Kekkei Mora

The shadow of war had made the once-prosperous streets seem desolate. Villagers hurried along, their brows furrowed with lingering worry.

Yet all the turmoil and suffering seemed separated from Hyuga Qinglan by an invisible veil.

In his mind, the A-rank jutsu and several forbidden techniques he had seen in the secret vault flickered past like scenes from a revolving lantern.

After turning through several quiet alleys, Hyuga Qinglan arrived at a remote practice ground that had long been abandoned and overgrown with weeds. A hint of amusement appeared in his eyes.

"Though time is short and I can't fully master every jutsu, the boost from being an Otsutsuki reincarnate should be more than enough for these techniques..."

He slowly raised his right hand without making any Hand Seals.

In an instant, Lightning Release chakra gathered and compressed wildly in his palm. The crackling sound of electricity, like birds shrieking, rang out, then quickly faded.

"The nature transformation of Lightning Release... Chidori."

Hyuga Qinglan looked at his arm. Compared to before, it now suffered almost no side effects.

The Rinnegan granted its wielder control over the five chakra nature transformations, as well as Yin and Yang Release.

And the Tenseigan, its equal...

Though he couldn't find the exact point of origin, its basic functions were indeed much the same as the Rinnegan's.

If he had to trace its origins, Hyuga Qinglan thought it might have come from Otsutsuki Hamura spending those long, lonely years exploring and studying the deeper secrets of the Byakugan.

In the end, the Byakugan had undergone some kind of mutation with the chakra Hamura had inherited from Otsutsuki Kaguya.

That was how he developed the Tenseigan, a power resembling the Rinnegan.

Now, with the boost granted by the Tenseigan, Hyuga Qinglan's strength had increased tremendously.

The five nature transformations were like five different colors of paint to him. As long as he had seen how they were mixed, he could more or less reproduce the results.

But that wasn't what he wanted most.

What he wanted most...

Was a Kekkei Mora like Kaguya's.

"Just as I suspected. The core of Jiraiya's hair-based secret techniques isn't simply reinforcing the hair. They use Yang Release to stimulate cell activity..."

Hyuga Qinglan picked up the scroll in his hand and carefully studied its secrets.

He had chosen Jiraiya's secret technique scroll because Jiraiya's hair jutsu bore a striking resemblance to Otsutsuki Kaguya's Rabbit Hair Needle.

Otsutsuki Kaguya's Rabbit Hair Needle turned her hair into countless needles as fine as strands of hair, which struck the opponent's tenketsu from every direction, leaving no openings. Each needle held enough force to pierce through anything.

It was a divine technique on the level of a Kekkei Mora.

Though Jiraiya's original hair techniques were nowhere near as terrifying as Kaguya's, their underlying logic was astonishingly similar.

Rather than simply coating the hair in ordinary chakra, they used Yang Release to stimulate the cells in each strand, building a tiny, temporary network of meridians within it.

"That means every strand of hair becomes part of the body, each containing a chakra circuit capable of resonating with the others."

Hyuga Qinglan closed the scroll and shut his eyes.

Ordinary hair techniques merely made the hair harder, longer, and controllable.

Jiraiya's Needle Jizo and Wild Lion's Mane Technique, for example, were powerful, but they still revolved around "strengthening the hair."

But with the Tenseigan he now possessed, along with his exceptional chakra control...

Even if he couldn't match the world-shattering power of Otsutsuki Kaguya...

He could at least create a rough semblance of it.

"I don't need to ask for much..."

Hyuga Qinglan's figure disappeared into the dusk as he headed toward the Hyuga Clan Compound.

"It'll be enough if I use this as a starting point to pry open the true power of the Otsutsuki..."

At the border between the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire.

The Konoha-Iwagakure front.

"Fire Style: Great Flame Technique!"

Seven or eight Sarutobi Clan ninja made Hand Seals almost simultaneously. Their chests swelled as they opened their mouths and unleashed several powerful streams of flame.

The scorching flames shot toward the Iwagakure forces in the distance like meteors. The air warped from the heat, and the battlefield reeked of charred flesh.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

Three or four Iwagakure ninja reacted swiftly, slapping their hands against the ground at once.

The earth trembled as several thick walls of soil surged up from the ground, blocking the oncoming fireballs.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The flames struck the walls, scattering rocks and filling the air with dust.

The walls blocked most of the impact, but a few unlucky ninja were still swallowed by the flames that spilled past them. Their screams were swallowed in the blink of an eye by the battle cries around them.

Scenes like this played out in almost every corner of the Rock Battlefield.

Judging by the local skirmishes, Konoha's tactical discipline was clearly superior.

With the Uchiha and Sarutobi Clans' Fire Release working alongside the Byakugan of the Hyuga Branch Family and the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, Konoha's squads could always gain an advantage in their clashes.

But a string of small victories was still only a string of small victories.

The overall course of the battle was ultimately in the hands of the commanders.

"Super Multi-Size Technique!"

Two Akimichi jōnin growled almost simultaneously as their bodies visibly swelled and grew. In the end, they became two enormous giants, each comparable to a Tailed Beast.

Thud! Thud!

Their enormous fists slammed into the ground, sending deep rumbles through the earth and clouds of dust into the sky.

The Iwagakure ninja on the ground were having a miserable time. Their formation fell into disarray in an instant.

"Don't panic! Engage them!"

A burly figure stepped forward from the Iwagakure ranks.

Kitsuchi roared, his voice like a booming bell, drowning out the noise around him.

He slammed both hands against the ground.

"Earth Style: Earth Mountain Jutsu!"

In an instant, the earth shook and the mountains trembled.

Centered on the two Akimichi ninja, two enormous stone hemispheres surged up from the ground and clamped together, like two giant hands closing around them, ready to crush the two Akimichi giants to pieces.

"Urgh...!!"

The two Akimichi ninja turned red as they strained, the veins bulging in their arms as they used their shoulders and backs to hold apart the closing hemispheres with all their might.

Their bones creaked, and sweat streamed down their faces.

"Father... it's up to you..."

Kitsuchi was so exhausted he nearly collapsed. His knees buckled, and he almost fell to the ground. Iwagakure ninja behind him, who had been keeping a close eye on the battle, hurried over to support him and dragged him toward the rear.

Kitsuchi raised his head with difficulty and looked toward the hazy gray sky.

High above, amid the billowing smoke, a short figure hovered in the air.

Brilliant white light gathered rapidly in the hands of the short old man. A small cube was about to take shape, and the killing intent was already palpable.

"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive..."

Ōnoki's voice carried down from above, old but still powerful.

But just as the jutsu was about to take shape...

Suddenly!

A massive, pitch-black staff shot up from the ground!

Its target was Ōnoki!