At this moment, Douglas was on the verge of death. Senju Yukika only needed a single finger to take his life.
But Yukika didn't kill him right away. His people gradually surrounded Douglas and grabbed hold of him.
Douglas's body was torn in two, yet somehow, he didn't die. Although blood kept pouring out, there was a strange and eerie force within him that forcibly began healing his wounds…
One of Yukika's clansmen couldn't help but sigh and said, "No way… is he transforming again? Can't he just split into two people already?"
Everyone was reminded of a peculiar type of creature—an earthworm. It's said that no matter how many segments of an earthworm are cut off, each piece can regenerate into a whole new worm. Could Douglas have a similar ability?
If that were true, it would be downright bizarre!
Even Yukika stared at him for a few extra seconds. If Douglas really had that kind of power, it would undoubtedly be one of the most perverse survival abilities in existence—like something out of a fairy tale.
But Yukika didn't believe Douglas was truly capable of that. He didn't think the guy could turn himself into multiple independent clones.
"Hmph, you think ascending to immortality is that easy? Let's see if you can take my sword!" Yukika sneered.
As he spoke, Yukika swung the Sword of the End in his hand. Instantly, a wave of sword energy pierced straight through Douglas's body, severing whatever invisible lifeforce had been keeping him alive.
Douglas let out a dull groan—and died completely.
With everything settled, Yukika returned to Las Noches with his spoils, while his clan members continued their training.
Inside Las Noches, Yukika was now studying the Devil Fruit he had acquired.
As for the ability to exponentially increase the size of one's body, Yukika wasn't particularly interested. Compared to abilities like those of Shikamaru Nara's clan, this one wasn't anything special.
It was just about getting bigger—like an oversized chicken rib. In real combat, it didn't offer much.
In fact, growing that big could make a target even easier to hit and slow them down.
However, this Devil Fruit also had a soul-enhancing ability, which intrigued Yukika immensely.
After all, the spirit is a very unique kind of power, and even if one wants to cultivate it, there's no straightforward path to mastering its more arcane aspects.
Yukika had a gut feeling that by studying this Devil Fruit, he might uncover deeper, more mysterious insights into the soul…
Not long after, Yukika completed his research on the Devil Fruit. His clansmen came to report updates about the state of the Shinobi World War.
The war was finally about to erupt, and this time, Yukika decided to dominate the entire Naruto world.
He also began digging deeper into the secrets of the Ōtsutsuki clan to prepare for everything he might encounter in the ancient country of Rōran.
At this point, the Five Great Nations of the ninja world were practically in name only. The influence of Yukika's Espada weighed heavily on every ninja village, like a dark shadow that couldn't be shaken.
Yukika even felt that he wouldn't need to act personally; with just the power of his subordinates, he could easily quell the conflict and unify the entire Shinobi World.
This time, the war sparked unprecedented turmoil. Due to Yukika's overwhelming rise, the previously peaceful ninja world could no longer maintain its fragile balance.
Factions began to spring up, forming alliances or ambushes, and countless ninjas died every moment.
The whole land was stained red with blood. And just then, the Espada moved into action.
They stepped out of Las Noches one by one, carrying Yukika's orders as they moved toward the various factions.
By Yukika's estimation, the Shinobi World War would be over in about ten days. And events were unfolding exactly as he had predicted.
Soon enough, the various forces began to quiet down. They realized that if they didn't choose to surrender, their only fate was annihilation.
Faced with that choice, it was easy for anyone to make a decision—and unsurprisingly, they chose to surrender.
At this point, Yukika had effectively ended the war and risen as the true god of the ninja world—even more imposing than the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju!
In the entire history of the ninja world, no one had ever reached Yukika's level—shaking the Five Great Nations and unifying the entire ninja realm.
Though many finer details were still being worked out and the Five Great Nations weren't completely unified in every aspect, progress was steadily being made. Sooner or later, it would become one unified whole.
Everywhere, there was now a common standard, and Yukika was laying out the blueprint for the future.
At that moment, his subordinates came to report—they had found Uchiha Madara's records!
Yukika nodded and followed the intel forward.
Half a day later, deep in a cave within a forest called the Sea of Green Fields, Yukika stepped inside and saw Uchiha Madara lounging lazily in a corner.
Yukika's eyes turned cold as he said, "The legendary figure who once stood alongside the God of Shinobi… now reduced to a relic of the past?"
Hearing Yukika's voice, Uchiha Madara's expression turned grim, and he struggled, trying to resist.
…but a mysterious force within his body was clashing constantly, leaving him unable to control himself.
"You brat from the Senju clan, things won't change so easily. You think unifying the ninja world is the end? You have no idea—it's the beginning of a disaster!" Madara hissed.
Yukika chuckled. He didn't take Madara's threats to heart.
It wasn't arrogance—he simply understood the deeper truth of the matter.
"You think just because you've been controlled by the Ōtsutsuki's power, everyone else will be too?" Yukika said calmly.
Madara clutched his chest in pain and gasped, "No! You don't understand what kind of power that really is. The so-called Rinnegan, even the Tenseigan… those are the lowest forms of it…"
That statement did catch Yukika a bit off guard.
Could the Ōtsutsuki clan really have another base somewhere out in the universe?
And could these eye techniques, which seemed so powerful, actually be the weakest among the Ōtsutsuki clan's arsenal?
What would their true strongest eye techniques be like?
Yukika suddenly laughed. Why be afraid? That's all just the unknown.
When the enemy comes, you block them. When the flood rises, you dam it. There's nothing that can stop his march forward—nothing that can make him truly feel fear!
At that moment, Yukika understood everything in his heart. There was no turning back.