Kurogai stood firm, wrapped in the radiant energy of the Tenseigan Chakra Mode. His expression was calm, focused. As the Hulk's massive green fist hurtled toward him, Kurogai didn't flinch. He clenched his own fist and met the attack head-on.
The ground trembled under the collision. The chakra cloak around Kurogai's arm rippled violently but quickly stabilized, the brilliant energy pulsing back into place without a hitch.
"As expected," Kurogai murmured, his lips curling into a smirk. "That kind of brute strength barely tickles."
But inwardly, he was thrilled. A subtle pulse reverberated from his Ultimate Eye—a familiar hum that only came when something deep within was awakening.
"I only came out here hoping to test my endurance," he chuckled to himself, the grin on his face widening. "But I didn't expect this pleasant surprise... The fifth eye ring is responding."
He burst into laughter, sharp and elated. After all the time he'd spent trying to unlock the power sealed in that eye, the Hulk—Dr. Bruce Banner's volatile alter ego—was finally the key. It was unexpected, but entirely welcome.
"So that's it," he whispered, pausing as the feedback from the eye resonated deeper. "Endurance. Physical impact. I have to absorb it—not deflect it."
The conditions were clear now: to awaken the fifth eye ring, he needed to endure unfiltered, raw power. Not just any force, but bone-shattering, world-breaking strength—the kind the Hulk excelled at delivering.
Compared to the challenges of unlocking his previous eye rings—tapping into ancient magical texts, splicing mutant DNA, surviving Kree enhancements—this felt almost… simple. Brutal, but simple.
Kurogai grinned again, eyes gleaming. "I just have to let him keep punching me."
Of course, not all impacts would work. A bullet wouldn't even register. No, only the kind of sheer destructive force that someone like the Hulk could generate would count. For anyone else, it would be suicide. But Kurogai wasn't anyone else.
His regenerative abilities, combined with the immortal essence of the Phoenix Force kept him alive. More than that—they made him unstoppable.
Roaring with rage, the Hulk yanked an enormous tree from the earth and swung it like a bat, aiming straight for Kurogai's head.
"Let's see it then," Kurogai growled, conjuring a golden orb of compressed energy into his palm. With a single motion, he hurled it forward. The orb collided with the tree, reducing it to splinters, then surged onward and smashed directly into the Hulk's face.
The explosion sent the green giant crashing through the façade of a department store, bricks and glass flying in all directions.
"You annoying little insect," the Hulk bellowed as he emerged, his skin singed but far from damaged. "I'm gonna crush you!"
Kurogai didn't answer right away. His smirk did all the talking.
"You call that strength? You haven't even bruised me."
His words hit harder than any energy blast. The Hulk, instinctually enraged by the taunt, roared louder, his muscles bulging grotesquely. In seconds, his size increased, doubling his already monstrous form. His aura turned primal—a chaotic storm of anger and instinct.
And he charged.
"That's more like it," Kurogai muttered, bracing himself. Blue chakra erupted around him again, thicker, denser than before, engulfing him in a brilliant storm of energy.
The two titans collided.
Shockwaves rippled outward, lifting cars and uprooting trees. The pavement cracked, buildings groaned, and the very air around them warped with each clash. Their blows weren't just fists—they were natural disasters.
In the nearby distance, Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, stood atop a flipped taco truck, watching the battle unfold with his mouth slightly open.
"Yeah, no thanks," he said, turning and hopping off the wreck. "That's above my pay grade."
He jogged in the opposite direction, muttering about how his katanas were great for slicing limbs but not for trading blows with human freight trains.
Back at the center of the storm, Kurogai was lost in it. Every time Hulk's fists connected with his body, the fifth eye ring pulsed again. A steady rhythm—like a drumbeat inside his soul—grew louder, stronger.
Half a day passed in a whirlwind of destruction and power. Buildings turned to rubble. The town had long since been evacuated. And at last, after a particularly vicious uppercut to his jaw, Kurogai staggered back and smiled.
The fifth eye ring shone inside his vision, glowing brighter than ever before.
"Fifth Eye Ring activation conditions met. Do you wish to activate?"
Kurogai's eyes narrowed. He clenched his fists, blue flames licking off his skin.
"Finally," he whispered.
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