Gazing at Toneri before him, Sasuke suddenly felt like he had found the perfect candidate.
This person right here seemed ideal to offer up to the Ten-Tails!
Toneri Otsutsuki!
A glint of excitement flashed in Sasuke's eyes.
Staring intently at Toneri Otsutsuki, Sasuke noticed the golden light blossoming within his eyes.
'This guy's Tenseigan seems to have evolved to the golden stage.'
That was quite remarkable. To think he could evolve the Tenseigan to such a level genuinely surprised Sasuke.
After all, a golden Tenseigan!
'The power within these eyes seems impressive too.'
Sasuke smirked. Whether Toneri's Tenseigan was golden or not, Sasuke was interested.
It was, after all, the Tenseigan—an existence in no way inferior to the Rinnegan.
So, desiring these eyes was only natural.
He wondered what unique changes might occur if he integrated the Tenseigan's power into his own Sharingan.
Could it perhaps unlock a new kind of strength?
The thought alone filled Sasuke with a sense of anticipation.
Toneri noticed the look in Sasuke's eyes, a gaze that seemed to grow increasingly avaricious.
'What is this guy planning?'
'Why is he looking at me like that?'
A flicker of unease sparked within Toneri, but in the next instant, Sasuke's attack erupted.
There was no time for contemplation.
Sasuke lunged abruptly, Kusanagi Sword in hand, unleashing a furious barrage of strikes upon Toneri.
With a single downward slash, blinding purple light instantly transformed into astonishing shockwaves, blasting violently towards Toneri.
The air buckled, and staggering ripples sent tremors through the ground beneath them.
The earth fractured, prominent cracks spiderwebbing across its surface as Toneri crossed his arms defensively before him.
Yet, when Sasuke's blade descended, striking his forearms, even with the protection of his chakra—a dual layer combining Tailed Beast chakra and Tenseigan chakra—he wasn't injured, but the force sent Toneri hurtling backward instantly.
His body shot away like a cannonball.
Toneri's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Sasuke. He couldn't comprehend how Sasuke's strength had suddenly become so immense.
The power behind that simple sword strike felt as terrifying as a collapsing mountain.
Barely managing to land, Toneri hadn't even regained his footing when his eyes snapped wide.
In the next second, Sasuke's form flickered into existence again, this time to his right.
The Kusanagi Sword swung straight down, aiming viciously for his head.
Toneri couldn't react fast enough to defend against this blow.
The blade struck his head directly, but Toneri's reflexes were incredibly sharp.
He instantly flared the power of his Tenseigan. As its energy resisted the impact, both his Tailed Beast chakra and Tenseigan chakra surged defensively.
Only under the shield of these three layers of power did he manage to completely block Sasuke's attack.
However, the tremendous force still sent Toneri sliding backward for over a dozen meters.
Dust and smoke billowed instantly into the air.
All the Konoha ninja watching were stunned.
So fast!
So strong!
Sasuke's attack just now was pure, unreasonable, violent force.
And somehow, it had relentlessly pushed Toneri back, making him seem utterly unable to fight back.
How was this possible?
How on earth was this guy doing it?
Moreover, Sasuke's figure flickered continuously, leaving absolutely no trace of movement.
Just like now—Toneri realized this too, staring intently at Sasuke.
But in the next heartbeat, the blade vibrated, emitting a clear, sharp ring.
In that instant, Toneri whipped his head around, looking to his right.
The sword edge was already practically upon him.
CRACK!
With this slash, Toneri had no time to defend.
He was hit squarely.
The violet chakra shattered the protective layers of Tailed Beast and Tenseigan chakra, landing a perfect blow.
Toneri's body bounced and tumbled like a rubber ball, sent flying far into the distance.
He crashed through several houses before finally skidding to a halt.
A smile played on Sasuke's lips.
"Your reactions are still a bit slow, you know," he commented coolly.
"Oh great and noble existence, Lord Otsutsuki!"
Hearing Sasuke's mocking tone, Toneri's expression turned grim amidst the wreckage.
He raised a hand, touching a trickle of blood on his forehead. Injured. He couldn't believe he'd actually been injured.
Wounded by a lower life form.
How could this happen?
As the thought crossed his mind, Toneri's face grew darker.
Although Sasuke's blade had struck him, it hadn't caused severe damage. But it had undeniably wounded him.
The cut was already healing, closing rapidly, restoring itself to pristine condition.
But that didn't mean he was safe.
It meant Sasuke possessed more than enough power to harm him.
If he wasn't careful, he could very well be eliminated by Sasuke in the fight to come.
A mere human, possessing only an inferior bloodline, wielding lesser ocular powers—how could he possibly inflict injury upon him?
By what right could he injure him?
Toneri's fury blazed hotter and hotter.
He burst out from the rubble.
The ferocious glare erupting from Toneri's eyes looked ready to devour everyone present.
Sasuke, in contrast, watched Toneri with calm indifference.
Noticing his opponent's wounds had healed, Sasuke frowned slightly.
'It seems the Tailed Beast chakra granted Toneri healing abilities as well. But regeneration doesn't equate to invincibility.'
A dark light flickered in Sasuke's eyes.
He raised his hand, and one by one, Truth-Seeking Orbs materialized around him.
'Since you have self-healing, let's see how you handle attacks from these.'
Seeing Sasuke forming Truth-Seeking Orbs, Toneri, not to be outdone, generated a large number of his own.
Black orbs now floated around both combatants.
The hovering Truth-Seeking Orbs seemed to emit a strange pulse, causing the surrounding air currents to intensify.
Sasuke wore a faint smile, a calculating glint in his eyes.
The next moment, with a wave of his hand, he launched his Truth-Seeking Orbs.
They shot instantly towards Toneri.
Simultaneously, Toneri swung his arms, directing his own orbs to intercept Sasuke's.
Truth-Seeking Orb met Truth-Seeking Orb.
Or so Toneri thought. Suddenly, Sasuke's orbs seemed to vanish completely in mid-air.
Immediately after, Sasuke brandished his Kusanagi Sword and began frantically slashing at the black orbs hurtling towards him through the air, striking again and again without pause.
Sparks flew from the clash of blade against orb.
Sasuke effortlessly deflected Toneri's projectiles.
Toneri, however, was bewildered. What method had Sasuke used to make his own orbs disappear?
Where had those vanished orbs gone...?
The answer came the very next second. One by one, Truth-Seeking Orbs reformed into deadly senbon needles.
They materialized instantly, just a short distance away from him.
Only when the first senbon pierced through his body did Toneri finally realize what was happening.
But by then, trying to defend, trying to dodge—it was already too late.
A dense hail of Truth-Seeking Orb senbon rained down, striking Toneri instantly.
He was riddled through, transformed into a living pincushion.
Toneri stared at Sasuke, his face a mask of utter shock.
'Just how did he...?'
While Toneri reeled in astonishment, a sword suddenly appeared, pressed against the wound on his neck.
Sasuke revealed a smile.
"You're far too weak..."
"...Toneri!"
"Is this truly the power of a 'higher being'?"
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