Chapter 242

As the Raikage, his strength was quite formidable in the shinobi world.

But at this moment, he found himself completely unable to resist the invasion of a mysterious, hazy aura. All the chakra in his body seemed to have frozen, leaving him sitting in place, utterly motionless.

Within the Raikage Village, even more shinobi had dropped to their knees in reverence, bowing before a massive statue suspended mid-air. They prayed without ceasing, pouring their devout belief from the depths of their hearts.

This collective force of faith surged like a tidal wave, rolling upward into the sky and converging into the statue above.

On closer inspection, the statue appeared almost... alive. As if it might awaken at any moment, unfurling its wings and soaring into the heavens.

It was identical to the statue within the metallic fortress—eight arms, four pairs of wings, a long serpentine body, and a terrifying head covered in crimson script. It appeared to be howling in fury toward the skies.

When Senju Yukika arrived, he too was taken aback by the scene in the Raikage Village.

He saw many villagers with hollow eyes, soulless and vacant, resembling corpses more than living people.

What Yukika didn't yet know, however, was who—or what—was truly behind all of this.

As he stepped deeper into the village, he caught sight of the bizarre statue.

"What is this thing? Could it be one of the three ancestors of the Ōtsutsuki Clan?" Yukika muttered to himself.

He quickly grabbed a nearby shinobi, hoping to extract some answers.

But the ninja ignored him completely, wandering off in a trance-like state.

Soon, Yukika realized there were more and more of them—all coming from different directions, but heading toward the same place: a remote corner on the eastern edge of the village.

None of them responded to Yukika's words. It was as if they couldn't see or hear him at all. They moved in a dull, robotic rhythm, devoid of all emotion—machines disguised as men.

That was when something clicked in Yukika's mind.

"Infinite Tsukuyomi?"

These villagers... could it be that they had fallen under the spell of the Tsukuyomi?

But the scale of this—encompassing an entire village—was enormous. Could this be a modified or reduced version of the Infinite Tsukuyomi?

A technique like this could be used to completely manipulate an entire population, erasing their thoughts and replacing them with blind worship for the Ōtsutsuki ancestors. In this brainwashed state, they would offer up unwavering faith with terrifying purity.

Yukika understood well the power of such faith—it would dramatically accelerate the cultivation of any Ōtsutsuki.

Without hesitation, he followed the entranced villagers to the village's eastern edge.

He concealed his aura completely; no one could now sense the depths of his true strength.

There, tucked into a secluded shrine, sat a bald man, shirtless and cross-legged on the floor. His eyes gleamed with a vacant, snowy white glow—Byakugan, the telltale trait of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.

From the sky, streams of belief flowed into his body, slowly enhancing his cultivation.

If not for Yukika's heightened senses, he wouldn't have noticed the man's existence at all. It was as if the area around him was a black hole that swallowed all presence and sound.

The villagers gathered outside the shrine. One by one, they dropped to a knee, heads bowed in reverence.

The bald man opened his eyes, smirking with satisfaction.

"Endless Tsukuyomi... they've fallen into a state beyond mortal perception. The faith born from that realm—it's been a tremendous help," he whispered.

He waved both hands, casting out chakra like a wall, catching the streaming belief mid-air and redirecting it.

Then, slowly, he stood and walked outside the shrine.

At that moment, a shadow descended from the sky, shrouded in lightning—it was the Raikage.

He landed, clenched a fist to his chest, and kneeled with one leg.

"Lord Xinghe," he declared solemnly, "I am ready to fight on your behalf!"

Even the mighty Raikage had become little more than a mindless servant, wholly devoted to pledging his life to the Ōtsutsuki before him.

… Seeking approval through devotion …

Yet this Ōtsutsuki, named Ōtsutsuki Xinghe, merely sneered.

"You? You think you're qualified to fight for me?"

Those words instantly shattered the Raikage's trance. Terror surged through his eyes, quickly followed by despair.

How humiliating. He had offered his very soul, only to be dismissed outright. The prideful leader of a great ninja village—deemed unworthy even to serve as someone's hound?

In the blink of an eye, his will collapsed again, falling back into utter mental submission.

Just then, footsteps approached from beyond the shrine.

It was Senju Yukika.

Far off, Ōtsutsuki Xinghe sensed something was wrong. He narrowed his eyes and looked up.

"Huh? Someone approaching… and they're not affected by the Tsukuyomi? How is that possible?"

He frowned, deeply puzzled.

But before he could analyze further, Yukika's entire presence changed.

Two enormous black wings burst forth from his back. A horrifying demonic aura erupted from his body. His eyes now glowed with a blinding emerald light.

In the next instant, he tore through space itself, slicing across the air like a comet.

The sky above shattered like glass.

The starry void cracked open in brilliant arcs of destruction. Though it all happened in a flash, it felt like eternity had passed.

When the cosmic storm ended, Ōtsutsuki Xinghe realized in horror—his cultivation was gone. Crushed. Obliterated.

He now resembled a helpless child before an unstoppable titan.

"Y-You… who are you?!"

Xinghe's voice trembled with fear.

Collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath, drenched in cold sweat, he stared at the young man before him.

Utterly dazed.