Chapter 277: Wood Release Kekkei Mōra, Hinata's Ordeal
"How do you think Sasuke's future path should go?" Jiraiya asked, slurping his ramen.
Genichi laughed. "You're his teacher, and you're asking me?"
Jiraiya, with his thick skin, retorted, "You're his teacher too, aren't you? Sigh… Sasuke's talent for Sage Mode isn't very good."
Just then, the ramen arrived. Genichi took it, thanked the server, and then turned to Jiraiya. "Even if I didn't say anything, you probably already know, don't you?"
Jiraiya paused, then said, "The path of Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tōta?"
Genichi nodded. "And Kekkei Mōra… and Yin–Yang Release. With his Rinnegan, Sasuke has an advantage in Yin–Yang Release."
Jiraiya sighed. He wasn't proficient in those areas, so he couldn't teach Sasuke. He wondered if it was too late to start learning now? Jiraiya pondered, a troubled expression on his face, then quickly finished his ramen. Wiping his mouth, he stood up. "Ichiraku, Genichi's paying!" With that, he turned and vanished.
Genichi didn't mind, chatting with Mei Terumi while he ate his ramen. After paying, the two strolled home. Mei also had a residence in Konoha, of course. The current trend was that the main forces of all the major shinobi villages were rapidly converging on Konoha, which had expanded repeatedly.
Upon returning home, a passionate embrace and thorough "replenishment" were inevitable. Of course, Genichi still had to go back to his own house.
Late into the night, the children were all asleep. Tsunade and the others were busy with their own research scrolls. Tsunade, who had a good idea of what Genichi had been up to, looked at him with disdain and ignored him. Genichi was used to it. No matter, he would just thoroughly "replenish" her later.
After washing up and leaving the bathroom, Genichi entered his study. As he sat down to retrieve his Shadow Clones that were training outside, a surge of memories flowed back to him.
"Oh?"
"It's done!" Genichi was ecstatic. He had thought he'd have to wait until his next "power-up" next year, but it was accomplished now. Heaven truly rewards the diligent!
A wide smile spread across Genichi's face. Seven nature transformations surged within him, fusing together to form a new nature transformation.
Wood Release Kekkei Mōra!
Heaven's Eye, Ice Release, Electromagnet Release, and now Wood Release—Genichi now possessed four Kekkei Mōra. It was magnificent! Though still far from Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's level. Kaguya's Kekkei Mōra still doubled Genichi's. But Genichi was confident he would surpass Kaguya eventually, then utterly dominate her and thoroughly "replenish" her.
Vast amounts of Wood Release Kekkei Mōra chakra surged through his body, merging with his cells, permeating them with the information of Wood Release Kekkei Mōra, transforming them completely. This process was swift, unlike before, when it would take a long time for new power to alter his cells. This speed was due not only to Genichi's massive chakra reserves but also to his mastery over his own physical body.
Genichi currently couldn't perform gene editing on others, but he could now interfere with the internal operations of his own cells, including partial gene editing. This was closely related to Electromagnet Release, gravity, and his research into the strong nuclear force. Thus, in just fifteen minutes, Genichi completed his physical metamorphosis.
Calming himself, Genichi continued to retrieve his clones and organize their memories. He recorded what needed to be recorded, unwilling to rely solely on memory. By 11 PM, he was done. Genichi stretched, left his study, and saw that all the lights were off. Tsunade and the other three women were already asleep.
Genichi felt his way to Tsunade's room. Just as he was about to embrace her from behind, a fist swung at him.
"I've mastered the Wood Release Kekkei Mōra!" Genichi's words made Tsunade's fist pause.
Then, Tsunade suddenly sat up. "Really?"
"Of course." Genichi pulled Tsunade back down. "Feel it."
Their bodies pressed together, and the glow of chakra lit up the darkness. Tsunade closed her eyes, silently sensing the unique chakra. Genichi's hands began to roam, gently caressing and exploring.
A moment later, Tsunade opened her eyes, smacked Genichi's hand, and turned to him. "This is your fourth Kekkei Mōra, isn't it?"
Genichi reached out again and nodded. "It is my fourth. Now that I've mastered Wood Release, you can also try to follow my path and see if you can master it. Of course, if you can't, it's alright."
Mastering Wood Release Kekkei Mōra meant the puzzle was becoming more complete. His next "power-up" would last a hundred years. Perhaps he could taste the fruit of the God Tree. The thought alone was exciting.
Tsunade sensed his excitement. She pinched him and scoffed. "Still up for it?"
Genichi was greatly displeased and immediately initiated battle. An hour later, Tsunade begged for mercy and surrendered. Genichi refused and instantly appeared in Shizune's room. Today, he was having a quadruple meat sandwich.
It was a wild night, but Genichi still rose early the next morning, then took the kids for a stroll. He took little Marin with him and went grocery shopping with Shizune.
Meanwhile, Kurenai Yuhi was also up early. After her morning training, she began preparations. Today, she was leading a mission. At nine in the morning, at Konoha's main gate, Kurenai met up with her subordinates: Hinata, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame.
"Let's go!" Kurenai ordered, and the four immediately leaped out of the gate, heading straight for the Daimyō's capital. This wasn't an urgent mission, so Kurenai didn't rush. After two hours, they had covered half the distance and stopped to rest.
Kurenai had just taken a sip of water when a whooshing sound suddenly pierced the air. Six mysterious figures in black robes appeared before them.
"Who are you?!" Kurenai stood up abruptly. Hinata and her two teammates reacted quickly, gathering behind Kurenai. Kiba's ninja dog, Akamaru, bared his teeth and let out a low growl.
Kiba sniffed the air. "Sensei, something's wrong. These guys… they don't smell human."
Kurenai activated her True Sight dōjutsu. She also felt that these silent figures meant trouble. She immediately cast a genjutsu, weaving illusions to hide herself and her team.
Hinata had already activated her Byakugan. She saw the truth beneath the black robes and gasped. "Sensei, they're all puppets!"
Puppets? Kurenai was puzzled but immediately ordered, "Find whoever is controlling them."
"They're not controlled by chakra strings," Hinata said.
"So, is it Lord Genichi's Spirit Puppet secret jutsu?" Shino wondered.
Just then, three of the puppets raised their hands, and chakra spheres materialized. Kurenai's pupils constricted. "Scatter!" she shouted.
The chakra spheres launched, and the four shinobi scattered.
BOOM! BOOM!
All of Kurenai's illusions shattered.
"These puppets… they're immune to my genjutsu!" Kurenai landed on a tree branch, only to see chakra spheres hurtling towards her. "My genjutsu truly has no effect on them…" She vanished from the branch again as it was blasted into splinters. Kiba and Shino were also forced to retreat, unable to counterattack.
Hinata was not hit by the chakra spheres but was surrounded by three puppets. After a few exchanges, a puppet struck her, knocking her unconscious. She was completely outmatched.
A puppet hoisted Hinata onto its shoulder and began to leave, with three other puppets covering its retreat.
Having confirmed that her genjutsu was completely ineffective, Kurenai immediately used her True Sight's illusion manifestation ability. A giant eagle suddenly descended from the sky, snatching one of the attacking puppets and tearing it apart with its talons, sending its components scattering.
After dealing with one puppet, Kurenai manifested two large pythons that coiled around the other two, pinning them. One puppet immediately shifted its target, blasting the pythons apart, but Shino's insects swarmed and enveloped it, rapidly devouring it and neutralizing its combat power. With her illusionary creatures and Shino's insects providing a double distraction, Kiba seized the opportunity, striking down the last puppet.
"Sensei, Hinata's been captured!" Kiba yelled.
"Kiba, can you track them?" Kurenai asked immediately.
Kiba leaped onto Akamaru's back. "No problem!"
The three immediately set off in pursuit.
As they chased, Shino said, "It seems these guys were specifically targeting Hinata."
"Is it for the Byakugan?" Kiba wondered. "Hinata is from the main branch, right?"
Kurenai frowned. "This is probably not a simple matter." She thought of the Ōtsutsuki clan on the moon. After a moment of contemplation, she changed her orders. "Shino, return to the village immediately and report to the Fifth Hokage!"
"Understood!" Shino nodded. Leaving a few insects on Kurenai and Kiba, he immediately turned back the way they came.
Kurenai and Kiba continued their pursuit, eventually entering a cave. But as soon as they rushed in, chakra spheres immediately flew towards them.
"Look out!" Kurenai shouted, her eyes blazing bright in the darkness.
BOOM! BOOM!
The cave collapsed, sending up plumes of smoke that enveloped Kurenai, Kiba, and Akamaru.
Woof! Woof!
Akamaru barked. Amidst the collapsing cave and rubble, a hollow stone sphere, turned upside down, protected Kurenai, Kiba, and Akamaru.
"Kiba, are you alright?" Kurenai asked, turning to him, her eyes shining brightly in the dark.
Kiba shook his head. "I'm fine. But we almost got buried! Good thing you used your illusion manifestation, Sensei." The defensive ninjutsu, which looked like an Earth Release technique, was actually formed by Kurenai's True Sight illusion manifestation.
"We need to be more careful now," Kurenai said. "Be ready for anything."
Kiba nodded. "Understood!" He immediately leaped onto Akamaru's back and activated his secret technique, transforming into a three-headed wolf. Seeing Kiba ready, Kurenai dispelled her genjutsu.
Rubble fell from above, but the two used the Body Flicker Technique to vanish from the spot, avoiding the falling rocks, and quickly pressed forward. Through a long tunnel, Kurenai and Kiba arrived at a wide cavern. There was no path forward, and Hinata and the puppets were nowhere to be seen.
"The scent disappears here," Kiba said, dispelling his jutsu.
Kurenai looked around, then her gaze fell on a glowing spring before them. "It seems this is the only way."
Kiba craned his neck. "I can't see the bottom at all. And it feels… unreal?"
"Is it a genjutsu?"
Kurenai crouched down and dipped her hand into the spring. The water rippled, as if space itself was undulating.
"A space-time jutsu?" Kurenai's brow furrowed. "It seems we'll have to go in and check. Kiba, use a Shadow Clone."
Kiba nodded and immediately created a clone. Kurenai did the same. Both sent their Shadow Clones into the water to scout ahead.
About thirty minutes later, both Kiba's and Kurenai's clones dispersed, their memories returning.
"Sensei, what do we do?" Kiba asked.
Kurenai had by now mostly concluded that Hinata's abduction was related to the Ōtsutsuki clan. "We wait for backup!" Kurenai said reluctantly. "We can't rescue Hinata on our own. This involves the Ōtsutsuki clan, and this passage probably leads to the moon."
Kiba's eyes widened. "The moon! What's the Ōtsutsuki clan? I've never heard of them. And are there people on the moon?"
Kurenai nodded. "It's related to the Ten-Tails… the Ōtsutsuki clan on the moon actually shares the same bloodline as the Hyuga clan."
Kiba was shocked. "Then… why would they abduct Hinata? Or… does that mean Hinata isn't in danger?"
"We wait for backup," Kurenai repeated. "It shouldn't be long; we're not far from the village."
Konohagakure
Shino Aburame returned to the village in just thirty minutes and reported to Minato Namikaze. Minato immediately understood. The Ōtsutsuki on the moon were causing trouble. He quickly issued orders, summoning Kakashi's squad and the Anbu's Yamato squad.
Once both teams were in his office, Minato went straight to the point. "Hinata Hyuga has been abducted by mysterious individuals. We currently suspect it's the Ōtsutsuki clan from the moon. Kakashi, you will be the captain for this mission, responsible for bringing Hinata Hyuga back."
"Understood!" Kakashi nodded.
"You must be careful," Minato cautioned. "According to Genichi's intelligence, the Ōtsutsuki clan on the moon possesses a dōjutsu no less powerful than the Rinnegan, called the Tenseigan."
"Don't worry!" Naruto immediately interjected. "With Sasuke and me there, we'll definitely beat up these Ōtsutsuki! Let's go quickly before it's too late!"
Minato looked at his impatient son, feeling both helpless and proud. "Go!"
Kakashi and the others instantly vanished from the office.
After they left, Minato stood up. He thought about it repeatedly and still felt a little uneasy, so he went to Kinoshita Genichi's house.
Genichi was busy in his study and was slightly surprised to see Minato.
"Hinata was taken?" Genichi wasn't overly surprised. "Only Hinata?"
Minato nodded. "It appears so. There have been no incidents in the village, and we haven't received any reports from Hyuga clan members on missions outside. However, it seems they were specifically targeting the Hyuga Main Branch."
Genichi smiled. "Don't worry, Naruto and the others can handle it. Two Rinnegan against one Tenseigan should be no problem."
If it were just Naruto alone, it would be hard to say. Toneri's Tenseigan was indeed very powerful. But Sasuke not only had the Rinnegan but also the Mangekyō Sharingan; his power surpassed Naruto's current level. Together, Genichi felt it wouldn't be an issue.
The only question was: would they split the moon in half this time? If the moon were split, would Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's sealed consciousness be released? Probably. But she definitely wouldn't be able to revive. But would Kaguya truly be considered dead?
"What is Ōtsutsuki Toneri's goal in taking Hinata?" Minato's question interrupted Genichi's thoughts.
"He's probably trying to awaken the Tenseigan by transplanting Hinata's Byakugan," Genichi replied. "Hinata's Byakugan is exceptionally pure within the Hyuga clan."
Minato was somewhat taken aback. While Hinata's abilities weren't bad, due to her personality, she was nowhere near Neji's level.
"In that case, Hinata will be in danger," Minato said, his brow furrowed after his initial surprise.
"She should be fine," Genichi said. "Otherwise, they would have just taken her Byakugan and left." He couldn't guarantee that Toneri wouldn't kill Hinata, especially since things were already so different from the original timeline.
However, Genichi was more concerned about something else. If Toneri transplanted Hinata's eyes to awaken the Tenseigan, and then they took them back, could Hinata awaken the Tenseigan again?