NOVEL WEB Chapter 35: Chapter 35: It is I who have won
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The sudden rain had just ceased, and the night breeze was moist, each breath carrying a cool, tingling sensation.
Senju Tobirama gripped a kunai, his body taut, slightly hunched, his gaze sharp and vigilant, resembling a tiger poised to strike.
He had maintained this posture for a long time, at least half an hour.
Around him, numerous Hiraishin kunai were scattered and embedded in various positions, the Amaterasu black flames had long since burned out, and the towering Shishienjin barrier had vanished without a trace.
At midnight, the air was eerily quiet, with only the cool night breeze gently blowing.
"Tobirama!"
A shout disrupted the silence.
Tobirama's eyes flickered as a figure rapidly approached in the distance. Although he had already discerned the person's face, he still activated his sensory perception to gauge the incoming chakra, only then slightly lowering his guard.
"It's Sasuke," he said hoarsely, his exhaustion evident.
"Tobirama, the battle over there has ended. That transformed cat's methods were too bizarre; I couldn't keep it," Sasuke reported.
"No matter, a mere summoning beast poses no threat," Tobirama instructed, a sinister smile crossing his lips.
"Have the Hyuga and the Ino-Shika-Cho clans retreat to the village. That Nameless one hasn't shown herself. Heh, Madara has hidden her quite well."
"I've already sent my son to handle it," Sarutobi Sasuke landed beside Tobirama, glancing at the scattered kunai on the ground, and asked, "That brat, hasn't he been dealt with yet?"
As he spoke, his expression immediately turned vigilant, and he drew the long sword from his back.
"Who knows," sighed Tobirama, his complexion deathly pale. The Four Red Yang Formation had drained too much of his chakra. "Let's withdraw. He probably won't teleport back here again."
"Is he still alive?" Sasuke was visibly startled. "If we all attacked together, our chances of winning would be higher, wouldn't they?"
Tobirama shook his head. "It's no use. He has likely mastered 'Spiritual Transformation.' Against that technique, numbers offer no advantage whatsoever. Our men would be slaughtered like mere foot soldiers. Moreover, that brat's ocular abilities are bizarre. I can't allow him to adapt to the secret techniques of other clans."
"You should understand, in the current village, apart from my elder brother, only you and I stand a chance against him," Tobirama said as he formed hand seals to dispel the markings on his body. Unlike Hashirama, he didn't possess such vast reserves of chakra. To counter Kamihane, he had even resorted to delving into ancient texts, spending three years to develop this forbidden technique capable of storing chakra.
Sasuke nodded in silence. After a while, he spoke, "If he isn't dead, he will surely return for revenge."
Upon hearing this, Tobirama replied, "His ability allows him to teleport back to any trajectory he has left in space within a certain timeframe, and it can repair any physical damage he has sustained."
"I have relocated him to the depths of the ocean. To prevent this very move, I have been guarding this place for a long time."
"The depths of the ocean!" Sasuke was visibly shocked upon hearing this. "You actually managed to leave a spatial marker in such a place!"
"That kunai of mine was specially crafted, forged from deep-sea black iron, with an extremely high density. Despite its small size, it weighs a full thousand jin," Tobirama explained. "Two years ago, I dropped it into the sea, and now, sensing its spatial coordinates, it is approximately more than 20,000 meters below the surface."
"That depth... is absolutely unreachable by humans!" Sasuke couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.
"I cannot be certain whether he is dead or not. Either he is buried in the deep sea, or..." Tobirama looked up, his gaze becoming distant, "he survives, becoming a true monster."
Sasuke once again surveyed his surroundings, looking at the massive fissure in the stone wall and the chaotic, pockmarked ground. He couldn't help but take a deep breath. "As far as I'm concerned, he is already a monster now."
...
The North Sea of the Land of Iron.
The bright moon hung high, the starry river filled the sky, and the sea was turbulent with waves crashing layer upon layer against the reefs, splashing white foam.
Suddenly, with a "pop" sound, a youthful figure leaped out of the sea like a missile, soaring high into the night sky.
He intercepted the giant waves, stretching his form under the full moon. The cold moonlight cast an inviolable halo around him.
The youth landed gracefully, his toes lightly touching the sea surface, creating a gentle ripple that spread outward.
Despite the surging waves, as soon as they approached the ripple, they calmed down like a babbling brook, as if mischievous children seeing their teacher, instantly silenced, unable to stir even the slightest disturbance.
His face was handsome, his phoenix eyes otherworldly, his black hair swaying in the wind, and a pair of crimson Mangekyō shining like glass, reflecting a translucent glow.
It was Kamihane.
At this moment, he stood bare-chested, his skin as pale as jade, with slightly defined muscles refined like divine iron. Under the hazy moonlight, he emitted a misty halo, as if enveloped in a layer of crystal-clear water film.
Kamihane examined his own hands, fingers clenched into a fist, feeling the surging blood qi within his body and the overwhelming force that seemed ready to burst forth. A glimmer of excitement appeared in his eyes.
"It is I who have won."
"A life-and-death crisis indeed has the power to unleash one's potential..."
"The adaptation progress of Hiraishin... it's just that little bit left..."
The primary reason why the previous great battle with Tobirama was so perilous was that he had not adapted to any of the damage inflicted by Tobirama.
The "Makorad," operating at full power, had been doing one thing from beginning to end:
Adapting... to the Hiraishin no Jutsu!
He had a faint intuition that if Tobirama could perform Hiraishin in front of him one more time, he would immediately adapt to this space-time ninjutsu that could be called a divine technique!
"It's not entirely without gains, after all…"
He shook his dripping wet hair, glancing at his smooth, jade-like upper body, his expression slightly peculiar.
"Damn, I've become the Sea King."
...
He had succeeded.
He had successfully adapted to the deep sea, to the essence of natural water.
Moreover, this was the result of a secondary optimization!
Ever since he decided not to sit idly by, he had fully activated "Makorad," causing a portion of seawater to shoot in through the cracks of his collapsing Susanoo, instantly piercing his body, riddling it with countless holes.
"Pfft! Pfft!"
The extreme pain also awakened his latent abilities.
While adapting to the seawater, he could also endure more damage. In the end, he even let go of the Susanoo entirely, focusing solely on restoring his own condition.
"Crack! Crack!"
Bones shattered, flesh mangled, yet in the next second, everything was restored as if nothing had happened...
Tendons and bones were repeatedly reconnected, blood stained the seawater red. Pain and rebirth were like two sharp blades, ravaging his body and mind, repeatedly destroying and rebuilding them.
After several such cycles, Kamihane finally adapted to the deep sea under the extreme pressure of life and death...
The first optimization: he grew gills. The seawater no longer tasted salty and bitter. Even in the pitch-black depths of the ocean, he could breathe as freely as in the air.
His physical body underwent unimaginable enhancement:
His bones and flesh became exceptionally tough, even his skin shimmered with a crystalline glow. Though his physique appeared slender, it harbored the might of a colossal beast!
Every cell in his body became incredibly resilient, as solid as an impregnable fortress. They could even adjust internal pressure according to external stress. Neither the corrosive seawater nor the terrifying water pressure could harm him in the slightest.
His circulatory system upgraded, his heart pumped steadily and powerfully, like a divine drum from the distant celestial realm. His body maintained a constant temperature...
The evolution of his physical body, from the inside out, rendered him immune to all damage from seawater, even adapting to sudden temperature changes, disregarding the coldness of the ocean.
Webs grew between his fingers, granting him the ability to swim...
Furthermore, his eyes underwent evolution, significantly enhancing his visual capabilities in the dark depths of the water, allowing him to automatically adjust his visual range based on light intensity! This enabled him to penetrate the depths of the ocean for thousands of meters, even discerning the deepest trenches;
During the second optimization, his gills and webs disappeared, and the external traits that diverged from those of a human returned to their original state, replaced by...
The opening of all his key acupoints throughout his body, utilizing the largest organ for respiration—his skin!
Through his pores, he absorbed oxygen and expelled waste water, with his cells controlling the process of gas exchange through the cell membrane, consciously absorbing oxygen from the water, and only oxygen...
He enhanced his affinity with water, enabling him to subconsciously control water molecules within a certain range beyond his body surface, with meticulous precision and immediate responsiveness, maintaining stable density and wave vibrations, and regulating the flow velocity of water.
This is a completely natural reaction, akin to how human skin contracts when cold and dilates pores when hot.
This allows him to move freely amidst the water resistance and immense pressure of the ocean depths, far surpassing the mere muscular movements facilitated by fins by several magnitudes!
Moreover, when he focuses his attention on "water manipulation," he can control water molecules within a larger scope. Within his domain, he is the sovereign of water, wielding the authority of the seas!
Even in the depths of the ocean, he can effortlessly manipulate water to flow against the current, creating a stable spherical "vacuum" zone out of thin air.
Additionally, he has evolved a form of sensory ability. His chakra can diffuse in high-frequency waves and then be retracted, allowing him to perceive information about his surroundings through his body!
Now, he is practically a humanoid radar, capable of detecting changes in molecular density within a certain range. Combined with his soul perception, everything within a ten-kilometer radius is revealed in minute detail, allowing him to avoid obstacles even during high-speed movement.
At this point, he has fully adapted to the depths of the ocean!
He finally catches his breath and seizes the opportunity to search the sea. Eventually, he finds a severely deformed Flying Thunder God kunai lodged within a coral.
Upon seeing the Flying Thunder God technique inscribed on it, he immediately tears it apart before returning to the surface.
Kamihane lowers his head, examining his pale, crystalline palm. His gaze seems to penetrate the skin, as an endless flow of power silently courses through his muscles and meridians.
As the wielder of "Makorad," he quickly adapts to this exponentially surging strength. The divine light in his eyes completely retracts, and his breathing becomes steady, deep, and prolonged.
"Given his current physical constitution, even if Hashirama himself were to appear, he would have the confidence to compete with him. However, that peculiar expression on his face remained unresolved.
'Although becoming stronger is a good thing, but... am I still considered human now?'"
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