Chapter 327: Shinno: I Woke Up, and the Akatsuki Is Gone?! I Must Be Dreaming!
Crack!
A fissure appeared on the wall of the Spear of Heaven, but since Hyuga Fuji had already completed his ascension and was no longer pouring chakra into it, the structure didn't completely shatter and remained intact.
The crimson glow gradually faded as its chakra supply was cut off.
In Ideal City, the watching shinobi looked up at Hyuga Fuji. Though he stood right before them, his power level was now beyond their comprehension.
Only Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara showed serious expressions, silently shaken.
"Madara… this power has already surpassed the Ten Tails you once desired, hasn't it?"
"..."
Madara didn't deny it.
He understood that the current Ten Tails was incomplete, but even if it were fully restored, could it truly rival Hyuga Fuji?
He wasn't sure.
'What exactly were those black markings on Hyuga Fuji's body? How could they elevate his strength to such a level?'
Uchiha Madara stared intently at Hyuga Fuji, feeling a complex mix of emotions.
That there were still unknown forces in the Shinobi World, powers capable of elevating someone to the level of the Sage of Six Paths, was… unsettling.
"Congratulations, Fuji-kun."
Orochimaru stepped forward and offered his congratulations. "You've taken another step forward."
Hyuga Fuji descended from the sky, shaking his head.
"Without your guidance, sensei, I would have never reached this point."
The two exchanged a glance and smiled.
---
Elsewhere on the Battlefield…
Hikari was screaming internally.
"Yachihoko! Yachihoko! Yachihoko!"
Yet no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't collect chakra from the shinobi of this world.
Something that had once been effortless was now impossible—it was as if an invisible barrier had cut off her ability to use Yachihoko.
And that barrier…
Was Hyuga Fuji!
Realizing this, Hikari gritted her teeth, her gaze shifting toward Hyuga Fuji, who had just completed his transformation.
"Damn it!"
Watching her closely, Kurama Tomoko, also known as Yunu, spoke up.
"Looks like you've figured it out, Hikari. Your plans and ambitions won't succeed. If you surrender now, I can put in a good word for you… considering the time we've spent together over these past two years."
"I don't need your pity!" Hikari shot her a glare, seething with fury. "I will destroy—"
"Destroy what?" Tomoko cut her off. "For someone who hates her clan so much, you've only targeted adult shinobi for revenge. You've never harmed children, women, or civilians, have you?"
Hikari's eyes widened in shock.
'How does she know that?!'
Seeing Hikari's reaction, a shadow clone of Senju Hashirama, who had been engaged in battle, paused for a moment to observe the situation.
'This Uchiha girl… her past must be complicated.'
Tomoko's voice softened slightly. "You hate what shinobi did to you, but that doesn't mean you truly want to destroy the world. If you spend so much time in the world of Tsukuyomi, what is it that you actually wish to see?"
"Is it the satisfaction of a world destroyed? Or is it… your parents?"
Hikari's heart trembled.
Images of her parents surfaced in her mind, flooding her with warmth she couldn't resist.
Every time she entered a Genjutsu-induced dream, she never saw the world in ruins.
Even though that was her stated desire, it never materialized in her visions.
She had questioned this before… but in the end, she always lost herself in those dreams.
Tomoko sighed. "So it really is your parents, huh?"
Hikari clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. "Shut up!"
"The world is flawed, but it hasn't only given you pain, has it?" Tomoko continued. "The fact that you constantly relive those memories of your parents shows they must have been kind people."
"I SAID SHUT UP!"
"You awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan at a young age. That means you were deeply loved."
"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP! No matter what you say, they're not coming back!"
Hikari's furious outburst was interrupted—by the sound of something shattering.
The ground beneath her suddenly split open, and from the debris, a massive stone hand emerged, hurling her out of her Susanoo.
Senju Hashirama's clone blinked in surprise before hearing Tomoko's voice:
"Now! Strike while she's vulnerable!"
As sage chakra swirled around her, Tomoko remained calm, as if she had anticipated this outcome all along.
Hashirama's expression turned serious, and he clapped his hands together.
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"
A colossal wooden dragon burst from the ground, its scales finely detailed, its whiskers flowing in the wind.
Roar!
With an earth-shaking bellow, the Wood Dragon coiled through the air, lunging straight at Hikari.
Hikari moved to weave hand seals, but suddenly, her sleeve lifted on its own, disrupting her sequence.
She glanced down in shock—
A tiny version of Tomoko's face had formed within the folds of her clothing, smiling mischievously at her.
She gritted her teeth and redirected her gaze toward the incoming Wood Dragon, preparing to burn it away with Amaterasu.
But just as her eyes locked onto it, the Wood Dragon transformed into a giant boulder.
The black flames of Amaterasu ignited upon the false boulder, while the real Wood Dragon emerged from behind it, swiftly coiling around Hikari and draining her chakra.
Seeing the enemy restrained, Senju Hashirama's clone turned to Tomoko in astonishment.
"You… You're from the Kurama Clan?"
Tomoko nodded. "That's right."
'No wonder…'
Hashirama finally understood.
The Kurama Clan's Kekkei Genkai was unbelievably broken—it could turn illusions into reality.
They could summon lightning from the sky or shift the terrain itself.
Although their chakra reserves limited the scale of their abilities, if fused with Sage Mode, their Genjutsu could create even more unbelievable effects.
Manipulating people directly? Impossible.
But manipulating their clothing? That was a loophole.
Gazing at Tomoko, whose body radiated sage chakra, Hashirama couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
The Kurama Clan's bloodline had dwindled by the time Konoha was founded.
But now, there was a new prodigy among them.
"A bright future awaits you," he thought.
Tomoko took a step forward and looked down at Hikari, who was bound by the Wood Dragon.
"I have a daughter—her name is Yakumo. If I were to die, I wouldn't want her to end up like you."
Hikari just glared at her, refusing to surrender.
Tomoko sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation.
"You should really stop resisting. Even if the First Hokage weren't here, I'd still win. And if I really wanted to be shameless, I could just make your clothes burn themselves off, leaving you to fight naked… You wouldn't want that, would you?"
Hikari's face turned crimson.
Faced with Tomoko's serious expression and her current predicament, she had no choice but to lower her head in frustration.
She understood the reality—with Yachihoko neutralized and the Akatsuki in shambles, there was nothing she could do.
But that didn't make it any easier to accept.
Seeing Hikari's cute, frustrated face, Tomoko's eyes lit up, and she pinched her cheek.
"I've always wanted to do this."
Before, Hikari had refused to leave the virtual world, so pinching an emotionless projection wasn't satisfying.
But now?
Soft and bouncy—very nice.
"I hope my daughter's cheeks feel like this when she grows up."
---
Meanwhile…
In the now silent battlefield, a bewildered voice suddenly spoke up.
"What… is going on here?"
Stepping out of the Virtual Space, Shinno stood on an empty battlefield, looking utterly confused.
Where was the Akatsuki?
Where was Ideal City?
Why was Uchiha Madara restrained by White Zetsu?
Why was Tomoko holding Hikari hostage?
Why was Orochimaru casually chatting with Hyuga Fuji?
Shinno fell deep into thought.
Then, realization dawned.
"Oh, I get it… I must be dreaming! The Akatsuki's oppression must've driven me to hallucinate."
"Yes! That must be it!"
(End of Chapter)