Chapter 87: Only a Kekkei Mōra Can Defeat a Kekkei Mōra
Six years later.
The eastern side of the continent, Kirigakure.
Among the five great ninja villages, Kirigakure held the most advantageous geographical position. Even though it had suffered repeated defeats over the past sixty years, its foundation had never been compromised. The shinobi of the other four great villages had never even managed to set foot on the island of the Land of Water.
Long ago, after the Second Great Ninja War and the destruction of Konoha's staunchest ally, Uzushiogakure, no other village in the eastern seas could challenge the Hidden Mist. During the Third Great Ninja War, the Mist had even used the Land of Whirlpools' former territory as a staging ground to brazenly attack the Land of Fire.
After the war, Yagura Karatachi began to reform the village, purging the old and building the new, all while accumulating strength and watching the world's situation.
However, Obito did not give Yagura much time for reform.
After the Nine-Tails attack, Obito secretly infiltrated the Land of Water. Using a contingency plan left by Madara Uchiha within the Three-Tails, he easily defeated Yagura and brought him under control with genjutsu.
That was eleven years ago.
Mizukage Tower.
Heavy footsteps echoed in the dim hallway. Kisame Hoshigaki walked along, Samehada strapped to his back.
Two months prior, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Kurosuki Raiga, had finally led a batch of his trusted shinobi in a rebellion. He failed to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage and fled the village, wounded.
Yagura had not only not ordered a pursuit, but had instead launched a new round of bloody purges within the village. Nearly every shinobi who had a personal relationship with Raiga was executed. Even now, people were still dying every day.
The thick mist carried the foul stench of blood; it was said the very water had been dyed red.
In a slight divergence from the original timeline, while Kisame had not defected, he had still been recruited by Obito and was aware that Yagura was being controlled by "Uchiha Madara."
However, Kisame vaguely felt that this "Madara's" methods were a far cry from the legendary "Shura of the Shinobi World."
In the years before the Uchiha defected and joined Kumo, "Madara" had recklessly slaughtered the bloodline-wielding clans, throwing the Mist into a state of panic. He was like a madman.
Although he had restrained himself in recent years, the situation in Kirigakure was far from optimistic. Otherwise, a high-ranking official like Kurosuki Raiga would never have been forced to rebel.
Arriving at the Mizukage's office, Kisame pushed the door open. He glanced at the Fourth Mizukage, who stood in the corner, motionless as a statue. A trace of pity flashed in Kisame's eyes.
He then looked at the man in the orange spiral mask sitting at the desk. "You summoned me?"
"The village will soon deploy troops against Kumogakure. Be prepared."
Kisame was stunned, his face full of doubt. In the first few years of the bloody purges, many bloodline clans had been wiped out. Even the founding clans of the Mist, the Yuki and the Kaguya, had not met a good end. Even after six years of recovery, the Mist had not returned to its post-war strength.
After the Uchiha joined Kumo, the Cloud had become like a tiger with wings, the undisputed number one village in the world.
To declare war on Kumo now... their chances of victory were almost non-existent.
"I understand."
Although he had his doubts, Kisame didn't question the order. Killing Cloud-nin was easier than killing his own comrades. Besides, he was thoroughly disappointed in this false world. Even if it were to be destroyed tomorrow, he wouldn't feel the slightest regret.
Kumogakure.
Neji-kun lay flat on a large rock, a light blue panel visible only to him.
[Name: Hyūga Neji]
[Talent: Divine Diligence]
[Age: 13]
[Chakra: Kage]
[Chakra Natures: Yin, Yang, Fire, Earth, Water, Lightning, Wind]
[Nature Transformation: Yin Lv8, Yang Lv3, Fire Lv3, Earth Lv3, Water Lv3, Lightning Lv8, Wind Lv3]
[Form Transformation: Lv7]
[Bloodline: Tenseigan Lv8]
[Abilities: Cursed Mandala Sealing Heart, Tenseigan Chakra Mode, Chakra Receiver Rosary, Attraction, Repulsion, Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, Summoning: Hamura's Golem, Spirit-Devouring Jutsu]
[Taijutsu: Divine Air Strike Lv7, Eight Gates Lv7 (Gate of Shock)]
"The Tenseigan is more or less fully developed. Improving it further will yield diminishing returns."
Neji-kun narrowed his eyes, his face contemplative.
With his current strength, defeating the Six Paths of Pain, or even Nagato himself, wouldn't be a problem. But compared to a true Six Paths-level master, the gap was obvious.
A Six Paths-level master was beyond the realm of humanity. They couldn't be killed by ordinary means. Eternal Mangekyō Madara could be stabbed to death by a samurai sword. But Six Paths Madara could be sliced in half and regenerate in an instant.
Neji-kun's bloodline was still that of a Hyūga. If he were cut in half, he would still die.
"My chakra reserves are also a problem. I need to learn senjutsu... but most importantly, it's a bloodline issue."
Even if Neji-kun raised his chakra to the level of a Tailed Beast, mastered a perfect Sage Mode, and combined that with his Tenseigan, Divine Air Strike, and Eight Gates, it was still debatable if he could even defeat Six Paths Madara, let alone Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
Kaguya possessed the strongest space-time ninjutsu, Amenominaka.
The strongest offensive ninjutsu, the Expansive Truth-Seeking Orb.
The strongest taijutsu, the Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack.
The strongest genjutsu, the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
She was the ultimate all-rounder. Aside from her lack of combat experience, she had no weaknesses.
In the original story, both the Sage of Six Paths and his brother, and later Naruto and Sasuke, could only seal Kaguya, not defeat her.
If he didn't solve his bloodline problem, no matter how strong he became, Neji-kun would still be a mortal. Kaguya, having eaten the Chakra Fruit, was a god in the truest sense.
"The bloodline problem is a hurdle I absolutely must cross."
"Only a Kekkei Mōra can defeat a Kekkei Mōra. If I want to defeat Kaguya, I must achieve Kekkei Mōra."
Kekkei Mōra was the ultimate power, born from the fusion of all seven chakra natures, surpassing even Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tōta. In the original timeline, the only one to master it was Kaguya. For a ninja, fusing three natures to achieve Kekkei Tōta was the limit. Fusing all seven was beyond human ability.
Not even the Ōtsutsuki could do it. It could only be achieved by consuming the Chakra Fruit.
"But... even if no human can fuse all seven chakra natures, as long as it's theoretically possible, even if it's a one-in-a-billion chance... as long as I work hard, I can succeed."
"My only fear is that the Hyūga bloodline won't be able to withstand the power of a Kekkei Mōra."
Neji-kun muttered to himself, narrowing his eyes. If an ordinary person couldn't withstand the backlash from Hashirama's cells, it was unlikely a Hyūga body could withstand a Kekkei Mōra.
Fwoosh.
Just then, a sultry figure dropped from the sky.
Yugito looked down at Neji-kun, poking him in the forehead. "The largest black market in the Land of Lightning is holding a special meeting tonight. Interested?"
For the past six years, Neji-kun had been active in all of the Land of Lightning's black markets, madly taking missions. However, he used a different alias every time, so he had no real reputation. A "special meeting" shouldn't have invited him.
Is the village interested in the black market?
Neji-kun suddenly realized something. He sat up and looked at Yugito. "Who's the person in charge, pulling the strings?"
Yugito swayed her hips, sitting astride Neji-kun's lap with a smile. "You're so smart. Why don't you guess?"
"Alright, I'll guess." Neji-kun, while analyzing this, let his hand rest on Yugito's back. Then, his fingers danced, using exquisite Gentle Fist skills to trace the length of her spine, gently soothing the cat from head to tail. "The black market's existence has been cutting into the village's mission contracts, yet the village turns a blind eye. The only person who could make the Raikage concede... would be the Land of Lightning's Daimyō. Am I right, Yugito-san?"
Before she could answer, Neji-kun's fingers lightly tapped the Tianzhu point on her neck. A faint electric current zipped from his fingertip, and Yugito unconsciously gasped, her small lips parting. As his finger continued its path, the current traveled down her back...
"R-Right... Aaaah!!! Neji-kun, can't you be gentler? I almost..." Yugito blushed, glaring at him.
"It's just that you're too sensitive," Neji-kun said, his face perfectly straight. "Does the village have eyes in the black market? Any other inside info?"
Yugito pouted. "Our spies aren't high-level enough to access the core secrets. So, Lord Raikage wants you to go check it out."
Neji-kun thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright, I'll take a look."
Night fell. In an inn outside the Plains Town.
The inn was three stories, with food on the first and rooms on the second. But tonight, the usual noise was gone. It was deathly quiet.
In the basement.
Thirty-odd people sat around a long table. No one spoke. The silence was so complete you could hear a pin drop. All eyes were on an object on the table covered by a red cloth.
These people all wore masks or black scarves, their attire varied. But they had one thing in common: they were all experienced masters. Almost all of the Land of Lightning's best bounty hunters were here.
Just then, the black market boss, a portly man with a wealthy face, walked in. "It seems everyone who's coming has arrived."
There was no response, only calm gazes.
The boss smiled faintly, walked to the table, and pulled off the red cloth. Underneath were stacks and stacks of new bills.
The eyes of the bounty hunters lit up. Bounty hunters didn't care for ethereal concepts like bonds or willpower. They only cared about money.
The boss chuckled and waved his hand. "One million ryō for each of you."
The atmosphere in the room instantly heated up. One million was a huge sum. The bounty hunters glanced at each other, then slowly rose, took their million, and sat back down.
They all stared at the boss, waiting. There was still one stack of money left on the table.
The boss glanced at the bounty hunter in the corner wearing an oni mask. "You don't want the money?"
This masked man was, of course, Neji-kun.
Neji-kun chuckled, his voice hoarse. "I want it. I'm just afraid it'll burn my hands."
The boss paused. "What do you mean?"
Neji-kun said, "I don't yet know what you've gathered so many of us to do."
The boss smiled awkwardly, then looked at the others. "Gentlemen, aside from this friend, all of you have your one million. I guarantee that when the job is done, you will be paid another two million."
The room went silent for a moment. Thirty-plus people, three million each. That was nearly one hundred million ryō. Everyone was stunned by the boss's immense wealth.
Only Neji-kun, under his mask, furrowed his brow.
A bounty hunter with long green hair, thick eyebrows, and his upper body wrapped in bandages spoke up. "What's the mission?"
The boss's face turned serious. "Capture one person."
The bounty hunter was taken aback. "Thirty-plus of us... to capture one person?"
Neji-kun looked at the green-haired man. "Hey, can you let him finish?"
The bounty hunter turned, gave Neji-kun a long look, and went silent.
The boss nodded. "Yes. Thirty-plus of you to capture one person. Everyone here is one of the best. I don't doubt your skills. But this target... is no ordinary person."
The bounty hunters tensed.
The boss continued: "One of the Sannin, Orochimaru."
Everyone froze.
Neji-kun, however, relaxed. He didn't know why the black market wanted Orochimaru, but as long as the target wasn't someone from Kumo, it was fine.
Speaking of Orochimaru, Neji-kun's eyes narrowed. In his plans, he had to perfect his own bloodline, to strengthen his body to the point where it could bear the power of a Kekkei Mōra. To do that, he had to go the scientific route. He would inevitably have to deal with Orochimaru and Hiruko, the man who had developed the Chimera Technique.
After a long silence, the green-haired bounty hunter asked hesitantly, "You want us to capture Orochimaru?"
The boss nodded.
The basement was silent again.
The green-haired man took a deep breath. "Just us... against that Sannin?"
The boss retorted, "You can't do it?"
The man's face was grim. "I became a bounty hunter to make money and live a better life. I don't want to die. Like you said, he's no ordinary person."
The boss said nothing, just watching him calmly. The green-haired man slowly pushed the one million ryō he had just taken back onto the table.
A few other bounty hunters did the same.
Just then, Neji-kun, who had been sitting in the corner, stood up. He reached out and grabbed his stack of one million.
"This mission... I'll take it."
The green-haired man stared. Everyone stared.
Neji-kun tucked the money away, then turned to the green-haired man. "My name is Dōyō. What's yours?"
The man said coldly, "My name is Kurosuki Raiga."
"Oh?!" Neji-kun nodded. "One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. User of the Thunder Swords, Kiba. I've heard of you."
Raiga gave Neji-kun a long, disdainful look. "But I haven't heard of you."
Neji-kun smiled. "That's normal. I'm just a no-name. What I don't understand is why you're putting the money back. Didn't you become a bounty hunter for money?"
"Because I don't want to die," Raiga said.
Neji-kun laughed. "No one's asking you to die. The one who's going to have an unlucky day is Orochimaru."
Raiga looked at him as if he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. "I didn't hear you. What did you just say?"
Neji-kun repeated, "I said, no one is asking you to die. The one who's going to have an unlucky day... is Orochimaru."