"Ah..."
Caught off guard by the sudden attack of the lightning serpent, the already exhausted and injured Hyuga Kagami and Shisui let out cries of agony.
In an instant, the Susanoo shield covering them turned transparent and slowly faded away.
"Finally dealt with you brats!"
Seeing his strike land, Fukado, hidden in the distance, couldn't hold back his laughter.
Swish, swish, swish...
Just then, figures descended into the valley—nearly a hundred Cloud shinobi who had rushed over from the surrounding areas.
Seeing the chaos in the valley, Cloud ninja corpses scattered everywhere, and the core facility—a secret warehouse—engulfed in raging flames, the newly arrived Cloud ninjas were stunned.
Kurapa, the Cloud interrogation captain leading the team, immediately shouted at Fukado, who had been guarding the warehouse: "Fukado, what the hell happened? Why didn't you protect the secret warehouse?!"
Fukado replied helplessly, "We were attacked by an elite squad from the Leaf Village."
"Elite squad?!" Kurapa sneered and pointed at Hyuga Kagami and Shisui, who were paralyzed on the ground due to lightning-style jutsu. "Just two little Leaf brats, and you're calling them an elite squad?"
Fukado snorted coldly, "Brats? Hmph, take a good look around. These 'brats' killed over a hundred of our men!"
Kurapa scanned the area and saw only Cloud ninja corpses littering the ground. Aside from the incapacitated Hyuga Kagami and Shisui, there wasn't a single Leaf shinobi in sight.
Realizing the situation was more serious than he thought, Kurapa declared, "I'll interrogate them immediately!"
Fukado shrugged. "Be my guest. Two other Leaf kids escaped—I'm going after them."
Paralyzed by the lightning jutsu, Hyuga Kagami could barely move. Seeing even more Cloud ninja surrounding them—over two hundred now—his heart sank deeper.
As Kurapa walked slowly toward him, Hyuga Kagami felt all hope drain away.
Then suddenly, from somewhere unknown, he sensed a strange yet familiar power.
"What is this...?"
The force felt distant yet near, hidden in the void but oddly intimate. It wasn't just immense; it was... comforting.
Yes—**comforting.**
This power, seemingly within reach, reignited Hyuga Kagami's desire to survive. Desperate, he raised his hand.
Kurapa sneered, "Still trying to resist? Once I get what I need, I promise your deaths will be painless."
Beside him, Shisui stared at Hyuga Kagami intently. He knew Kagami wouldn't act without reason. Shisui had already resolved to sacrifice one of his Mangekyō Sharingan to cast Kotoamatsukami on Kurapa.
With his current chakra, it was the only way. But he was willing—if it meant saving them.
At that moment, Hyuga Kagami finally lifted his arm and reached toward the sky.
Kurapa scoffed. "Delirious already? Makes my job easier..."
But he stopped mid-sentence.
Everyone did. Kurapa, the surrounding Cloud ninjas, even Fukado and Shisui—all were stunned.
Before their eyes, Hyuga Kagami's body erupted with an enormous chakra signature.
So vast was the chakra that even Kurapa and Fukado, both of whom had witnessed tailed beast chakra before, were shaken.
Hyuga Kagami felt his injuries and paralysis vanish. Replacing them was a surge of limitless energy.
"What... what is this...?"
He was as shocked as everyone else.
The force was overwhelmingly familiar, but he knew it wasn't from his Tenseigan.
And within this vast chakra, he sensed something else—**a technique.**
"Hand seals!"
He didn't understand what jutsu the sequence formed, but he instinctively followed the instructions from the chakra's message.
Whoosh...
Upon completing the seals, his body was enveloped in a gentle, pale blue chakra. Slowly, he began to float into the air.
Black orbs—Truth-Seeking Balls—emerged from his brow and orbited him.
"Tenseigan Chakra Mode?! Those seals... they activated Tenseigan Chakra Mode!?"
In that moment, he realized the chakra came from the celestial Tenseigan. But why, and how, it reached him remained a mystery.
There was no time to ponder.
He buried all confusion and focused on one thought: **kill every Cloud ninja to protect the Tenseigan's secret.**
With resolve, he pointed at Shisui, lifting him gently into the air. Then he raised his other hand, aiming at the entire valley.
The nine Truth-Seeking Balls around him fused together.
A chilling voice came from his lips: "Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!"
—Meanwhile, on the Moon—
In the Ōtsutsuki sanctuary, a decrepit elder suddenly opened his clouded Byakugan in shock. "Who is using the Tenseigan's power?!"
Without delay, he rushed to the shrine housing the giant Tenseigan.
Two other elders arrived at the same time. The three gathered before the massive eye.
"What's going on? The Tenseigan is transmitting chakra to someone!"
"Only the three of us are supposed to be able to control it!"
The oldest of them spoke gravely, "No matter what, we must seal it now. Cut off the external chakra output!"
The others nodded.
Together, they formed hand seals and shouted, "Seal!"
Instantly, the glowing Tenseigan began to dim...