Facing the now even more powerful Zero-Tails, Kakuzu silently began extracting and compressing the two Kekkei Genkai powers within his body.
"This mission is beyond what I signed up for. Make sure to pay extra when this is over," Kakuzu muttered grimly to Kagetsu before charging forward to attack Zero-Tails head-on.
Ninjutsu didn't work.
Close combat was dangerous, as Zero-Tails's splitting tentacles could easily bind and entangle its opponent.
The sheer difficulty of dealing with Zero-Tails was undeniable. With Shinnō's unpredictable strength added to the mix, this had become one of the toughest missions Kakuzu had ever undertaken in his decades of life.
Second only to the time he faced his assassination target—the First Hokage.
However, under Shinnō's control, the Zero-Tails did not launch an immediate attack. Instead, its long, slender body began to swell strangely, bulging here and there. Its form became bloated and distorted.
The massive beast curled up tightly, thrashing about like a struggling water snake or an earthworm. It churned up the ocean surface, creating towering waves with its violent movements.
Seeing this, Kakuzu's eyes glimmered with a hint of joy. Although he couldn't understand what was happening, it was clear that the Zero-Tails' body was out of control.
Shinnō's battered body forced its way out of the Zero-Tails' forehead. Covered in injuries, he crawled out desperately, only to plummet straight into the ocean below with a splash.
The Zero-Tails' struggles grew more intense but gradually weaker. Finally, it became motionless, floating lifelessly on the water's surface like a dead fish.
"What did you do to the Zero-Tails?!" A furious voice roared from the front. A burly, shirtless man leapt out of the sea, glaring at Kagetsu and the others with rage as he stared at the stiff, lifeless form of the Zero-Tails.
"Eating random things can upset the stomach. Didn't you ever teach it that?" Kagetsu stood on the ocean's surface, Ashisogi Jizō swirling in the nearby waters. Their subtle movements gave an oddly smug impression.
"Is it that thing?" Shinnō's gaze locked onto Ashisogi Jizō. He noticed that it was no longer concealing an aura—one even darker and more sinister than the Zero-Tails.
Kagetsu's gaze shifted past Shinnō to the unmoving Zero-Tails behind him. "Even though it's not a soul-based entity, a collection of dark emotions should be sufficient. Let's see which is stronger: the so-called Dark Chakra or the power of the Hollow."
"What are you talking about?!" Shinnō's body vanished instantly, creating a powerful splash as he moved.
"Watch out!" Shisui drew the short sword from his back, stepping in front of Kagetsu to block Shinnō's sudden attack.
Black chakra condensed in Shinnō's palm, forming a dark sphere of energy. He slammed it down, only for it to collide with a skeletal structure that appeared before him.
The moment Shisui sensed danger, he activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and summoned Susano'o as a shield to block in front of him.
Under the impact of the attack, Susano'o's skeletal frame cracked with numerous fractures. Simultaneously, Shisui's body trembled from the shock, and he had to channel more Yin chakra through his Mangekyō to repair the damaged Susano'o. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel[f]ire.net
Shinnō's attack was clearly beyond the expected scale. Even Susano'o in its first stage barely withstood the force of his punch and almost collapsed.
Anko dashed forward. As Shisui distracted Shinnō, she struck in perfect coordination with him. With her flaming fist, she delivered a heavy blow to Shinnō's face.
The bones in Shinnō's chest deformed instantly, and the intense heat from Anko's attack scorched his skin, producing a sizzling sound as it burned black.
As his body was blasted backward, the flames surrounding him seemed to accumulate enough chakra to detonate within his body.
Mid-air, Shinnō became a human torch before crashing heavily into the sea. With a loud hiss of steam from the clash of fire and water, he sank beneath the surface with bubbling sounds.
"Is he dead?" Anko stared at the spot where Shinnō disappeared. A punch like that would have killed any ordinary ninja instantly, even most Jōnin. Yet, having made contact with his body, Anko felt oddly certain that Shinnō wouldn't die so easily.
His muscles were simply too strong! His physical defense, purely from the density of his muscles, was nearly on par with the power of the Earth Grudge Fear technique.
"No, he isn't. His chakra is still flowing rapidly," Shisui said, his Sharingan fixed on the surface of the water where Shinnō had sunk. Through his Mangekyō's enhanced vision, Shisui could see the chakra coursing through Shinnō's body with remarkable clarity.
Even those seemingly fatal wounds were healing quickly before his eyes. Shinnō's fading vitality surged back to life.
"Then let's hit him a few more times!" Anko declared.
Floating flames appeared around Anko and, with a wave of her hand, arranged themselves in three rows in front of her. One after another, the fireballs shot toward the spot where Shinnō had fallen.
The continuous explosions sent massive plumes of water high into the air. The fireballs tracked Shinnō's movements underwater, bombarding the area for nearly a full minute.
The temperature on the surrounding sea surface rose by several degrees, and the high-temperature steam mixed with the thin sea mist around it.
"It's useless. Under this ultimate body, even if my injuries are severe, I can still recover! Even if you tear my body into pieces, I can perfectly reassemble and come back to life.
On the path of resisting death, I've come farther than anyone in this world," the voice of Shinnō echoed. His burn scars and wounds rapidly healed and regenerated under the gaze of Anko and the others.
"You're the first to witness me in this state. Next, I'll use the forbidden Taijutsu I obtained from your Konoha to fight."
In an instant, the violent chakra within Shinnō's body exploded, and his chakra surged upwards, increasing by several times in the blink of an eye.
"Perfect Eight Gates! Not a single ounce of power will leak out; it's all locked inside this ultimate body! Every muscle and cell within me is filled with chakra. Even when opening the Death Gate, I can maintain it for a long time and remain alive!"
Shinnō felt the immense power surging through him, and a surge of confidence filled his body. This seemingly omnipotent power gave him a strong sense of security and overwhelming self-assurance.
"Fool," Kagetsu only had time to mutter a short remark before being struck by a giant black tail. He was sent flying across the sea, bouncing several times like a drifting object, leaving a deep trench on the surface of the water.
The rushing seawater quickly filled the trench, and Kagetsu looked at the revived Zero Tail with a surprised but satisfied expression.
A half-finished Hollow.
A monster that controls Hollow powers.
For the first time in this ninja world, a potential chakra entity that could evolve into a true Hollow in future had appeared.
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