386-390

*Chapter 386: Shukaku, Aggrieved Like a Multi-Thousand-Ton Child!*

"Shukaku!!!"

With a furious roar from Onoki in the sky, an elderly man standing before the Iwagakure army sighed deeply.

He had kind eyes, a long white beard, and wore a blue-and-purple monk’s robe. Holding a string of prayer beads, he exuded a serene aura.

Beside him, a cold-faced elite Iwagakure jonin named Hikaru stared at him and said in a deep voice:

"Master Bunpuku, as per the agreement with Sunagakure's higher-ups, it's time for you to fulfill your duty."

This elderly man was none other than Bunpuku, the Jinchūriki of the One-Tail from Sunagakure.

Standing on the other side, a young bald monk named Hōichi looked at him with a troubled expression.

"Master, do we really have to do this?"

"Didn’t you always say you would coexist with Shukaku for life? That you would use kindness to reform him and prove that humans and Tailed Beasts can live in harmony?"

Hearing his disciple’s confused question, Bunpuku sighed again and shook his head. Unable to find the words, he simply pressed his palms together in prayer, clutching his beads.

In the next instant—

A massive wave of yellow sand surged like an ocean!

Amidst the storm of sand, a colossal beast over sixty meters tall emerged, its entire body covered in intricate seal patterns, formed purely from sand—a giant tanuki riding the waves!

"Old monk, you’ve finally given in to your inner demons! All that talk about Buddhism and compassion—"

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!"

"It’s all bullshit!"

Shukaku let out a sharp, manic laugh, his voice filled with schadenfreude.

Bunpuku sighed helplessly and said, "Shukaku, go fight. Our mission is to seal that man."

However, in the next moment—

A massive shadow loomed over Shukaku, completely covering him!

Shukaku looked up blankly—

And saw—

A towering, 120-meter-tall Susanoo clad in armor standing before him. At only sixty meters tall, he didn’t even reach its waist.

"This is… the Uchiha clan’s Susanoo?"

Shukaku blinked his beady green eyes, utterly dumbfounded. In disbelief, he shrieked,

"What the hell?!"

"You expect me to fight this thing?!"

Bunpuku had no choice. If he could, he would have spent his entire life suppressing Shukaku with his own body, using Buddhist teachings to guide him.

But the village was at a critical juncture!

Ever since Shinji publicly declared his intent to assassinate the Daimyō, calls for the Daimyō’s execution had grown louder, even within Sunagakure’s leadership.

Fearing that severing ties with the Daimyō or opposing him would cut off their financial resources, Sunagakure was forced to dispatch large numbers of operatives on secret S-rank war missions to amass wealth.

Thus, Bunpuku—the monk who had sealed the ferocious Tailed Beast within himself—was granted an exception by Sunagakure’s leadership. He was released to serve the village in battle.

At this moment,

Hearing Shukaku whine like a massive, aggrieved child, Bunpuku could only pretend not to hear.

Instead, with a grave expression, he focused his mind and solemnly warned,

"Be careful. That boy is coming!"

"Shukaku, we have no choice but to try sealing him with the Desert Layer Burial!"

Hearing this, Shukaku’s head throbbed. He watched the enormous figure approaching and felt his scalp go numb.

"You call that a boy?!"

"Damn you, old monk!"

If he didn’t act now, he’d be kicked over by this fire-clad giant. Gritting his teeth, Shukaku roared furiously, pressing his palms together:

"ROAR!!!"

A monstrous sandstorm erupted. The earth trembled as vast quantities of sand surged up, forming an ocean of golden waves!

This level of Magnet Release was something no ordinary user could ever replicate.

With a single roar, Shukaku manipulated the sand, piling it up to nearly a hundred meters high, pushing it toward the armored Susanoo.

Then, using a pyramid-like structure, he began forming a massive sealing technique—the Desert Layer Burial!

---

Inside the Susanoo, Shinji's expression grew solemn.

Behind his colossal warrior, a deep trench—hundreds of meters deep—had been created by the Iwagakure army.

The Five-Tails, Kokuō, hadn’t been mindlessly charging at him. Its goal was to push him into that pit, allowing Iwagakure’s troops, who had previously been bystanders, to finally join this godlike battle.

Scanning the battlefield briefly,

Shinji saw at least a hundred members of Iwagakure’s explosive force unit stationed in that pit.

First, Onoki would tear down his defenses. Then, explosive clay users and Explosion Release specialists would launch continuous bombardments, wearing him down over hours or even days.

With his current chakra reserves, getting trapped there would be disastrous.

So—

He was willing to sacrifice his vision and eye power to forcefully unleash this Mangekyō Sharingan ability.

Iwagakure was desperate, but Shinji was even more desperate!

Given the situation,

He had to generate an overwhelming level of attraction, forcing thousands of Iwagakure shinobi to keep attacking him—making Onoki too preoccupied to kill Hidan with Dust Release.

He had to make them believe that if they stopped attacking him, he would destroy their entire army.

Then, he would snatch victory from the flames and break through Iwagakure’s lines to save his comrade.

At this moment,

With Shukaku and Onoki attacking from both sides, the Desert Layer Burial temporarily restrained the giant Susanoo.

At the same time, Onoki aimed his white energy cone at Susanoo’s head.

"Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"

If Shinji used his real body to evade, Susanoo would be completely sealed by Shukaku, rendering it immobile.

(PS: Natural energy had been depleted while countering Kokuō’s Vapor Release. The fourth-stage Susanoo was not a fully complete form and, without Sage Mode, couldn’t break free from the Desert Layer Burial.)

But if Shinji didn’t dodge and focused on fighting Shukaku with Susanoo, he’d be instantly disintegrated by Dust Release.

Faced with this dilemma,

Shinji’s expression grew increasingly serious. He had to both deflect Onoki’s attack and eliminate Shukaku.

The key to achieving this—

Shinji fell silent for a moment before glancing down at his abdomen, taking a deep breath.

Until now, he had been relying solely on his Mangekyō Sharingan in battle.

But now, the Eight-Tails horn that Orochimaru had obtained would become the key to breaking the deadlock.

However, the cost of using this last bit of chakra—

If he wanted to win the battle,

It might mean using his newly acquired Mangekyō Sharingan to the point of blindness!

But just as Shinji made up his mind to gamble it all—

No one could have expected—

A terrifying figure suddenly streaked across the battlefield like a comet!

"ONOKI!!!"

With an earth-shattering roar,

A bloodied, battle-scarred warrior—his arms and legs severed, his body riddled with gaping wounds from Shinji’s relentless attacks, his intestines spilling from his abdomen—

Flew forward with three crimson, tail-like wings flaring behind him, dragging a broken fourth tail behind.

The Third Raikage, A—

He was still alive. And at this moment, he had just helped Shinji in a massive way!

His golden and crimson eyes swept across the battlefield, instantly assessing the situation.

Shinji took a deep breath, his gaze locking onto Shukaku, who now looked as helpless as a beaten dog.

"Then let’s get rid of you first, beast!"

His eyes flared, spinning wildly with eight-petaled Mangekyō patterns!

Susanoo’s left-hand gourd vanished—

And then,

A chillingly sharp, divine aura surged through the heavens and earth!

*"Mythical Projection: Totsuka Blade!"*

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 387: The Appearance of Ame-no-Murakumo, the Black Light Wheel Slash!

A chillingly sharp aura spread across the land, making everyone from Iwagakure shudder. They had no idea where this ominous presence originated from—only that it felt as if a blade were suspended over their heads, ready to descend at any moment.

As the primary target of this terrifying force, Shukaku—the One-Tail—felt an unprecedented level of dread. For the first time, it physically experienced what humans described as "a spine-tingling chill." Even the sand covering its body bristled as if on edge, trembling uncontrollably.

Realizing that it had been locked onto by the unseen Uchiha inside the colossal Susanoo, Shukaku clenched its teeth, knowing there was no escape. It focused entirely on strengthening its sealing technique, determined to submerge the armored Susanoo beneath the ever-expanding sea of sand.

At that very moment—

In the sky above—

The white chakra lance in Ōnoki’s hands was fully charged. He locked onto Shinji within Susanoo and thrust both palms forward to unleash his Dust Release technique. But just as he was about to fire, his expression darkened, and he cursed:

"Damn it!"

A streak of lightning flashed in and out of sight, shooting toward him like a speeding javelin!

It was the Third Raikage, his limbs severed, using only his head as a weapon. He let out a furious roar and hurled himself into Ōnoki’s Dust Release attack—offering himself up as a human shield!

The white chakra lance pierced forward, striking the Third Raikage, A!

In that instant—

Neither his Lightning Release Armor, the Tailed Beast Cloak, nor the Seven-Tails' Carapace, which had formed over his body, could stop the Dust Release's advance!

Starting from his left shoulder, half of A’s body was enveloped by the white chakra lance and disintegrated into atoms, vanishing from existence.

Yet, even at such a devastating cost, A's eyes remained wide open, filled with unrelenting willpower. With what remained of his body, he propelled himself forward and slammed his forehead straight into Ōnoki’s chest and abdomen!

Whoosh!

The two aged shinobi became entangled and were sent hurtling backward, rolling nearly a hundred meters before coming to a stop.

The force of the impact caused Ōnoki to lose control of his Dust Release—just as it had begun cutting through Susanoo’s armor and was about to strike Shinji! Instead, the attack was flung far into the distance!

"Raikage!!!"

Ōnoki’s furious roar echoed through the battlefield.

Meanwhile, having just barely escaped the jaws of death, Shinji took a sharp breath, adrenaline surging through his veins.

He had no time to worry about repairing the massive circular hole in his Susanoo—one that had even erased his face from existence.

At this moment—his Mangekyō Sharingan blazed with an intense glow.

The second power of the mythical Susanoo-no-Mikoto was about to descend upon him!

Looking down at the crazed Shukaku, Shinji’s gaze sharpened.

As the Grand Desert Burial Seal neared completion, he leaped out from Susanoo, eyes wide open, hands clasped together!

The veins around his eyes bulged, pulsing violently.

"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!"

Eight massive dust clouds erupted across the desert’s surface!

From within them, eight colossal sand serpents surged up, lunging toward Shukaku and coiling tightly around it!

At that moment, the tips of the eight serpents’ tails aligned perfectly before the airborne Shinji.

Without hesitation—

Summoning every ounce of strength from both his past and present lives, his face twisted with exertion.

With a sudden pull—

A blinding white light burst forth!

A radiant blade over a thousand meters long emerged, its dual-edged blade gleaming like the clouds themselves.

This was none other than the legendary Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi—the sword Susanoo-no-Mikoto had drawn from the tail of the eight-headed serpent, Yamata-no-Orochi!

Renowned for its peerless sharpness and unbreakable durability, this sword was an absolute weapon of slaughter!

Shukaku's scalp tingled as it watched the thousand-meter-long radiant blade held by the airborne Uchiha.

And then—

The young Uchiha’s Sharingan gleamed with madness, crimson irises filled with bloodshot streaks.

His entire body twisted in midair as he spun—

His arms swung with full force—

And he unleashed a horizontal slash with the colossal light blade!

Whoosh!

A single sword cry rang through the battlefield.

There was no explosion.

No deafening roar.

Not even a violent impact.

Yet, everything caught in the blade’s trajectory—

The Iwagakure shinobi who had widened their eyes in desperation, the endless desert, the earth, the weeds, the hard stones, the kunai, the weapons, and even Shukaku himself—

All of it was split in two the moment a thin, bright white line appeared.

By all logic—

The sharper a blade, the easier it should be to cut.

At the same time, however, sharper blades tend to chip, bend, or dull more easily—a paradox like two sides of the same coin.

Yet, before this divine sword, both contradictions coexisted in perfect harmony!

It was sharp enough to slice through atoms and hard enough to never dull or break.

This was the legendary blade—Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi!

As the white line glowed—

For a moment, it felt as if nothing had happened.

Yet, it also felt as though an eternity had passed.

Shukaku blinked, puzzled.

There was no pain.

There was no devastating wound as it had anticipated.

It lifted its massive, sand-covered claws and inspected them—

Then, suddenly, it burst into laughter.

Throwing its head back, it sneered at the airborne Shinji.

"That’s it?"

"A little Uchiha brat—I thought you’d be stronger! Hahaha!"

"Take this—Wind Release: Drilling Air—"

The words abruptly stopped.

Shukaku suddenly realized something was wrong.

Its two massive, earth-colored claws—

Wouldn’t close together.

"...Wait… What’s happening?!"

Whoosh.

As Shinji landed in front of Shukaku, he dismissed his radiant sword, panting heavily.

Then—

Standing at a mere 1.7 meters tall, facing a 60-meter-tall Shukaku—

He calmly extended one finger and lightly pushed forward.

In the next instant—

A massive black light wheel spanning over a thousand meters erupted, consuming everything the Ame-no-Murakumo had cut.

The upper halves of Shukaku, the earth, and everything in its path began plummeting downward!

"——BOOOOOOM!!!"

Only now—

Did the earth-shattering explosion finally erupt!

"What… What is this?! What the hell did you do to me?!"

Shukaku stared in terror at its bisected body.

As a Tailed Beast made of sand, it should have been immune to physical attacks.

Even if sliced apart, it should have reformed instantly.

But now—something was severing its connection to its lower half, leaving it completely numb.

That dreadful, unnerving unfamiliarity shattered Shukaku’s understanding of reality, sending a wave of panic through its mind.

"You damn Uchiha brat…!"

It shrieked in horror at Shinji, who stood calmly below.

But before it could react—

A colossal, 42,000-yard boot came crashing down.

(End of Chapter.)

Chapter 388: 10,000 vs. 1!

The colossal armored Susano'o, standing at a height of 120 meters, stomped on Shukaku's laughing face, crushing it beneath its foot, rendering the tailed beast completely immobile.

The faceless Susano'o raised its head high, overlooking the battlefield, silently roaring in victory!

This scene was deeply engraved in the eyes of over ten thousand Iwagakure ninjas, leaving an indelible mark on their hearts, like a searing brand.

Standing before the majestic Susano'o was Shinji, his head slightly tilted up as he gazed at the sky.

Up above,

An old man who had fought bravely to protect his homeland fell from the sky like a kite with its string cut.

The giant Susano'o extended its hand, gently catching the elder’s broken body before laying it before Shinji, placing it flat on the ground.

The Third Raikage, A, had chosen to trade his life for injury, forcibly knocking Onoki away and cutting off his chance to use Dust Release to create an extreme situation. This move inadvertently aided Shinji.

Even now, Shinji understood that the Raikage acted out of desperation, leveraging his power to protect Kumogakure. It was a gamble—a sacrifice born from necessity.

Yet, as he looked at the dying old man before him, half his body missing and his breath faint,

Shinji couldn’t help but shake his head and let out a sigh.

The Third Raikage, A, weakly opened his eyes, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately, no words came out.

In truth, he admired Shinji—admired him to the point of near affection. Back during the Hell Valley incident, he had once said that if Shinji had been born in Kumogakure, he would have willingly given up his title as Raikage to him. Those words were spoken from the heart.

Despite their conflicting stances, the resolve and determination to sacrifice everything for their loved ones were mutual—something that could be felt through the clash of their chakras.

Unfortunately, this is war.

The lines between justice and injustice had long blurred beyond recognition in this brutal conflict.

In the end,

A merely looked at Shinji one last time, his lips curling into a bitter, guilty smile.

Then,

His eyelids closed, and his life quietly ended.

He did not demand anything for saving Shinji by knocking Onoki away, nor did he beg Shinji to do anything for Kumogakure in his final moments.

As Raikage, he had already made the best decision he could.

---

After the roaring thunder of the Ame-no-Murakumo subsided,

the battlefield fell into an eerie silence, like the calm before a storm.

The cold, heavy air weighed on everyone’s hearts.

Heavy breathing merged into a collective rhythm,

countless eyes converged on the figure standing atop the vast sea of sand,

And behind him,

The faceless giant, standing at 120 meters tall, its foot still crushing Shukaku’s head, overlooking all creation!

Two tailed beasts had fallen in succession, yet this colossal figure remained. Now, all that was left before it was an army of ten thousand Iwagakure soldiers, trembling like playthings, and the lone Third Tsuchikage, Onoki.

But no one retreated!

Iwagakure had bet its entire nation's fate on this battle. Should they return empty-handed, losing all their tailed beasts just like Kumogakure, what future would await them in this Third Great Ninja War?

No one dared to imagine, and no one was willing to accept that outcome.

Like gamblers blinded by desperation, they had no choice but to stake everything.

Meanwhile,

Shinji stood there, panting heavily, his right Mangekyō Sharingan fading from gold to crimson.

A trail of bloody tears streamed from his eye, trickling down his cheek.

After repeatedly using his Mangekyō abilities, projecting the Totsuka Blade, the Ame-no-Murakumo, and maintaining the Fourth Stage Susano'o, his ocular power was nearly exhausted. Even his vision had started to blur severely.

This eye held the divine power to summon Susano’o.

Projecting the Totsuka Blade and Ame-no-Murakumo merely borrowed the weapons of a god, not its actual power.

If he continued to use the Mangekyō Sharingan, he could summon the terrifying entity that truly resided within this eye—

The true form of Susano’o!

In myth, it was the deity who tore apart the food goddess with his bare hands, whose mere footsteps shook the heavens and struck fear into the hearts of all gods.

A forbidden ocular technique that could only be used once in a lifetime, at the cost of permanent blindness.

However, thanks to the Raikage’s unexpected help,

Shinji decided not to use this precious ability just yet.

Madara Uchiha had already set his sights on him, which meant the Moon Eye Plan was a nightmare he could never escape.

To thwart that plan, he would inevitably face the true Shura of the ninja world.

This Bloodline Elimination level Mangekyō technique should be saved for that moment.

---

But now—

As the dust settled, both sides locked eyes on the battlefield!

An overwhelming killing intent surged through the air!

Shinji took a deep breath, closing his right eye, which was bleeding and almost blind.

Opening his left eye, three tomoe spun furiously around his vertical pupil!

He extended his right hand, pressing it against his abdomen,

Unleashing the final portion of chakra sealed within the Eight-Tails’ horn!

A violent surge of tailed beast chakra erupted, forming a tangible whirlwind that tossed his hair skyward.

Undergoing a transformation, the chakra formed a bright yellow Nine-Tails Cloak,

The towering Susano'o behind him dispersed like wind,

Then,

Shinji clenched his fist over his heart, activating a forbidden jutsu, and summoned the Kusanagi Sword from his wrist.

With only his chakra left,

With only the tools of a ninja at his disposal,

*10,000 vs. 1!*

Shinji suddenly lifted his head, taking a deep breath beneath the gloomy sky. He reached behind his head and tightened his headband.

His feet dug into the ground as his hands swung behind him,

He stepped forward, running at full speed!

Without hesitation, he charged toward the endless sea of Iwagakure soldiers before him, their banners flapping in the wind,

Initiating an all-out assault!

“He’s coming!”

“He’s coming at us!”

His swift, light footsteps pounded like drums on the hearts of ten thousand Iwagakure soldiers.

The scorching wind howled across the battlefield,

Countless Iwagakure shinobi stared wide-eyed, their faces grim as they watched the blazing figure sprint toward them like a streak of fire.

They swallowed hard, suppressing their fear as they held their breath!

They didn’t know if that boy could still summon that terrifying Susano’o,

Nor did they know if they would survive this battle,

But the one thing they knew for certain was—

*They had to fight!*

---

Up in the sky,

Clutching his side, grimacing in pain, Onoki descended above the army formation.

Watching as Shinji's mere charge nearly shattered the morale of his ten thousand troops, his face turned grim, eyes burning with uncontrollable killing intent.

“He must die!”

“Absolutely, absolutely!”

“If this boy isn’t killed now, he… he’ll become the next Madara Uchiha!”

“An unrestrained Shura who could single-handedly sweep through the entire ninja world!”

His body trembled at the mere thought.

At that moment,

Onoki’s eyes glinted coldly as he roared,

“Entire army, execute the plan!”

“Kill him!!!”

*(End of Chapter)*

*Chapter 389: Ōnoki, Dance!*

At the beginning,

Shinji, who bore the fate of becoming the heaven-sent warrior destined to end the era of chaos, only wanted to escape.

He thought to himself, "What does any of this have to do with me, a passing, worthless Genin?"

However,

By avoiding fate and seeking death, his actions—guided by a grand purpose beyond his understanding—led him to reap one irresistible reward after another.

Family, friendship, love,

and an ever-growing power!

Yet, this immense power brought with it a status that his mindset was completely unprepared for, forcing him into choices he hadn't yet fully processed, as events propelled him forward.

To him, this world felt like a game of leveling up by defeating stronger opponents. From the moment he stepped outside his village, it was as if he had been marked with a MAX-level provocation debuff. The endless stream of powerful adversaries became nothing more than stepping stones on his path to ascension.

False prosperity, false peace, a false world, and even a false self.

Until that fateful night in Hell Valley,

Shinji suddenly realized that the boundary between reality and illusion was becoming increasingly blurred.

And he,

was utterly unprepared.

Despite possessing the power to change everything, he simply allowed tragedy to unfold before his eyes.

But now—

After personally witnessing the abrupt and anticlimactic demise of an enemy who, at first, seemed destined to fight him to the death due to their opposing stances,

He realized—

Enemies were people too.

Enemies had their own sense of justice.

Enemies, like himself, had the resolve to sacrifice everything for those they cherished.

It wasn’t pity for his fallen foe that filled him now—it was the absurdity of it all.

Killing those just like himself, from different standpoints, in the name of "justice."

But who defines justice?

Who decides what opposition truly is?

From his all-knowing perspective, Shinji saw that the outbreak of the Shinobi World War was nothing more than the result of another hidden conspiracy.

And yet,

Something felt off. He couldn't quite explain it, but something about all of this was fundamentally wrong.

It reminded him of a question once explored in the original story:

In this world,

The collision of good against good breeds evil.

To love is to bring about slaughter, to incite hatred, to chain vengeance to vengeance, igniting another cycle of war.

So,

Who is truly at fault? Why is the world like this?

How does one break the shackles of hatred?

The original story offered an answer: by enforcing a temporary peace through overwhelming power, treating all nations with kindness and generosity.

Yet, even then, it was ultimately disrupted by the arrival of extraterrestrial threats, forcing Naruto Uzumaki to step aside as the protagonist for the next generation.

And in the end,

The one who bore the weight of it all—Naruto Uzumaki—was imprisoned within the "Great Black Sky" by a mere beast.

But Shinji, knowing everything about the future—

The Tailed Beast capture plan,

The Eye of the Moon plan,

The Fourth Great Ninja War,

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki’s resurrection,

The Moon’s invasion,

The arrival of extraterrestrials,

The era of marked warriors,

The divine technique that would engulf the entire Shinobi world, rewriting the will of all beings,

And beyond that, the existence of the true Ōtsutsuki god lurking in the depths of the cosmos—

Despite knowing it all, he had done nothing.

He had never actively plotted to change the future.

Until this very moment—

This distorted world, this war manipulated from the shadows, the twisted feeling evoked by witnessing the Third Raikage, Ay, perish before his eyes,

Suddenly jolted Shinji awake!

People with brilliant wills were dying in wars that should never have started!

If he had already accepted this world, if he wished to protect those he held dear,

If, through countless battles, he had already gained the power to crush the entire Shinobi world and truly change everything—

Then at this moment,

As he charged toward an army of ten thousand,

He began to confront the choice he had once fled from—

*[Are you willing to become the heaven-sent warrior?]*

---

Beneath the gloomy sky,

The wind and sand were whipped into a frenzy by the forceful shockwaves.

In the silent world,

Realization and thunderous roars erupted in tandem!

A deafening battle cry surged across the battlefield in response to Ōnoki’s furious shout:

“Kill!!!”

“Taijutsu unit, reinforce your Rock Fists! Smash that brat’s head in!!”

“Third Division, prepare the Ten-Thousand-Mile Earth Flow Wall! We need to slow his charge!”

“Construct seismic traps! He no longer has that giant! This is our chance!”

“Hurry!”

Shinji, charging alone against the ten-thousand-strong Iwagakure army—

The mere hundreds of meters between them

Became the most critical battlefield!

According to Iwagakure’s pre-planned strategy, they had to halt Shinji’s charge within this distance. They needed to ensnare him with traps and have Ōnoki finish him off with his ultimate Dust Release.

Otherwise, the battle would devolve into a grueling war of attrition—just like the one that had been necessary to bring down the Third Raikage.

After all, no matter how much they wanted him dead, the Third Tsuchikage could not risk using Dust Release within his own ranks, killing thousands of his own men just to take Shinji down.

And a drawn-out battle?

With Shinji having already sealed the Five-Tails and capable of becoming its Jinchūriki at any moment,

Iwagakure had no guarantee of victory!

At this moment—

*Boom!*

Amidst the six-hundred-meter-long battlefield,

Thousands of Earth Release: Earth Flow Walls stacked upon each other, ultimately forming a massive rectangular rock fortress—fifty meters tall, fifty meters thick, and stretching hundreds of meters wide—blocking Shinji’s path forward.

But upon seeing this,

Shinji showed not a trace of hesitation.

Amidst his charge, he stretched out his right palm, molding his chakra into the burning blue flames of the Two-Tails, spinning it into a fiery sphere.

*“Sage Art: Blaze Release—Super Great Spiraling Shuriken!”*

This technique, infused with Blaze Release chakra from the Two-Tails, combined wind and fire chakra, vastly amplifying its explosive force beyond that of a Tailed Beast Bomb!

Blowing apart a wall of this size?

No problem!

“The brat’s first move is coming!”

“That chakra fluctuation… Is that a Tailed Beast Bomb?!”

At that moment, Iwagakure’s intelligence officers, observing from the flanks, felt a chill run down their spines as they relayed their findings to the command center behind the giant wall:

“He’s molding a Tailed Beast Bomb by hand! The Earth Flow Wall won’t hold him back!”

“Hurry! Reinforce the wall!”

“Trap unit, speed up! Create trenches and detonation points!”

Hearing this, Iwagakure’s elite commander Firelight tensed, glancing solemnly at the giant wall before shouting toward the sky:

“Tsuchikage-sama! We can’t let that Tailed Beast Bomb detonate!”

“We need you to act!”

“I understand!”

Ōnoki’s expression hardened as he flew over the battlefield, preparing to strike—

But then—

Shinji stopped.

Instead of aiming at the wall,

He launched his attack into the sky.

A chilling realization struck Ōnoki as a taunting voice echoed through the air:

“Old man with the two scales—”

*“Let`s Dance!”*

(End of chapter)

Chapter 390: How Pathetic... Can’t Even Dance Anymore?

Whoosh!

A whirling white blade of light sharp enough to make teeth ache,

Encased in a violently swirling sphere engulfed in ferocious flames,

A Rasenshuriken surpassing the power of the Tailed Beast Bomb pierced through the dark clouds above,

All under the horrified gaze of Ōnoki!

In the next instant...

*“RUMBLE!”*

The clouds twisted, the sky darkened, and blue lightning rampaged!

For some reason, Ōnoki's heart raced uncontrollably, pounding like a rapid drumbeat. Unease and dread surged within him.

“What is he planning?”

“That Fire Release... Is he creating thunderclouds to use that terrifying S-rank Lightning Release?”

“No... The power of that Tailed Beast Bomb alone surpasses Lightning Release: Kirin. Besides, this brat already summoned dense thunderclouds at the start of the battle. If he were going to use Kirin, he wouldn't need to go this far.”

“Damn it.”

Unable to figure out what Shinji had in mind, an ominous feeling weighed heavier and heavier on Ōnoki.

Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as he racked his brain but found no answers.

At last, his eyes narrowed, and he suddenly turned toward Shinji, who stood motionless before the rock wall.

“No matter what technique it is, if I kill the caster, it’ll be stopped!”

With that thought,

Ōnoki didn't hesitate. He leaped down, diving at high speed toward Shinji!

However,

Shinji pushed off the ground, swiftly retreating while his body began to emit a layer of dazzling blue lightning. Even his hair spiked upward, resembling a Super Saiyan as he transformed into a flash of lightning, leaping backward.

*Lightning Release: Chakra Mode – Ultimate Lightning Armor, Activate!*

Although Ōnoki reacted promptly, even with the speed of his Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique, he couldn’t catch even a glimpse of Shinji's afterimage.

Shinji maintained a precise distance—not too far, not too close.

During their earlier battles, Ōnoki had calculated the maximum range of Shinji's Dust Release attacks,

Shinji wasn't foolish. The Third Raikage had been a nightmare for Iwagakure precisely because of his unparalleled speed using the Lightning Release: Chakra Mode.

With this speed, the Raikage could play cat and mouse with Ōnoki, and in the original story, he even fought Iwagakure's army of ten thousand alone for three days and nights.

Having mastered this technique, Shinji could easily replicate this tactic.

No matter how powerful an attack is, if it can't hit the target, it's worthless.

And now,

It was Ōnoki who was starting to panic!

If Shinji found an opening in his defenses,

The outcome of this war would be decided in an instant!

Throwing the *Sage Art: Inferno Style: Massive Rasenshuriken* into the sky,

He used the high temperatures of Fire Release at the Tailed Beast Bomb level and the spiraling suction of the Rasenshuriken to further agitate the weather summoned by the *Sword of Thunder God: Futsunomitama*,

Gathering even larger thunderclouds, drawing on the power of nature itself to strengthen another one of Shinji’s ultimate techniques.

The power of Lightning Release: Kirin alone wasn't enough to annihilate Iwagakure’s army of ten thousand,

But if Shinji pushed the power of the heavens to the limit, then combined it with the *Killer Move: Izumo Annihilation*—charged by the Sword of Thunder God—

He could harness the power of nature itself,

Summoning the *Ultimate Lightning Release* capable of engulfing the entire battlefield!

“Damn it, I can’t catch him! And that brat is deliberately maintaining this distance... He’s calculated the attack range of my Dust Release!”

“Did Orochimaru steal even the Lightning Release: Chakra Mode!?”

Ōnoki's face twisted with frustration as he glared at Shinji, who continued to effortlessly maintain his distance.

Gritting his teeth, he thought,

“My only option is to pour all my chakra into the *Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique*, extending its range to kill this brat unexpectedly. But...”

“How far has he mastered that Lightning Release: Chakra Mode? If I can't hit his entire body, then...”

Ōnoki was cornered by two critical dilemmas:

If he used the *Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique*, his chakra and old back injury might not sustain the battle afterward. If he failed to kill Shinji, both he and Iwagakure would face annihilation from this colossal technique.

Moreover, could his Dust Release truly obliterate Shinji’s body, which moved at the speed of the *Ultimate Lightning Armor*? That remained uncertain.

If he failed to erase Shinji entirely from existence,

Ōnoki had no doubt that even if only a head remained, this immortal brat would regenerate in an instant.

Yet, if he didn’t use it, no matter how hard he pushed his old legs, he wouldn’t be able to catch Shinji,

And that monstrous technique would inevitably fall.

The situation was dire beyond words!

If he couldn't make a decisive move, then their defeat was certain!

This was a gamble!

And Shinji was betting too!

He dangled his life in front of Ōnoki, gambling that the old man wouldn’t dare use the *Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique*!

He even held the lives of every Iwagakure ninja below as hostages!

Seeing Ōnoki’s conflicted, furious face, Shinji’s lips curled into an amused smile.

“Come on...”

“Ōnoki, make your choice!”

“Show me if your will is worthy of the title of Kage!”

The sky grew darker,

Swallowed by the dense thunderclouds, leaving only flashes of massive lightning,

After half a minute of charging,

Having led Ōnoki in circles back to the rock wall,

Shinji suddenly stopped and turned around,

Watching the rapidly approaching Ōnoki, he shook his head.

He had expected Ōnoki to surprise him,

But sadly,

This Ōnoki was not the same as during the Fourth Great Ninja War.

His *Will of Stone*, inherited from the First Tsuchikage, was shattered forty years ago when he faced Uchiha Madara,

In a life of prosperity, praised as “stubborn” by those who came after,

In the end, he failed to ignite the most brilliant willpower before Shinji.

*“How pathetic...”*

*“Ōnoki, can’t even dance anymore?”*

Looking at him with a face full of pity, Shinji shook his head and sneered:

*“So-called stone... Just dust gathered over time, pretending to be strong. Your will is nothing but an illusion, Ōnoki.”*

As his words fell,

Shinji’s face turned cold as he swung his hand down!

*“CRACK!!!”*

Everything beneath the darkened sky was bathed in blinding white as a colossal bolt of lightning tore through the heavens!

And then,

A cold voice echoed across the battlefield, freezing the hearts of Ōnoki and the thousands of Iwagakure shinobi:

*“Vanish with the thunder!”*

*“Ultra Kirin!”*

(End of Chapter)