"Kotodama?"
Uesugi Koshi paused, then began chanting an ancient invocation.
As a low, resonant voice filled the air, a perfect circle slowly materialized behind him. The arc was pitch black, its edges glowing a fiery red, resembling the sun during a total eclipse. In that moment, Uesugi Koshi, dressed as a ramen chef, stood as if enshrined in swirling flames, exuding serene authority and unshakable presence.
—Kotodama: Black Sun!
"It actually worked?"
Uchiha Hikari raised an eyebrow.
This wasn't something she'd conjured with her ocular powers.
It was Uesugi Koshi, using his own mental strength and mastery of Kotodama: Black Sun, recreating the "Black Sun" within the genjutsu space.
This was exactly what Hikari had envisioned for another use of the Tsukuyomi space. Unlike real-world battles, she controlled every rule here. Uesugi Koshi existed as a mental construct, essentially transparent to her. This meant she could observe and analyze the kotodama of the Dragon Clan world from every angle, potentially even harnessing and mastering their powers.
What her Sharingan alone couldn't copy, the Tsukuyomi space might just make possible.
Now—
Hikari's lips curled into a smirk. As she channeled her ocular power, ornate long swords materialized in the air, each intricately designed and lifelike.
"These are…"
Uesugi Koshi eyed the blades on either side, realization dawning.
"Exactly. These are the antiques you took when you left the Sheqi Bajia, recreated from your memories."
Hikari snapped her fingers, and the swords flew to Uesugi Koshi's side. She reached into the void, grasping the conjured Onikiri, the divine blade. "Let's fight. Come at me with the intent to kill. Show me the true strength of an Emperor-level hybrid."
"?"
At first, Uesugi Koshi thought she was joking.
But when he realized Hikari was serious about fighting—and that he couldn't escape this space—the former Shadow Emperor hesitated, glancing to either side. He drew two ancient blades from the air, one in each hand, and positioned them along the arc of the Black Sun.
With that motion, the Black Sun began to spin, devouring the air at a terrifying speed. A ferocious hurricane roared to life, sweeping up everything in its path.
"Whoa—"
Hikari squinted, quickly using the Bukūjutsu to pull back and avoid being sucked into the vortex.
She'd sparred with Minamoto Chisei before—not a full-on fight, but enough to gauge an Emperor-level hybrid's strength. In her view, an Emperor's taijutsu was roughly on par with a standard Konoha jōnin. When they activated their bloodline and entered the "Dragonbone State" with contracted bone seams, they got stronger, approaching Might Guy's normal state without the Eight Gates.
Uesugi Koshi's bloodline purity was far higher than Minamoto Chisei's, but his age dragged him down. All things considered, his taijutsu should only slightly outclass Chisei's.
However, his Kotodama: Black Sun was leagues above "Royal Dominion," with a sequence number nearly 20 ranks higher. And unlike Royal Dominion, the Black Sun's gravitational field affected everything indiscriminately!
Hikari flung her sword's scabbard, embedding it in the ground. "Bring it!"
In the next instant, they charged, blades clashing!
Hikari wielded the Uchiha-style swordsmanship of the Naruto world, mixed with various breathing techniques from Demon Slayer.
Uesugi Koshi, meanwhile, showcased ancient Japanese sword styles—Koshi Shinken-ryū, Kyo Shin Meichi-ryū, Shinkage-ryū, Munen-ryū… Though his skill didn't reach the godlike mastery he displayed in his final battle in the original story, it was far more refined and seasoned than Minamoto Chisei's.
Their blades met, sparks flying!
To an onlooker, it would've looked like two whirlwinds colliding at breakneck speed, their swords striking dozens of times per second, leaving over a dozen afterimages. The sparks formed a continuous blaze, only to be instantly drawn into the Black Sun.
For a moment…
Uesugi Koshi held a slight edge!
Partly because Hikari wasn't going all out, relying solely on taijutsu while diverting some energy to resist the Black Sun's pull.
—Her goal, after all, was to study the kotodama, not to defeat Uesugi Koshi.
But also because the former Shadow Emperor, retired for nearly forty years and living as a ramen chef, hadn't let his skills rust. After glimpsing Tachibana Masamune's memories and realizing he might have a son and daughter still alive, his old fire seemed to reignite, radiating the commanding aura of a shadow emperor once more.
This amplified the Black Sun's gravitational field, which began tearing up the newly built "Konoha Village." Houses, buildings, and nearby seawater were swept into the storm, sucked toward the black solar disc. Halfway there, they ignited in the intense heat, glowing red-hot without fully burning due to the thin air. A single touch from a blade turned them to white ash, scattering into the void.
—Attraction and destruction: the dual traits of Kotodama: Black Sun, the source of its power as Sequence No. 110.
Thankfully, Onikiri was forged from Hikari's ocular power, not a physical object, so she could reform it instantly each time it was shattered, allowing her to keep swinging.
Throughout this, Hikari's Sharingan stayed wide open, her dynamic vision and the omnipresent mental energy of the Tsukuyomi space meticulously tracking the flow of Uesugi Koshi's bloodline as he wielded his kotodama and how that power interacted with the world. Slowly, a spark of understanding bloomed within her.
"If it works like this…"
After another clash of blades, Hikari suddenly leaped back dozens of meters, putting distance between her and Uesugi Koshi. She raised her blade level, took a deep breath, and gently swung the tip downward.
With that motion, a faint gravitational field flickered around her. The barest outline of a black solar disc appeared, only to vanish after a few seconds.
"?!"
Uesugi Koshi froze, dumbfounded.
What the hell?!
This girl could use Black Sun?!
Or… was she just studying and mimicking him? Could even a high-risk kotodama like Sequence No. 110 be copied?!
On the other side, Hikari frowned, mulling over the sensation. Then she stomped forward, charging at Uesugi Koshi again. "No, the mechanics are still off… One more time!"
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