Chapter 147: The Legendary Shinobi

The cursed seal remained the same, but the caged bird was no longer the caged bird of the past.

In the moment of extreme pain, Yuto's wrist shook as he took out a forehead protector from his ninja pouch and slapped it onto his forehead.

With a crack, the upper part of the mask shattered, and the God's Mask placed inside the forehead protector adhered to his skin.

The blood of the Otsutsuki clan flowed within him, and the ocular power and chakra of the Sage's lineage roared within him.

The cursed seal was forcefully suppressed, and the caged bird symbol on Yuto's forehead vanished, leaving only a rhombus-shaped Strength of the Hundred Seal.

"Huff, huff..."

Yuto panted heavily, the remnants of the pain still tearing at his nerves.

An old, withered man popped a candy into his mouth and chuckled, "It seems I guessed right... You're not going to take off your mask? Is your face really that ugly?"

Yuto coldly stared at the old man, the pain gradually subsiding, a golden long sword appeared in his hand, surrounded by repulsive and attractive forces like invisible giant pythons.

"Young man, you're really impatient." The old man shook his head.

"You're planning on fighting me so close to Sunagakure? You want everyone to know your identity? And for me, being seen by the Senju girl will be quite troublesome."

Yuto frowned, "We... change places?"

"Fine."

Yuto picked up the mask fragments on the ground, leaped into the air, and flew swiftly into the desert, with the old man yawning and shakily standing up to follow.

In Yuto's Byakugan vision, he could clearly see all of the old man's movements. He wasn't flying like Yuto, nor running, but sliding at high speed on an invisible air path, as if sitting on a slide!

'A movement method I've never seen before...' Yuto frowned and accelerated again.

After half a minute, the two stopped in the deserted depths of the desert.

Yuto's hand flashed with golden light as the Kumoniba reappeared. In mask mode, he had two minutes and twelve seconds left; he had to kill this man!

He gazed at the old man's pure white eyes, slowly removed his mask, and revealed a youthful and handsome face.

His forehead was smooth, with a purple Strength of the Hundred Seal adding a touch of mystery.

"You've taken off your mask; it seems I'm destined to die here today?" The old man paused thoughtfully and said, "Judging by your face, you're not the impatient type. Hmm... You want to fight so much? Then, the method to remove the caged bird seal and this powerful chakra mode must have time limits, right?"

"You're talking way too much!" Yuto huffed coldly, stomping the ground. A huge sand mountain was crushed under his feet, and with the extreme reaction force, he charged at the old man. The golden light flashed as the Kumoniba slashed down fiercely.

The old man had little reaction, merely extending a finger and precisely touching the tip of the Kumoniba blade.

"Revolving Heaven: King's Spear!"

A rapidly rotating chakra defense shield appeared, but unlike the regular version, the old man's Revolving Heaven was in a bullet shape, an offensive form. The roaring chakra collided with the Kumoniba, causing the air to tremble.

The two were in a stalemate. Yuto gritted his teeth, unlocking the Yin Seal. The immense power surged forth, the repulsive force splitting the sand below as if a sudden chasm appeared, and they both fell.

However, Yuto could fly.

In an instant, he pulled up, gaining a positional advantage. The golden long sword vanished, and all chakra poured into his eyes.

"Murakumo... Slash!"

An incredibly sharp light appeared beneath the sand, a dojutsu rooted in the concept of cutting through everything, striking the old man's Revolving Heaven.

With a crack, the chakra defense shield shattered.

"Impressive..." the old man muttered, clasping his hands together.

Buzz—

From the high sky, an invisible air current suddenly shot down, immense in power and eerily fast. Taking advantage of the momentary lag as the Revolving Heaven shattered, the air current bypassed them and intercepted the associated technique of the Half-Awakened Tenseigan.

Boom!

The endless sands churned, forming dozens of giant sand mountains over a hundred meters high, only to be flattened and exploded by a greater force. The sand was thrown into the air, like an inverted rain.

Soon after, Yuto climbed out, the pale blue of his Half-Awakened Tenseigan dim and withered, clearly over-exhausted in chakra.

Despite the intense consumption, there were no tangible results from the battle.

The old man suddenly appeared on the sand a hundred meters away, his clothes tattered, but his Byakugan shone brilliantly, like the gaze of a deity.

"Who... are you?" Yuto exhaled lightly.

"Ryusuke Hyuga," the old man said softly, "In the shinobi world, everyone calls me "Heavenly Shinobi" Or "Creator of Revolving Heaven"."

"Ah... a legendary figure."

"Not as famous as you now, Moon God."

"One more question, answer it if you want, how did you find me?"

"I knew someone needed thirty Hyuga corpses, my eyes can see some peculiar things..." The Heavenly Shinobi flipped his eyelids, showing Yuto the blood vessels within, and continued, "I saw those corpses wrapped in the smell of Shikkotsu Forest, and everyone knows there's only one Hyuga who can summon slugs."

'Man proposes, and God disposes.' Yuto remembered a quote said by a character he admired from his past life and smiled bitterly, taking a deep breath, ready to fight again.

But unexpectedly, the Heavenly Shinobi suddenly asked, "Is your name... Yuto Hyuga?"

"Yes."

"Who are your parents?"

Yuto frowned but answered, "Sogo Hyuga, Yuki Hyuga."

"Sigh, don't know them. Your grandparents?"

"… Yuuichi Hyuga, Mnoko Hyuga…"

The old man slapped his thigh abruptly, "Ah! Yuuichi is the youngest son of the ninth branch!" He seemed pleased, carefully scrutinizing Yuto, comparing with the face in his memory, "No kidding, the nose does resemble... Yuuichi was an honest guy, and his descendant turned out to be someone like you, hahaha..." The old man laughed heartily, then stopped and continued, "You're from the branch family, but still a Hyuga. Yuuichi and I were close; if I bully his descendant like this, I wouldn't face him in the afterlife. Honest people are scary when angry."

"So... I'll be straightforward."

"I must kill you."

"No room for negotiation."

"But I'm an old man who's lived too long; fighting you to this point is a blessing from the Sage."

"My remaining chakra and energy can only support one set of Gentle Fist. After using it, I'll probably die of exhaustion."

"Of course, this set of Gentle Fist is a lost technique; only I know it... Its name is Extreme Heaven!"

"'Heavenly Shinobi's Gentle Fist', 'Unlearnable Gentle Fist', 'Lost Byakugan Technique', 'Skill that Amazes Even Sages'... Everyone calls it 'Extreme Heaven'."

"You've witnessed its power firsthand."

"So..." The old man extended his hand in the standard Hyuga starting stance, "So, descendant of Yuuichi, want to try again?"

Yuto gazed at the old man's hands and raised his golden long sword.

He too had reasons for fighting to the death, leaving no room for retreat.

(End of Chapter)