Chapter 84: Sasuke vs. Jigen

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The Mizukage exclaimed, "My village... ruined!"

A single massive Tailed Beast Bomb had shattered the Mizukage's dreams of building a strong infrastructure for Kirigakure.

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Meanwhile, on the other side of the continent, Uchiha Madara, severely wounded and barely able to stand, managed to find Sasuke.

He looked at Sasuke and admitted, "I lost."

Sasuke's expression remained calm as he responded, "I didn't intervene. I hope you don't hold that against me."

Madara forced a bitter smile.

He never imagined that Hashirama would actually try to kill him.

Madara and Hashirama had founded Konoha with the pure intention of protecting the villagers, but now, Hashirama had chosen the village over their bond.

Hashirama's priorities had shifted, but Madara couldn't blame him. They were simply standing on opposite sides now.

Madara's vision was to create a unified ninja world, while Hashirama's goal was to protect a peaceful Konoha.

Madara spoke to Sasuke with conviction, "Hashirama's approach is doomed to fail. His peace is only temporary, held together by his strength alone. Once he's gone, the ninja world will plunge into war again."

Madara's words would eventually prove prophetic.

After Hashirama's death, the First Great Ninja War erupted.

As long as Hashirama lived, no one dared to act against Konoha. But after his passing, the other villages revealed their true ambitions, leading to chaos and conflict.

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Another year passed.

Sasuke was now eighteen, having spent three years in this time period.

Despite all his efforts, Sasuke still hadn't found Jigen.

One morning, Sasuke was washing himself in a lake when he suddenly sensed something behind him.

He turned quickly, his eyes sharp, and saw a girl emerge from the grass.

The girl was filthy, her long black hair tangled and matted, but Sasuke could sense the enormous chakra within her.

In a hoarse voice, the girl asked, "Do you... know where Sasuke is?"

Her words struck Sasuke like a blade to the heart.

He asked cautiously, "Who are you?"

The girl responded, "Many years ago, Sasuke told me to come here and find him."

Sasuke was puzzled. Many years ago? How long have you lived? How many years could you be talking about?

Before Sasuke could ask more, the girl continued, "Sasuke called me... Light. He hoped I would no longer dwell in darkness, but instead, live in the light."

Sasuke was taken aback. Light? Uchiha Hikaru?

But how could he have met Uchiha Hikaru? Did he time travel again at some point in the past?

Sasuke asked her, "How did you find me?"

Hikaru replied, "I've been waiting here..."

Sasuke began to understand. It seemed that, at some point in his life, he had traveled back even further in time, to a period long before the present.

And during that time, he must have met Uchiha Hikaru.

Judging by her appearance, Hikaru seemed to be less than a hundred years old, which meant she was two to three generations older than Madara.

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Elsewhere, something incredible was happening.

Jigen found Jigen.

And then... Jigen devoured his past self.

To the Otsutsuki, another Otsutsuki was simply nourishment.

Jigen's past self was consumed by his present self, a shocking and twisted display of the Otsutsuki's power.

But for Jigen, it didn't matter anymore. What was important was that he now possessed the power of the Otsutsuki in full.

No longer willing to hide from Sasuke, Jigen decided it was time to confront him and show him what true power looked like.

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Back at the lake, Sasuke was helping Hikaru wash up. After her bath, she looked soft and fragrant, like a girl not even twenty years old.

Hikaru came from a time of great turmoil, even earlier than the Warring States Period. During that time, her parents were killed in the wars, and in her grief, Hikaru awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Her Mangekyō Sharingan ability was called "Eight Thousand Spears," a power so formidable it became legendary.

The Uchiha clan, upon learning of Hikaru's power, groomed her into a weapon of war, eventually giving her the name Uchiha Wuming.

Later, Hikaru had her eyes transplanted and gained additional abilities, including Amaterasu, Izanagi, Tsukuyomi, and the feared Eight Thousand Spears.

Her version of Tsukuyomi allowed her to use the moon to cast a wide-scale illusion, similar to Infinite Tsukuyomi but not as powerful. The Eight Thousand Spears, however, was a different kind of threat.

Anyone marked by Hikaru's Eight Thousand Spears would become her puppet, their spirit and mind completely under her control.

The technique was similar to Kotoamatsukami, though it had more difficult activation conditions and less purity in its effect.

However, it lacked the severe drawbacks of Kotoamatsukami, making it a deadly weapon.

Having been saved by Sasuke, Hikaru developed deep feelings for him. She decided to dedicate her life to him, even if Sasuke didn't yet realize it.

After her bath, Hikaru put on Sasuke's clothes and curled up in the corner of the bed, watching him with bright, hopeful eyes.

Sasuke observed Hikaru as well. After washing away the grime, it was clear she was a pure-blooded Uchiha, her classic features unmistakable.

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Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Sasuke asked cautiously, "Who is it?"

A smooth, magnetic voice answered from outside, "A humble traveler passing through late at night, seeking a bowl of water."

Sasuke frowned. The river was right next to the house. He had drunk from it himself. Why would anyone beg for water here?

Before he could respond, a red light flared outside, and the wooden door vanished in an instant.

Jigen stepped into the room, a fake smile plastered on his face. He looked at Sasuke and taunted, "You've been searching for me, haven't you? Now that I'm here, what can you do?"

Sasuke smiled slightly.

He had been searching for Jigen for three long years, training with Madara during that time. Madara, though powerful, didn't match Sasuke in eye techniques.

But in terms of combat experience, taijutsu, and ninjutsu, Madara had far surpassed him.

Sasuke drew his sword in an instant, Amaterasu's black flames coating the blade. With a single slash, he aimed to decapitate Jigen in one swift motion.

Isshiki looked at Sasuke in disbelief, his severed head regenerating rapidly.

"Impressive... you have some strength."

Suddenly, growths began to emerge from Isshiki's severed head, forming a horn as his appearance changed, becoming more mature. Finally, his eyes revealed themselves.

His right eye was a unique one—he called it the "black eye." It held a golden roulette-shaped pattern with eight triangles arranged in sequence. His left eye was the Byakugan, pure white and filled with terrifying insight.

Isshiki smirked, "Behold, this is my true form... Otsutsuki Isshiki!"

As he spoke, Isshiki's full body materialized, clad in the gray-white feathered coat typical of the Otsutsuki clan. He floated in mid-air, looking down at Sasuke as though he were nothing more than an insect.

"My current strength isn't what it once was, but it's more than enough to kill you," Isshiki declared.

Sasuke curled his lips, unimpressed. "You think you're strong, but don't kid yourself. Even if you're not at your peak, you still have most of your power."

Isshiki narrowed his eyes, knowing Sasuke was right. Although his current state could only last ten minutes, he believed it was more than enough to kill Sasuke.

For the first time, Sasuke felt true pressure.

He turned to Hikaru and said urgently, "Hikaru, hide! Leave this to me!"

Hikaru nodded and quickly took cover behind a tree.

Sasuke wrapped his sword with Amaterasu's black flames and charged at Isshiki with lightning speed.

Isshiki sneered, clenching his fist as Sasuke's figure shattered into pieces. "Oh, a shadow clone?"

But Sasuke's voice came from behind, "Here!"

The Kusanagi sword pierced toward Isshiki's heart, but Isshiki dodged in an instant. Suddenly, a massive black cube appeared above Sasuke's head.

"Daikokuten!"

The black cube descended with immense weight, but Sasuke swiftly captured Isshiki's figure with his keen eyes. Just as the cube was about to crush him, Sasuke's left eye flashed, and a Mangekyō Sharingan disappeared.

"Amenotejikara!"

In an instant, Sasuke switched places with Isshiki, and the massive cube crashed down onto Isshiki instead.

With just one hand, Isshiki effortlessly lifted the cube. "Sukunahikona!"

The black cube shrank and was sealed away by Isshiki's Daikokuten.

Sasuke's mind raced. He was fighting an opponent at the level of a god, but not even the most powerful, like Kaguya. He and Naruto had sealed Kaguya together, but Isshiki was Kaguya's superior.

Sasuke knew he couldn't defeat Isshiki outright, but Isshiki wasn't at his full strength either. Isshiki's left eye, the Byakugan, had a 360-degree field of vision and insight far beyond the Sharingan. His right eye, the "black eye," had abilities that were even more terrifying.

The black eye had its own special dimension, similar to the Kamui dimension, known as "Daikokuten." And then there was Sukunahikona, which allowed Isshiki to shrink objects within his sight and store them in Daikokuten.

Furthermore, Sasuke knew that Isshiki had another Ten-Tails at his disposal, but perhaps he didn't have the strength to summon it now.

Sasuke quickly adjusted his stance. Ninjutsu was almost useless against Isshiki, and he wasn't skilled enough in taijutsu to go toe-to-toe with him. Genjutsu and Amaterasu also wouldn't be effective.

The Otsutsuki were the originators of chakra, making most ninjutsu ineffective.

Sasuke took a deep breath and began to absorb the surrounding natural energy. A purple mist started to form around his body, a sign of entering Sage Mode.

Thanks to his near-perfect mastery of Sage Mode, Sasuke's appearance remained unchanged.

He quickly formed a seal, "Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"

Isshiki sneered, "You're trying to use ninjutsu against me? How naïve..."

But this wasn't ordinary ninjutsu—it was Senjutsu!

The flames engulfed Isshiki, and for a moment, he was caught off guard. But then, he smiled slightly, "Interesting."

With a simple wave of his hand, the flames were extinguished instantly.

Isshiki appeared beside Sasuke in a flash, grabbing him by the collar. "You're no match for me, Sasuke, are you? I see you have a tailed beast inside you too. I think I'll take it."

"Don't even think about it!" Sasuke growled.

With another flash of his Mangekyō Sharingan, Sasuke switched places with the air far away, escaping Isshiki's grip.

Isshiki felt a pang of frustration. He was being toyed with.

But he still had time—four more minutes to finish Sasuke off.

Sasuke knew that if he wanted to inflict serious damage on Isshiki, he would have to consume far more natural energy than he could absorb.

This isn't good. I can't drag this out. Sasuke thought. After all I've been through, am I really going to die here? I'm still a virgin! I can't die now!

Suddenly, a Sharingan pattern appeared on the moon in the sky.

Isshiki was startled and quickly closed his eyes, thinking it was the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Infinite Tsukuyomi... Kaguya's technique. I can't win against Kaguya!

But after a moment, Isshiki realized this wasn't Infinite Tsukuyomi. However, it was too late. Hikaru's engraved Tsukuyomi had already ensnared him. With his 360-degree Byakugan, Isshiki had fallen victim to the illusion.

Hikaru tried to use her Eight Thousand Spears technique to control Isshiki, but he was too powerful. The technique couldn't completely control him, only slow him down.

Blood trickled from the corners of Hikaru's eyes as she pushed herself to her limits. She tried to drain Isshiki's power, but the process was excruciatingly slow.

"I can still hold him for a while longer, but you need to run, Sasuke!" Hikaru shouted, her voice strained. "If you attack him now, it'll break my Eight Thousand Spears!"

Sasuke clenched his fists, torn by the situation.

In that moment, the Two-Tails inside Sasuke's inner world spoke up, "Sasuke, I have a technique that can defeat Isshiki, but it will only last for five seconds. You have to take him down in that time."

Sasuke frowned, "What technique?"

The Two-Tails explained, "It's called Heavy Ion Mode. I can only use it once in my life. After that, my life force will be drained. But it's the only way to save you and defeat Isshiki."

Sasuke hesitated, "But what will happen to you?"

The Two-Tails reassured him, "Don't worry, Sasuke. The tailed beasts are made of chakra; we don't truly die. There's another version of me out there. After this, my consciousness will transfer to that body. I'll come back to you one day."

The Two-Tails began to glow as it activated its final technique. "Tailed Beast: Heavy Ion Mode!"

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