As the Otsutsuki treasure vanished right before his eyes, Otsutsuki Ryushiki froze.
Hearing the voice from behind, his face contorted. He turned stiffly to see Shinichi Hyuga casually holding the Karasuki (the time-traveling turtle). Ryushiki's mouth hung open, a disbelieving whisper escaping his lips:
"This... how is this possible?!"
He had used this secret base for centuries. He had even layered it with the "sealing jutsu" unique to this world to mask its location. To return here, he used the supreme space-time jutsu Yomotsu Hirasaka. Yet, this Hyuga brat had followed him as if he were walking through his own front door.
What terrified Ryushiki most was that he hadn't sensed a single ripple in space. Shinichi's arrival was silent, instantaneous, and completely beyond Ryushiki's understanding of ninjutsu.
"Surprised?" Shinichi asked. "Space-time jutsu isn't exactly a monopoly held by the Otsutsuki, is it?"
Since awakening the Tenseigan, Shinichi's mastery over jutsu had undergone a qualitative leap. His application of the Flying Raijin was now effortless. He could mark a target or leap across dimensions with a mere thought.
In the past, using Flying Raijin felt like he was jumping through space. Now, it felt as if the destination itself was folding toward him. This subtle difference meant the spatial fluctuations were virtually non-existent. Even an Otsutsuki's sensory abilities couldn't track a movement that left no trace.
Compared to the "Claw Marks" used by Code or even the Yomotsu Hirasaka, Shinichi's Flying Raijin was faster and more versatile. The only downside was the need for a formula, but for the current Shinichi, placing a mark was as easy as breathing. The moment he had grabbed Ryushiki's wrist in the bedroom, the mark had been set. From that second onward, Ryushiki was a marked man, his every move visible to Shinichi's senses across the entire continent.
The Last Stand of a "God"
Ryushiki's pale skin turned a sickly shade of gray. His Rinnegan flared with murderous intent, but he didn't dare move. He was trapped. Without the Karasuki, his "reset button" was gone.
He's just a member of a lower race, Ryushiki tried to convince himself. He can't possibly master the Tenseigan's full power. I am an Otsutsuki! I cannot lose to a bug!
With a roar, Ryushiki manifested a deep crimson chakra spear and lunged.
Shinichi didn't even look at the weapon. His mind was on the turtle. He recognized it instantly from his memories of the "Time Slip" arc—the one famous for Sasuke's "tackle." Seeing it in person confirmed its value. This was a treasure that could alter the very fabric of history.
"Hmph."
Shinichi flicked his wrist, storing the Karasuki into a private pocket dimension.
Seeing his last hope disappear, Ryushiki grew frantic. His spear became a blur, a thousand afterimages dancing in the air to confuse the eye. To a normal shinobi, it would be an inescapable web of death.
To the Tenseigan, it was a slow-motion joke.
Shinichi had no interest in a drawn-out battle. He knew there were other predators in the shadows—Isshiki, and even the lingering soul of Hagoromo Otsutsuki (the Sage of Six Paths). He needed to end this quickly to avoid drawing the eyes of the true heavyweights.
As Ryushiki charged, Shinichi simply raised a hand. A single Truth-Seeking Orb shot forward like a bullet.
"!"
Ryushiki braked hard, swinging his spear to deflect the black sphere. In his mind, his superior Otsutsuki chakra should have swatted the orb away. Instead, upon contact, the Truth-Seeking Orb didn't bounce. It erased.
The black matter ate through the crimson spear as if it were nothing and punched a hole straight through Ryushiki's chest.
"How... how can this thing swallow my chakra?!" Ryushiki gasped, looking down at the bowl-sized hole in his torso.
He waited for his legendary Otsutsuki regeneration to kick in. It didn't. Gray ash-like matter coated the edges of the wound, neutralizing his cells and halting their division.
It's like a weaker version of Kaguya's All-Killing Ash Bones, Shinichi noted, impressed. While not as absolute as the Goddess's technique, it was more than enough to kill a scout.
The End of Ryushiki
"BOOM!"
The Truth-Seeking Orb passed through Ryushiki and obliterated the ground behind him.
Ryushiki was wide open, reeling from the pain. Shinichi didn't step closer; he simply sent two more orbs. Ryushiki rolled desperately, the orbs whistling past his ears and striking the Miniature Divine Tree behind him. The massive tree groaned and toppled, filling the cavern with dust and debris.
Under the cover of the smoke, Ryushiki manifested two short daggers. He blurred through the haze, aiming for Shinichi's eyes. He assumed that because Shinichi relied on long-range orbs, he must be weak in Taijutsu.
He was wrong.
Shinichi was a Hyuga. Close-quarters combat was his birthright.
As Ryushiki descended from the ceiling, daggers aimed at Shinichi's pupils, Shinichi simply shifted half a step back. The blades grazed his cloak. Ryushiki pressed the attack, unleashing a flurry of stabs, but Shinichi moved like a ghost, flowing around the strikes as if he were made of smoke.
"The gap between us," Shinichi whispered, "is simply too large."
Shinichi's hand shot out. It wasn't a Gentle Fist strike; it was a raw, chakra-enhanced punch. His fist buried itself into Ryushiki's chest, the impact shattering the alien's spine and sending a shockwave out his back.
Ryushiki stiffened. Blood sprayed from his mouth, choking him. He stared at Shinichi with wide, fading eyes, his lips trembling as if trying to curse his killer.
Shinichi didn't wait for a monologue.
"Thanks for the tools. I'll put them to good use."
Shinichi retracted his bloodstained fist. Ryushiki's body slumped forward, hitting the cavern floor with a heavy thud. The "God" was dead.
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