Chapter 292: Become My Vessel, Hyuga Fuji!

Chapter 292: Become My Vessel, Hyuga Fuji!

Among them, Bayakushi was the most distraught. He lost his composure and tried to rush into the river, only to be stopped by Tobirama Senju and the others, unable to leave the battlefield.

Compared to Iwagakure's despair, the allied Kirigakure forces were ecstatic!

The moment Hyuga Fuji's golden sword pierced Isshiki's chest, the observing Kirigakure ninjas couldn't contain their excitement. One of them shouted, "The Otsutsuki has been defeated! Lord Hyuga Fuji has won!"

"Hahaha! Lord Hyuga Fuji is the true God of Shinobi!"

"You've lost, Iwagakure!"

Yagura smirked, raised his weapon, and leaped from the ship, leading the fervent Kirigakure ninjas in a charge.

"Isshiki is defeated! Surrender, and you will be spared!"

Iwagakure's forces crumbled like a collapsing mountain.

On the edge of the battlefield, a young woman watched Isshiki fall into the river, a smile playing at her lips.

"Who would've thought I'd have a chance to settle that old score?"

She slowly rolled up the scroll in her hand, revealing a corner that depicted the scene within the river.

...

"Such noise."

As Isshiki sank into the river, descending toward its depths, he could faintly hear the voices above. His eyes darkened.

Although Iwagakure was nothing more than a pawn to him, and their deaths didn't bother him, the thought of being seen as defeated by these inferior beings gnawed at him.

If not for Kaguya, how could he have fallen to such a state?

Once he seized Hyuga Fuji's body and regained his full strength, he would revive the Ten-Tails and find a way to release Kaguya in her weakened state.

And then… devour her!

Since she had stolen the Chakra Fruit, it was only fitting she return it personally.

With this thought, Isshiki slowly closed his eyes, his chakra weakening to the point of near extinction.

If he couldn't lower Hyuga Fuji's guard, he wouldn't have a chance to take over his body. In his current state, without some deception, there was no way to capture Hyuga Fuji alive.

He understood the principle: you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a sheep. So, he chose to feign weakness, sustaining heavy injuries to bait Hyuga Fuji, rather than exhausting all his strength to repel him.

Of course, this plan hinged on his ability to survive. Though gravely injured, and despite the undeniable destructive power of the Tenseigan, Isshiki was an Otsutsuki—a true Otsutsuki who had conquered vast reaches of the cosmos, not one of the weakened remnants from the Moon.

His life form was fundamentally different from the humans of the ninja world. If he so desired, he would not truly die; losing a body was merely an inconvenience.

For the Otsutsuki, physical destruction or death was not a significant threat. As long as he found a suitable vessel, he could recover and rise again.

Hyuga Fuji didn't know this and thought Isshiki was like the Otsutsuki on the Moon—bound to pay the ultimate price...

Suddenly sensing a chakra presence approaching, Isshiki's thoughts paused.

Hyuga Fuji was here.

...

Surrounded by a protective barrier of blue chakra that kept the river's water at bay, Hyuga Fuji swam toward the source of the Tenseigan's energy. Before long, he spotted Isshiki's body.

Floating lifelessly in the water, Isshiki's body was in shambles. A massive hole from Hyuga Fuji's Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion had torn through his chest, leaving a gaping wound. Blood spread out in the water, forming a dark red mist.

"With injuries like this, he's still alive..."

Hyuga Fuji frowned slightly as he approached Isshiki, his expression tinged with surprise.

But he quickly brushed it off and raised his golden sword, ready to finish Isshiki off.

Sensing this, Isshiki, forcing himself to stay conscious, opened his eyes weakly. "Cough... don't you want the Rinnegan... and my eye techniques?"

"I can take them after you're dead," Hyuga Fuji replied coldly, swinging his golden sword without hesitation.

As Hyuga Fuji's decisive strike came down, Isshiki appeared to close his eyes in despair. Inwardly, however, he marveled at Hyuga Fuji's caution, even as he suppressed the last of his doubts.

Everything was progressing too smoothly, to the point it felt surreal.

At this moment, Hyuga Fuji had suppressed his greed, maintaining a basic level of vigilance. However, his relaxed demeanor around a critically injured Isshiki, combined with his weakened aura—reduced to the level of Nagato—had created the perfect opening.

The Truth-Seeking Orbs that had been protecting him earlier had fused into the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion. The two were now only a meter apart—this was the moment Isshiki had been waiting for!

The advantage was his.

"It's over, Jigen!"

"Yes, it's over!"

At that instant, Isshiki's eyes shot open, a sinister glint flashing across them.

"Everything you have is mine!"

The golden sword slashed downward—but it struck only empty water. Isshiki's body had vanished.

Suddenly, sharp whooshing sounds filled the air. Black chakra rods materialized out of nowhere, piercing through the water with lightning speed and striking Hyuga Fuji's body with precision.

The rods unleashed powerful sealing energy upon contact, completely cutting off Hyuga Fuji's chakra flow.

Hyuga Fuji's pupils contracted sharply.

The ordeal wasn't over. From within the shadows of Limbo: Border Jail, an ethereal figure emerged, its hand thrusting violently through Hyuga Fuji's chest.

"Hyuga Fuji, you know nothing about my eye techniques! Hahaha!" Isshiki's shadow sneered as he looked at Hyuga Fuji's stunned expression, feeling a surge of satisfaction.

From the moment the Limbo shadow had seemingly vanished, everything had been part of Isshiki's plan.

He understood the flaws of Limbo. While it was meaningless against someone like Hyuga Fuji, why reveal it early and risk losing it? The shadow's initial appearance was merely to show off the Rinnegan's capabilities.

Hyuga Fuji, wary of the Rinnegan, wouldn't have let his guard down otherwise. The shadow's disappearance created the illusion that Isshiki could no longer use the technique.

But in truth, Isshiki had shrunken the shadow and kept it hidden on his person all along!

For Isshiki, Limbo: Border Jail was far more versatile than Hyuga Fuji realized. Unlike in Madara's hands, where it was a mere tool for crushing weaklings, Isshiki had turned the shadow into a temporary vessel for his Kāma, allowing it to carry his power.

Shrinking himself alongside the shadow and using space-time techniques, Isshiki had outmaneuvered even Uchiha Madara. Now, with his main body gravely injured, Hyuga Fuji's vigilance had waned, making the shadow's ambush flawless.

To claim Hyuga Fuji's body, Isshiki couldn't kill him outright or give him a chance to resist. This plan was his only option.

Gazing at the brilliant Tenseigan and the near-complete success of his scheme, Isshiki could no longer suppress his excitement.

He began transferring his Kāma, taking over Hyuga Fuji's consciousness.

"Now, become my vessel, Hyuga Fuji!"

(End of Chapter)