Chapter:190

The Scorch Release: Nimbus Hayate Black Yazero Style struck the ruins where Hyuga Tenzong had landed. Black flames and raging winds spread out, consuming everything in their path and leaving only devastation behind.

Izuna and Senju Hashirama, standing hundreds of meters above the battlefield, descended cautiously—Izuna within his mature Susanoo and Hashirama atop a Wood Dragon.

As the fiery maelstrom subsided, the two approached the ruins to assess the damage.

"Damn it!" a hoarse, furious voice rasped from the wreckage.

Both Izuna and Hashirama froze mid-step.

"He's still alive?" Izuna muttered, incredulous.

"Give me treatment!" Hyuga Tenzong's voice rang out, though he appeared to be addressing no one present.

"Don't tell me you don't have a way to heal me! Hurry up!" he shouted again, his tone laced with desperation.

Hashirama's brows furrowed as he scanned the area with his potent sensory abilities. "Who is he talking to?"

Before either could act, an eerie, low voice emerged from the rubble:

"Such a pity… You were given the Tenseigan, yet you failed. Without me, your precious eyes are nothing more than ordinary Byakugan."

Izuna's face darkened. He waved Susanoo's massive arm, hurling debris aside to uncover Hyuga Tenzong. The injured clan leader lay amid the ruins, his body battered but alive.

But something else caught their attention—a black, amorphous mass was peeling away from Tenzong's body.

"What is that?!" Hashirama exclaimed.

The liquid-like substance writhed as it separated from Tenzong, vanishing into the cracks of the ruins with astonishing speed.

Izuna's jaw clenched. Black Zetsu!

The moment he saw it, Izuna knew. This was the manipulative, malevolent creation of Kaguya Otsutsuki, the very entity that had rewritten Uchiha history and orchestrated countless events.

"Don't even think about running!" Izuna roared, unleashing Susanoo's sword in a massive, fiery arc.

Boom!

The ground shook as the blade struck, reducing a portion of the ruins to dust.

Hashirama, ever vigilant, pulled Hyuga Tenzong away from the impact zone.

"There's no physical feedback," Izuna muttered, frustrated. His attack had failed to connect.

"Is it intangible? Just like in the original… Is this why Black Zetsu is so difficult to deal with?" Izuna's mind raced.

"Too cruel," Hashirama chastised, placing the unconscious Tenzong down safely. "He's already incapacitated. You didn't need to go that far."

"Shut up and wake him up!" Izuna snapped, delivering a hard kick to Tenzong's stomach.

The clan leader groaned in pain, his eyes fluttering open. Without hesitation, Izuna's Sharingan locked onto him, casting him into a genjutsu.

"Who was that black shadow? Speak!"

Under the Sharingan's influence, Tenzong's voice became monotone and distant. "I… don't know. He has no name. He appeared suddenly and approached me."

Izuna's teeth ground together. As expected—Black Zetsu.

"And the Tenseigan? How did you acquire it?"

"He possessed me… My body changed, and then my Byakugan evolved into the Tenseigan."

Izuna was momentarily stunned. Was it that simple? Could Black Zetsu forcibly awaken the Tenseigan by merging with a Byakugan user?

"Did he tell you his purpose?" Izuna pressed further.

"He… wanted me to kill Uchiha Izuna… to weaken Uchiha and Senju so the Hyuga could unify the Warring States. I said I could kill Izuna, but Senju Hashirama had to be gravely injured first."

Hashirama stiffened. "His target was you?"

Izuna remained silent, his mind working quickly. It made sense. Black Zetsu had always operated in the shadows, manipulating events to serve Kaguya's resurrection.

Izuna's death, in the original timeline, had been a pivotal moment. It allowed Madara to inherit his eyes, setting off a chain reaction that culminated in the Fourth Great Ninja War. Black Zetsu likely intended to eliminate him again, ensuring the timeline stayed on track.

"There's nothing more to gain from him." Izuna withdrew a kunai marked with his Flying Thunder God seal, aiming it at Tenzong's throat.

"Wait!" Hashirama grabbed Izuna's wrist, stopping the blade just shy of the Hyuga leader's neck.

"What are you doing?" Izuna growled.

"You can't kill him," Hashirama said firmly.

Izuna narrowed his eyes. "Don't be naive, Hashirama. This guy just tried to kill us both. He's a threat to everyone."

"This isn't about revenge," Hashirama argued. "If we kill him, the Hyuga Alliance will retaliate. Their combined strength exceeds 5,000 ninja, including the Inuzuka, Aburame, and their subordinate clans. Do you want to ignite another war across the entire Warring States Period?"

Izuna hesitated, the kunai trembling slightly in his grip.

Hashirama continued, "We've already defeated him. This is our chance to negotiate. If we push them further, the Warring States Period might never end. Peace is within reach."

Izuna stared at the unconscious Hyuga Tenzong for a long moment before finally lowering his kunai.

"Tch. You're lucky he's here," Izuna muttered, standing.

Hashirama released a quiet sigh of relief.

End of the Chapter.

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