Chapter 560 Jinchūriki
One move reveals the essence of power.
It's not just the techniques you can unleash, but also what you show to others, and more importantly, what others perceive as your possession.
He lived a dignified life, never revealing excessive emotions, making himself seem unpredictable.
Composure itself is a weapon, while being disheveled is the first knife handed to the enemy.
After retreating from the western suburbs and arriving in the prepared alternate dimension, he did not immediately release Hyuga Neji from Daikokuten.
Instead, they dealt with Jigen's tattered white haori first.
The clothes were stained with Konoha soil, fibers torn by Guy's punches, and his own blood.
Showing signs of embarrassment can cause the container to have unnecessary thoughts.
He changed into his own clothes. A high-necked robe, clean cuffs, every inch of fabric clinging to his grayish-white skin.
After confirming that there were no wounds on his body, Isshiki released Hyuga Neji from Daikokuten.
The boy had not yet regained consciousness. The reimplantation of the wedge had been completed while he was unconscious, and the black diamond-shaped mark reappeared in the center of his palm, exactly the same as before.
When Neji opened his eyes, he saw an unfamiliar sky.
Dark purple, no clouds, no stars, only a faint light creeping up from the horizon.
There was almost no trace of vegetation on the ground, only scattered pebbles and cracked clods of soil stretching into the distance.
His gaze shifted from the sky to the long table in front of him.
A man in a high-necked robe sat in a high-backed chair, a glass of red wine in front of him. He was relaxed and indifferent.
His facial features were completely different from Cixian's. The only thing they had in common was that look in his eyes that seemed indifferent to everything.
Neji didn't ask, but guessed that the person in front of him was the real Jigen.
Ichishiki, equally unprepared, simply said, "Let's run away."
Neji's gaze darkened. "What are you going to do now?"
"As I said, run away." Ichishiki picked up his wine glass and swirled it gently. "This is a trial, and also a punishment."
"If we fail, I will impose the appropriate penalty and select a new candidate."
He didn't specify the punishment, but his eyes clearly told Neji that it was an outcome he didn't want to see.
The boy didn't ask any more questions. He didn't know what had happened, but the Cixian before him was completely different from before.
That sense of oppression came not only from the difference in strength, but also from a fundamental difference, as they stood at different positions on a life level.
Neji turned around and started running away from the long table.
He watched the figure disappear into the edge of the wasteland, then continued to sip his red wine.
He judged that the Konoha ninja who had suddenly become stronger could not last three minutes.
Of course, to be on the safe side, we waited a little longer.
After the red wine in his glass was emptied, Isshiki prepared to enter Konoha directly from the western suburban woodland.
After the passage was opened, only halfway through his body was inside when another twisting force came through.
Otsutsuki exited the passage and, noticing the tears on his sleeves and trousers, changed his clothes after confirming that Hyuga Neji couldn't see them.
This time, he chose a location outside Konoha Village.
Instead of rushing off, Isshiki confirmed the preparations Konoha had made after seeing the passage destroyed once again.
After two failed attempts to launch a direct attack, Isshiki found himself getting a little carried away.
Upon closer reflection, the current situation is not entirely consistent with what he envisioned when he decided to take action.
Hashirama Senju once fought alongside Madara Uchiha at the Grell mine.
There is no doubt that Madara Uchiha was the dominant figure at that time.
Madara Uchiha attacked Konoha. This fact itself implies that the tree in Konoha Village had nothing to do with him.
If that's related to Madara, then Madara's previous attack on Konoha was unnecessary.
But the appearance of Hashirama Senju and Obito Uchiha suggests something else: either Madara lost control of these two, or Madara's stance wavered.
If Madara really decided to help Konoha, why didn't he appear with her earlier?
What is he waiting for?
"Am I the target?"
The first method yielded a conclusion.
If the target is Konoha, there's no need for Hashirama Senju and Obito Uchiha to help Konoha. It's only necessary to do so if the target is him.
Even though Isshiki was certain that he had never truly revealed all his information to Orochimaru, Madara's decisiveness at the Grell mine proved that the man had a considerable understanding of his situation.
Neither the scope of his abilities nor the maximum duration this body can sustain.
In other words, this attack fell into Madara Uchiha's trap?
"Two days. We need to take down Konoha and also eliminate Madara Uchiha at the same time."
Yishi set the final goal he needed to achieve in the remaining two days.
Relying on the speed of the Flying Thunder God Technique and with the help of the barrier team's callouts, Konoha blocked the passage that was about to open twice in succession.
The fact that nothing happened after those two incidents did not put anyone at ease.
On the contrary, the silence made the tense atmosphere even more viscous.
Because any future attack would only be a direct, unstoppable invasion from the ground.
And at the very center of all defenses.
The chakra of the Jinchuriki was continuously poured into the mother tree, and the natures of the various Tailed Beasts converged and merged deep within the trunk, causing a fundamental change to occur in the mother tree.
With his senses fully connected to the mother plant, Shuji perceives the world as a collection of chakra units and natural energy within his perception range.
Just then, two more streams of chakra joined the connection.
He recognized it after only a slight appreciation of its properties. One part belonged to Naruto, and the other to Sasuke.
Then his vision shifted away from that world that consisted only of chakra.
His body seemed to have left the tree, and the sensation beneath his feet had become water instead of earth.
Before Xiu Si stood an elderly man with short hair and a long beard, sitting cross-legged in mid-air, with eight jet-black Truth-Seeking Jewels beneath him.
Shuji looked at him, and he looked at Shuji.
After a brief eye contact, Shuuji spoke first: "Should I pretend I don't know you, Sage of Six Paths?"
Hagoromo Otsutsuki revealed a slight smile, a smile that contained a hint of helplessness and a sense of expected understanding.
"I had already anticipated what you would say."
Shuji said, "Then I won't be harsh. Before you choose to help or just have a casual chat, there's one thing I want to confirm: are you able to see the whole picture of what's happening in this world?"
"I do not possess such abilities," Hagoromo replied. "As for the channels through which you obtained so much information, I have no intention of investigating them. The ninja world is home to many beings with extraordinary abilities."
That was quite blunt, and Shuuji nodded: "Is that so—then, you've already lent your power to Naruto and Sasuke?"
"They are not yet capable of fully bearing my power. You don't need me to explain the limits of what the human body can withstand."
The Sage of Six Paths explained why he hadn't acted earlier.
"The process of growing up is something that even my brother and I cannot avoid."
"This is limited by material conditions and cannot be changed."
In other words, a guaranteed minimum return is not something to rely on for the time being.
Shuji shifted his gaze from Hagoromo to the boundless water, thought for a moment, and then turned back.
"As an immortal, do you have any good news to share?"
Yu Yi chuckled softly.
"Compared to you, Naruto is more like the person Gamamaru predicted back then."
"But you did something else before him. You made them understand the meaning of their existence in the world."
"They were not merely divided, imprisoned, or used as vessels of power. Before meeting you, the Nine-Belled Ones had never truly reconciled with people."
He raised his hand.
"You don't need my strength, nor do you need the guidance of someone who has already failed."
"But please accept this small assistance."
"They have guided those who will come after."
Where the hand touched, Shuji felt his consciousness being gently pushed.
Just then, the mother plant broke through the outer barrier, and the rearranged spells were torn apart like paper in the face of its transformative power.
Hashirama Senju, who was guarding the dilapidated forest outside, became serious, and Toneri, whose injuries had recovered somewhat, also adopted a guarded posture.
However, the next moment, the giant tree that blocked out the sky began to shrink inward.
All the outward-extending branches transformed into pure chakra during the retraction process, and were completely absorbed by the person at the core.
The tree canopy closed up like the ribs of an umbrella, and the roots were drawn from the depths of the earth, along with the sealed and bound vines, which turned into streams of light and surged into the very center.
Finally, only one figure remained.
Her hair was completely white, falling down her shoulders. She wore a white trench coat, the hem of which moved even without wind.
Six jet-black Seeking Jade silently appeared behind him.
When he opened his eyes, his pupils reflected a rippled purple.