156-160

*Chapter 156: Such a Divine Presence, Unseen in Millennia!*

Shinji found himself in an awkward predicament.

He had a host of forbidden techniques, each a massive drain on his chakra reserves.

He wished to unleash his immortal form and rapid regeneration abilities in battle, but the chakra he had painstakingly converted was only enough for him to escape. It was far from sufficient to take on Kage-level opponents.

Abandoning regeneration to use the power granted by the Heaven’s Curse Seal wouldn’t solve the problem either.

And so, at this moment—

When the luminous green cat’s eye stone lay before Shinji,

he didn’t hesitate for even a second.

He raised his left hand and grabbed it!

The instant he held the stone, a brilliant light exploded before his eyes!

The entire structure of the world shifted, transforming into an entirely new form.

In the depths of this shadowy snake cavern,

glowing green points of light floated in the air, connecting in an intricate web of radiant green threads crisscrossing the space. They stretched endlessly, illuminating the entire Ryūchidō with a dazzling glow.

The previously dark, damp, sinister, and murky cave—

in that fleeting moment, it became a realm akin to a celestial paradise!

“This... This is...”

Shinji’s snake-like pupils narrowed slightly. He could feel the raw, violent energy emanating from these countless points of light!

It was pure, natural power—a majestic force belonging to this world itself!

“You can see it?”

“You can actually see it?!”

Beside Tenjin Snake Princess, a petite girl with flower-like beauty abruptly appeared.

Her long, deep blue hair cascaded down her back, her eyes as bright as the sky, and she wore a golden crown similar to Tenjin Snake Princess's.

At that moment, she rushed forward eagerly. Her playful, doll-like face was suddenly torn apart by a monstrous serpent’s visage. With her snake-like pupils locked onto Shinji, she asked excitedly:

“What does it look like?”

“What does the true Ryūchidō look like?! Tell me!”

She fidgeted, taking small, hesitant steps forward. Suddenly, she froze, flaring her nostrils as a chilling glint flashed in her serpentine eyes.

“Ah! Such a delicious scent! I’ll devour you!”

“If I devour you, I can have those eyes! That power! This chance to ascend to a dragon!”

“Hahahahaha!”

“Hissss! Hissss!”

Shinji stared at her in utter shock.

In the next instant, the petite beauty raised her hand, tearing open her human-serpent hybrid face with her blue claws. A massive serpent’s mouth filled his vision.

The stench and overwhelming malice filled the air, freezing Shinji to the core.

This was a death crisis even more terrifying than facing Elder Chiyo’s S-rank Wind Release!

“Ichikishima! What are you doing?!”

A stern voice rang out.

From above, a celestial figure with flowing brown hair descended gracefully.

In the next instant, she transformed into a colossal brown serpent, crashing down to coil around the massive blue serpent Ichikishima had become.

In the split second that Shinji was paralyzed, narrowly avoiding being devoured, the two giant serpents tangled together.

The entire Ryūchidō trembled from their clash!

Countless smaller snakes lifted their heads in fear, glanced in their direction, and then slithered away in a frenzy.

“Tenjin, Tanishi, don’t you understand yet?!”

“He saw it!”

“He actually saw it!”

The blue serpent Ichikishima, now weeping tears of excitement, opened her massive maw to tear a chunk of flesh from the brown serpent Tanishi, swallowing it with trembling urgency.

In a voice that quivered with exhilaration, she roared:

“This is the power destroyed by the Goddess of the Rabbit! It took millennia to be reborn! The final treasure of this dying world! The key to transforming into a dragon!”

“Sob... Aaaaah! He truly saw it!”

“Thousands of years! Thousands of years waiting for this chance!”

“I must devour him! I will devour him!”

“I have to devour him!”

As her impassioned cries echoed, all three serpents turned to look at Shinji.

Their gazes shifted suddenly—becoming greedy, cold, and ruthlessly selfish.

Even Tenjin Snake Princess, who had maintained her human form, now regarded Shinji with a faintly sinister glint in her eyes.

Shinji swallowed hard, a chill running down his spine.

This Ryūchidō... didn’t seem like a charitable place, after all.

In the next instant,

the two giant serpents stopped their struggle and twisted around. Their massive jaws opened wide as they lunged fiercely toward Shinji.

“He’s mine!”

“No, you scoundrel! He’s mine!”

Tian Xin Shenji’s snake-like pupils turned cold. She floated in mid-air, bypassing two massive serpents as she flew forward. Her delicate cherry lips parted, opening wider and wider until they completely filled Shinji’s vision!

“Ha-ha! Hiss!”

“You two fools—this little brat is mine!”

Facing the enormous snake maw that left him no room to escape, Shinji felt a chill run down his spine.

This wasn’t just bad luck; this was a death trap!

What’s going on? Why had these grandfathers—or rather, grandmothers—suddenly turned on him and decided to devour him?

And how had his utterly useless body suddenly become as desirable as a delicacy?

The stark contrast of the situation left Shinji no time to complain further. He clenched his teeth, his gaze sharp, and gripped the green cat’s-eye stone in his hand tightly.

Crack!  

The green cat’s-eye stone shattered instantly under his forceful grip.

Before his eyes, the radiant paradise began to glow brilliantly. Countless green specks of light and intersecting lines streaked across the sky.

In an instant, as if finding a release valve, all the light surged toward Shinji!

He could only grasp the edges of this torrent of light and threads!

Boom!  

The scene before him shattered and collapsed!

---

*At the Border of the Land of Wind: An Endless Desert*

The fierce winds, pressed under high atmospheric pressure, whipped up the black hair on the young man’s forehead and fluttered his tattered, high-collared Uchiha black robe.

Shinji opened his crimson, snake-like Sharingan eyes.

His cold gaze pierced through the soaring sand, raised by countless wind blades that had shattered the terrain, and locked onto the figure descending steadily not far away—Ebizo.

Shinji took a deep breath, raising his left hand that gripped a blazing white longsword.

As he extended his pinky, fragments of the shattered green cat’s-eye stone slipped from his grasp.

In his palm floated a faintly glimmering, vibrant green cluster of light, invisible to the naked eye yet composed of densely packed particles.

“So… this is the power of the Sage?”

He muttered softly to himself. Without hesitation, he raised his palm and pressed the cluster of light onto the Heaven’s Curse Mark on his neck.

In that moment—

A terrifying and overwhelming power surged through his body via the Curse Mark!

The stagnant forbidden technique, Body Reconstruction, roared to life once more.

Blood and flesh reassembled, bones realigned, and muscle fibers stretched!

A complete right arm suddenly extended from the stump of Shinji’s shoulder!

Even after this transformation, the immense power continued to surge.

The Heavenly Calamity Flower on his neck bloomed with unmatched beauty, and black markings swiftly spread, covering half of Shinji’s body in an instant.

The strength he had lost returned, coursing through his limbs and bones, gathering, surging, mutating, and transforming!

This was the power of the Curse Mark, the strength of the Sage of Ryuchi Cave!

At that moment—

In the middle of the massive sand pit—

The towering snake walls collapsed and shattered. Countless invisible wind blades rained down like a storm!

Shinji stepped forward, gripping his blazing white longsword with both hands.

His snake-like pupils locked onto Ebizo with deadly focus.

Leaning forward, he charged!

With his 360-degree infrared vision, Shinji didn’t need to look to sense where the wind blades would land.

Twisting his steps, he swung his blade.

Sword arcs fell like moonlit crescents, drawing perfect circles in the air.

The Uchiha sword technique, Momentary Void Slash, burst forth continuously, blooming like fleeting ephemerals across the battlefield.

Shinji suddenly raised his head, revealing a face covered in black markings, twisted and menacing. He roared furiously:

“It’s time to settle this once and for all!”

“Ebizo!!!”

(Chapter Ends)  

Chapter 157: The Desperate Mad Lion!

A blazing white longsword, ignited with an intensely concentrated flame,

swept through the air in dazzling arcs,

ceaselessly slicing apart the Wind Style: Blade of Wind attacks aimed at Uchiha Shinji’s joints, trying to cripple his mobility.

Though the scattering wind blasts left wounds across his body,

he paid them no mind.

At that moment, his eyes were fixed intently on Kaizō,

calculating the distance between them.

*Fifty meters!*

As long as he could close that fifty-meter gap, with the power of his blazing white longsword and the physical prowess enhanced by the Heaven Curse Seal,

Uchiha Shinji was confident he could pin down Kaizō here.

Perhaps,

even defeat him!

With this thought, Uchiha Shinji accelerated again. His feet twisted against the ground, kicking up a whirlwind of dust, and he shot forward like an arrow toward Kaizō!

---

Now, with his back against the wall, Kaizō unleashed all his abilities!

*"Tri-Puppet Formation: Dance of Chaos Blades!"*

At his command, three expressionless puppets swung their long swords, surging fiercely through the air!

When Uchiha Shinji saw the words "Buddha," "Dharma," and "Monk" inscribed on the approaching puppets, his eyes narrowed.

Two of the puppets raised their arms in a manner that defied human anatomy,

rotating their limbs and spinning the dual swords attached to them like windmills, slashing toward him with overwhelming force!

Faced with such an unreasonable sword technique, Uchiha Shinji could only dodge, trying to maneuver with Cloud Stream Swordsmanship to attack from the side and destroy the puppets' arms.

Just as he was about to make his move,

the third puppet, positioned at the rear, suddenly lifted its hands.

*Clank, clank, clank, clank!*

The mechanisms in its palms expanded, firing a dense barrage of kunai that filled his entire field of vision!

Uchiha Shinji's gaze hardened in an instant. Twisting his feet, he leaped backward, narrowly dodging the blade light aimed at his face. He backflipped repeatedly, avoiding the incoming kunai.

These kunai, hidden amidst the flashing blades, were part of the Puppet Art: Assault Blades.

They carried puppet master strings, fired with great force. Skilled puppet masters could even attach the strings to their target upon contact, gaining control over them.

It was a truly vile tactic.

And it wasn’t over yet.

When the three puppets' initial attack failed, they immediately spread out, seemingly opening a path.

However, what followed was a barrage of Ninjutsu!

*"Wind Style: Grand Vacuum Cannon!"*

*"Wind Style: Blade of Wind!"*

*"Wind Style: Sickle Weasel Jutsu!"*

The air was consumed by a raging sandstorm. Kaizō stood firm like a pile driver, his feet pounding the ground as waves of Ninjutsu rained down in rapid succession.

Against such a calculating enemy, whose every move was a trap,

Uchiha Shinji felt as if he’d swallowed a fly. Suppressing his frustration, he gritted his teeth and pressed on, weaving through the storm of attacks, sustaining injuries but steadily closing the distance.

---

At this moment,

after unleashing his Ninjutsu, Kaizō retreated to the barrier's edge. He commanded the three puppets to press their palms against the ground at intervals, creating mysterious sealing patterns.

When Uchiha Shinji finally slashed through another barrage of wind blades and was about to close in,

the glowing patterns on the ground suddenly activated.

In the next moment, twenty meters ahead of Kaizō,

strange lion-headed puppets began to emerge densely from the seals.

Kaizō panted heavily, letting out a cold laugh as he formed a hand seal.

*"Kid, before a master of puppet arts, this distance is an insurmountable chasm for you!"*

*"Sealing Jutsu: Lion’s Roar Confinement!"*

The lion-headed puppets rose, forming a barrier that completely enveloped the area before Kaizō, creating an impenetrable wall of sealing puppets.

Anyone who approached would have their chakra completely sealed by the barrier.

This was Kaizō’s plan: to erect an unbreakable wall, preventing Uchiha Shinji—who excelled in physical combat—from closing in, and then slowly dismantle him with his puppets.

Now, with his trap fully laid, Kaizō sneered at Uchiha Shinji.

With this setup,

there was no way this brat could reach him!

*"So, what now? How will you deal with this?"*

*"Hahahahaha~"*

---

As Kaizō, snug within his "tortoise shell," ranted and raved,

*"Kaizō,"*

Uchiha Shinji shook his head. Pulling a kunai from his tool pouch, he casually tossed it to the ground.

Then, raising his head, he stared coldly at his opponent.

*"Don’t you understand yet?"*

“When you step into this barrier, the two of us—”

“Only one will leave alive!”

When Ebizō noticed the specially crafted kunai embedded in the ground, and read the four characters carved into its hilt—*‘Sword of Shinobi Love’*, his pupils involuntarily contracted.

“What… what is this?”

Uchiha Shinji stared at him, suddenly bursting into loud laughter.

“Old man, are you that dazed from the fight?”

“My mission is just to stall you here!”

“Instead of trying to finish me off quickly, you’ve gone and set up your own tombstone here?”

Uchiha Shinji squinted at him, pausing all movement for a moment. Then, stepping back a few paces, he flashed a mocking smile.

“Hahaha!”

“You… you…” Ebizō’s face twisted with shock as he instantly recognized the kunai. It belonged to none other than the disciple of Konoha’s Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya—*Namikaze Minato!*

As the commander of the Sunagakure front line and head of intelligence operations, Ebizō was well aware of Namikaze Minato’s capabilities.

The moment he saw this kunai, a cold chill ran down his spine.

*Namikaze Minato* was capable of transporting himself and others swiftly across battlefields!

Now, connecting the kunai’s appearance with the earlier series of orange flares that shot into the sky, Ebizō immediately realized Konoha’s ultimate objective—

*Himself!*

He should have seen it coming! He should have realized it sooner!

But this madman in front of him had been so unrelenting, so overwhelming, that it had clouded his judgment of the overall situation.

Ebizō closed his eyes in anguish, gritting his molars as he drew a sharp breath. His face, lined with deep wrinkles, showed a sudden wave of dread.

Then, with a burst of determination, he opened his aging yet razor-sharp eyes and glared at Uchiha Shinji.

Clenching his teeth, trembling with fury, he roared:

“Why?!”

“You, brat, why would you go this far?!”

“Don’t you realize I’ll kill you for this?!”

“What are you thinking?!”

“You’re an Uchiha! Why are you so willing to throw your life away for Konoha?!”

“Madman!”

“You’re nothing but a lunatic!”

Hearing Ebizō’s desperate, lion-like outburst, Uchiha Shinji tilted his head back with a savage grin and shouted coldly:

“I’ve known it for a long time! I’ve known it all along!”

“Only by sacrificing oneself to the flames of war—only by embracing the inferno—”

“Can one walk this despair-filled path!”

“So I’ve already said it!”

“Kill me if you can!”

“Otherwise, prepare to be killed by me!”

The natural energy surging through the *Heavenly Curse Mark* was released bit by bit, violently raging within his body. Black patterns began to spread across his skin, eventually covering him entirely.

The moment he fully unleashed the first form of the curse mark,

Uchiha Shinji raised his chin and glared at Ebizō with contempt, bellowing:

“Come on!”

“Make your choice!”

“Kill me here and gamble on a desperate escape!”

“Or hide in your little shell and wait for death!”

The desert fell into an eerie silence, so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard.

Uchiha Shinji raised a hand to his forehead, a sly, mocking smile spreading across his face. Through the gaps between his fingers, his gaze pierced the pale-faced Ebizō.

Then, a maniacal laugh—*an unmistakable Uchiha laugh*—burst forth:

“Heh heh heh, hahahahahahahaha!”

“It’s fine.”

“It’s perfectly fine!”

“You’ve got plenty of time to think about it!”

“No matter what you decide—”

“I’ll be here until the end!”

(End of Chapter)  

Chapter 158: The Second Curse Mark—Mythical Serpent Form!

The wind and sand swirled violently before settling,

leaving only the wailing of the wind and the sound of my own heavy breathing echoing in my ears.

Standing behind the densely-packed Lion Seal Formation,

hearing Uchiha Shinji make such an audacious gesture and speak with such unbridled arrogance,

Ebizō's eyes suddenly turned sharp, his aged face trembling with fury.

His teeth chattered as he inhaled a mouthful of the cold air, forcing himself to calm down.

The more critical the situation, the more composed he needed to be. He couldn’t afford to fall for the provocations of the brat in front of him.

In battles between the strong, even the slightest misstep could lead to catastrophic outcomes.

As the chief commander of Sunagakure and its strategic mind,

Ebizō couldn’t let a few taunting words from the enemy cloud his judgment or lead to a fatal error.

On the contrary, at this moment, his years of experience and sharp instincts made him instantly aware:

This Uchiha brat is trying to deceive me!

He’s attempting to provoke me, to lure me into abandoning the carefully crafted battlefield advantage I’ve set up!

Ebizō took another deep breath, fixing his gaze on Uchiha Shinji standing outside the formation,

narrowing his eyes with a cold sneer.

“Brat, I have to admit, your tongue is indeed sharp.”

“Everything you’ve said is true, but the way you’ve spun those truths turns them into a grand lie!”

“Even I nearly fell for it!”

Ebizō glanced sideways beyond the barrier, toward the distant sky filled with plumes of smoke in various colors. A subtle smirk tugged at the corner of his lips before he coldly exposed the truth:

“Minato Namikaze coming? True!”

“Your mission here to stall me? Also true!”

“And the fact that only one of us will walk out of this barrier alive? Completely true!”

“But by stringing together these truths, you’ve constructed a logical trap under the guise of sincerity!”

“You keep telling me how dangerous you are, how little time you have left, how I must rush out of the formation and kill you now to survive!”

“But is that really the truth?”

“Heh…”

Ebizō’s gaze sharpened further as he stared intently at Uchiha Shinji, his voice cold and piercing:

“You’ve cleverly hidden a critical piece of information within those truths.”

“You didn’t mention that this is Sunagakure’s rear stronghold!”

“You didn’t say when Minato Namikaze will actually arrive—perhaps because you don’t know!”

“And you certainly didn’t say that Sunagakure’s reinforcements could arrive faster than Minato!”

His cold eyes bore into Uchiha Shinji as he declared with icy authority:

“The one truly desperate to end this battle is you!”

“And as for me, I already stand in an invincible position!”

Ebizō moved his ten fingers subtly,

Clink, clink, clink!  

Three puppets rose into the air, circling him. The tightly-packed puppet sealing formation in front of him began to glow brightly.

On his fingertips, sharp, invisible Wind Release blades silently coalesced.

An impenetrable shield of seals and deadly Wind Release blades that could strike like a phantom at any moment.

This was Ebizō!

Cunning and calculated, never acting without a plan,

a Kage-level master of Wind Release, Sealing Techniques, and Puppet Arts!

As Ebizō exposed one ploy after another,

“Tch!”

Uchiha Shinji clicked his tongue in annoyance, the arrogant expression on his face vanishing.

As expected, this level of an old fox was far harder to fool than someone like Mangetsu Hōzuki, who rushed into traps recklessly.

Still, despite having his scheme unraveled, Uchiha Shinji’s expression remained largely unchanged.

On the contrary, he smirked and looked at Ebizō, generously admitting:

“You’re not wrong, old man.”

Then—

Uchiha Shinji took a deep breath, his crimson serpent-like eyes narrowing. He bent his knees slightly, lowering his posture.

Raising his head, a savage grin stretched across his face.

“But…”

“I’m waiting for the pinnacle moment to arrive!”

“And you—what are you waiting for?”

As his words fell, a surge of intense chakra suddenly erupted violently from Uchiha Shinji!

A spontaneous windstorm rose, lifting a swirling sandstorm that spiraled into the sky!

The natural energy of Ryūchi Cave, infused into the Heaven Curse Mark, underwent a series of transformations, pushing his state to its absolute peak!

Meanwhile, the small Zero-Tails in his abdomen re-accumulated enough chakra to unleash a one-time full burst of Fire Release Chakra Mode.

And the residual natural energy from the Heaven Curse Mark—

Boom!  

It detonated!

Dense black markings instantly spread across Uchiha Shinji’s body, dyeing his entire form pitch black, before abruptly transforming into a ghastly pale white!

He felt the wild surge of natural energy coursing through him, continuously reshaping his body.

White scales emerged across his skin, his muscle density surged, and his physical strength and flexibility skyrocketed!

When this transformation reached its zenith,

it felt as though a massive serpent’s tail would sprout from his tailbone at any moment,

while stabbing pain from his forehead suggested something was about to burst through his skin!

It was almost as if he were about to fully embody the Sage Mode transformation akin to Kabuto in the future.

But the immortal nature of his locked soul prevented this transformative energy from breaking past his physical limits.

In the end, all this immense power could only surge into his Sharingan through the blood vessels connected to his eyes!

“Aaaaaargh!!!”

An excruciating pain, far worse than having a heart pierced or burned, surged from Uchiha Shinji's eye sockets. Clutching his eyes, he collapsed to one knee on the ground, letting out a bloodcurdling scream.

A streak of purple eyeshadow slowly emerged at the corner of Uchiha Shinji's eyes, extending down to the sides of his nose.

The vertical pupils of his cursed Sharingan grew even sharper and more eerie. From Ebizō's perspective:

The boy before him, not far away, had his muscles convulsing—swelling and contracting repeatedly, as if he were a mass of writhing flesh. The previously black markings covering his body instantly transformed into a layer of white skin.

The sight sent chills down Ebizō's spine.

Though he couldn't understand the changes happening to the boy, the unsettling scene triggered an instinctive sense of danger.

"We can't wait any longer!"

"Take this chance—kill him!"

Ebizō's gaze turned fierce. Without hesitation, he raised his hands and commanded the lion-headed puppets scattered on the ground to spring into action!

The puppets' mouths opened wide, revealing massive crossbows, kunai, and long spikes hidden within.

"Puppet Art: Thousand Blades Barrage!"

He roared and slammed his palms onto the ground.

In the next instant, nearly a thousand projectiles locked onto Uchiha Shinji and were launched with a deafening burst!

Swish swish swish swish swish swish swish swish swish swish swish swish!

The storm of weapons ripped through the air, creating sonic booms as they hurtled forward in a torrential downpour.

In almost no time at all, they covered the 50-meter distance.

The kneeling Uchiha Shinji, writhing in agony and howling, was turned into a human pincushion!

Blades pierced his chest, impaled his legs, severed his hands, and broke his arms, sending plumes of dust spiraling into the air.

The boy's screams abruptly ceased.

Ebizō narrowed his eyes gravely, peering into the distance, and muttered to himself:

"Is he dead?"

"The lion puppets' projectiles can reach speeds of over a thousand meters per second."

"Under such an attack, even steel would be riddled with holes!"

However—

As the sandstorm stirred up by the projectiles began to settle and revealed the ground littered with embedded ninja tools, Ebizō's expression froze, his face filled with shock.

What he saw was:

The boy, his body bristling with ninja tools and pinned lifelessly to the ground like a corpse, suddenly opened a pair of blood-red serpent eyes!

His head twisted unnaturally, rotating 180 degrees, as he grinned at Ebizō and opened his mouth wide.

In the next moment—

Two hands emerged from the pinned "Uchiha Shinji's" mouth, tearing it apart, dripping with saliva.

Moments later,

A brand-new, pale Uchiha Shinji crawled out from his previous body.

The instant his feet touched the ground, the reborn Uchiha Shinji suddenly opened his snake-like pupils beneath the purple eyeshadow.

A line of text quietly appeared before his eyes:

*[You have mastered: Heaven's Cursed Seal · Second Form · Mythical Serpent Body (A+).]*

*[In this state, you have instinctively grasped the principles of the Snake Shedding Technique.]*

*[Your Snake Shedding Technique has been upgraded to: Orochi Style · Substitution Technique (A+).]*

*[Your Sharingan has been invaded by natural energy, resulting in subtle changes.]*

*[It seems you have awakened a form of Sage Eye Technique.]*

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 159: Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation—The Unshackled Serpent!*

“Hiss…”

Feeling the perfection of his newly transformed, curse-sealed body,

“This power…”

“I feel like I could take down ten bulls right now!”

Uchiha Shinji took a deep breath, exhaling a long, condensed stream of white mist under the night sky. A glint of excitement flickered in his eyes as he instinctively licked his lips.

The power of Ryūchi Cave wasn’t so easy to claim. The sheer amount of natural energy that poured into him earlier almost burst his eyes apart.

If not for Elder Hamura’s sudden intervention—forcing him to expend a massive amount of chakra and forcibly siphoning off some of the natural energy with the forbidden technique *Body Creation*,

He might’ve gone blind.

“Well then, as repayment…”

Uchiha Shinji’s pale face twisted into a sinister grin,

“…I’ll show you the power of a Sage!”

In an instant,

His serpentine pupils twisted as they locked onto Elder Hamura, who was standing behind the sealing array with an expression of utter shock.

A sudden wave of murderous intent surged in his eyes!

The next moment,

Uchiha Shinji stomped with explosive force, shattering the ground beneath his feet as a violent surge of chakra erupted around him.

In a blink, he shattered the sound barrier, leaving behind a gust of wind that howled in his wake.

He charged straight into the sealing array formed by the lion puppets!

“This brat is even faster than before! Not good!”

Elder Hamura’s eyes widened in shock before he gritted his teeth.

Against an opponent this fast—so fast that conventional means couldn’t land a hit—he had only one option: to leave no room to dodge!

With that thought, Elder Hamura clasped his hands together and slammed them onto the ground.

He poured his chakra into the sealing array in front of him.

*“Puppet Art: Lion Bind Rabbit!”*

Intricate seal patterns glowed brightly, and one by one, lion-headed puppets leapt into the air, forming a shield wall as they unleashed a barrage of projectiles and binding ropes aimed at Uchiha Shinji!

Swish, swish, swish!  

Charging headlong into the storm of blades, Uchiha Shinji’s lips curled into a sneer of disdain.

While dashing forward, he clasped his hands together and roared:

“Do you think you can kill me?!”

“Absurd! Let me show you—”

“I am immortal!”

With a forceful stomp, he shattered the earth beneath him!

In perfect control of his enhanced body and his battle instincts far surpassing that of ordinary humans,

He bypassed the countless tedious steps required when practicing Sage Arts at Mount Myōboku.

By perfectly balancing the three energies—natural energy, physical energy, and spiritual energy—in an instant, he achieved the precise 1:1:1 ratio,

Fusing them into an entirely new power: *Sage Chakra*!

This Sage Chakra surged through his feet and into the ground, causing the desert terrain within the barrier to quake violently!

In the next moment, the Sage Art Uchiha Shinji had copied from Orochimaru using his Sharingan came to life once more!

*Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!*

The sand beneath him surged upward, lifting Uchiha Shinji high into the air as a fierce wind whipped across his face.

Finally, the massive volume of sand beneath him transformed into a giant serpent!

“Hissss!!!”

The enormous serpent reared its head and roared furiously into the heavens, shaking the entire barrier!

Then,

Uchiha Shinji stood atop the serpent’s head,

Allowing it to carry him—

Straight into the deadly rain of blades and ropes,

And straight into the imposing shield wall behind it!

“This brat has lost his mind!” Elder Hamura’s face twitched as he watched Uchiha Shinji’s reckless charge, showing no sign of dodging. The sheer insanity of it sent chills down his spine.

Gritting his teeth, Elder Hamura swiftly formed the *Ram* hand seal, his eyes blazing with fury.

“Fine, then!”

“If you want to die, I’ll grant your wish!”

In the next moment, he let out a cold, venomous growl:

*“Puppet Art: Assault Blades—Human Manipulation!”*

*“Sealing Art: Lion’s Roar Closure!”*

From within the rain of blades, chakra threads emerged from the back of the projectiles, revealing sharp arrow-like tips. These threads shot forward with the torrent of blades,

While the lion-headed puppets forming the shield wall opened their mouths wide, creating a gale-force suction that pulled everything toward them!

Faced with such an inescapable onslaught, Uchiha Shinji made no effort to dodge.

He allowed the puppet blades and chakra threads to pierce his body, dragging him toward the shield wall.

Then,

The lion puppets’ suction pulled him into their gaping maws, and their jaws snapped shut with a resounding *crunch*!

As sharp fangs sank into Uchiha Shinji's body, black sealing technique markings spread across his skin, locking away all of his chakra!

At the same time, the giant sand serpent created by the Inorganic Reincarnation technique slammed into the shield wall, blasting a massive gap into the defensive formation.

"Got him!" Elder Chiyo's brother, Ebizō, raised his white eyebrows, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

Normally, once a ninja’s chakra is sealed, they are no different from an ordinary person.

But in the very next moment—

A thunderous boom erupted from the lion-headed puppet biting Uchiha Shinji!

*Bang!*

A violent shockwave carried countless wooden and metal puppet fragments flying backward.

A fist covered in white snake scales smashed through the puppet and then tore it apart with brute force!

Uchiha Shinji, covered in black sealing technique markings and pierced all over by ninja tools like a hedgehog,

suddenly leaped high out of the wreckage!

"This... how is this possible?!"

Ebizō’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the young man who had shattered his puppet using nothing but sheer physical strength.

The sealing marks on Uchiha Shinji’s body clearly indicated his chakra had been sealed,

so what was happening now?!

Uchiha Shinji sneered coldly. Without stopping after landing, he continued charging toward Ebizō at full speed!

As he sprinted, his mouth suddenly opened wide—

and out stretched another arm!

Just like that, the old body kept charging forward while the newly reborn Uchiha Shinji tore his way out of his former body’s mouth,

creating a scene so bizarre it was terrifying!

Weaving through a storm of icy blades, leaping fiercely across the battlefield,

at that moment, Uchiha Shinji looked like the mythical creature that endlessly devours itself, unending and reborn—

the unconstrained serpent!

Indeed, Uchiha Shinji had been affected by the sealing technique, but what Ebizō sealed was only the snakeskin generated by the Curse Mark of Heaven, the second form of the curse mark!

The *Great Serpent Substitution Technique*, the most overpowered substitution technique in the entire ninja world—

Once mastered, it breaks the conventional rules that bind most ninja techniques!

Because this is the miracle of ninjutsu!

“Damn it! What the hell is this thing?!”

Ebizō’s scalp tingled with fear. But seeing Uchiha Shinji nearing the gap left by the giant sand serpent,

he knew that if the boy got close and delivered a set of Uchiha-style taijutsu,

he wouldn’t survive it!

Grinding his teeth, Ebizō raised his hands again, maneuvering his puppets to unleash another storm of ninja tools, attempting to block Uchiha Shinji’s path and actions.

At this moment,

Uchiha Shinji was crouched on the face of the charging “snakeskin Uchiha Shinji,” pulling out his last leg.

Seeing the incoming barrage, he raised an eyebrow and smirked.

“Old man, trying to fix this now?”

He suddenly threw his head back, laughing loudly and wildly:

*“Hahahahahahahahahahahaha—”*

Then, cutting off his laughter, his expression turned cold and emotionless as he looked at Ebizō.

In a chilling voice, he declared:

“Let me mercifully tell you something, old man!”

“Now—”

“It’s already too late!”

With those words,

Uchiha Shinji jumped down from his discarded snakeskin body.

Reaching into its mouth, he pulled out his *Kusanagi Sword*.

In the next instant,

he bared his teeth in a brilliant, menacing grin, gripping the sword in reverse and slashing it downward!

Activating his heart,

*Zero-Tails Unseal!*

Forbidden technique engaged!

In an instant,

within the endless desert of the Land of Wind,

under the night sky,

a radiant sun suddenly rose!

(Chapter End)

*Chapter 160: The Fourth Sword – Decisive Victory!*

Ebizō initially planned to use his "Three Treasures Puppet – Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha" to cooperate with his puppet art, Killing Strike Blade, and eliminate Uchiha Shinji once again.

However—

When he saw that rising sun in the desert,

When he saw the colossal Flowing Flame Sword being raised high, towering into the heavens, delivering an earth-shaking visual impact—

Ebizō swallowed hard, his face full of disbelief. He abruptly halted his actions, exclaiming,

“What the hell is this?!”

“How can he still unleash such a technique?!”

Tonight, this Uchiha brat had already shocked him so profoundly that he began questioning reality. Based on the intelligence he had gathered in the Land of Hot Water, there was no doubt that the move Uchiha Shinji was currently using exceeded the normal limits of ninjutsu—it was clearly a forbidden technique.

And, at most, he should have been able to use it only twice!

Cross-referencing the information he had compiled from Sunagakure’s archives and interviews with prominent clans known for their Kekkei Genkai, Ebizō had pieced together how this technique worked.

*Uchiha Style: Dance of the Solar Halo!*

This was an ancient technique, dating back to the Warring States Era, far before the age of the Hidden Villages. It was said to burn the user's mortal body to unleash a slash comparable to a divine strike! While the current power of Uchiha Shinji’s version was considerably weaker than the historical records described, that was likely why he had been able to use it twice in the Land of Hot Water.

But even if it was a weakened version—

How many times had the brat used it tonight?

Earlier, from ten miles away, the sky had turned crimson three times, signifying three strikes.

Three strikes—and none of the 300 Sunagakure forces meant to report back had returned, not even a shadow.

And now, this was the *fourth strike*!

Could a technique this inhuman really have no cooldown period, no cost whatsoever?

What kind of lawless nonsense was this?!

Glaring at the towering Flowing Flame Sword, Ebizō clenched his teeth and hesitated for only a moment before withdrawing. He pulled the Three Treasures Puppet to the side, retreating as he formed the Ram hand seal. Behind him, a dense swarm of lion puppets surged forward in an all-out assault.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t counter the technique. Both his Wind Release and ultimate puppet arts could generate power surpassing the current strike. But this sword was clearly designed to break formations, not target him directly. There was no point in wasting his final defensive measures to clash head-on.

Retreating and regrouping was the wiser choice at the moment.

Besides, he refused to believe it—

Could this brat really unleash a *fifth strike*?

As Ebizō relinquished his advantageous position and opted for a strategic retreat, trading pawns with sealing arrays—

Standing amidst the blazing sun,

Raising the colossal, sky-piercing Flowing Flame Sword—

The young man suddenly smiled.

Yes, Uchiha Shinji smiled.

“I’ve won,” he declared with unshakable certainty.

His fiery eyes locked onto the fleeing Ebizō. The corner of Uchiha Shinji’s mouth curled upward uncontrollably.

With his current chakra reserves, he could execute:

- Four Great Serpent Style Substitution Techniques  

- Two Sage Techniques  

- One fully unleashed Fire Release Chakra Mode  

- Several other smaller ninjutsu and genjutsu.

(For reference, one Great Serpent Style Substitution Technique consumed as much chakra as four Grand Fireballs, and his remaining reserves depended on how many substitution techniques he could still use.)

If Ebizō had chosen to stay and counter the Flowing Flame Sword, breaking its formation, Uchiha Shinji would have been forced to rely on the Great Serpent Style Substitution Technique to charge in, expending nearly all of his substitution chances. Even if he broke through to engage in close combat, his options would have been severely limited.

Based on the model he had constructed using Ebizō’s sister, Chiyo, as a reference, Ebizō still had two trump cards up his sleeve.

Victory would have been far from certain.

But Uchiha Shinji chose to gamble.

He gambled that his *special effects* would surpass Ebizō’s courage.

He gambled that even with intel on him,

When Ebizō truly saw this visually overwhelming, godlike Flowing Flame Sword,

*He would be terrified!*

If he won the gamble, this battle would be his victory.

If he lost—at worst, he would die.

And now, on this long and grueling night of ambushes,

This *fourth sword* would determine the outcome of the war—

A decisive strike for victory or defeat!

And now,

Ebizō had abandoned his defensive shell, fleeing in fear of the overwhelming power of this special-effects-laden sword technique.

“Hahahahaha!”

“Old man, take this—my ultimate Rising Dragon Strike!”

Uchiha Shinji laughed heartily, raising the Flowing Flame Sword high and twisting its hilt.

With a roar, the colossal, blazing sword swept downward!

*Boom!*

The sword’s swing ignited a wildfire that consumed the heavens and earth,

Obliterating the seemingly unbreakable Lion Shield Formation, scorching, crushing, and shattering it completely!

In the desert, a massive mushroom cloud rose into the night sky.

A visible shockwave of wind burst out in all directions, sweeping the area in a circular ripple!

It sent Hanzō and Uchiha Shinji flying high into the air, hurling them away with violent force. The shockwave tore through three sand dunes, blasting them apart and scattering sand like a torrential rainstorm!

Finally, the wave crashed into the regenerative barrier, causing dense, spiderweb-like cracks to spread across its surface.

In the aftermath, an eerie silence blanketed the world.

Amid this oppressive quiet, under the silent downpour of sand,

Uchiha Shinji wiped away the blood trickling from his ruptured eardrum with a casual motion mid-air.

With a flick of his wrist, he threw two shuriken, embedding them into the sand below. Using the wires attached, he spun in a 720-degree roll, landing steadily on the ground. His palm plunged into the sand, carving a furrow to halt his momentum.

Immediately, he lifted his snake-like Sharingan eyes, locking onto Hanzō, who was cowering behind a Puppet Art: Mechanical Light Shield Seal not far away.

Grinding his heel into the sand, he launched forward with explosive force, his body low to the ground, gripping his blade with both hands as he charged like a rabid dog.

“Old man, prepare to die!”

Hanzō was still reeling from the shock of the earlier strike. Despite retreating a considerable distance, he couldn’t fully escape the residual power of the attack. In a panic, he barely managed to deploy the Puppet Art: Mechanical Light Shield Seal to defend himself.

Now, hearing that accursed Uchiha brat’s furious roar, his eyelids—and even his white eyebrows—twitched involuntarily.

Raising his clouded, aged eyes, he saw the boy charging at him like a mad dog.

This time, there were no obstacles between them.

A chilling sensation crawled up his spine. His gaze instinctively flickered with astonishment and fear.

But in the next moment, that fear transformed into a burning rage!

He, Hanzō of the Hidden Sand—one of the highest-ranking leaders of the strongest ninja village among the Five Great Nations and the supreme commander of the Sand forces on the Rain Country battlefield—was being cornered into such a disgraceful state by a mere twelve-year-old brat!

It was an unbearable humiliation!

But…

He had to endure.

Close-quarters combat wasn’t his strength. He couldn’t match the boy’s power head-on. He had to retreat!

Yes, retreat!

He needed to create distance, reposition, and reclaim the advantage. Then, he could slowly crush this little punk!

With that resolve, Hanzō wasted no time. Dispelling the Puppet Art: Mechanical Light Shield Seal, he controlled three puppets and immediately began fleeing.

However, under the enhancement of the Heaven’s Curse Mark, Uchiha Shinji’s speed had already far surpassed Hanzō’s!

Hanzō had no room to maneuver. He was left with no choice but to bring out all his skills and face the boy head-on in a battle of raw strength and wits.

Before long, Hanzō realized that his running was futile.

Abruptly, he stopped and turned. His wrinkled face, twisted with anger and humiliation, revealed the expression of a man pushed to the brink.

“Uchiha Shinji!!!”

The boy, brimming with excitement, lunged forward with an explosive burst of speed. His eyes burned with unrelenting battle spirit and savage determination as he roared:

“Hanzō, your time is up!”

Hanzō’s face contorted with fury, his features grotesque with rage.

The humiliation and anger in his heart erupted entirely in that instant!

His body trembled, his face twitched, and his teeth clenched.

Finally, he reached behind his waist, pulling out a scroll. With a thunderous shout, he declared:

“You damn Uchiha brat!”

“I’ll show you the pinnacle of puppet mastery!”

“Summoning Jutsu: Kintsune Five!”

With a fierce motion, he tore the scroll apart and slammed his palm into the ground.

In the smoke of the summoning jutsu, he stepped forward boldly.

Behind him, five figures—sinister and monstrous—rose into the air.

The six forms, including Hanzō, leapt high into the sky, accompanied by his furious roar:

“Forbidden Technique: White Secret Technique—Dance of the Accompanying Puppets!”

(Chapter End)