February 12, 12:00 PM.
On this day, it did not rain in the Land of Rain. However, even though the midday sun was blazing overhead, Hyuga Yu felt as if he were trapped in an ice cellar.
He did not know that he had been targeted by a "god" existing in a higher dimension, or even by more Ōtsutsuki, nor did he know about the series of disturbances triggered by the awakening of his [Dōjutsu: Shifō].
For Hyuga Yu, his perception was very simple:
At this moment, the laws and rules that Hyuga Yu had previously believed in without a doubt were completely shattered.
Time is linear, but in his perception, time did not display the rules of linear motion. This was somewhat similar to the story of Li He slaying the dragon in the CN2845 "Short Days of Bitter Toil" text.
In Yu's observations, the timeline of the shinobi world resembled a dragon of time that had already been slain. Unlike a conventional dragon, this dragon had no physical form. In fact, whether it could even be considered a living creature was difficult to gauge. Mapped onto the physical world, it might be a gravitational anomaly spanning hundreds of light-years, the only structured entity within an unpredictable quantum realm. Only by referencing it could humanity connect the events occurring in the real world, forming a so-called timeline and establishing that time is linear.
And it was not a law of causality acting upon all things in the universe; rather, it strung together humanity's concept of temporal nodes. The human concept of time was akin to a connect-the-dots game: the real world was like a cluster of completely chaotic points, and time was a guideline drawn by humanity. Only by using this guideline to connect the points into a pattern could the real world have logic and stories, allowing humanity to comprehend it.
But now—
The future Hyuga Yu saw was unpredictable, yet the future of the future he saw was anchored.
A predetermined future of the future, mapping backward into an unpredictable future, formed a complete logic of "precognition," ultimately resulting in a highly incomprehensible phenomenon.
It sounds complicated, but it can be simply understood as this: on a single timeline, Hyuga Yu was moving forward, using a dōjutsu capable of observing the future to write the script of his own future with his own will.
However, at the other end of this timeline, another "person" was backward-writing a script about the past.
Both progressed simultaneously, ultimately turning an unpredictable future into an established fact.
It resembled a temporal pincer movement, but in essence, it was more like a temporal pincer war.
It was as if Hyuga Yu stood at the starting point of this continuously extending timeline, waging a war against the opponent standing at the endpoint to seize control of the outcome in the middle of the timeline.
And in this battle, Hyuga Yu suffered a crushing defeat, entirely at the mercy of the other party.
As though this dragon of time itself was already dead, and humanity's perception of time had completely collapsed. Consequently, the future of the future could map onto the present, forming abilities akin to "precognition" or "future sight."
At this moment, the one who killed the dragon of time replaced it, preserving time—or rather, preserving humanity's "perception of time"—and became a sort of indescribable ascended being.
He was everywhere, yet truly nowhere; He possessed everything, yet truly had nothing.
Having become this twisted, conceptual "He," He cast a casual glance from any given node on this timeline toward Hyuga Yu, who had "opened a door" on the timeline. This caused Yu to receive fragments of the future of the future. Simultaneously, out of his innate, acute talent for sensing "gazes," Yu inversely observed a mere tip of the iceberg of the other party's immeasurably vast body...
His vision seemed to instantly burst out of the planet, catching a glimpse of a fraction of that behemoth spanning hundreds of light-years in outer space, locking eyes for a split second with that indescribable horror...
They locked eyes for a split second.
And that was precisely the God of the Ōtsutsuki, the true possessor of Shinjutsu: Shifō—Ōtsutsuki Shibai!
This left Hyuga Yu trembling with panic, unable to find his footing, as a wave of absolute despair surged within him. The shinobi world viewed the Ōtsutsuki Clan as invaders from beyond the stars, but the enemy they ultimately had to face was something that existed in an entirely different dimension.
How could anyone fight this?
If He truly descended upon the shinobi world and struck against it, directly standing at the future of the future to steer all of Yu's potential futures toward death, what could Hyuga Yu possibly use to fight back?
Facing such an enemy, even if Hyuga Yu followed his plans and truly stood at the apex of the shinobi world in the future, even possessing the strength to defeat the likes of Kinshiki, Momoshiki, Isshiki, and other extraterrestrial visitors, what would any of it matter against an absolute, complete Ōtsutsuki like this?
Since the future was predetermined, a failure, inconsequential, and devoid of any hope, what was he even doing right now? Why even bother continuing?
Fear, anxiety, intimidation, bewilderment, nihilism—countless negative emotions surged frantically deep within his heart.
Thus, at this moment, Hyuga Yu's eyes grew hollow as he stood frozen in place.
Right then, however, a hand clapped onto Hyuga Yu's shoulder, and an indifferent voice echoed by his ear: "What are you afraid of?"
The voice snapped Hyuga Yu out of his stupor back into reality. He slowly raised his head and suddenly locked eyes with a pair of cold, light-purple eyes characterized by concentric ripples. The voice came from Nagato, yet it felt as if Nagato wasn't the only one speaking.
Eerily, Hyuga Yu sensed two overlapping gazes coming through Nagato's Rinnegan. He froze for a moment, only to hear the other party continue speaking in a cold tone: "Wake up to reality."
"Nothing ever goes as planned in this accursed world."
"The longer you live... the clearer you see that reality is actually just filled with helplessness, pain, and futility..."
Hearing this, Hyuga Yu instinctively lowered his head.
To the side, Yahiko and Konan looked at each other, a trace of confusion rising on their faces. Was Nagato... actually trying to comfort the suddenly despondent Hyuga Yu?
But what on earth was he babbling about?
Yahiko snapped back to attention. Looking at Hyuga Yu's gaunt, withered body, he scratched his head and chimed in, "Though I don't really know what happened, Yu, you must have failed your ninjutsu training, right?"
Hyuga Yu shook his head. This bout of training had not failed; in fact, it could be called a massive success.
Not only had he initially completed the nature transformation of his body's Yang Release—allowing his physical form and even his Hyūga lineage to transcend their limits and attain sublimation—but the development of his Tenseigan Chakra Mode was already showing its initial sparks. He had even gained a game-breaking dōjutsu like [Shifō] due to his bloodline evolution. His future could be said to be exceptionally bright.
But...
That conceptual horror wandering through the starry skies still lingered in Hyuga Yu's mind like a cancer clinging to his bones.
Just then, Yahiko smiled and said, "Even if you failed, it's no big deal! After all, isn't life all about taking steps forward amidst continuous failures?"
However, the moment Yahiko's completely off-target comfort left his mouth, Nagato coldly turned his head and snapped, "Shut up!"
Yahiko: "Uh..."
Nagato turned back, calmly and indifferently scrutinizing Hyuga Yu. Behind those eyes, thousands of miles away, Madara Uchiha narrowed his eyes slightly. Looking at Hyuga Yu's drifting, bewildered state and the irremovable sliver of terror that seemed embedded deep within his pupils, Madara nodded, and then spoke in a cold voice.
Thousands of miles away, driven by a peculiar power, Nagato coldly spoke up, reprimanding: "Listen well—"
"Tennin!"
"In this world, wherever there is light, there are always shadows."
"The concept of winners is only relative to losers."
"If one wishes to maintain peace out of selfish desire, it will inevitably bring about..."
Hearing this, Hyuga Yu suddenly froze. He raised his head as if catching onto a crucial point, immediately cutting Nagato off, and asked intently, "Wait, what did you just say?"
Nagato: "If one wishes to maintain peace out of selfish desire..."
"Not that line, the one before it!"
Nagato frowned. "The concept of winners is only relative to losers..."
Hyuga Yu furrowed his brows slightly, murmuring, "The concept of winners is only relative to losers..."
He suddenly snapped his head up, a sharp look flashing across his eyes. "Right, that's it!"
If the timeline of the shinobi world were viewed as a "living creature," then according to Hyuga Yu's observations, Ōtsutsuki Shibai—who had slain and usurped humanity's "perception of time" itself—had already completed his dimensional ascension, becoming an ultimate biological entity on a four-dimensional plane.
He ought to exist simultaneously in the past, the present, and the future.
Then why would He, from the endpoint of time, trace back what was the "past" to Him but the "future" to humanity, and actively launch a temporal pincer war against Hyuga Yu when Yu entered the timeline to observe the future, anchoring the present future via the future of the future?
Unless...
His ascension itself was a failure, or rather, not fully successful.
He did not exist in the past, nor did he exist in the present, nor even in the future. He existed solely in the future of the future, even at the very end of time.
Perhaps the end of time points to destruction, and the god who became the timeline itself is trying to continuously return to the past from that endpoint. By anchoring futures one by one, He forces a continuous regression, intending to eventually drop down in dimension at some future node based on the present and return to reality.
Looked at this way, time was still linear, flowing forward. The "dragon of time" that humans used to anchor time also had something anchoring its own time...
Having figured this out—or rather, having forced himself to find a comforting justification—Hyuga Yu finally managed to calm the panic in his heart at this moment.
The actual truth remained unknown, but—
Altering time could not alter reality, nor could it strip away everything Hyuga Yu currently possessed. Even a god who had become an ultimate concept could not change that fact.
In that case, to Hyuga Yu, this so-called "god" was nothing more than a creature entrenched at the end of time who had already exposed his health bar.
Since Ōtsutsuki Shibai could slay the "dragon of time" and take its place, then as long as Yu kept moving forward, it was entirely possible for him to become a powerful entity like Shibai before he slew the dragon, and cut him down!
As stated in that poem titled Short Days of Bitter Toil:
Flying light, flying light, I urge you to drink a cup of wine.I know not how high the blue sky is, nor how thick the yellow earth.I only see the cold moon and warm sun, coming to boil away human life.Eat bear and grow fat, eat frog and grow lean.Where is the Divine Lord, where is the Supreme One? In the east of heaven stands the Ruo Tree, beneath it lies the Torch Dragon holding a candle.I will chop off the dragon's feet and chew the dragon's flesh, so it cannot return in the morning or hide at night.Then naturally the old will not die, and the young will not weep.
The unexpected incident triggered by the dōjutsu awakening drew to a close.
For Hyuga Yu, he had stabilized his emotions and reclaimed his conviction to grow stronger. Moreover, he had witnessed with his own eyes the peak combat power of this world—beyond the planet, those members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan who crossed the starry sky to plunder worlds were already walking the path of dimensional ascension to godhood. Even if their strongest might not have fully succeeded, they were already capable of slaying a terrifying celestial creature spanning hundreds of light-years and usurping its place.
This was a completely different league compared to the petty squabbles within the shinobi world.
Hyuga Yu cherished his current time even more, pouring every single second he could muster into training and growing stronger.
As for Yahiko, he oddly discovered that Nagato actually possessed some sort of motivational speaking ability. Following this event, he assigned more tasks involving social interactions, negotiations, and persuasions to the introverted Nagato, leaving the utterly bewildered and clueless Nagato complaining bitterly.
On the other side, Madara Uchiha... felt a wave of bewilderment.
He had just wanted to impart the philosophy of the Eye of the Moon Plan to Hyuga Yu, but Yu had listened to only the first few sentences before showing a look of sudden realization, as if he had instantly grasped some universal truth!
But...
I hadn't even finished speaking yet!
Madara Uchiha realized things were spiraling slightly out of his control. Thus, on this day, he planned to personally make a trip to the Land of Rain to test whether Hyuga Yu possessed the qualifications to inherit the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Thus, time flew by under these circumstances.
February 12, 2:00 PM. Hyuga Yu, along with Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, arrived at the place where the "other Madara Uchiha" had claimed he would wait every day. Strangely, Yu did not see Obito Uchiha, who was supposed to be trying to guide the Akatsuki.
Obito Uchiha seemed to be deliberately avoiding Hyuga Yu.
Hyuga Yu and the Akatsuki members shelved the matter for the time being. Yu turned back to throw himself back into training, taking time to research the application of Dōjutsu: Shifō and the further development of the Tenseigan Chakra Mode.
The Akatsuki, led by Yahiko, worked diligently to prepare for the internal peace talks of the Land of Rain scheduled for the 17th.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Iwagakure's "Operation Owl Hunt," targeted against Konoha's Tennin, began its implementation.
February 13. Large-scale rumors suddenly surfaced in the eastern border region of the Land of Rain, spreading even faster within the Akatsuki. They claimed:
"The Hyuga Yu currently staying within the Akatsuki is none other than the slaughterer codenamed 'Tennin' from Konoha's Root, whose hands are stained with the blood of the Land of Rain's people."
"Hyuga Yu faked an injury to infiltrate the Akatsuki to dismantle them from within. In truth, he has already formed a collaboration with Hanzō of the Hidden Rain to pave the way for Konoha to annex the Land of Rain."
On the same day, a large number of "Root mission scrolls" and "victims' suicide notes" were made public and circulated, seemingly corroborating the rumors. No matter how hard Yahiko tried to suppress it, he could not stop this kind of information from spreading within the Akatsuki.
For a time, when quite a few people within the Akatsuki passed by the training ground at the edge of the town, the looks they directed at Hyuga Yu training inside became rather strange.
February 14. Thousands of miles away inside Konohagakure, a vast amount of rumors similarly emerged, accusing Tennin Hyuga Yu of accepting bribes from Iwagakure. They claimed that despite arriving in the Land of Rain nearly a month ago, he had done absolutely nothing, allowing the domestic situation in the Land of Rain to ferment.
They alleged that Root was slacking off, that Tennin was unfit to serve as the envoy for the peace talks with Iwagakure, and recommended Minato Namikaze to replace Tennin to execute the mission, among other things...
February 15. The master spy sent by Danzō Shimura to Iwagakure, "The Walking Shrine Maiden," relayed the intelligence she had gathered in Iwagakure to Terai on this day—
Her investigation revealed:
Iwagakure had amassed a massive quantity of explosive tags, sealing jutsu barrier materials, and even large batches of wartime supplies from various small nations and black markets. They had secretly transported these to the Land of Rain, delivering them to the venue where the peace talks were to be held on the 17th.
Terai immediately went to the town's training ground to report the intelligence to Hyuga Yu.
Hyuga Yu did not say a word. After finishing reading, he simply carried a ten-ton boulder and did frog hops with even greater enthusiasm.
In this manner, all kinds of overt and covert tactics were deployed against him, yet Hyuga Yu ignored them all, focusing his entire mind and soul solely on training hard.
Until—
February 17, the day of the peace talks with Hanzō arrived.
————
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