Half Awake, Half Mad

Hiugo received the order to hide from Senju Zhenyang after finishing off the stragglers, which is why he didn't go to the main battle.

Although the two Hyuga branch family ninjas had the Caged Bird curse mark, their bloodline itself was not problematic.

After absorbing them with black branches, Hiugo found himself back in the bloody space of his dream.

Among the many glass orbs before him, the one etched with a Sharingan shattered silently. A chilling chakra flowed into his body and finally entered his eyes.

For a moment, the world seemed to become clearer, and he felt a sense of mastery over his own body and ninjutsu.

Hiugo looked down at a puddle of water on the ground, and in the reflection, a pair of scarlet, single-tomoe Sharingan were clearly visible.

Previously, Hiugo had absorbed two Uchiha clansmen, so the ratio of Hyuga to Uchiha bloodline was now 1:1.

The reason he awakened the Sharingan was actually due to Hiugo himself.

He was from the Senju clan, his ancestor was Asura, and further back was Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths.

Both the Sharingan and the Byakugan were essentially manifestations of "Sage Eyes," or Yin Release power.

Because his own bloodline leaned more towards Hagoromo Otsutsuki's lineage, when his Yin Release power was sufficient, it manifested as the Sharingan.

Hiugo felt the power in his eyes for a moment, then immediately closed them.

Currently in the Warring States period, the Senju and Uchiha had an irreconcilable hatred. If these eyes appeared on him, they would undoubtedly bring endless trouble.

"To put it bluntly, I'm just too weak. If I were a clan head, I could use whatever I wanted..."

Hiugo sighed inwardly and waited silently in place.

After a while, Senju Zhenyang arrived with Tobirama, and the three of them met up, rested, and replenished their chakra before continuing their mission.

Yin-Yang Shenfeng slowly woke up and looked at the Black Toad beneath his feet, sighing softly:

"You've worked hard, partner. Take a rest now."

"Croak croak."

The Black Toad stopped walking. It wasn't particularly large, only five meters tall, but it was capable of carrying a person.

Yin-Yang Shenfeng glanced at his hand. On his wrist were three long lines of red, black, and white. These three colors represented the general state of his current summoned beasts.

Among the three colors, the white line was already very short, dim, and lusterless, with the possibility of disappearing at any moment.

Relying on a unique summoning contract, the Onmyo Clan could summon all their summoned beasts at once, but the death of each summoned beast would permanently take away a part of their chakra.

Yin-Yang Shenfeng's mind recalled past events, and his expression turned grim.

In the previous mission, a troublesome ninja had appeared, so he resolved to cultivate and form a fourth contract with a summoned beast.

It was at this moment that he sensed a giant cat demon covered in blue flames with two tails.

As soon as their chakras touched, he was shattered, the contract directly failed, his soul was damaged, and even the giant dog with self-healing and life-saving abilities was on its last legs.

Then, under that powerful chakra, he went mad...

"If I could obtain its power, I, Yin-Yang Shenfeng, would surely achieve great things in time."

Yin-Yang Shenfeng did not want to give up. Judging by the sheer amount of chakra, he knew this was the power he had always dreamed of. Now it was right in front of him, yet he couldn't possess it.

"I must go to the Land of Water and find the Spirit Awakening Grass. Only then can I recover my ability to cultivate."

Although he was clear-headed now, he would soon lose consciousness again and fall into madness.

"Croak croak."

"You say someone is coming?"

Yin-Yang Shenfeng's eyes flickered, and he immediately formed hand seals, sharing his vision with the Black Toad. Ever since the first time he woke up with blood on his hands, he knew he would be hunted by his clan.

"Two brats dare to chase me? Old partner, poison mist."

Yin-Yang Shenfeng patted the Black Toad's head and then formed hand seals.

"Wind Release: Shenfeng!"

The Black Toad spat out a stream of black poison following the ninjutsu, and the two combined, a black mass of wind rushing towards the rear.

In the distance, the Senju duo had just found the toad's tracks when they saw a black mass of wind approaching.

It looked poisonous just by its appearance. Hiugo immediately took a pill and snorted, "You're just bullying us because we're young. When we grow up, we won't be afraid of this little poison."

Ninjas had a certain resistance to poison, especially the Senju clan with their Sage Body.

Tobirama also took a pill and warned, "Be careful. The other guy's a bit crazy. Using Wind Release from this far away has already significantly weakened its power."

"I can see that. Releasing ninjutsu from this distance, as if afraid others won't notice him..."

While they spoke, the two were not slow to act, simultaneously using Water Release: Water Wall to defend.

Seeing that his ninjutsu had little effect, Yin-Yang Shenfeng used a summoning jutsu.

After a puff of smoke, a red centipede about fifteen meters long appeared and burrowed into the ground.

The Senju duo felt the ground tremble slightly as a massive centipede head burst from the earth, snapping toward them.

The two reacted with lightning speed, leaping onto the centipede's head and weaving hand signs. They drew their kunai, coating the blades in pressurized water to form sharp edges, and slashed downward along the creature's armored back.

They landed on the ground and looked back at the centipede, only to find that they had barely left a mark.

The centipede, having failed its initial strike, burrowed back into the earth to wait for its next opportunity.

A faint vibration rippled through the ground; the centipede was moving beneath them. It was in no rush to attack, as its primary mission was to stall the two and allow Yin-Yang Shenfeng to escape.

Tobirama whispered, "Water Style had little effect just now, and given this attack pattern, it must be a summoning beast capable of Earth Style."

Hiugo nodded in agreement, "This thing is cautious. We have to lure it out, but it's a pity neither of us has an Earth affinity, or this would be much simpler."

Tobirama looked toward the direction Yin-Yang Shenfeng had fled and made up his mind, "I'll act as the bait; you use Lightning Style to finish it off."

With that, he sprinted toward the direction Yin-Yang Shenfeng had taken. Since the centipede's primary objective was to delay them, Tobirama's movement triggered its priority to attack.

The surrounding tremors followed Tobirama. When he was only a short distance away, the centipede burst from the soil once more to strike, but the moment its fangs made contact, the living man transformed into a wooden log.

Lightning Style: Explosive Thunder Spear

A spear of lightning struck the centipede at that exact moment. A second later, the violent chakra detonated, and the remains of the centipede's body collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash.

"An A-rank Lightning Style technique? Did Uncle Genma teach you that?"

Tobirama looked on with a hint of surprise.

Hiugo rolled his eyes. Who are you trying to fool? He didn't believe for a second that the son of a clan head didn't have an A-rank jutsu tucked away as a trump card.

As he fled, Yin-Yang Shenfeng sensed the centipede's presence vanish, and his expression turned sorrowful.

If he hadn't been suffering from his current condition, the combination of his giant dog stalling the enemy, the centipede launching sneak attacks, and the Black Toad providing long-range poison support would have been enough to face most foes.

But now, because of the problems with his soul, he could only serve as a burden.