561. Isshiki’s fear

"Since it's a fight you want, it's a fight I will give!"

Jigen inserts his hand in a small swirling pocket dimension beside him. He fetches a small, plump red chakra fruit from the swirling dimension.

"It's the last of the chakra fruit I have in reserve. After this battle, I will replenish the stock from the divine tree of the shinobi world."

Chomp… Chomp…

Jigen opens his mouth and devours the small chakra fruit in his hand. A dense layer of red chakra shrouds his body. The chakra induces transformations into Jigen's body.

A long, curving horn grows from his left brow and wraps around the back of his skull before jutting outward from his right temple. The horn resembles a half-crown, portraying Isshiki's royal lineage. The iris and pupil of his right eye turn yellow with a black wheel-like pattern with eight spokes coming out of the center. He activates his Dojutsu ability.

Byakugan appears in his left eye. A vertical column of six magatama tomoe with an emblem resembling a black mallet appears across his chest. A similar vertical column of six smaller black mallet emblems also appears on his back.

Isshiki completely overtakes Jigen's body.

"Too bad! The quality of this host is extremely pathetic. I can only exert my full power for a few minutes. After which, this vessel will rupture. Then again, it has been a long while since I last changed my vessel. After this battle, I will switch to a reserve."

Isshiki stares at his palm. A Kama seal appears in it. He clenches his fist and glances at Izuna.

"Your body could have been a magnificent vessel. Too bad there are several foreign things in it, making it extremely repulsive." Isshiki shakes his head.

Swirl…

He pulls out a black rod made of Astarlith ore with several inscriptions on it. Izuna instantly recognizes the black rod as a divine weapon, custom-made for Isshiki.

"Is that your weapon?"

Izuna pulls out the simple katana made of meteorite iron from his waist. The material of this blade isn't anything special. It might be a rare metal in the shinobi world, but in the vast span of the universe, the meteorite iron ore is found in abundance.

Jigen infuses his chakra into the black rod. The inscriptions on the black rods light up. A dark red aura rises from Jigen's body. Izuna also infuses his chakra into the katana. Dark blue chakra envelops the katana. Blue aura also rises from his Izuna's body.

Whoosh…

In the next instant, Isshiki and Izuna disappear from their position and clash in the middle.

BOOM…

Their clash sends powerful shockwaves across the ground. The sheer force of their collision creates a massive crater.

Bang… bang… bang…

Izuna and Isshiki trade several blows within a few seconds. Sparks rise from the clash of their weapons and each of their attack creates powerful shockwaves that shatter mountains in the distance.

The ground beneath them crumbles, creating several rifts.

Shiing…

Isshiki activates his right eye's abilities and enhances the size of his black rod.

BANG…

He swings the massive black rod in an attempt to crush Izuna.

Whoosh…

The space around Izuna distorts, and in the next instant, he appears in front of Isshiki.

Bang…

Izuna punches him in the guts and sends him flying.

BANG… BANG…

Isshiki crashes through several mountains, finally landing in a valley, creating a massive crater at the impact site.

Whoosh…

Izuna flickers above him and wields his blade. He infuses a large amount of energy into the blade and swings it down.

Slash…

The blade produces a blinding cyan sword wave. The sword wave traverses across the valley and cleaves the entire planet in half.

'Unlike other Otsutuski that I have encountered until now, this Isshiki is quite humble. He still has his pride as an Otsutsuki, but he did lower himself to learn the battle techniques of his clan and the shinobis. However, still, he will pay for crimes.'

Shoom…

Suddenly, several thousand massive black rods fly out of the valley and attack Izuna.

Izuna glances at the incoming blade and points his katana towards them.

Shiing…

The next instant, the light spectrum around him turns black and white. Izuna's figure slashes those thousands of black rods in half in a fraction of a second.

HAAH…

Isshiki's figure also flies out of the ground. His appearance has changed again. His entire face is covered with black lines and totems. His robe is ripped apart by Izuna's previous attack.

There is a diagonal sword slash mark on his chest. Blood overflows from the deep gash. Black lines and totems slowly spread across Isshiki's entire body.

Isshiki tears apart the remains of his robe, revealing his bare chest.

"So, is this your second phase?" Izuna slung the katana around his neck and scrutinizes Isshiki's current appearance.

"Hmm… so you think painting some graffiti on your body makes you stronger? Other than looking slightly more intimidating, I don't feel any changes." He mocks Isshiki.

Isshiki slowly raises his hand and points it towards Izuna.

The dharma wheel spoke in his right eye, flashes with a gleam.

Ah!

Izuna slowly lowers his head and glances at his body. Suddenly, several black rods piece out of his body, penetrating all his vital organs.

Bleugh…

Izuna pukes out a mouthful of blood.

 "This isn't enough to kill you, right?" Isshiki raises his staff, ready to deliver the final blow.

However, a smile appears on Izuna's face.

Whoosh…

His body disappears from Isshiki's vision, leaving only the black rods behind. The black rods fall to the ground without any support.

"That was a wonderful ability! I have to give it to you."

Izuna's voice echoes throughout the space.

"To shrink these black rods to the microscopic level and then teleport them inside someone's body. Then make the rods return to their original size. Quite a handy ability you have! I am sure you will be popular with ladies as their shopping bag carrier!"

Isshiki looks around to spot Izuna. However, Izuna's voice echoes from all directions.

Isshiki grabs his black rod and infuses the chakra into it. The inscriptions on the black rod light up.

The next second,

HAAH…

Isshiki swings the black rod in his vicinity.

Crack… crack… crack…

Numerous cracks spread in the surrounding space.

Bang…

With a loud noise, his surrounding shatters, and Isshiki reappears in the same place as before. He opens his eyes and glances at his surroundings.

There is no trace of battle anywhere. The planet they are standing on is completely fine, with no harm.

"What was that?" Isshiki glances at the person in front of him.

Suddenly, the person who he could easily squash like a bug a few years ago now seems to be a complete stranger.

"My eyes couldn't be mistaken. Everything that happened previously was real."

Isshiki lowers his head and glances at the scar on his chest. This scar is solid proof of the previous battle.

"Haha…" Izuna bursts out in laughter and glances at Isshiki. His lips move slowly and he speaks.

"There is a pair of very powerful genjutsu in the Uchiha clan, Izanagi and Izanami. In Izanagi, the user applies an illusion to reality itself, giving the user control over what is and is not real. However, this technique only applies to the user and changes the reality he perceives.

Then there is Izanami. This technique shapes the fabric of reality and decides the outcome the user wants." Izuna's lips curl into a smile.

"Now, what will happen if you combine these two divine techniques which were originally a single technique back into one?" Izuna glance at Isshiki with a smile.

"YOU!!"

For the first time, Isshiki loses his composure, and rage appears in his eyes.

"So, all this time, you were toying with me in a Genjutsu?"

"Don't be mistaken! It might be a genjutsu for me. But for you, it was your reality. So, you did indeed fight a version of me. Of course, I decided on the power of that version. I wanted to give you a chance."

Isshiki wields his black rod and points it at Izuna.

"Hmm… this is a very good divine weapon. The only thing in your possession that possesses an iota of threat to me is that black staff in your hand. As for your Dojutsu, your divine techniques, and other abilities, they are inconsequential to me. So, yeah, all this time, I wanted to see you make a clown of yourself."

Suddenly, Izuna's expression turns serious. A black cloak envelops his body and a black demonic shadow horn sprouts from the right side of his face. Izuna's voice turns deeper. His right eye gleams with a purple glow while his left eye releases a red glow. Izuna's aura surges rapidly and overwhelms Isshiki, so much so that Isshiki's entire body trembles involuntarily.

"Do you remember me now?"

"You-you're…"

Isshiki's vision turns blank the instant Izuna reveals his second form and his secret identity.

"Back then, when you first arrived in this world to plant the chakra tree; it was me who injured you and turned you into a vegetable!"

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A/N:- The fated battle between Izuna and Madara is here. Join my pat reon at:

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