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[NTU] [ARC-22] Chapter : 299
🕑 Added 2025-04-20 20:01:35 +0000 UTC"Is he… about to use a dojutsu?"
Toshiro’s blood-red Mangekyō Sharingan spun slowly, locking onto every subtle movement of Tendō across the battlefield.
Through his eyes, he could see it—chakra gathering in concentrated waves behind Tendō’s gaze.
It was unmistakable.
As someone who had mastered a powerful eye technique himself, Toshiro instantly recognized the signs. A surge of chakra condensing behind the eyes could mean only one thing: a dojutsu was about to be unleashed.
Toshiro's left eye widened instinctively. A thin line of blood trailed from the corner, but he didn’t notice. Or rather, he didn’t care.
His Sharingan flared to its limit, his mind racing. If he timed it perfectly, he could attempt something no one else dared—to replicate Shinra Tensei, the repulsive force technique of the Rinnegan.
Swish!
In the blink of an eye, Toshiro vanished from his freefall in the sky.
When he reappeared, he was already beside the Kusanagi sword buried deep in the terrain. Another flicker of movement, and he was now standing calmly atop the distant Yamawashi.
Back where he had just been—right next to Tendō—an invisible force erupted, bending the air around it with overwhelming pressure.
It had worked.
Just as Toshiro’s Fire Dragon closed in, Tendō activated his Rinnegan. With a single burst of his power, the sea of flames was repelled in an instant.
As for the golden chakra chains Toshiro had conjured—without his chakra sustaining them, they quickly began to unravel and fade from the sky.
"What a shame..."
Toshiro wiped the blood from the corner of his eye, a flicker of regret flashing across his expression.
“So, even face-to-face, it's still not easy to replicate the Rinnegan's powers.”
The Rinnegan had activated right in front of him, its abilities displayed in full. How could he not try to use his Sharingan to replicate it?
Still, despite his failure, it hadn’t been a complete loss.
He had captured every detail of the chakra fluctuation—memorized the pattern, the pulse, and the surge of power Tendō released. But mimicking it? That was something else entirely.
Part of the problem lay in the complexity of the technique itself. Just witnessing it wasn't enough; the chakra manipulation was on a different plane entirely.
But Toshiro wasn’t discouraged.
He was certain Nagato would use that power again before the battle was over. And when he did, Toshiro would be ready—with a clearer vision, a deeper understanding, and another chance to crack the secret of the Rinnegan.
Still, there was another truth he couldn't ignore:
This dojutsu was on an entirely different level.
After all, this was the power of the Rinnegan. Even with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, executing such a technique consumed an immense amount of energy and strained the very limits of his ocular strength.
There was still a significant gap between his eyes and the Rinnegan.
Sure, he could forcefully perform advanced dojutsu—but doing so came at a cost. The strain it placed on his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan was considerable, and repeated use could cause irreversible damage.
If he wasn't careful, even his prized EMS might start to deteriorate.
“That’s… the Flying Thunder God Jutsu.”
Tendō narrowed his eyes.
Just a moment ago, he had deflected Toshiro’s attack—yet in the blink of an eye, his opponent had already returned to the back of the summoning beast. Tendō didn’t need long to piece it together.
There was only one technique known for such instantaneous movement—the signature move of the Fourth Hokage.
He hadn’t expected the Fifth Hokage to have mastered it as well… and with such seamless precision.
Toshiro had possessed the Flying Thunder God jutsu for nearly seven years. Though he never intended to make it the centerpiece of his fighting style, he had never abandoned its study either. Years of quiet dedication had refined the technique until he could now perform it with minimal effort—no seals, no delay.
Whoosh!
A surge of chakra burst from Tendō’s hand as he hurled a black rod like a javelin—its target: the eagle Toshiro stood on.
Simultaneously, his hands moved fluidly through signs.
“Universal Pull”
A gravitational pull activated around the summoning beast, dragging it earthward.
As if timed perfectly, a shower of detonating clay descended from above, casting deadly shadows across the battlefield.
“Such flawless coordination…”
Toshiro’s eyes flicked rapidly between threats.
Block the black rod? Attack Tendō to interrupt his technique? Or focus on dodging the explosive rain from above?
There was no easy answer.
“Itachi, hold off. You’ll get your chance to use your dojutsu soon enough,” Toshiro said calmly, noticing Itachi’s narrowed eye, poised to activate a technique.
Tendō wasn’t going to let them walk away from this fight. It was clear now—they had no choice but to settle things here.
“Out of shurikens and kunai, are we?”
Deidara’s mocking voice echoed from above, full of glee.
“Perfect. Now it’s time for you to experience my true art.”
From his high vantage point atop a massive clay bird, Deidara laughed with manic excitement, unaware that his arrogance was leading him straight into danger.
“Intercept the black rod? Or my art? Pick your poison!”
He sneered. “You fools never understood beauty. But I’ll make you see it now—a momentary bloom of pure destruction!”
His eyes burned with the thrill of his own deadly performance.
“This guy’s way too into it,” Toshiro muttered, glancing at the airborne artist.
Deidara was so absorbed in his own theatrics that he didn’t notice the subtle shift in the air—until it was too late.
“Is that… the Mangekyō Sharingan?”
A flash of crimson light pierced the sky.
Deidara froze mid-sentence. Panic spread across his face.
“Release!”
In a heartbeat, he formed a quick seal, scrambling his chakra to break the genjutsu.
His heart pounded.
“He cast an illusion... from that distance?”
“No, it must be the Sharingan’s dojutsu. Regular genjutsu couldn’t reach this far.”
Instinct took over. Deidara commanded his bird to ascend—higher, farther, away from the danger.
But a cold voice echoed in his mind.
“Tsk... you think running will save you?”
Toshiro pursed his lips, clearly unimpressed by Deidara’s caution.
Seriously? He scoffed inwardly. The illusion he’d developed—reflected and refracted through water molecules suspended in the air—wasn’t something that could be broken so easily.
At this distance, Itachi would likely need to burn significant eye power to trap Deidara in a genjutsu. But for Toshiro?
A basic illusion was more than enough.
Without wasting another second, Toshiro resumed his assault. The glowing Kusanagi sword in his hand surged with white energy, extending rapidly. With a flick of his wrist, the blade deftly deflected the black rod midair, then arced smoothly toward Tendō, aiming for a direct strike.
“This guy… knows my abilities?”
Nagato narrowed his eyes, a flicker of unease crossing his expression.
He recalled Toshiro’s swift reactions and pinpoint counterattacks. Something didn’t add up.
“Could it be… another Sharingan ability?”
The eerie crimson glow in his opponent’s eyes offered little reassurance. Nagato had never fought a master of Sharingan before. With little else to explain the Hokage’s uncanny insight, he reluctantly chalked it up to the mysteries of the Sharingan.
Forced to cancel his own technique and defend against the sword strike, Nagato began to realize this wasn’t going to be an easy victory.
“I may have underestimated these so-called Kage…”
In truth, Nagato’s low expectations stemmed from past experiences—Hanzo the Salamander had been underwhelming in battle, and the Fourth Mizukage had fallen easily under “Madara’s” control.
To him, most Kage were overhyped.
He had always believed that with the power of the Rinnegan and the Six Paths of Pain at his command, no one could stand in his way.
But now… things weren’t going according to plan.
After a few rapid exchanges, even he had to admit this battle wasn’t going to be won easily.
Yamawashi had already descended to an altitude of just five or six hundred meters.
“Yama, find a place to land!” Toshiro called after deflecting another one of Tendō’s attacks. “Then head back. Your job’s done here.”
Lingering like this wasn’t going to help. Toshiro was ready to confront this self-proclaimed god, Nagato, head-on. And if the so-called divine wielder of the Rinnegan couldn’t handle it—well, Toshiro wouldn’t hesitate to claim those eyes for himself.
“Isn’t that a bit… heartless?”
Yamawashi hesitated, reluctant to abandon its comrades.
Despite its continuous complaints, the bird had a sense of loyalty. It wasn’t easy for it to simply leave its partner mid-battle.
“You’ve been hanging around the toads at Mount Myōboku too much lately,” Toshiro muttered with a smirk. “Picking up brotherhood and loyalty? Really?”
There was some kind of strange affinity between summoned creatures.
Even as a creature of the skies, Yamawashi had somehow bonded with the giant toads of Mount Myōboku—particularly with Gamabunta. Just recently, the eagle had even tried to drink with the grumpy toad, only to get chewed out.
And now here it was, bringing up loyalty in the middle of battle.
“Hurry up and land us, then return to base!” Toshiro ordered. “This fight’s not one you want to stick around for.”
If it were any other opponent, maybe he would’ve let the eagle stay and gain some experience. But against the Six Paths of Pain? Keeping Yamawashi around would just be reckless.
“But… Shiromari always brags about fighting beside you…”
The eagle’s tone was almost plaintive.
It had spoken with Shiromari before—the other summon never missed a chance to boast about epic battles with Toshiro, including skirmishes against the Nine-Tails, Eight-Tails, and even the Raikage brothers.
Meanwhile, all Yamawashi had to show off was… being a ride.
Toshiro sighed.
“In that case… just be careful,” he said at last.
He didn’t have the heart to send the bird away outright.
Yamawashi had been with him since the early days, back when it barely had any chakra sense and Toshiro’s own power was still growing. Back then, the eagle’s flying instincts had been a lifeline. But now, the enemies they faced were far stronger.
Even Shiromari was seeing less action lately.
The battlefield had changed—and Toshiro needed everyone, especially his old companions, to adapt or retreat.
“You’re still rough with ninjutsu,” he added. “If anything feels off—cancel the summoning and retreat immediately.”
Yamawashi nodded silently, flapping its massive wings against the wind.
It was hard to let go of pride—but in this battle, survival came first.
