Chapter 546: Hamura Ōtsutsuki
After entering the underground area Neji had pointed out, Ishiro knew he had come to the right place. The environment here was very similar to the one in the original story when Naruto and his group were tracking Toneri Ōtsutsuki.
Only, in the original story, this passage was sparkling and fantastical. The lake emanated a captivating glow. But the passage before Ishiro's eyes was pitch black.
Ishiro guessed that these changes in the original story were related to Toneri Ōtsutsuki or the Tenseigan. Perhaps Toneri had done it all to welcome his "bride," Hinata.
Although it was dark, Ishiro had his Mind's Eye, so he could easily navigate without his physical eyes.
Following Neji's guidance, Ishiro soon brought the group to their first destination. It was a vast underground cavern. The place Neji said was interfering with his Byakugan was a strange, training-ground-sized lake in front of them.
The lake's surface was perfectly calm, without a single ripple. Combined with the dark surroundings, it gave off a somewhat sinister feeling—the complete opposite of the romantic atmosphere in the original story.
Just then, Akino Atsumi suddenly pointed at the lake. "Ishiro-sensei, this is also a space-time passage! I'm sensing intense space-time fluctuations."
"And this one seems different from the other two. It's much more stable, and the principle behind it seems simpler." The more Akino spoke, the more excited she became. "Ishiro-sensei, this might be the best place to learn space-time ninjutsu. If the village wants to train more users, we could bring them here. I picked three assistants from the Academy this time; I'm going to bring them here to try."
Ishiro's heart stirred. Such a good opportunity?
He could try to learn the Hiraishin here. See if even he, with his complete lack of talent, could learn a fraction of it. The Flying Thunder God was the dream of every ninja who had crossed over into this world, and Ishiro was no exception.
Even though Akino had confirmed many times he had no aptitude, Ishiro was stubborn. He was always asking her to explain it. Even before going to the Land of Whirlpools, when he got the repair plan, he had Akino explain the principles in detail.
Ishiro nodded, took out a pre-prepared light source, and illuminated the area. (This was a high-tech product from Kumo). He then said to Akino, "It's all you. Check the passage, see if we can go through."
"Mm." Akino agreed and eagerly began her inspection.
While she worked, Ishiro said to Yuran Kawasoe, "Yuran, set up the anti-Byakugan barrier."
Yuran agreed. "No problem." She took out her materials and began.
Ishiro turned to Ōnoki. "Lord Third, I will take Han, Neji, Sōkai, Izumi, and Chiga through. You, Rōshi, Akino, and Yuran will stay here. If something goes wrong with the passage, Akino has a way to briefly reopen it, and we will coordinate with her."
Ōnoki frowned and nodded. Ishiro handed him a letter. "Read this after I've left."
Ōnoki's eye twitched. He didn't need to guess. If he read this letter now, he would never let Ishiro go. He used all his willpower to stop himself from tearing it open.
After a while, Akino said, "Ishiro-sensei, I'm done. The passage is usable. I just don't know what's on the other side."
Ishiro said, "Don't worry. I know exactly what's on the other side."
He then motioned for Han, Neji, Sōkai, Izumi, and Chiga to enter the lake with him.
Although it looked like a lake, the "water" and the feeling of entering it were very different. They could breathe and talk normally. Aside from a slight resistance, it was no different from being on land.
There were bubbles in the lake. Ishiro said, "Be careful. Touching those bubbles will put you in a genjutsu. Everyone, hand on the shoulder of the person in front. Pass your chakra to each other to prevent the genjutsu."
The trick worked. As they moved, illusions flashed past their eyes, but they were instantly disrupted by the others' chakra.
After swimming for a while, Ishiro suddenly said, "Careful."
As he spoke, he had already activated his Porcelain Release. Countless mud projectiles formed and shot off to the side, where a giant crab was approaching them.
Ishiro gave Sōkai and Izumi a look. They nodded.
They both activated their Mangekyō Sharingan and stared at the crab. The crab had little intelligence. Seeing the porcelain mud, it instinctively tried to dodge. But before it could, the mud parted, revealing the group. The crab's eyes met the two Mangekyō Sharingan.
Dealing with the guardian crab didn't take long. While it was still trapped in the genjutsu, Ishiro sealed it with porcelain.
Ishiro didn't kill it. If this crab was connected to the Ōtsutsuki on the Moon, killing it might alert them.
After swimming for a long time, another light source appeared ahead. The group sped up.
Suddenly, Ishiro felt his body grow heavy, and the next moment, he burst out of the "lake."
Back on the other side, Ōnoki opened the letter as soon as Ishiro left. The more he read, the more shocked he became.
Ishiro had written that his destination was the Moon.
He also stated that if the passage was destroyed, he would fly back from the Moon. He had prepared equipment (from Kumo) that would allow him to survive in space. He asked Ōnoki to be ready to "catch" him on Earth's side.
Ōnoki felt this was completely insane and began cursing Ishiro's recklessness. If he had known, he would have never let him go.
Akino Atsumi took the letter and read it. "Lord Third, Ishiro-sensei is carrying many of my Hiraishin kunai. If something goes wrong, we might be able to locate him."
Ōnoki calmed down slightly, but kept muttering about how unreliable Ishiro was.
Rōshi, nearby, just added fuel to the fire with sarcasm, nearly starting a fight with Ōnoki.
Akino and Yuran Kawasoe quickly intervened.
Ōnoki, calm again, asked Akino, "What did he mean, you can reopen the passage?"
Akino explained, "A few days ago, Ishiro-sensei took me to the Land of Whirlpools, and I closed the passage to the gravity dimension. After it closed, he attacked the spot with Light Release while I connected to the Hiraishin coordinates on the other side. We briefly reopened it. So, if there's trouble, I'll need you and Rōshi-senpai to hit this lake with a powerful jutsu, and I'll use my jutsu to open it."
Ōnoki nodded. "Hmph. At least he had some preparation." He looked at Rōshi. "Get ready. Be prepared to attack the lake. No hesitation. You use a Tailed Beast Ball, I'll use Dust Release."
Akino Atsumi then set up her sensory barrier. After a while, she said, "Lord Third, they've reached the other side. Ishiro-sensei has placed the markers as promised."
Ōnoki finally relaxed. They all sat and waited.
The Moon. Ishiro's group emerged from the surface of a vast, empty sea.
The six of them were cautious, keeping their heads low as they scanned their new environment. Although Ishiro hadn't said it, they knew they were no longer in the shinobi world.
The "sea" wasn't that large; it could have been a lake. They could see land in the distance, covered in vegetation.
They looked up and saw a "sun" hanging in the sky, just like on Earth.
Sōkai and the others ignored it, but Ishiro studied it for a few moments. He sensed for chakra, but found nothing within dozens of kilometers. The "sun" was too far.
He did, however, find a deserted town.
He looked at Chiga. "Chiga, can you sense anyone? How many, and where?"
Chiga nodded, closed her eyes, and then pointed. "There are two people. Over there."
She froze. The direction she was pointing... was the sun.
The others looked at her strangely. People can live in the sun?
Ishiro nodded, glancing at the artificial sun. "Two people? Both inside?"
He thought for a moment. "There's a deserted town over there. Let's check it out first."
Chiga, seeing Ishiro wasn't surprised, stopped worrying about it.
The group submerged again, swam to shore, and flew to the town. It was vast, far larger than Iwa or Konoha, but long abandoned.
Using his Mind's Eye, Ishiro quickly found the statue in the town center. He led them inside.
Inside, they were drawn to a huge statue. It had two horns on its head and a vertical, eye-like protrusion on its forehead. It was portly, with large, fat earlobes, somewhat resembling a Buddha statue from Ishiro's past life.
But the statue was broken; its mouth and half its face were missing, giving it a sinister look.
Sōkai looked at the statue. "Izumi-san, this looks a bit like our Susanoo. It's giant... and kind of fat."
Izumi thought. "How? This statue looks almost kind. The Susanoo looks ferocious."
Ishiro overheard them and agreed with Sōkai. Considering both the Uchiha and the Moon Ōtsutsuki were descendants of Kaguya, the similarity made sense.
Neji, Chiga, and Han also looked at the statue. Suddenly, Neji jolted. He heard a voice.
"Byakugan... it's a Byakugan. A pure Byakugan."
Ishiro's gaze snapped to the ground. He hadn't heard the voice, but his Mind's Eye had caught a faint fluctuation.
"Lord Tsuchikage," Neji called out, about to report.
Just then, the room shook, and a passage opened in the floor.
Sōkai and Izumi activated their Sharingan; Izumi went straight to Mangekyō.
Ishiro waved them down and led the way into the short tunnel, which opened into an underground room.
The room was filled with mounds of dirt, like a graveyard.
As they looked, an old man stepped out of the darkness.
He was muttering, "Byakugan... a pure Byakugan..."
As he approached, they saw he had no eyes, only two empty sockets.
Before anyone could speak, the blind old man opened his mouth and spat out a pale purple orb of light.
Neji instinctively looked at it. The orb expanded, filling his vision, and he collapsed, his mind reeling.
Ishiro, who had been prepared, was also hit. He sensed it with his Mind's Eye, his vision blurred, and he saw a massive war. Both sides had Byakugan, but one side brought out a Tenseigan—an eye combined from countless Byakugan—and won a decisive victory.
The scene changed. Ishiro and Neji were standing in a cemetery.
Ishiro nodded at Neji, signaling him not to panic.
They stood before the graves, watching as the mounds turned into souls, which then gathered around an old man who approached them.
The old man had long, flowing hair, two horns, and wore ancient robes with magatama symbols. He had a sorrowful expression.
He looked at Neji first, then at Ishiro with confusion. "Who are you? You do not have the blood of the Ōtsutsuki. How did you get in here? Wait... I sense my brother's aura on you."
Ishiro bowed. "Greetings, Shishuku (Master-Uncle). You must be Hamura Ōtsutsuki. I am the disciple of your older brother, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths."
"Earth is in trouble. Ōtsutsuki from space have invaded. Sensei sent me to ask for your help."
"As for how I entered this illusion, Sensei taught me the way."
Hamura Ōtsutsuki paused. "Why did my brother not teach you Yin-Yang Release?"
Ishiro shook his head. "He is being watched by the other Ōtsutsuki. He cannot show himself, nor does he dare teach me. Otherwise, I, too, would be targeted. He could only send me to you. This is the token he gave me."
With that, Ishiro presented the White Sphere.
Hamura did not take it. He was only a wisp of a spirit, far weaker than the Sage of Six Paths, and had grown frail over a thousand years.
He glanced at the sphere and sighed. "It is indeed my brother's aura... So, the Ōtsutsuki from space have finally come."
"Child, as you can see, I am afraid I must disappoint you."
Ishiro put on a sad expression. "We may not have time for disappointment. If they find Sensei, the world is finished. We will fight to the last man to protect the world you and Sensei guarded for a thousand years."
Hamura was silent. He looked at Neji. "I can teach you how to awaken the Tenseigan."
Ishiro paused. "Is that the thing we just saw?"
Hamura nodded. He reached out and touched Neji's forehead. Neji looked at Ishiro and nodded.
Ishiro told Neji, "Neji, this is your ancestor, Lord Hamura Ōtsutsuki. Thank him."
Neji immediately knelt and kowtowed. "Thank you, ancestor."
Ishiro sighed. "Thank you, Shishuku. Please rest assured. Even if we all die, we will not compromise with the Ōtsutsuki."
Hamura thought for a moment. "Since my brother could not teach you, he must have intended for me to guide you. Your Yin Release aptitude is strong... It's a pity you couldn't train it to avoid detection. I am... in this state... Very well. I will burn my remaining spirit to demonstrate the ultimate Yin Release for you. I should have taught you Yin-Yang Release, but I am at my end."
Ishiro looked sorrowful. "Shishuku, please don't! Come back with us! Sensei will surely have a way to save you! The world needs your strength!"
Hamura smiled, pleased. "Letting you inherit my power to fight is also my contribution to the world. Do not persuade me, child. My time is short. Watch carefully. How much you learn is up to you."
Ishiro, "eyes filled with tears," knelt on one knee and managed a nod.
The next moment, the souls of the Moon's descendants behind Hamura vanished.
Hamura's own spiritual body began to change, using his very essence to demonstrate the ultimate Yin Release for Ishiro.
Ishiro's vision blurred, and he experienced a series of dreamlike scenes. In the chaotic illusion, he felt as if he were living Hamura's entire life... or perhaps just listening to Hamura tell a story.
After an unknown amount of time, the hazy Ishiro heard someone calling his name.
"Ishiro-sensei! Ishiro-sensei!"
He was startled awake by the anxious voice. He opened his eyes and saw Chiga.
He sat up, looking at Chiga, and then at Sōkai and the others nearby.
Sōkai (Mangekyō active) and Han (Bijuu chakra leaking) were standing guard on either side of the now-dead body of the old man.
Uchiha Izumi had her Susanoo ribs activated, protecting Ishiro, Chiga, and the still-unconscious Neji.
Ishiro glanced at Neji, who was breathing steadily, and didn't disturb him. He said to Izumi, "Izumi, it's alright."
Izumi deactivated her Susanoo. Sōkai and Han rushed to his side.
"Ishiro-sensei, are you okay? That old man spat out a ball of light, and you and Neji just passed out."
Ishiro said to Sōkai, "Don't worry, I'm fine. It was... a blessing in disguise."
He looked at Neji again. "Neji should be fine too. Let's rest here for a bit."
While waiting for Neji to wake up, Ishiro closed his eyes to process what he had just experienced.
Hamura truly had been at his end. The illusion hadn't lasted long. But Ishiro felt he had gained an immense amount.
He had already read all of Uchiha Madara's Yin Release notes. Although he hadn't had time to let it settle and upgrade his Yin Release, his foundation was already at the third stage.
Hamura's demonstration of "ultimate Yin Release" had been profoundly beneficial.
(End of Chapter)
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