Convinced or Not

Yuma had long desired to unleash the full potential of the Eight Gates technique to gauge its true power.

Ever since he acquired the ability from Might Guy—Steel Tempering—which rewarded hard work with tangible progress, he had never once slacked off in his physical training.

As a being capable of traversing the vastness of the cosmos, he discovered something fascinating when he synthesized the Ōtsutsuki lineage into himself—the physiology of the Ōtsutsuki was fundamentally different from the natives of the ninja world. No, more than that. They weren't even on the same dimension.

This revelation had come to him after integrating the Ōtsutsuki entry into himself. Their bodies were, just as he had suspected, built for limitless physical enhancement. The evidence? Ōtsutsuki Shibai had demonstrated the ability to shatter Sasuke's complete-body Susanoo with nothing but raw physical force.

Unlike Kaguya, who could merely dissolve Susanoo with her chakra authority, the Ōtsutsuki-style approach was pure, unfiltered brute strength.

The Strength of the Ōtsutsuki

Understanding this, Yuma had trained relentlessly, sharpening his physical abilities to levels beyond imagination. He had even conducted experiments on himself, testing the sheer destructive force of his own fists.

At this point, even if he had not yet reached the level of an Ōtsutsuki who could annihilate a fully-formed Susanoo in just two hits, he had still achieved something terrifying—

He could destroy it in ten.

That realization changed everything for him. He had surpassed the conventional reliance on Susanoo. He no longer viewed it as a necessary technique, for his own flesh and blood had become the ultimate weapon.

Now, standing before the Senju brothers, Yuma's crimson aura filled the sky like a malevolent force of nature. A deep sneer played across his lips as he clenched his fist and launched a single, unremarkable punch.

The Fist that Distorted Reality

BOOM!

In an instant, the world lost its color.

A force unlike anything seen before erupted from Yuma's simple punch, distorting the very fabric of space itself. The sheer magnitude of the impact warped the surrounding landscape before the planet's reality could even react and correct itself. The raw shockwave that followed was devastating.

Had the planet possessed a will of its own, it would have bowed before Yuma in reverence, thanking him for holding back—

For not using any actual technique in that strike.

Yet, the consequences were undeniable.

A colossal, fan-shaped crater, spanning over ten kilometers, lay in the wake of Yuma's attack. Every living entity caught within its path had been utterly erased, leaving behind nothing but silence.

Even the legendary Senju brothers had not been spared from this devastation.

However, their luck held—

As reanimated bodies, they were impervious to purely physical destruction.

And so, before long, they began to regenerate. Their heads, barely reformed, were the first to speak.

The Senju Brothers' Realization

"Brother..." Senju Tobirama's voice trembled, despite having no physiological reason to feel fear. "That power... we were obliterated before we could even react. And you're telling me that was just... a technique?!"

His gaze fell upon Yuma, whose expression remained disturbingly calm, his body still emanating bloody steam from the opened Eight Gates.

For the first time in his life, Senju Tobirama felt despair.

This Uchiha brat—

He possessed eye power equal to Madara, a Sage Mode rivaling Hashirama, and now his taijutsu exceeded human comprehension.

Even worse, he wasn't dying.

Tobirama knew that somewhere in this world, there had to exist a technique capable of negating the side effects of the Eight Gates—be it dark medical ninjutsu or something unknown. But Yuma didn't need it.

It was clear now—

This was an Uchiha unlike any other.

Uchiha Yuma was no longer bound by the legacy of the Uchiha clan's previous failures.

Konoha's days of suppressing the Uchiha were over.

Tobirama clenched his teeth. The very foundation of his beliefs had collapsed.

Meanwhile, Hashirama's expression was vastly different. He was convinced. And he was overjoyed.

Unlike Tobirama, who was driven by resentment, Hashirama had always believed in Konoha above all else. He had been willing to kill even his closest bond, Uchiha Madara, for the sake of the village.

To him, family was secondary to Konoha's future.

And right now—

Konoha's future had never looked stronger.

His deep perception allowed him to sense Yuma's unparalleled life force. If he could survive the full power of Eight Gates, then that meant...

His vitality exceeded even Hashirama's legendary regenerative abilities.

At that moment, Senju Hashirama could do nothing but accept the undeniable truth.

The Final Question

Before the Senju brothers could fully process their thoughts, Yuma suddenly appeared before them.

With an effortless motion, he seized their half-reformed heads in his hands.

The once-mighty God of Shinobi and the greatest tactical genius in Konoha's history—reduced to mere test subjects in his grasp.

Ignoring whatever honor or history they once commanded, Yuma calmly extracted their knowledge with an emotionless gaze.

Only after securing what he needed did he finally acknowledge their existence again.

His crimson eyes, burning with power, looked down upon them with sheer disdain.

Then, in a voice devoid of doubt or hesitation, he spoke:

"Are you convinced?"