Chapter 292: Ancestral Time Stopper
Indra.
The eldest son of the Sage of Six Paths, an inheritor of the Rinnegan, was an exceptional and aloof genius.
However, Indra, who believed that "power can achieve everything," lost to his less talented brother Asura in the succession struggle, which he felt was a great humiliation.
Refusing to acknowledge Asura's status, Indra eventually engaged in a long, fierce battle with his brother under Black Zetsu's manipulation.
Even after their deaths, the brothers' chakra did not dissipate. Instead, it continued to reincarnate into talented ninja descendants, perpetuating their conflict for over a thousand years.
This is the origin of the Uchiha and Senju clans' feud.
In the previous generation, the reincarnations of Indra and Asura were Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, whose bond turned from brotherly love to bitter enmity.
Traditionally, as the reincarnations of Indra and Asura, both sides were usually evenly matched, neither able to completely defeat the other.
Until now, with Sasuke and Naruto as the current reincarnations, the situation has changed.
Currently, Naruto is not only the perfect Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails but also has Madara's Rinnegan transplanted. If not for the existence of a monster like Danzo, Naruto might have already been invincible in the ninja world.
And Sasuke?
Compared to his original story, without experiencing the night of the clan massacre, Sasuke lacked the intense drive fueled by deep-seated hatred and suffering, becoming more like a flower nurtured in a greenhouse.
Born out of adversity, perished in comfort.
Compared to Naruto, Sasuke had been living too comfortably these years.
Despite considering himself very hardworking, in an environment of ease and enjoyment, complacency often arises naturally, unnoticed even by oneself.
Especially after achieving first place in the Jonin exams and being hailed as Konoha's, even the ninja world's, number one genius, Sasuke couldn't help but become self-satisfied and conceited.
Then, he received a harsh lesson.
First from Naruto, then from Deidara and Gaara, getting beaten by these true geniuses one after another, shattered Sasuke's ninja spirit, leading to his earlier breakdown.
Fortunately, he had a trump card.
Seeing Sasuke struggling, the dormant Indra chakra within him could no longer stand by and finally intervened, giving Sasuke an infusion of power.
Forcibly helping Sasuke awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Thus, the reincarnation of Indra wouldn't fall too far behind the reincarnation of Asura.
It proves that in this world, diligence and talent are not decisive; in the end, it comes down to the power of bloodline.
The purer the bloodline, the closer it is to the Sage of Six Paths, and the more likely one is to become a protagonist, opening cheat codes to reach the peak of the ninja world.
This is the reality.
Regarding Danzo, he never believed he became the number one in the ninja world today solely through relentless physical training.
He also relied on an external cheat.
No matter how perfectly Danzo trained his body, how strong he became, or how many terrifying forbidden techniques he mastered, his greatest reliance was always his Stand "The World."
And its time-stopping ability—"Za Warudo."
The power of the Stand is the fundamental source of Danzo's overwhelming confidence, surpassing ninja and looking down on the Otsutsuki clan.
So, using cheats is nothing to be ashamed of. At least that's what Danzo thought, as he, too, used one.
What he was curious about was.
With the help of Indra's chakra, how far could Sasuke go in the future, and whether he could eventually surpass and defeat Naruto Uzumaki?
We can only wait and see.
Although highly anticipated by the audience, the confrontation between Sasuke and Itachi was ultimately just an interlude.
Today's main theme was still the Chunin Exams.
As the stage was rebuilt and the announcer passionately introduced the contestants, under the watchful eyes of the audience—
Marisa and Hidan walked to the centre of the arena, stopping a few meters apart.
"Are you really only eight years old? Tsk tsk, such terrifying muscles, what a freak."
Hidan rudely scrutinised Marisa with a strange look, making unfiltered comments about her.
"None of your business."
Marisa retorted without any politeness.
Hidan, surprised by her words, swung his blood-soaked triple-bladed scythe onto his shoulder, adopting a careless stance:
"Yo, pretty feisty. You seem like a genius too. How about joining the Jashin Cult? I'll look after you."
"Jashin Cult? What a load of crap. I trust my fists more than any mystical gods."
Marisa scoffed, raising and clenching her fist.
Hearing Marisa's disrespect towards Lord Jashin, Hidan frowned and sighed:
"What a shame, kid. I like you, but I won't hold back..."
"Stop babbling, you're annoying!"
Impatient with Hidan's chatter, Marisa didn't wait for the referee's signal or form the seal of confrontation. She immediately kicked off the ground.
Whoosh.
Like an arrow from a bow, she charged at Hidan.
"Take this punch!"
She shouted, veins bulging in her arms, releasing a powerful white aura, her momentum imposing.
Hm?
Hidan caught off guard, hastily raised his scythe to block.
The next second.
Boom!
Marisa's punch landed solidly on the scythe's blade, sending Hidan and his weapon flying off the stage.
Whoosh.
Hidan flew back tens of meters like a broken kite, finally crashing into and collapsing the surrounding wall, buried on the spot.
No more movement.
"That move, it's Lady Tsunade's monstrous strength. I didn't expect Marisa to have learned it."
In the stands, a sharp-eyed ninja recognised Marisa's technique.
The person next to him immediately agreed:
"It seems the rumor is true. Marisa acknowledged Lady Tsunade as her godmother. No wonder she learned the monstrous strength."
"What's so strange about that?
"Everyone in Konoha knows that Lady Tsunade and the Sixth Hokage have always had a close relationship. They might actually be involved. Lady Tsunade may be Marisa's godmother, but she's practically her real mother."
Someone else confidently added.
Just as they were discussing heatedly, a chilling killing intent suddenly emanated from behind the stands, making them feel like they were in an icehouse.
Turning around, they saw none other than Lady Tsunade herself, arms crossed, glaring down at them with a very displeased expression.
The last thing she wanted was for people to spread rumours about her and Uchiha Danzo.
The group immediately fell silent, pulling their heads back and shutting their mouths, not daring to utter another word.
They were very lucky.
Since Marisa was in a match, Tsunade couldn't let external factors affect her precious goddaughter.
Otherwise, Tsunade would have already raised her fists and beaten these guys up.
Back in the arena.
Typically, when one party is knocked out of the ring, the match ends early.
But firstly, the Chunin Exam's ring battle only provided a combat venue without specific rules against leaving the ring.
For example, in the previous match, Deidara and Gaara fought in the sky.
Secondly, Marisa broke the rules by attacking before the referee's signal, which was considered a sneak attack.
However.
As the host contestant, Marisa had a slight advantage, which all parties acknowledged, so the referee turned a blind eye.
Besides, Hidan wasn't the type to be easily defeated.
Boom.
The rubble was overturned, and first, an arm emerged, followed by Hidan himself, who shook off the dust and twisted his neck.
He appeared unscathed, a testament to his immortality.
"Ah, Lord Jashin, thank you for your protection."
Hidan babbled, raising his arms to the sky as if communicating with the god above, his expression devout.
Then, he looked at Marisa and muttered:
"Lord Jashin, I'll offer you the best sacrifice. Her blood must be delicious."
As soon as he finished.
Hidan picked up his blood-soaked triple-bladed scythe and, with a maniacal laugh, launched a relentless attack on Marisa.
Under the protection of Jashin's power, Hidan wouldn't die from any injury.
Thus, he could attack without reservation, completely forsaking defence.
Given Takeshi's defeat in the previous match.
Many spectators assumed Marisa would learn from Takeshi's mistakes, adopting a defensive approach to avoid close combat with Hidan, preventing him from drawing blood.
However, to everyone's surprise.
"I'm not afraid of you."
Marisa snorted, raising her fist to strike and confidently confronting Hidan head-on.
Clang, clang, clang!
Her fists clashed with Hidan's scythe, producing sharp metallic sounds and sparks.
Marisa's muscles were as hard as steel, making it difficult for even finely crafted blades to cut her skin.
This was her confidence in facing Hidan directly.
Compared to the previous match.
If Deidara's explosive art and Gaara's insane sand attacks represented the pinnacle of grand, flashy ninjutsu, Marisa and Hidan's clash was raw and brutal, embodying pure physical prowess.
The fight between Hidan and Marisa had a completely different style.
Hidan only believed in the power of Jashin and looked down on flashy ninjutsu. Coincidentally, Marisa felt the same way, trusting only in her fists.
Thus.
Their battle was raw and unadorned, a pure taijutsu match.
The fight quickly escalated into a heated confrontation.
"Hahaha, give up, Marisa!"
Hidan, in a frenzied state, aimed to decapitate Marisa with a powerful swing of his scythe.
Marisa's eyes sharpened, and without retreating, she threw a powerful punch, intercepting Hidan's strike mid-air.
With a resounding crack, the blood-soaked triple-bladed scythe, taller than a person, was shattered by Marisa's punch. However, the broken blade managed to draw blood from Marisa's hand.
Got her.
Hidan grinned and quickly retreated, putting distance between himself and Marisa.
Then.
With a wicked smile, Hidan licked the blood off the blade and began to draw a ritual circle.
A blood-red symbol, a circle with a triangle inside, appeared at Hidan's feet.
It's over.
As soon as the ritual circle was complete, Hidan knew he had secured his victory and stood in an invincible position.
Looking up, he saw Marisa walking towards him.
"Your technique is a curse jutsu, isn't it? First, you use your scythe to draw your opponent's blood, then you ingest the blood and draw the ritual circle.
After that, any damage you inflict on yourself within the circle is reflected back onto your opponent, making them suffer the same injuries."
Marisa calmly revealed Hidan's ability.
Hidan's smile widened, and he admitted:
"That's right. It seems my ability was exposed in the previous match. But you still let me draw your blood, didn't you?"
"If I stand here and don't attack you, your curse technique is useless." Marisa said, lowering her fists.
"Haha, too naive, little girl."
Hidan shook his head, pulling out a black spear from his clothes, and sneered, "You think that by not attacking me, I can't do anything? As long as I have your blood, any harm I inflict on myself will be mirrored onto you.
Let's see who can endure more pain. Don't disappoint me."
With that, he aimed the sharp tip of the spear at his own body.
This was Hidan's favourite moment.
By hurting himself, he could mercilessly torment his opponent. The opponent would also suffer a fatal injury if he struck a vital point.
Unfortunately.
The Fourth Raikage had instructed him not to kill Marisa under any circumstances, to give the Sixth Hokage some face.
So.
Hidan avoided his heart and aimed the spear at his abdomen, then thrust it in front of Marisa.
In that instant, Marisa's eyes glinted, and a tall silhouette seemed to flicker behind her.
The next moment.
With a splatter.
Hidan's spear pierced through his abdomen, blood gushing out.
"Hahaha, how does it feel? Beg for mercy! You dared to disrespect Lord Jashin; I, as his envoy, will punish you severely!"
He grinned viciously, eagerly waiting for Marisa to scream in pain.
"Punish me? I don't feel a thing. Is that all?"
Marisa responded with a look of surprise, taunting Hidan as if nothing had happened.
Impossible.
Hidan was shocked, staring in disbelief at Marisa, who was completely unscathed. Did Jashin's power fail, or did he perform the ritual incorrectly?
It wasn't until Hidan looked down that he saw the problem.
At some point.
He had stepped out of the ritual circle. What had been under his feet was now strangely behind Marisa.
Hidan's curse technique, Death Controlling Possessed Blood, only worked within the ritual circle.
"What happened? How did you do it? Tell me!"
He was at a loss for words, staring at Marisa in horror, unable to comprehend what had happened.
In the stands.
"Time-stop displacement, huh? I didn't expect Marisa to learn my technique so easily."
Danzo muttered to himself with a knowing smile.
As expected from his own flesh and blood.
(End of Chapter)