Chapter 256: The Unexpected Mangekyō

As the ship carrying Yuto and Natsume docked, it was just past noon.

The sun blazed overhead, heating the sea's surface, while seagulls weakly settled on the beach, their cries languid.

They met up with kakuzu, who was waiting for them at the dock.

"Let's eat something before we move on," Yuto said to Natsume. Then, turning to Kakuzu, he added, "Pack a few meals for me. I'll take them to go."

"Do you need an escort?" Kakuzu asked.

"No need. It's a minor thing. I'll be back soon," Yuto replied. He figured since he had encountered a subordinate, he should check in. Smiling, he asked, "Had any difficulties this past month?"

"Earning money has gone smoothly. The world is heading towards chaos, and many are setting sail," Kakuzu said, handing Yuto a stack of receipts. He briefly summarized the recent expenditures and profits.

About half an hour later, Yuto and Natsume left together.

Shortly afterward, a masked, muscular man approached Kakuzu hastily and handed him a scroll.

"What's going on?" Kakuzu asked irritably. "How many times have I told you to stay calm… huh?"

He abruptly stood, rubbing his eyes. His face grew dark.

The scroll was written by Konan, making it unquestionably reliable.

The contents of the scroll… were likely true.

"I need to inform boss immediately."

Just as Kakuzu was about to set off, he recalled Yuto's earlier words: "It's a minor matter. I'll be back soon."

"Since it's a small issue, I'll wait for his return. In the meantime, I can think of how to phrase this," Kakuzu thought, massaging his temple in frustration as he set the scroll aside.

The scroll's edge bore a circular design of cherry blossoms. Words expressing sorrow and a faded photograph lay at its center—simple yet somber.

It was a death notice.

---

Yuto and Natsume arrived at the heart of the ruins of the former Land of Whirlpools.

Many years ago, wars had completely destroyed this once-glorious nation. The salty sea air continuously eroded the crumbling remains of buildings. Today, it had become a haven for wildlife.

"This is indeed a good place for merging," Natsume said lazily, stretching before sitting down. "Why aren't they here yet? Oh, they've arrived."

In the distance, three young figures slowly approached, joining them.

From the 56th year of Konoha's foundation to the present, the 65th year, ten years had passed since Ruri Mochizuki was born. Finally, the five of them had gathered.

"It's like we're gathering Dragon Balls to make a wish," Ruri said with a bright smile. "Yuto, let's begin."

"Alright," Yuto said, clasping his hands together to form seals. Just as he was about to complete them, he paused, speaking casually, "I had Kakuzu prepare some food earlier. Want to eat before we start?"

Kitsu chuckled, "Eating before the journey, huh? You don't need to hesitate."

Yuto scratched his head, standing in the center of his four clones, making hand seals as he listed, "Ruri (Kaguya), Natsume (Uzumaki), Kitsu (Senju), and Ryoma (Uchiha)."

"Thank you for your sacrifices. From now on, your essence will flow in my veins forever. So…"

He took a deep breath as his Sage Mode markings and golden light appeared.

"Goodbye… Ninpo: Four Body Reverse Rebirth!"

The black lines of the Sage Markings extended down Yuto's face and neck, spreading from his legs to the ground and entwining around the four clones.

Devour!

Yuto silently commanded, closing his eyes and waiting for the return of his clones.

Yet, nothing happened.

"Huh…" Natsume scratched his head, glancing at Yuto. "What's going on? Did it fail? Or is this a delayed-release technique? If I had known, I'd have eaten more earlier."

Yuto's heart sank. The Ninpo: Four Body Reverse Rebirth was a forbidden technique he had developed, it is meant to activate instantly. This failure could only mean one of two things: he had made an error in the hand seals, or…

Something had gone wrong with one of the four clones.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, a massive shuriken was already hurtling toward his forehead.

"Ryoma?"

"Ryoma, are you out of your mind?"

Ruri and Natsume's startled cries echoed as Yuto dodged the giant shuriken, crossing his arms just in time to block Ryoma's punch.

Coincidentally, the giant shuriken struck Kitsu, splitting his body in two. His halves dissipated into smoke.

"Amenomikagenokami, your right-eye Mangekyō's ability," Yuto sighed. "You can create clones indistinguishable from the real thing. The Kitsu here was a fake. Where is the real one?"

Ryoma remained silent, smirking coldly as he pulled out two kunai, attacking Yuto relentlessly.

"Ruri, Natsume, find Kitsu," Yuto said softly. "If he was dead, I would have sensed it. Kitsu is hidden somewhere. I'll handle Ryoma."

Ruri and Natsume shot furious glares at Ryoma before turning to leave.

"Just the two of us now. Care to talk?" Yuto sighed. "I always thought you were a loyal, quiet guy... Sorry for not knowing you better. That's my fault."

Ryoma remained emotionless, the three tomoe in his eyes spinning wildly as he clashed with Yuto.

He won't say anything.

Yuto smiled bitterly, realizing there was no room for negotiation.

Despite his Mangekyō, both he and Ryoma knew that the Mangekyō alone was no match for his Sage Mode. Ryoma must be stalling for some tactical advantage...

This must be ended quickly.

He remembered Ryoma's left-eye ability, Futotamanomikoto, a powerful physical attack. But with Yuto's body, he could withstand it.

He had to subdue him first!

Yuto's eyes flashed as his speed suddenly surged, closing the distance until he was nearly face-to-face with Ryoma.

Under the immense pressure of Sage Mode, Ryoma's pupils shrank, and the tomoe in his left eye spun even faster, shifting into a new shape.

Yuto braced his skin with chakra, preparing to withstand the left-eye Mangekyō's Futotamanomikoto.

Up until this moment, the battle had gone exactly as Yuto had expected.

But after this moment, everything spiraled out of control.

Ryoma didn't use Futotamanomikoto.

Instead, his left eye activated a Mangekyō that Yuto knew all too well.

Four petal-like blades, spinning like a shuriken—

This was Shisui's eye!

Boom!

Yuto's palm struck Ryoma's chest and unleashed chakra violently, sending the Uchiha clone flying and piercing through a mountain.

Yuto didn't pursue. He stood in silence.

Through his Byakugan, he saw Ryoma's body embedded in the mountain, his left eye reverting to three tomoe, and then to pure black, exhaustion written all over his face.

Kotoamatsukami, the strongest single-target genjutsu in the shinobi world, a close-range super technique. Its only flaw was… without Hashirama's chakra, its cooldown was over a decade!

In that brief moment, Kotoamatsukami had successfully activated.

A puff of smoke, and the massive shuriken transformed into a white-haired girl.

Clack, clack.

Ruri strolled over, hands behind her back, her slender frame moving like a delicate breeze.

"Ruri…" Yuto whispered, his voice calm—no blame, no anger, no hysteria. "Is Shisui still alive?"

Shunk.

A short blade pierced Yuto's chest.

Though his power was immense, and his chakra in Sage Mode could tear apart the seas, Yuto didn't even think to dodge the fatal blow.

He had been caught in Kotoamatsukami, its command being: "You cannot react to any attack from Ruri Mochizuki."

Yuto coughed up blood, his voice barely above a whisper, "You haven't answered my question... How is Shisui?"

"You'll see him soon," Ruri said with a mischievous smile, burrowing into Yuto's chest, her white hair brushing against her doll-like face. Like a fox that had finally caught its prey, she whispered, "It's tragic, isn't it? Shisui Uchiha met the same fate as in the original story, betrayed by his comrades. But watching his sorrowful, despairing face up close was much more fun than reading about it in the manga, heh."

She giggled, her hand pressing against Yuto's throat.

"Please…"

"Oh my, the mighty Moon God, the fearless transmigrator, begging for mercy in his final moments?"

Yuto raised his arm, his bloodstained fingers wiping away the tears that streamed down the girl's face uncontrollably.

"Don't cry, Ruri."

(End of Chapter)