Chapter 8: The Final Struggle!
Whether it was Senju Hashirama or Uchiha Madara, their strength had already transcended this era.
The Uchiha clan, with their Sharingan's ability to copy, possessed countless jutsu as their foundation. Once the Sharingan evolved into the Mangekyō, it brought forth terrifying abilities beyond imagination. It was no exaggeration to call the Uchiha the strongest clan.
As for the Senju clan, when it came to physical constitution, aside from the Uzumaki clan, no one could rival them in the entire shinobi world.
Wood Release, however, was rare even among the Senju. Yuto had only encountered a few, and none of their techniques could compare to Hashirama's.
In Yuto's eyes, the Senju could not truly be placed on the same level as the Uchiha.
But then came the aberration—Senju Hashirama. By his strength alone, he forced the Senju to overshadow the Uchiha.
Yuto had once wondered if the ancient Sage of Six Paths had secretly given Hashirama some personal blessing.
The Uchiha's growth could be traced step by step—one tomoe, two, three, then Mangekyō Sharingan, and at last the Eternal Mangekyō.
Hashirama's rise, by contrast, was far too monstrous. Sage Mode, the vast arsenal of Sage Arts—these were not things the Senju clan's foundation alone could ever have produced.
Otherwise, how could there have been only one Hashirama?
One the reincarnation of Indra, the other of Asura—yet both appeared in the same age, in the same village of Konoha.
To live in the same era as these two… was it not the sorrow of every other village besides Konoha?
Yuto's eyes gleamed with a light never seen before. He thrust his remaining hand deep into the man-sized jar.
Roar!
A furious bellow shook the air. The Three-Tails, freshly freed from its seal, had not even rejoiced before it felt a terrifying suction grip it.
Its chakra, uncontrollable, surged wildly toward Yuto's pull.
No matter how the beast thrashed, it could not escape the devouring force Yuto unleashed at full strength.
The Black King's ability could absorb any energy—and a tailed beast was nothing but energy given form.
Sensing the desperate struggle of the Three-Tails, Yuto sneered coldly and tightened his grip, drawing even more violently.
What seemed like monsters to ordinary shinobi—these tailed beasts—were to Hashirama, to Madara, and now to Yuto, nothing more than tools to be harnessed at will.
As more and more chakra drained away, the Three-Tails' resistance grew feeble, its movements slowing.
A wave of deep satisfaction surged through Yuto's chest. The sheer mass of the Three-Tails' chakra was astounding. By his estimate, absorbing it fully would fill half of his body's maximum capacity.
With that chakra, Yuto reconstructed the half of his body he had lost. Though its appearance was somewhat grotesque, it moved with the same agility and strength as the original.
"Yuto—stop!!"
Senju Hashirama charged from the distance, his furious roar echoing across the battlefield.
On the other side, Uchiha Madara's face was dark as ink. He knew all too well—once Yuto completely devoured the chakra of the Three-Tails, genjutsu would no longer have any effect on him.
"Too late!"
Yuto let out a cold laugh. With the chakra-forged arm he had just reconstructed, he aimed toward Hashirama and Madara.
Violent chakra gathered, black lightning crackling and spreading in all directions.
A Tailed Beast Bomb!
Yuto fired it straight from his chakra arm.
But it didn't stop there. The moment the first bomb detonated, wild chakra gathered again. Another Tailed Beast Bomb formed and launched forward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Deafening explosions shook the entire battlefield as Tailed Beast Bombs poured out of Yuto's body as though they cost him nothing at all.
Hashirama and Madara had no absorption ability like Yuto. To advance, they could only endure the blasts head-on.
With the bombs holding them back, Yuto's absorption of the Three-Tails accelerated. The chakra around his body grew so dense it seemed almost viscous.
Roar!
With one last unwilling cry, the Three-Tails was completely absorbed into Yuto.
"Three-Tails, the rest of this battle will trouble you," Yuto said inwardly, utterly shameless.
The beast fumed in silence.
The Three-Tails had no desire to speak. All it wanted now was to squat in the corner of Yuto's body and curse him for eternity.
But Yuto didn't care. Just as the Nine-Tails had been enslaved by the Mangekyō Sharingan, the Three-Tails too was utterly shackled by his power. Its will meant nothing.
"Hashirama! Madara! I told you not to be too confident. Now the true slaughter begins! This shinobi world is not your clan's private garden!!"
Yuto's roar thundered, his terrifying chakra flooding the battlefield. A black bolt of lightning engulfed his body, and in the next instant, he vanished.
This was his final gamble.
Though they didn't fully understand his last words, Hashirama and Madara wasted no time. Their movements blurred as they charged as well.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Collisions shook the earth as their clash exploded once more.
And just as Yuto had declared, this was the real battle now. For with the Three-Tails' power in him, he had no weaknesses left.
The war raged on.
The ground split and roared, the sky lit by endless blasts.
Three days. This battle stretched for three days.
The land for hundreds of kilometers was reshaped entirely, left in ruins and devastation.
(End of Chapter)