NOVEL NEXT Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Evolution, Eternal Eyes
Chapter 68: Evolution, Eternal Eyes
A bottomless chasm had opened in the earth.
Deep within the abyss, Sukuna clung to a rocky wall, half of his body shattered and barely holding together.
The Nine-Tails crouched at the edge of the pit, half of its fox face scorched and charred.
Both monsters were rapidly regenerating.
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Sukuna's brow furrowed.
I can't go head-to-head with this Nine-Tailed Fox.
His cursed energy was nearly limitless before, but now, it seemed truly inexhaustible.
If his only opponent were the Nine-Tails, Sukuna would simply choose a war of attrition. With Mahoraga's adaptability, it would only be a matter of time before it overcame the Nine-Tails' power.
But his true opponent was Uchiha Kagami.
If he sustained more injuries and was forced to use the Reversed Cursed Technique, it could lead to Kagami mastering it first.
Sukuna knew full well that Kagami had absolute control over this body and could reclaim it at any moment.
What he needed now was a way to convert cursed energy into chakra—the key to breaking that accursed seal.
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Sukuna dissected the remaining chakra within Kagami's body, studying it meticulously.
His ability to comprehend and adapt had been proven time and again. Even during his battle with Gojo Satoru, Sukuna had developed spatial slicing techniques, albeit with Mahoraga's aid.
Could he form a contract with the energy itself to accelerate his understanding of chakra?
It was worth a try.
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Another failure.
As Sukuna predicted.
Above the chasm, moonlight dimmed as an overwhelmingly terrifying energy coalesced.
The Nine-Tails charged a Tailed Beast Bomb, aiming it directly into the abyss.
Sukuna raised his hand, slashing the incoming bomb with a powerful Hachi.
While Hachi could guarantee severing physical entities, its effect on the Tailed Beast Bomb—a pure energy construct—was limited. The explosion's destructive properties were negated, leaving only the bomb's brute force and mass to contend with.
Sukuna managed to stall the bomb for a few seconds, using the opportunity to carve deeper into the earth.
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I'm not fighting anymore. If I don't fight, I can't get hurt.
Sukuna burrowed further into the depths.
Once I unravel chakra's secrets, I'll kill you all.
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But then…
Sukuna's steps faltered as his body turned involuntarily.
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No anger this time—he poured all his focus into analyzing chakra.
To Kagami, learning the Reversed Cursed Technique would take time, but Sukuna had no such limitation.
If Kagami aimed to use the technique to convert cursed energy into chakra, Sukuna would simply beat him to it.
Victory is mine.
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BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Nine-Tails unleashed Tailed Beast Bombs like an artillery barrage, its attacks raining down relentlessly.
The fox could sense Kagami's life force—until it was extinguished, the Nine-Tails would not stop.
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In the Nine-Tails' mind, the figure it faced was a combination of Senju Hashirama and the Sharingan's power.
Such an existence could not be allowed to live.
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Mahoraga emerged from the depths, alongside other summoned shikigami like Round Deer and Piercing Ox.
The colossal shikigami intercepted the barrage of Tailed Beast Bombs. When they faltered, Sukuna himself intervened, preventing Mahoraga from being obliterated outright.
The Nine-Tails' simplicity—relying on overwhelming firepower—gave Sukuna some relief.
Had the beast been as cunning as him and figured out Mahoraga's adaptability, it could have annihilated the shikigami in one decisive blow.
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Water began to pool in the depths as the constant bombardment fractured underground reservoirs. Sukuna maintained his domain expansion, slicing apart any energy remnants that could interfere.
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Suddenly, Sukuna looked up. The barrage had stopped.
Is its chakra depleted?
No, it shouldn't run out so quickly.
No matter.
Back to work.
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Above the abyss, the Nine-Tails staggered as a bolt of lightning struck it.
"Enough with your pointless rampage, Nine-Tails."
The Third Raikage stood tall amidst the ruined landscape, his massive frame radiating strength.
"That creature is surely dead by now. If you keep going, you'll reshape the entire terrain of the Land of Lightning."
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Clenching his fists, the Raikage added, "I've suppressed my battle instincts long enough as a leader. Let me have this."
Swoosh!
A streak of blue lightning cut through the ground.
The One-Finger Hell Stab sliced apart an oncoming fox claw.
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You fool! What do you know?!
The Nine-Tails roared, refusing to acknowledge any human reasoning.
After I destroy Konoha, I'll destroy you too.
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A beam of white light descended from above, severing one of the Nine-Tails' tails.
Onoki floated in the air, his hair and robes swaying in the wind. He smirked. "Tell me, Nine-Tails, has Uchiha Madara's reincarnation truly died?"
ROAR!!!
The Nine-Tails' furious bellow sent shockwaves through the air, forcing Onoki to stabilize himself.
The fox didn't waste time explaining. It launched another volley of Tailed Beast Bombs, engulfing the heavens and earth in destruction.
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With the Raikage and Tsuchikage splitting its attention, the Nine-Tails' assault on Sukuna lessened in intensity.
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Deep within the abyss, Sukuna's palm began to glow with a faint, azure light.
Mental energy and physical energy converged.
His thoughts crystallized.
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Sukuna's four eyes closed as he focused. Gradually, his vast reservoir of cursed energy began to transform—bit by bit—into chakra.
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Meanwhile, in the spiritual space, Kagami sat atop the Dragon Vein, its energy swirling around him.
Residual Tailed Beast chakra flowed into the Dragon Vein, converging on Kagami.
The searing chakra burned his spiritual form, but an unseen force healed the damage.
"Reversed Cursed Technique… so that's how it works."
The process of converting negative energy into positive energy to heal oneself became clear.
An ocean of mental energy surged within Kagami's mindscape.
Intense emotions and the pinnacle of yin release—these were the keys to awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.
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Kagami slowly stood, the Dragon Vein lifting him higher and higher.
The higher he ascended, the more limitless the spiritual space became.
Further up lay a void of absolute silence and darkness.
A torrent of darkness cascaded down as the Dragon Vein's energy surged upward.
Caught between the two, Kagami slowly opened his eyes.
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The three tomoe in his Sharingan spun rapidly, becoming a blur.
Eventually, a fourth tomoe emerged, forming a spiraling connection with the others.
The pattern crystallized into a four-petaled crown of black thorns within his scarlet iris.
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A resonant hum filled the air.
Above ground, the Nine-Tails, Onoki, and the Raikage all froze in place.
All eyes turned toward the bottomless abyss.
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Far in the distance, the first rays of dawn pierced the darkness.
From the chasm surged a black-and-red torrent of energy.
Something had awakened.
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