although there was a huge variable like Yuki Yoru, Yuki Yoru's power system was based on souls, while everything Obito had now was on the path of chakra.
And he didn't make a single mistake!
Could a person, who was just exploring on his own, relying only on the knowledge of an Indra reincarnation, achieve this level under a high-pressure situation?
Hamura Ōtsutsuki was a little confused. He felt as if there was an invisible big hand pushing something behind Obito, and that hand was definitely not as simple as an Indra reincarnation (Madara Uchiha).
After all, the current Obito had completely surpassed the Indra reincarnation of the past!
But the problem was that he and his brother had been monitoring the entire shinobi world and hadn't found anything wrong. But this 'normal' was the biggest thing that was wrong!
"I understand your concern, Hamura. This shinobi world has never been simple."
Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki said softly: "The remnants of the natives from the past, the scourge from Mother's clan, the ambitious Master of Souls... They are all our targets to be wary of. It's normal for some people to have extraordinary development under the secret push of those guys."
"We just need to stabilize the situation, and nothing will get out of our control... Hmm?"
Hagoromo paused mid-sentence, a flicker of strange emotion crossing his face.
"What's wrong, brother?"
"Ah, someone wants the soul of the father of this generation's Asura reincarnation and is not hesitating to fight with my Shinigami for it."
"Yuki Yoru?" Hamura Ōtsutsuki's eyes narrowed slightly. There were only a handful of people in the shinobi world who could fight with a Shinimami, and at this stage, only Yuki Yoru, the Master of Souls, could do so!
"…Yes. It is him."
"What should we do then? Brother… are you planning to hand him over?"
Hamura Ōtsutsuki was a little curious. After all, these direct relatives could greatly affect the reincarnation of Asura and Indra. A large part of the reason why the current Asura and Indra were so slow to fuse and awaken was because of the environment they grew up in.
Too warm.
Too comfortable.
Too gentle.
This kind of living environment, which could not stimulate great emotional power, would greatly slow down the awakening of Asura and Indra.
"I won't let them succeed so easily. I spent a lot of effort on this Shinigami." Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki snorted confidently.
During the Nine-Tails' attack, the Shinigami's tragic defeat made Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki realize Yuki Yoru's uniqueness for the first time and was slapped in the face by this newly born Master of Souls.
To prevent such a thing from happening again, he had incorporated a part of his Six Paths' power into the new Shinigami he created. Its power could be said to be far superior to before.
Moreover, even if the Shinigamiwas defeated, the Six Paths' power left by the Sage of Six Paths in its body would also burst out, causing extremely terrifying damage to the target.
In other words—
Anyone who dared covet the soul would pay the price in blood.
Confidence brimmed in the Sage of Six Paths.
But then—his expression froze. As though sensing something dreadful, the smile fell from his face. He abruptly stood, his eyes locked on the heavens above.
His Rinnegan seemed to pierce through space itself, straining to see what had happened. Yet before him stretched only endless darkness—as if a wall itself had been raised to bar his sight.
"No… no…"
Hagoromo's expression shifted rapidly. Without hesitation, he moved.
The Sage's Staff symbolizing Yin and Yang rose high, and from his body erupted a surge of holy, boundless chakra that speared toward the heavens.
"Brother—what are you—!"
"Hamura! Help me!"
The sudden change left Hamura shocked and bewildered. But his elder brother's voice carried urgency, and so Hamura did not hesitate.
His pure white eyes reflected the terrifying force gathering before them. The ultimate convergence of Yin and Yang release swirled into his palms—before erupting into a radiant golden slash.
"Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!"