Chapter 283: The Terror of Jigen
Inside Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's dimension, Kakashi and the others emerged from the space-time portal.
Naruto looked around. "This place doesn't look much different from the outside. It's totally different from Uncle Obito's dimension."
"Hey, Naruto!" Obito protested. "My Kamui dimension is cool, too, you know!"
Naruto scratched his head, grinning sheepishly. "That's not what I meant, Uncle Obito."
"He's here!" Sasuke's sharp voice cut in.
Everyone's gaze hardened as a figure stepped out of a newly opened space-time portal.
"So this is Jigen?"
Everyone, including Kinoshita Genichi, sized him up.
"He looks pretty normal," Naruto commented.
"In that case, Naruto, you're on the front line," Genichi said with a smile.
"No problem, Uncle Genichi!" Naruto's spirits instantly ignited. He cracked his knuckles. "Leave it to us! We'll definitely take this guy down."
Jigen was also observing the group. Hearing Naruto's boast, he tilted his head. "Making empty threats isn't a good habit, though you certainly are… different. But I must say, I'm curious. How did you learn of my existence?"
"History may be buried, but it always leaves traces for those in the present to find," Genichi replied.
"An interesting turn of phrase," Jigen said. "But some truths are not for you to bear."
Genichi smiled. "Jigen, I know far more than you can possibly imagine. Ambushed by Kaguya, left for dead all those years ago, and you're still in that same body. It's clear you haven't found a suitable vessel."
Jigen's eyes narrowed. "It seems you learned a great deal from that traitor, Kaguya. If so, then you must have some idea of my power. And the secrets of the God Tree and its fruit."
Genichi raised an eyebrow. "You mean the part where eating the fruit grants immense power and longevity?"
"It seems Kaguya is desperate to escape," Jigen mused. "In that case, I suppose cooperation is impossible."
"To hear you say that," Genichi chuckled, "I'm actually a little surprised."
"I am not Kaguya," Jigen said. "I am someone who knows how to share."
Naruto, completely lost, nudged Sasuke. "Sasuke, what's this guy talking about?"
Sasuke's face remained cold. He didn't speak. He didn't understand all of it either, lacking key intelligence. But he knew one thing: a fight today was unavoidable.
The conversation continued.
"Power, longevity…" Jigen said. "Power far greater than you possess now, and a lifespan far longer."
"Then why not keep it all for yourself?" Genichi smiled.
Jigen gave up. "Regrettable. You have just missed the only chance in your life to change your fate."
"My experience tells me," Genichi's voice was serene, "that the chance to change your fate is always held in your own hands."
Jigen's expression shifted instantly. "Oh? Then let me see just how you 'grasp' your own fate."
As his voice fell, black, tattoo-like patterns spread across his face and arms.
Karma, Stage One.
Kakashi, who had already quietly entered Sage Mode, gave a low warning. "Be careful. The feeling he gives off just became extremely dangerous."
Naruto and Sasuke activated their Rinnegan. Obito, Itachi, Shisui, and Namiichi all activated their Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Oh? Two pairs of Rinnegan. No wonder…" Jigen looked slightly surprised.
"Sasuke, let's go!" Naruto roared, charging forward. He formed Rasengans in both hands and slammed them at Jigen.
But Jigen simply raised his hands, and the Rasengans were absorbed.
"You idiot!" Sasuke cursed under his breath, but he was already moving, flashing forward in a blur of lightning to slash at Jigen's flank.
Jigen kicked Naruto away, a black rod appearing in his hand to block the blade. The next instant, four black rods pierced through Sasuke's arms. A second later, a brutal kick sent him flying.
"Sasuke!" Itachi, alarmed, flickered to catch his brother.
At the same time, Sakura descended from above, her fist aimed at Jigen.
BOOM!
The ground collapsed as dust and debris exploded outward.
"A miss… He shrunk?" Sakura immediately leaped back, retreating to Sasuke's side. "Sasuke, are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" Sasuke gritted his teeth as Itachi pulled the black rods from his arms. "He's too fast. My Sharingan can barely track him, but my body can't react."
Genichi had already shared the intel on Jigen's abilities: shrinking, absorbing ninjutsu. The attack just now had been coordinated. Naruto's seemingly reckless charge was a feint to draw Jigen's attention, while Sasuke attacked from the side. The true main attack was Sakura's taijutsu. But they had clearly underestimated Jigen's reaction time and the speed at which he could use his abilities. Even with prep, Sasuke couldn't avoid the shrunken rods.
"I'll heal you." Sakura summoned an Ōtsutsuki puppet, which her second personality took control of to join the battle, while her main body healed Sasuke.
Itachi had yet to engage, his eyes locked on Jigen. High above, Genichi floated, silently observing. Jigen was an excellent whetstone, though he was one that could easily break the blade. But Genichi was confident he could control the situation. Besides, he wanted to see Jigen's abilities for himself.
Jigen, having shrunk to avoid Sakura's punch, moved at high speed. Obito, Shisui, and Namiichi tracked him with their Mangekyō.
Shisui was the first to use his dōjutsu.
Daisenken-no-Mikoto!
A mountain of chakra materialized, sealing Jigen within it. But a moment later, Jigen opened a space-time gate and escaped.
"The Sharingan is, indeed, a bit troublesome." Jigen emerged and, back at his normal size, raised his hand.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Black rods instantly pierced the arms and legs of Shisui, Namiichi, and Kakashi.
"Damn it, too fast! I can't react!" Namiichi staggered to the ground, trying to lock onto Jigen with his own dōjutsu.
Obito used Kamui to phase through the rods, his own eyes tracking Jigen, but Jigen simply shrank, evading Kamui's lock.
Naruto, his Rinnegan and Fate-Guiding dōjutsu active, lost sight of Jigen as he vanished. "Where is he?!"
"Behind you!" Shisui shouted.
Naruto whirled around, his Rasengan swelling into a Massive Rasengan, smashing it down in a wide-area attack. But the Massive Rasengan rapidly shrank into nothing.
"Locked on!" Itachi had caught Jigen, who was immobile while absorbing the jutsu.
Amaterasu!
Black flames enveloped Jigen, but they too were absorbed by the Karma. However, a space-time jutsu like Kamui could not be absorbed.
"Annoying space-time dōjutsu…" Jigen felt the spatial distortion and immediately opened another portal to escape.
Obito frowned. "This guy… his jutsu activation is too fast." His Kamui was much slower; by the time he could land a hit, Jigen was already gone.
BOOM! Naruto's Rasengan tore up the earth. "Did we get him?" he asked.
"No, he escaped," Shisui said, pulling the rods from his limbs.
"There!" Sakura Prime shouted.
They looked up as a portal opened, and Jigen stepped out onto a small, barren hill, his eyes fixed on Obito—the most dangerous threat.
"This guy is a pain," Naruto scowled.
"He's too fast," Kakashi said, discarding his own rods. In his judgment, Jigen's current speed was equal to his own Chidori Body Flicker. That meant at full power, Kakashi could only match his speed, not beat it. "We have to lock him down, create an opening for Sakura and Obito."
Ninjutsu, senjutsu, and most dōjutsu were useless. Only taijutsu and space-time jutsu were effective.
Kakashi slammed his hands on the ground. Sage Art: Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!
The hill instantly turned to mud, swallowing Jigen. Itachi immediately followed up with Amaterasu. Sasuke, using his Chidori Body Flicker, appeared behind Jigen while Naruto appeared in front. Both unleashed Shinra Tensei.
Even shrunken, Jigen couldn't escape the wide-area attack. He was caught between the two repulsive forces, trapped in mid-air. Karma could absorb chakra, but Rinnegan dōjutsu like Shinra Tensei were an exception.
"Now!" Obito locked on, twisting space, attempting to tear the shrunken Jigen in two.
Genichi watched from above, nodding in approval. Good teamwork.
But just as Kamui was about to connect, the air exploded. Genichi watched as Jigen used raw power to break free of the Shinra Tensei and escape Kamui's lock.
"Stage Two?" Genichi's gaze shifted to Jigen, who had reappeared in the air at his normal size. His form had changed. A horn now circled his head.
Naruto was stunned. "He broke free from mine and Sasuke's dōjutsu!"
"Was that pure physical strength?" Kakashi's expression was grim. "And his form changed. I can feel even more power. According to the intel, this means he's released more of Isshiki's power. Naruto, Sakura, be even more careful."
Naruto and Sakura Prime nodded.
"A punch is still the most direct way," Sakura Prime declared. "Next time, I'll blow him away!"
"Watch out!" Obito's warning came too late.
ZAP! Kakashi vanished, but a black rod still found him, pinning him to the ground. Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Shisui, Itachi, and Namiichi all flickered away, but this time, Jigen launched a massive attack, sending a dense thicket of black rods erupting from the ground like spikes.
In an instant, everyone except Obito, who phased, was impaled.
Sakura Prime, least affected, ripped the rods out and charged Jigen.
Jigen, in mid-air, frowned. He felt a slight sting in his arms and legs. The rods that had pierced Naruto's body couldn't even break Jigen's defense. He realized something was wrong and dived, meeting Sakura Prime's charge with his own.
Sakura Prime was sent flying faster than she had charged, smashed by a single punch from Jigen.
"He's gotten stronger!" Kakashi's pupils constricted. "No, faster, too!"
Jigen changed direction, blurring straight towards Obito.
"So fast!" Obito was shocked, letting Jigen phase through him. He quickly turned, activated his Susanoo, and brought its fist down.
BOOM! Jigen dodged. "Susanoo?"
CRASH! The air shattered. Before Obito's shocked eyes, Jigen vanished and reappeared, and Obito's Susanoo exploded into pieces. Jigen struck Obito again, but phased through.
Even so, the sight stunned the others. He shattered Obito's Perfect Susanoo in one hit! They had only ever seen that kind of terrifying power from Genichi.
"I see." His second attack having failed, Jigen understood the nature of Kamui. He abandoned Obito and shot toward Shisui and Namiichi.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Namiichi, who had just freed himself, was instantly impaled again, unable to react. Shisui suffered the same fate. But as Jigen closed in, Shisui activated his dōjutsu, Daisenken-no-Mikoto, sealing both himself and Jigen in a chakra pyramid.
BOOM!
The seal shattered instantly. Kakashi appeared at Shisui's side, grabbing him and vanishing. Jigen's attack missed. Namiichi, having activated his own Susanoo, brought its blade down.
SLASH! A massive trench was carved in the ground, but it missed. Jigen stood on the Susanoo's blade, then shot forward. Namiichi's crimson Susanoo burst apart.
Kakashi flashed in again, saving Namiichi. A Kamui Shuriken whistled through the air. Jigen shrank to avoid it, as Itachi's and Shisui's Susanoos attacked simultaneously—one with a spiral sword, the other with the Sword of Totsuka.
But Jigen was still too fast. Both attacks missed. He blurred between the two giant constructs, and both Susanoos were shattered.
Kakashi rescued them again. Naruto and Sasuke merged their power, their Ice-infused Susanoo, Sakura Prime, and Obito all moving to stop Jigen from finishing off the Uchiha.
Jigen dodged the Susanoo's attack, then shattered Obito's Susanoo with ease, followed by Sakura Prime's. Her vaunted taijutsu was like a child's, and she was beaten down relentlessly.
"Damn it, he's too fast! I can't keep up!" Sakura Prime was furious. She took several more punches and was slammed into a mountainside.
Next were Naruto and Sasuke. Even with their combined Susanoo, its defense and offense massively increased, it couldn't stop Jigen's terrifying power. Where before it took a punch, this time it was shattered by a single kick.
Itachi and the others tried to press the attack, but suddenly, giant black cubes fell from the sky.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Dai-Gōten slammed into the earth, forcing Kakashi and the others to scatter.
In the air, Naruto and Sasuke engaged Jigen in close combat but were completely overwhelmed. The Amenotejikara swap tactic, so effective against Madara, was having little effect on Jigen. Ninjutsu was absorbed, taijutsu did no damage, and even their ninja blades were shrunk into toys.
After just a few exchanges, both were kicked away. But as Jigen struck Naruto, he felt the exact same impact hit his own body, sending him flying back.
"Hm?" Jigen frowned, stabilizing himself. He locked his gaze on Naruto. "That one… is it his dōjutsu?"
The thought flashed through his mind, and he tested it again. On the ground, Naruto, who had just regained his footing, was impaled through his hands and feet by black rods.
Jigen felt the same sharp pain. "I see."
He understood. He ignored Naruto and, while showering the field with more rods, shot straight for Sasuke.
The next instant, Sasuke and Jigen swapped places.
Swamp of the Underworld!
Daisenken-no-Mikoto!
Sasuke fired an arrow. Naruto launched an Ice Release: Rasenshuriken. Obito threw a Kamui Shuriken.
Jigen, breaking free of the seal, didn't absorb Sasuke's chakra arrow or Naruto's Rasenshuriken this time. He shattered them with black rods, then shrank to avoid the Kamui Shuriken.
The next moment, a flood of black rods appeared, followed by the giant black cubes once more.
Sakura Prime, Sasuke, Itachi, Shisui, Namiichi, and Kakashi were all impaled. Pinned by the rods, Kakashi couldn't use his Hiraishin and could only watch the cubes fall. The others couldn't activate their Susanoo.
"Sakura!" Naruto yelled, using Banshō Ten'in to pull her to him, yanking her out of the cube's range.
Sasuke first swapped places with Jigen, then used Banshō Ten'in to pull Itachi out of harm's way. But in doing so, they had no time to save anyone else.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The black cubes crashed down.
The shrunken cubes flew into Jigen's hand. He looked up at Kinoshita Genichi, who was floating in the air. Genichi was now in his Four-Faced Deity state.
Beside the cubes, Kakashi and the others discarded the rods in their bodies. Genichi had intervened at the last second, pulling them all to safety just before they were crushed.
Obito phased out of a cube and landed beside Namiichi. "This guy is too strong. Even knowing the intel, he's almost impossible to deal with."
"Most of our abilities are useless against him," Namiichi agreed. He hadn't even had a chance to use his own Mangekyō dōjutsu. If Shisui's sealing-type jutsu was useless, his ninjutsu-type would be even more so.
"But with Genichi-sama here, it should be fine," Namiichi said, looking up at Genichi. Even though he was seeing his side, it looked exactly like his front, giving off an eerie, unsettling feeling.
"I've never seen this form before," Obito said, also staring. "It looks like a genjutsu, but… not."
Nearby, Naruto and Sasuke let out a sigh of relief. Even though they knew Genichi would step in, they couldn't help but worry.
"Kakashi, Shisui, all of you fall back and observe," Genichi's voice commanded.
So many of them, and they still couldn't defeat Jigen in his second state. His power was on full display. At this rate, it would be difficult to even force Ōtsutsuki Isshiki to show himself.
Kakashi and the others had no objections, but Naruto shouted, "Uncle Genichi, I can still help! My dōjutsu works on him! I can be support!"
Genichi smiled. "Rest for now. I'll call you when I need you."
Naruto finally nodded and retreated to the side with the others.