The Beginning of the Final Battle

Amidst the turmoil in the Ninja World, time flew by quickly, and two more years passed in the blink of an eye.

The biggest event in the Ninja World in the past two years has been the rapid decline of Konoha.

Almost every day, Konoha ninja are killed while on missions within their own country.

Although Konoha is trying its best to maintain its share of missions within the Land of Fire, fewer and fewer people are coming to Konoha to post missions.

For Konoha, the biggest blow was that about a year and a half ago, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire finally succumbed to the collective suppression of the Tsuchikage, who had joined forces with many other small and medium-sized countries' Daimyo.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire announced that he would cease all military funding to Konoha.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire divided the military funds originally allocated to Konoha in two, giving a large portion to Iwagakure and using a small portion to train Guardian Ninja.

From that time on, even knowing that it was dangerous to go out of the village to carry out missions, Kakashi still had to send out a large number of ninjas to carry out missions.

Otherwise, Konoha would have had no choice but to disband due to lack of funds.

But Kakashi's decision was merely a short-sighted solution; it only slowed down Konoha's decline.

In the past two years, the Konoha Ninja Academy has significantly reduced its enrollment of new students.

Just six months ago, the Konoha Ninja Academy announced that it would only recruit about a hundred students, all of whom were descendants of former ninja clans.

This is partly because the Konoha ninja were killed or wounded at a very young age; many ninja died in battle before they could marry and have children, which greatly reduced the number of their descendants.

On the other hand, many civilians have lost faith in Konoha ninja. Becoming a ninja means there's a high chance of dying on the battlefield around the age of ten.

Few parents would willingly send their child to their death.

According to Aono Shinichi and his team's analysis, Konoha currently has approximately three thousand ninjas.

Most of these three thousand ninjas were quite young; in Iwagakure, they were either recent graduates of the Ninja Academy or still in school.

Even the Cloud ninja, who originally resided in Konoha, left Konoha more than a year ago.

After leaving Konoha, they did not go to the Land of Water, but instead headed south to the southernmost part of the Ninja World, far from the Land of Earth, where they found a large island and settled down.

It's worth mentioning that because all the ninjas in the various branches, including the Moon Branch, were present, the Iwagakure) postponed the graduation of its Ninja Academy students by one year.

The stark contrast between the two vividly illustrates the desolate state of Konoha.

Furthermore, because the Iwagakure kept the war within the Land of Fire, while the Land of Fire's economy was damaged, the Land of Earth's economy also experienced significant growth.

After acquiring the technology from the Cloud ninja, the Land of Earth experienced another leap forward in its economy.

Many wealthy people who originally lived in the rich lands of the Land of Fire moved their entire families to the Land of Earth.

It's almost fair to say that the common people of the Land of Earth have already achieved a peaceful and unified life.

The reason Konoha was able to maintain its independence despite such an unfavorable situation is not Kakashi.

It was because of Kakashi's three genius disciples.

Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke all displayed strength exceeding that of a normal Kage Level.

Moreover, all three are still young, and no one can predict their potential.

All the Konoha ninja are looking forward to the growth of these three, hoping that Konoha can achieve a magnificent comeback under their leadership in the future.

In the past, Konoha has faced crises before, but whenever danger struck, a hero would always appear to save the Konoha.

The Legendary Sannin of that era, the Yellow Flash later, and Might Guy —they were all heroes like that.

The Konoha ninja believed that Hinata and her two companions would definitely be able to defeat the Iwa ninja.

Of course, the Konoha ninja knew that most of them might not live to see that day, but that didn't matter. From the day they became ninjas, they were prepared to die in battle.

The Lord Hokage told them that they had not died in battle, but had burned themselves with the Will of Fire, contributing to the growth of the village's new life.

Although Naruto and his two companions were strong, there were also many monsters on the Iwa ninja side.

Sakura, Karin, Kurotsuchi, Yakumo Kurama, and Uzumaki Riori— these five newly promoted Kage Level have brought the number of Iwa ninja -Kage Level to an astonishing level.

With the addition of Yichen, Ōnoki, Ikura, Kitsuchi, Kawakita, Matsutani Shinya, Han, Roshi, Sokai, Izumi Uchiha, Deidara, Natsuki, Haku, Neji, Shion, the total number reached twenty.

Although Hinata and her two companions are stronger than a normal Kage Level, there are still some Iwa ninja who can rival them.

First, there's Neji, who has never lost a one-on-one fight. Neji has fought Hinata, Neji, Naruto Sasuke multiple times, and he always comes out on top.

However, every time he was about to kill Naruto and Sasuke, an unexpected incident would occur.

Secondly, he intervened several times to save his own people, Sokai and Izumi Uchiha, from Hinata and her companions.

For some reason, Sokai and Izumi Uchiha didn't use their full strength like Neji did every time.

The two only intervene when someone on their side is in danger.

Furthermore, the two will not kill Hinata and the other two after successfully rescuing them.

Finally, there's Princess Shion, of noble birth. Although she can't defeat any of the three, she can still hold off one of them.

Shion simply lacks combat skills; her strength is no less than that of the three.

Moreover, unlike Naruto whose strength suddenly increases in stages, Shion's strength steadily and continuously improves.

Besides these four, Yichen, who hasn't made a move in the past two years, hasn't been forgotten either. The Iwa ninja Bi-Monthly Report has been boasting that their Tsuchikage is the number one Ninja World.

Is Yichen really the best Ninja World? Of course not. A month ago, Yichen could still compete for the top spot, but now he has no hope.

Aside from ancient monsters like the Sage of Six Paths who have lived for over a thousand years, the strongest ninja in the current Ninja World is Neji Hyuga!

That's right, a month ago, Neji successfully experienced his last fetal movement, fully awakening his Tenseigan.

Actually, Neji's awakening came too late this time, and Yichen always believed that it was the Sage of Six Paths who was behind it.

Finally, a month ago, Yichen couldn't hold back any longer and came up with a special method to motivate Neji to advance.

After all Neji was unable to make his final fetal movement, which meant that Yichen couldn't hitch a ride.

For his own cultivation, Yichen came up with a plan for Neji.

Back when Obito Uchiha was still alive, Black Zetsu once plotted against Yichen.

That time, Yichen received a blessing and gained a strange flame.

Later, it was thanks to this flame that Fujii Kusaka's flames were able to function.

Besides the special flame, Yichen also gained something from that First Shinobi War: a part of his body that Black Zetsu used to monitor him.

Of course, that part of Black Zetsu's body was very small, Yichen had been unable to deal with it all these years, only carefully preserving it after sealing it away.

This time, Yichen used this item to help Neji advance in rank.

Over the years, Neji's eyes have reached a critical point due to the nourishment of the Giant Tenseigan's Chakra.

Once you cross that threshold, you've reached the Sage level.

Of course, this kind of transformation, achieved with the help of external forces, might not be considered strong even among Sage level, but it is enough to suppress everything in the current Ninja World.

Black Zetsu was created by Kaguya Otsutsuki, who possessed a bloodline network. Yi Yichen didn't know the extent of Black Zetsu's power, but Black Zetsu's body was definitely at the Sage level.

Otherwise, how could he have survived for a thousand years without dying?

The small portion of Black Zetsu's body in Yichen's hands was also alive.

Although this part of the Black Zetsu body lacks the ability to think, it can sustain life without any energy replenishment.

Furthermore, every time Yichen releases the seal, it moves towards the direction of Black Zetsu, attempting to merge with the main body.

Therefore, Yichen used this part of Black Zetsu's body as a catalyst, allowing Neji to forcibly absorb the energy from Black Zetsu's body using the Giant Tenseigan, thus completing the leap.

That day, Yichen remained inside Neji's body using the Spirit Transformation Jutsu, undergoing a life sublimation alongside Neji.

Neji Yichen didn't know how Yichen felt, but he felt that he had experienced countless life and death, and the boundary between life and death had become much blurred.

It was as if he had already broken free from the barrier between life and death, and even, if he took another step forward, he could control life and death.

The experience was so wonderful that Yichen was reluctant to wake up.

When Yichen returned to his body, he felt a sense of disharmony for the first time.

Yichen felt as if his body was a huge cage, Yichen felt suffocated. He longed to break free of the cage and exist directly as a soul.

However, Yichen ultimately held back.

If my soul has truly reached the Sage level, perhaps doing this wouldn't be a bad idea.

However, no, Yichen felt that although his soul had become very pure and had improved in all aspects, he was still essentially in the third stage and had not yet entered the fourth stage of Sage level.

Not only did Guang Yichen not have it, but Neji himself also said he didn't.

Neji stated that his body and soul were still at the level of a mortal, only his eyes had reached the Sage level.

Those blue Tenseigan now shone brightly, making it difficult to look directly at them.

However, Neji also said that the Tenseigan Chakra generated in his eyes was constantly changing his body and nourishing his soul.

It is believed that, with the passage of time, his body and soul will eventually reach the Sage level.

Of course, Neji himself didn't know how long this process would take.

Perhaps when Neji's life came to an end, he had not yet completed his transformation.

The biggest change in Neji's appearance is not that the blue light in his eyes has become more dazzling.

Instead, a small horn grew out on his forehead.

Neji touched his little horn, feeling a bit uncomfortable, but Yichen wasn't too surprised. In the original story, it seems that both Obito Uchiha and Madara Uchiha had horns when they reached the Sage level.

However, Neji did not develop a vertical eye on his forehead.

Yichen told Neji to adapt to his new power on his own. The current Neji was beyond Yichen's ability to guide.

Yichen then directly began practicing the seventh level of the Five Elements Fusion.

Over the past two years, Yichen has mobilized the resources of the entire Iwagakure and finally designed the detailed structure of the seventh floor.

It was precisely because the design was successful that Yichen was so eager to help Neji advance.

Yichen had tried before Neji advanced, but at that time he could only complete about 50% of the seventh level.

That's too much; Yichen has already failed many times, with a success rate of around 50%.

However, after taking a ride, Yichen successfully overcame the 50% hurdle and continued to achieve new records, eventually reaching 90% in one go.

If things go as expected, and if Yichen calms down and familiarizes himself with the structure of the seventh floor, he should have a good chance of succeeding in a year or two.

However, Yichen said he couldn't wait. Today, Yichen wanted Izumi Uchiha to also try absorbing Black Zetsu's body.

Yichen still possesses a copy of Black Zetsu's body.

Yichen went to the Secret Vault of the Iwa ninja and retrieved Obito Uchiha's body.

Then, Yichen, Neji, Sokai, and today's protagonist Izumi Uchiha, arrived at the secret room where the Giant Sharingan was kept.

Yichen released the numerous seals from Obito Uchiha, then said to Neji, "Neji, check this corpse and see if there's any Black Zetsu inside."

Neji was puzzled as to why Yichen said that, but he still carefully examined him with his Tenseigan.

Neji didn't know who the disfigured corpse was, but he knew perfectly well Sokai and Izumi had participated in the First Shinobi War to kill Obito Uchiha Izumi Uchiha.

During Neji's examination, Sokai asked Yichen, "Teacher Yichen, do you think Obito Uchiha also possesses the body of Black Zetsu?"

"But why? Aren't they all in cahoots? Why would Black Zetsu put his body inside Obito Uchiha's?"

Izumi Uchiha shared the same doubts.

Yichen thought about it for a moment. Anyway, Neji had already reached the Sage level, and even Izumi Uchiha was about to break through to that level.

It wouldn't matter if we told a few people about the Sage of Six Paths' family affairs.

So Yichen said, "This Black Zetsu is actually the source of all the conflicts in the Ninja World over the past thousand years."

"Black Zetsu's true identity is actually a life form created by Kaguya Otsutsuki, the mother of the Sage of Six Paths, before she was sealed away."

Yichen explained in detail to the two the origin of Black Zetsu, as well as the fact that he had altered the Uchiha Stone Tablet and constantly provoked conflict between the Uchiha Clan and Senju Clan.

Sokai and Izumi Uchiha; it turned out that their Uchiha Clan had always been pawns in someone else's game.

So, Madara Uchiha, who awakened the Rinnegan through his own power, was just a pawn?

While the two were still in shock, Neji used his finger as a knife to gently slice open Obito Uchiha and extracted a wisp of black substance from it.

It really does have Black Zetsu body!

Yichen laughed and said, "Black Zetsu truly lives up to his name, he didn't disappoint me!"

This part of Black Zetsu's body was Black Zetsu placed inside when Obito Uchiha lost consciousness due to excessive strain on his life force from repeatedly transferring the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

Black Zetsu's goal was to use this to his Obito Uchiha if the two sides ever turned against each other in the future.

He just didn't expect that Madara Uchiha, on whom Obito Uchiha had placed such high hopes, would die so easily at the hands of Izumi Uchiha and Yichen.

And the contingency plan he left on Obito Uchiha has now benefited Yichen.

At Yichen's instruction, Neji placed this part of Black Zetsu's body onto the Giant Sharingan.

Then, Izumi Uchiha one hand on the Giant Sharingan and began to control Giant Sharingan to forcibly absorb Black Zetsu.

Without delay, Yichen immediately used the Spirit Transformation Jutsu to enter Izumi Uchiha's body.

Yichen, familiar with the process, maximized his senses and quietly waited for the changes in Izumi Uchiha.

With her Izumi Uchiha could naturally sense Yichen's actions clearly, but she ignored them.

Izumi Uchiha connected with the Giant Sharingan, allowing it to absorb Black Zetsu's body with all its Giant Sharingan.

Just like with Neji, Black Zetsu tried to escape, but was firmly held in place by the suction force of the Giant Sharingan.

As Izumi Uchiha power, the suction force of the Giant Sharingan also began to increase, and Black Zetsu's body began to slowly grow larger. As the area increased, the thickness gradually decreased.

Soon, Black Zetsu's body grew from less than a grain of rice to cover most of a Giant Sharingan.

At this point, Black Zetsu's body seemed to have reached its limit and could no longer grow larger, but the suction force of the Giant Sharingan continued to increase.

Black Zetsu's body was clearly tense, as if it might break at any moment.

And that was indeed the case; when the suction reached a critical point, Black Zetsu's body shattered with a bang.

A real shattering!

Black Zetsu's body was divided into countless extremely small parts, each of which was a particle so small it was invisible to the naked eye.

Not only is it invisible to the naked eye, but even the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan Sokai, cannot see it.

Only Neji, with his Tenseigan at the Sage level, caught a glimpse of it at close range.

"So that's how it is!" Neji watched as Black Zetsu's body was disintegrated and finally understood why he was able to advance to the Sage level.

Black Zetsu's completely disintegrated body served as a catalyst, guiding Izumi Uchiha her path to the Sage level.

Although Izumi Uchiha did not know the reason, her Chakra Hon moved towards Black Zetsu's disintegrated body.

It doesn't seem quite right to call them Black Zetsu bodies now.

Neji felt that calling them the Chakra Origin would be more appropriate.

As Izumi Uchiha's own Chakra was gradually assimilated by those Chakra Origin, her transformation began.

Neji and Sokai both heard heartbeats at the same time.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the joy in each other's eyes. It was the sound of a newborn baby moving, a sound that signified the beginning of Izumi Uchiha's transformation from a mortal to Sage.

Neji began to observe more carefully, not having noticed the changes that had occurred to him last time.

At that time, his Tenseigan had not reached the Sage level, so even if he wanted to see, he couldn't.

Izumi Uchiha's advancement is a very valuable experience for him.

This observation will allow him to gain a better understanding of the Sage level.

Sokai's face showed only excitement and tension. He was both looking forward to the changes in Izumi Uchiha and worried about something happening to her.

Time passed slowly, and finally, at a certain critical point, Izumi Uchiha suddenly opened her eyes, which had been closed the whole time.

Neji could see it clearly: the blood-red Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan with its intricate patterns in Izumi Uchiha's eyes suddenly lost all color and turned into a pale blue.

Then the complex patterns quickly turned into ink and concentrated at the very center of the eye.

The next moment, the ink spread out, forming concentric circles.

Rinnegan!

After Izumi Uchiha advanced to Sage, the eyes she Rinnegan were light blue.

It looks exactly like the Rinnegan in Nagato's eyes.

A few minutes earlier, in a corner of the Ninja World, in a small underground cavern.

Black Zetsu suddenly felt uneasy. He sensed it carefully and found that the feeling came from a part of his body that had been separated from him before.

"What's going on? This is the second time recently!"

"The last time I felt this way was when I left behind the body to monitor the Tsuchikage's actions."

"After the last time I had a heart attack, that part of my body completely disappeared."

"This time it seems to be the part of my body that I left inside Obito. Is someone slowly destroying my body?"

"Is it the Sage of Six Paths?"

Black Zetsu was panicking. He wandered aimlessly through the underground cavern like a headless fly, muttering to himself.

A moment later, the feeling of panic subsided, but Black Zetsu showed no sign of Weighted Training Gear; on the contrary, his panic became even more pronounced.

Because that part of the body also disappeared! Completely disappeared.

His senses were not wrong; this wasn't the kind of sealing that had happened before, but rather a complete elimination of them.

There really are people who are gradually disintegrating their own bodies; there really are people who can disintegrate their own bodies!

This is terrifying. Black Zetsu suddenly felt that the Ninja World was no longer safe.

This feeling of fear came on extremely because Black Zetsu used to be confident that no one in the Ninja World, except for the Sage of Six Paths who was now just a soul, could do anything to him.

Even someone like Orochimaru, lying on the lab table, can't do anything about himself.

But now everything has changed. Someone can kill him now. Faced with this huge shock, Black Zetsu's mentality completely collapsed.

Black Zetsu wanted to run, feeling that someone might attack at any moment. But he also felt that nowhere was safe, and perhaps someone was luring him out.

And so, Black Zetsu trembled alone in the underground cavern.

After an unknown amount of time, suddenly a person emerged from underground.

"Who?! What are you doing?!" Black Zetsu shouted like a frightened bird.

The White Zetsu clone that emerged paused for a moment, then asked curiously, "Black Zetsu, what's wrong?"

Upon hearing White Zetsu's question, Black Zetsu was taken aback. It took him a while to realize that he had lost his composure.

Black Zetsu did not answer White Zetsu clone. He sat quietly for a long time before he finally adjusted his mindset.

So what if someone can kill me? I'll just stay away from them.

The feeling I just had came from the direction of Iwagakure) was obvious; it was definitely the Iwa ninja causing trouble.

And it's highly likely to be that strange Tsuchikage!

From now on, I'll just avoid the Tsuchikage and steer clear of the Iwa ninja.

Even if we can't save Mother now, we can wait a few years, a few decades, or a few centuries.

I refuse to believe that the Tsuchikage can outlast me!

After adjusting his mindset, Black Zetsu asked the White Zetsu clone, "What are you doing here?"

The White Zetsu clone, oblivious to Black Zetsu's earlier coldness, replied, "I just received news that the Tsuchikage has gone to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path again."

"Just like the previous times, I stayed for a long time before leaving."