"The Hypnosis of Kyōka Suigetsu is perfect.
Even if the target knows they are under its effect, they cannot escape it."
Standing silently behind the Fourth Raikage, Kenya spoke in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the man's broad back.
"Indeed… avoiding group battles is like avoiding being devoured by your comrades. But even a lion missing its fangs is still a lion. Do you think a kitten could withstand its claws and strength?"
The Fourth Raikage did not answer. Instead, in the next instant, he spun around, his elbow charged with Lightning Style Chakra surging at full force.
"Double Lariat!!!"
He no longer wanted to hear another word from Kenya—suspecting even the sound of his voice to be an illusion woven by Hypnosis. But regardless, there was only one choice left to him: attack.
Kenya's gaze lifted slightly, Kyōka Suigetsu in hand, the blade angled with casual elegance.
"This time it isn't Kyōka Suigetsu's reflection… but even so, I won't allow you to touch me with that hand."
The Raikage's face changed in an instant. A single, clean line cut through his body—smooth, straight, like a slab of tofu sliced in half by a master chef's knife.
"You can't even perceive your own death."
Kenya's words reached the Raikage's fading consciousness just as he realized the truth.
The incision ran across his torso. His upper and lower body were already separated.
He looked down, dazed, as blood poured from the seamless cut. The body he no longer felt had already fallen apart, yet his mind had not even registered it.
[Current Template Character: Lord of the Hōgyoku · Aizen Sōsuke. Unlock Rate: 59.72%]
With a soft chime, the system's voice echoed.
Kenya slid Kyōka Suigetsu back into its scabbard.
"With this, Hōgyoku's evolution advances one step further."
He glanced once at the Raikage's bisected corpse before turning away. The man's soul, fading with his life, rose in a plume of smoke and was absorbed into the Hōgyoku.
Meanwhile, at the frontlines of the Land of Earth, Gaara's battlefield report had arrived days earlier through Kakashi. The situation was difficult, but still within control.
Ohnoki's Dust Release was troublesome, but his age made prolonged use of chakra costly. Once Gaara transformed into the full form of Shukaku, even Dust Release would struggle against a body of endlessly regenerating sand.
Now with the Fourth Raikage slain, Kenya's next destination was the Rock Shinobi front. His goal: harvest souls.
He wasn't desperately trying to stop Akatsuki from gathering the Tailed Beasts, nor was he rushing to destroy Nagato's Rinnegan. No—his aim was different.
Before facing Uchiha Madara, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, and others beyond, he would first push his strength to an even higher level. The sooner, the better.
Plains of the Land of Lightning
The battlefield raged on.
Killer Bee, the Jinchūriki of the Eight Tails, stood like a mountain of living power. Among the nine Tailed Beasts, he ranked among the most controlled and dangerous. Alone, he could alter the course of battle.
Had it not been for the alliance's advantage, Terumi Mei would have already ordered a retreat.
"Lava Style · Monster Dissolution!"
"Water Style · Great Waterfall Technique!"
"Wind Style · Vacuum Wave!"
"Fire Style · Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Thousands of jutsu erupted into the air, raining down on the Eight Tails like a meteor storm.
Its massive body became a living target, forcing it to coil its tails around its face as a shield.
"Damn you pests—it hurts, it hurts! Bastards!!! Eight quacks! Koluo! Watch me, Killer Bee of the Eight Tails, crush you to pieces!!!"
With a roar, the beast exhaled a gale so fierce it erased half the ninjutsu before it could land.
"This thing's too strong… it's beyond Gaara's Shukaku already," Temari muttered, shaken as her fan's wind was scattered.
The Eight Tails roared again, curling its tails tightly, its body rolling inward until it formed a spinning ball.
"That… that's—!"
Karui's eyes widened in shock.
"Retreat! That's Bee-sensei's ultimate! If you don't pull back now, you'll be caught in it!!!" Omoi shouted, clutching his sword.
The earth trembled, mountains quaked, as the spinning monster accelerated.
"Damn pests—take this! Tailed Beast—
"-Bomb!!!"
But before the words fully left his mouth, a brilliant beam cut through the sky, slicing one of his massive tentacles clean off. Blood sprayed, and a deep gash tore across the right side of his face.
"Y-you—!" Killer Bee's stunned voice rumbled from the Eight Tails' maw.
All eyes turned upward.
The Cloud shinobi froze in disbelief.
The allied shinobi's morale surged.
Uchiha Kenya.
He hovered above, looking down upon the battlefield like a sovereign.
Everyone knew: if both combatants sent away by the Tensō (Heavenly Transfer Technique) had not returned together, then the outcome was already clear.
"Where is my brother!? You bastard!!" Killer Bee bellowed, his rap forgotten in his rage.
"Your brother?" Kenya rolled his eyes as if searching for the memory. After a long pause, he smirked.
"Don't worry. By the time it takes to brew a cup of tea… you'll see him again."