"I am weak?"
Ryota muttered as he clenched his fists tightly. Gritting his teeth, he roared, "How could I possibly be weak? I have already awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. How could I possibly be weak?"
If someone else had called him weak, he might not have reacted so strongly.
But Seiryū, the enemy he wanted to kill more than anyone, saying such a thing made Ryota feel utterly humiliated.
"I have not lost yet. No, I will not lose. I have not fully unleashed the power of these eyes yet. I will not lose!"
Ryota roared as though he had gone mad, his eyes spinning rapidly.
Blood streamed from his right eye as he stared at Seiryū.
"Amaterasu!"
'Roar.'
Black flames erupted wherever his gaze fell, burning everything around Seiryū to ashes.
Amaterasu was an inextinguishable flame. It could ignite almost anything and would only disappear after its target had been completely reduced to ashes. Its lethality was terrifying.
"Amaterasu, is it?"
Seiryū reacted instantly and dodged.
Standing more than ten meters away, he narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the burning black flames.
Although Amaterasu's record in the original story had been mediocre, the threat posed by the Dōjutsu in the real world was immense.
Anyone unfamiliar with the Dōjutsu could be burned to ashes the moment the flames touched them.
"A space-time Dōjutsu in the left eye and Amaterasu in the right. That is quite a good combination."
Seiryū stroked his chin thoughtfully.
The Sharingan was said to reflect the heart. The Dōjutsu of the Mangekyō Sharingan also developed according to the wielder's deepest desires.
Given Ryota's hatred for him, he must have been thinking about how to deal with Seiryū when he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
That was likely why he had awakened a space-time Dōjutsu capable of restricting the Flying Raijin Jutsu, along with Amaterasu, which possessed enough destructive power to kill Seiryū outright.
'Boom!'
Seiryū sensed something and dodged again. Black flames erupted where he had just been standing.
The scorching heat spread throughout the surroundings as the ground was gradually burned to ashes.
"Die!"
Ryota's expression was ferocious as he focused his gaze on Seiryū, attempting to ignite him with Amaterasu.
However, Seiryū was too fast.
Although the Dōjutsu activated instantly, there was still a brief delay between Ryota focusing his gaze and the flames appearing.
As long as Seiryū kept moving, it would be difficult for Amaterasu to hit him.
'Boom!'
Under Madara's guidance, Ryota had gained considerable combat experience.
He predicted Seiryū's path and ignited black flames directly in front of him.
Unable to change direction in time, Seiryū rushed straight into the black flames.
"Haha. Hahaha! Amaterasu is an inextinguishable flame. Once it touches you, death is your only possible outcome!"
Seeing this, Ryota laughed wildly and poured even more ocular power into his right eye.
The black flames surged throughout the area, spreading rapidly and engulfing everything around them.
When Ryota had invaded Konoha with Madara, he had not used his own Dōjutsu because Madara had led the attack.
This power had always been intended for killing Seiryū.
The information had been kept completely secret. No one knew what his Dōjutsu was.
Now, it had finally proven useful.
Even a member of the Uzumaki Clan, with their powerful vitality, would not survive being engulfed by Amaterasu.
The flames could burn them directly to death.
However, Seiryū was far too familiar with Amaterasu and knew exactly how to deal with it. Naturally, it did not pose much of a threat to him.
'Swish.'
With a thought, Seiryū launched an arrow through the air.
The Heilig Pfeil, enhanced with Wind Release Chakra, was extraordinarily fast. In the blink of an eye, it crossed the distance between them and shot toward the center of Ryota's forehead.
"Hmph!"
The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan possessed extraordinary kinetic vision.
After tracking the Heilig Pfeil's trajectory, Ryota snorted coldly.
He avoided the attack with a slight tilt of his head and mocked, "Useless. How could an attack like that possibly hit..."
'Whoosh!'
Before Ryota could finish speaking, Seiryū suddenly appeared behind him.
Flying Raijin: Second Step!
"Impossible? Heh."
Seiryū chuckled as he pressed the small Rasengan in his hand toward Ryota.
Ryota's pupils contracted at the buzzing sound beside his ear. In his eyes, time seemed to slow almost to a halt.
Only one thought passed through his mind.
Why could Seiryū use the Flying Raijin Jutsu?
Seiryū was extraordinarily fast, so fast that Ryota's body had not yet reacted.
However, his Dōjutsu could be activated instantly.
Amenotejikara activated in an instant, twisting and distorting the space around Ryota.
The attack's trajectory would be altered by the warped space, causing it to slide past him.
"Do you think a technique is still useful after I have already discovered its weakness?"
Seiryū merely laughed.
Having already figured out how to counter this type of space-time Dōjutsu, he was naturally prepared.
This was not an ordinary Rasengan. It was a Super-Compressed Rasengan with tremendous destructive and penetrating power.
"Of course it is useless!"
Just as the Rasengan was about to slide past Ryota, Seiryū suddenly twisted his right hand upward against the strange spatial force.
Using a special technique, he offset Ryota's space-time Dōjutsu.
Then he slammed the Rasengan heavily into Ryota's body.
'Boom!'
Although the Compressed Rasengan was small, its power had been condensed into an extremely concentrated form.
Like an ignited powder keg, it exploded in an instant.
The Rasengan's grinding force tore Ryota's body into a bloody mess.
The explosive force then sent Ryota flying backward as blood sprayed from his mouth.
He fell from the top of the Armored Eight-Tails and crashed into the ground.
With a loud boom, an enormous crater formed beneath him as dust filled the surroundings.
Seiryū focused his perception on the area, narrowed his eyes, and muttered, "That Chakra feels evil and dark, almost like a Tailed Beast. Where did he obtain it?"
He had just sensed Chakra within Ryota that resembled that of a Tailed Beast.
It was dark, sinister, and even more oppressive than the Chakra of the Dragon Vein, the Tailed Beasts, or Satori.
It could not be Ryota's own Chakra.
Through the special vision granted by Vollständig: Heavenly Eye, Seiryū saw Ryota's injuries healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
He could not help exclaiming in surprise, "His injuries have already healed? Medical Ninjutsu like this. Could it be Shinnō's forbidden medical technique?"
The recovery speed was comparable to Creation Rebirth: Strength of a Hundred Technique.
It reminded Seiryū of a villain from a certain movie, Shinnō, the leader of the Sky Ninja who had created the artificial Tailed Beast known as the Zero-Tails.
The reason Seiryū thought of him so quickly was that Might Duy had once exchanged the Eight Gates technique with a wandering doctor.
Seiryū had previously considered the possible connection and remembered it.
Seeing Ryota's recovery speed now made him think of Shinnō and the Zero-Tails.
Shinnō was also the reason Seiryū believed the burden of opening the Eight Inner Gates Formation could be offset. In the movie, Shinnō had opened the Eighth Gate: Gate of Death.
It was later confirmed that this was possible. As long as someone possessed sufficiently powerful Medical Ninjutsu, the fatal burden of opening the Eighth Gate: Gate of Death could be offset.
'Boom!'
The Armored Eight-Tails suddenly attacked Seiryū, its eight tails whipping wildly toward him.
Seiryū naturally noticed the attack and dodged in a flash.
The space above the Armored Eight-Tails twisted, and Ryota appeared on top of it once again.
Looking down at Seiryū, he asked with a ferocious expression, "Why was Amaterasu useless against you? You should have died beneath Amaterasu."
Seiryū laughed.
"Amaterasu? Although I have never encountered it before, my granduncle recorded information about it in his books, including methods of dealing with it."
"You do not know who my granduncle was? Naturally, I am referring to the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. He studied the Uchiha Clan very thoroughly."
"The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama?"
Ryota narrowed his eyes before looking toward the Konoha shinobi.
He saw that the Four Red Yang Formation had been torn open.
He also realized why Seiryū had been able to use the Flying Raijin Jutsu.
Ryota's eyes widened before he dispelled the Four Red Yang Formation.
Maintaining the technique also consumed an enormous amount of his Chakra.
It was originally a sealing technique that required four Kage-level shinobi to perform. By taking advantage of a special method, Ryota could barely activate it alone, although its power was greatly reduced.
Its original purpose had only been to restrict the Flying Raijin Jutsu.
Now that the formation had been torn open, there was no longer any reason for Ryota to continue maintaining it.
Ryota looked at Seiryū. His voice remained cold, but he was no longer hysterical and had regained his composure.
"I still underestimated you, Uzumaki Seiryū."
"However, there is no longer any need to maintain the Four Red Yang Formation. You should understand what that means. What you saw earlier was not my full power."
"You said I could not properly use these eyes? I will tell you now. I had merely divided my Chakra and ocular power."
After speaking, Ryota formed a hand seal.
As the seal was completed, his Chakra became even stronger, and the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes appeared even more profound.
The special clones maintaining the Four Red Yang Formation were dispelled, returning the divided Chakra and ocular power to his main body.
Noticing the change in Ryota, Seiryū paid little attention to it and merely raised an eyebrow.
"Dividing Chakra and ocular power? Was that one of Setsuna's Mangekyō Dōjutsu?"
Could the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan possess more than two Dōjutsu?
Or had Setsuna's Dōjutsu been sealed inside the eyes through a Transcription Seal, allowing it to be activated at a specific moment?
Seiryū did not know the exact circumstances.
However, Ryota was indeed much stronger than before.
Ryota did not answer. He merely stared coldly at Seiryū.
"The second round has begun."
The Armored Eight-Tails condensed a Yasaka Magatama in its hands. It resembled several coiling serpents.
At Ryota's command, it hurled the attack toward Seiryū.
"Fine. If you say this is the second round, then it is the second round. It makes little difference to me."
Seiryū grinned slightly, formed a Rasenshuriken, and threw it forward.
'Boom!'
The two Ninjutsu collided in midair.
A terrifying roar erupted as explosions followed one after another. Waves of air rolled endlessly across the battlefield while shockwaves spread outward.
The explosion signaled the continuation of the battle.
"You will still lose."
Purple light bloomed from the mark between Seiryū's brows as he released the Yin Seal and drew out the Dragon Vein Chakra stored within it.
Ryūhaō was not there, but the Yin Seal still contained Dragon Vein Chakra.
Although Seiryū could not enter the Dragon-Human Hollowification state without Ryūhaō's cooperation, he could still use Ordinary Hollowification.
It was the Dragon Vein Chakra Mode.
'Boom!'
A purple Chakra cloak surged around Seiryū's body.
The Dragon Vein Chakra Mode combined with the Seventh Gate: Gate of Wonder, causing his Chakra to rise by another enormous margin.
The surging Chakra even stirred up a hurricane.
"Dragon Fist Burst!"
Seiryū threw a punch.
The force of the blow erupted and transformed into the shape of a dragon, roaring silently as it surged forward and violently disturbed the surroundings.
Ryota did not attempt to block it head-on.
His left eye spun as he activated Amenotejikara.
The surrounding space twisted, and the Armored Eight-Tails shifted some distance away.
It avoided Seiryū's attack.
An explosion erupted behind it as an enormous crater appeared where the Armored Eight-Tails had just been standing. The ground rippled like water as cracks spread outward.
"Roar!"
The Armored Eight-Tails roared, opened its mouth, and fired a beam of Chakra.
It was a variation of the Tailed Beast Ball.
Although it was less destructive than a complete Tailed Beast Ball, it was much faster. In the blink of an eye, it shot toward Seiryū.
'Boom!'
Seiryū instantly disappeared from his original position.
The aftermath of the explosion to his left did not affect his movements.
He raised his index finger as light gathered at its tip.
"Cero!"
'Swish.'
The twisted space caused the Cero to slide past Ryota, shooting diagonally into the sky until it disappeared.
"You are finally taking this seriously, are you? Hahaha! You need to fight seriously to deal with me now. I already told you, I am no longer the person I once was!"
Ryota laughed wildly, excitement and killing intent intertwining within his eyes.
In the past, Uzumaki Seiryū had been like an enormous mountain pressing down upon him, leaving him unable to breathe.
The desire to surpass Seiryū and the hatred driving him to kill Seiryū had always weighed heavily on his heart.
It was because of those emotions that, after Madara gave him the Zero-Tails, some kind of qualitative change occurred within him.
That change allowed him to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
But it was not enough.
It was far from enough.
Seiryū had already become known as the Shinigami of the Shinobi World, someone comparable to the former Madara and Senju Hashirama.
He had crushed Kumo and Suna with his own strength.
Even the Third Raikage had died at his hands, while the two jinchūriki serving under Iwa's Third Tsuchikage had been defeated by him.
The title Shinigami of the Shinobi World represented the shinobi world's recognition of Seiryū's strength and placed him at the very pinnacle of the shinobi world.
After Madara and Senju Hashirama, another shinobi had appeared who possessed enough power to sweep across the entire shinobi world.
At that time, Seiryū had only been eleven or twelve years old.
It was terrifying and almost impossible to comprehend.
But now, Ryota felt that he had finally caught up with Seiryū.
Seiryū now needed to use his full strength to fight him.
Outsiders could never understand the excitement he felt or the release of emotions that had been suppressed for so long.
He finally possessed the power to take revenge.
Seiryū nodded slightly, acknowledging Ryota's strength.
"To possess this kind of power at fourteen is indeed remarkable. Among your peers, I am willing to call you the strongest."
That was the truth.
Who could possibly call the current Ryota weak?
He possessed the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, controlled the Eight-Tails, had transplanted the First Hokage's cells, and wielded the power of the Zero-Tails.
With all of these advantages, Ryota had become one of the shinobi standing at the pinnacle of the shinobi world.
Based on Seiryū's judgment, Ryota was even stronger than the Madara he had previously fought.
These advantages were somewhat excessive.
The fact that Ryota possessed such power at his age was the result of favorable circumstances, opportunity, and support.
Among those of his generation, aside from Seiryū himself, no one could currently fight Ryota.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)