Hyūga Tennin, the first patriarch of the Hyūga clan in Konohagakure. Once ranked third on the black market's bounty list, he was the supreme military commander of Konoha's northwestern defenses, a figure of true authority. Some claimed his strength rivaled that of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.
Kakuzu suspected such claims were likely exaggerated by members of the Hyūga clan themselves. After all, in later years, the Hyūga were known for one thing: proudly proclaiming, "The Hyūga are Konoha's strongest!"
Exaggeration or not, money didn't lie. Hyūga Tennin's current bounty on the black market was a staggering 80 million ryō—enough to make anyone wary.
Standing atop a cliff, Kakuzu rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, his gaze fixed on Hyūga Tennin. He muttered, almost as if speaking to himself, "He truly is a formidable one."
...
Back on the Battlefield
The clash of two armies was a cacophony of steel and cries.
"Charge!!"
"Kill!!"
"Aaaaargh!!"
The shinobi of Kumogakure and Konohagakure glared at each other with bloodshot eyes, their veins bulging as they gripped their kunai. Each scream and shout was an effort to drive their blades into the enemy's chest.
The battlefield was shrouded in smoke and chaos, yet one unwritten rule from the Warring States Period still held firm: soldier faces soldier, general faces general, clan head faces clan head.
The commanders of both sides—hardened veterans steeped in bloodshed—instinctively cleared a space on the battlefield for their duel.
"Hyūga Tennin! Did you see it? This is the gift I've prepared for you!"
The thunderous voice of the First Raikage roared like a storm. Truth be told, every time he faced Hyūga Tennin, he felt insulted. As the leader of a village, battling merely a clan head with a bloodline limit seemed beneath him.
But not today. Today, he was ready. Today, he would deliver a message Konoha would never forget.
Across the field, Hyūga Tennin planted his feet firmly, one palm extended forward and the other guarding his chest—a textbook Gentle Fist stance. The veins near his Byakugan bulged as the dōjutsu activated, providing him a perfect view of the battlefield.
Through his Byakugan, Hyūga Tennin saw the scene five kilometers away: over 500 Kumogakure shinobi lay in ambush in the desert. The moment the Raikage broke through the front lines, those hidden troops would strike, dealing Konoha a devastating blow.
Despite the dire situation, Hyūga Tennin remained composed. His Byakugan flicked to the rear, spotting an ally.
"Seifu! Signal the main camp! Tell them to send reinforcements immediately!"
The addressed shinobi, a blonde named Yamanaka Seifu, was an excellent sensory ninja and the battlefield's communication specialist. Upon receiving the order, Seifu immediately retreated to relay the message.
Hyūga Tennin was about to issue further commands when the Raikage interrupted.
"Stop struggling, Tennin! Even if your reinforcements arrive, by the time they do, this position will be in ruins!"
"Is that so?" Hyūga Tennin retorted, thrusting a palm forward. The sheer force of his chakra pushed the Raikage back.
"As long as I'm here, this position will not fall!"
It wasn't arrogance, it was unshakable confidence. He was the Hyūga clan's patriarch, after all.
"Hah! Tennin, you're far too confident. Today, I'll show you the gift I've prepared for you!"
The First Raikage took a step back, shifting into a sturdy stance, his fists spreading wide.
As his roar echoed, lightning surged across his body like writhing serpents, crackling with power. His hair stood on end as arcs of electricity illuminated his form.
Suddenly, BOOM!
A black mist exploded from the Raikage's body, and blood seeped from his skin. Yet the Raikage seemed unfazed, his eyes burning with a singular goal: to defeat Hyūga Tennin and cement his legacy as Raikage.
"Madman!" Hyūga Tennin muttered.
He recognized the Raikage's self-created taijutsu technique: Lightning Release Chakra Mode. It dramatically enhanced speed and strength, pushing the user's body to terrifying limits. However, the technique was incomplete and inflicted severe damage on the user each time it was activated.
Today, the Raikage had pushed it to its absolute maximum—enough to harm even himself.
The Raikage surged forward, his fists crackling with electricity.
"Do you know where the name Raikage comes from?!?!"
BOOM!!!
The Raikage's lightning-clad fist crashed forward like an unstoppable cannonball.
"Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"
The Hyūga clan's famed ultimate defense spun to life. While "Rotation" was often called absolute, no defense was truly invincible.
Just as even the strongest, Hashirama Senju, eventually fell before the Six Paths, so too could Rotation be broken by overwhelming speed and power.
CRACK!
The Raikage's relentless assault shattered Rotation. Hyūga Tennin skidded backward, blood spraying into the air as he struggled to keep his footing.
Hyūga Tennin gritted his teeth, maintaining a steadfast expression. Yet, deep down, he understood the blow to morale that a commander retreating even a single step could deal to their forces. Calmly assessing the situation, he acknowledged the truth: the reckless Raikage, charging like a maddened beast, was indeed a difficult opponent. Defeating him would require more than conventional tactics.
Resolving himself, Tennin steeled his heart. As the commander of Konoha's forces and the leader of countless shinobi, he bore the responsibility of protecting the civilians of the Land of Fire who stood behind him. Retreating even an inch would mean ceding precious ground—and that was something Hyūga Tennin would never allow.
The veins on either side of Tennin's Byakugan suddenly disappeared as he deactivated his ability to see through chakra pathways.
"Hah! What's this? You've turned off the Byakugan you use to read my movements?" The Raikage's wild laughter echoed across the battlefield. "Don't tell me you've realized you can't target my chakra points anymore! Hahaha!"
What the Raikage didn't notice, however, was that Tennin's Byakugan had begun to gleam. The light in his eyes, while subtle, gave his gaze an extraordinary brilliance.
Tennin assumed a Gentle Fist stance, his expression calm and serene, as though the world around him had stilled. In that instant, his Byakugan ascended to an unprecedented level.
The Byakugan.
All things—every detail, every fragment of the universe—lay before him, encompassed within the Eight Trigrams Formation he stood upon.
"RAAAHHH! DIE!"
With a deafening roar, the Raikage unleashed his full strength. Black smoke erupted from his body as he pushed himself to his absolute limits, aiming to shatter Konoha's defenses in a single blow.
In response, Tennin leapt into the air with explosive force.
From above, he delivered a crushing fist, its size comparable to a massive truck. The devastating blow descended upon the Raikage's head like divine judgment.
The Raikage, cloaked in lightning, attempted to counter, but—
Zzzt… Zzzt…
The lightning flickered and died, unable to stop the colossal punch.
BOOM!
The earth caved in, leaving a massive crater in its wake. Within it, there was no trace of the Raikage's body—only a pool of blood and scattered remnants. A single severed arm, flung from the wreckage, landed nearby.
Tennin descended to the ground, one knee touching the surface. His pupils trembled, his body quivering faintly, but he refused to show weakness. Rising, he looked toward the aftermath.
There was no sign of the Raikage's corpse—only a vast imprint of his fist, stained with blood and debris. The Raikage, the once-mighty ruler who had brought chaos to Kumogakure, had been obliterated in a single strike. All that remained of him was his severed arm, a grim reminder of his defeat.
For a moment, silence fell over the battlefield. An eerie, absolute silence, where even the faintest sound could be heard.
The chaos was over. The legacy of Kumogakure's fearsome leader had ended in an instant.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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