"As expected of the Rinnegan!" Uchiha Shin dodged Pain's jutsu and laughed loudly. "Haha!"
"What an enviable eye!"
"In terms of ocular abilities..."
"Among all the opponents I've fought, no one surpasses you."
"I, Uchiha Shin, acknowledge you as the strongest!"
However...
Pain did not respond to Uchiha Shin, instead calmly stating, "Shinra Tensei."
Instantly...
A tremendous repulsive force surged toward Uchiha Shin.
Uchiha Shin had already received intel from his main body and swiftly dodged to the side.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion echoed.
The massive mountain behind him was flattened.
The surrounding observing ninja gasped in shock.
This...
Should they retreat further?
What if they got caught in that attack by accident?
"This jutsu?" Danzo stared at the terrifying power, his eyes filled with disbelief as he muttered, "The Root team that intercepted him last time submitted a report, but the power wasn't nearly this strong!"
Had he been holding back then, or had he grown even stronger in this short time?
While everyone was dumbfounded by the flattened mountain...
Pain glanced at Uchiha Shin, who had dodged the attack, and nodded slightly. The act had gone on long enough—it was time to end it.
As for Shinra Tensei...
That was real.
After all this time, both the Rinnegan and the Mangekyō Sharingan had been fully assembled.
This time...
They were the real Rinnegan and Mangekyō, not colored contacts. However, Zetsu and the others probably still believed he was wearing fake ones, because...
He was a red-haired Uzumaki!
Magnet Release could be explained as a rare mutation, but eyes like these...
Could only be inherited through bloodline.
So...
He could act freely. As long as he didn't use the signature techniques of the Mangekyō, no one would ever know they were real.
"What a terrifying jutsu!" Uchiha Shin subtly hinted at his eyes while laughing maniacally. "Haha, interesting, very interesting."
"In that case..."
Uchiha Shin brandished the ancient sword hilt in his hand, his crimson Mangekyō glaring coldly at Pain.
"Let me test the power of this legendary blade—Frostmourne!"
...
Frostmourne!
At Uchiha Shin's words, all the ninja present tensed, focusing intently on him.
They wanted to witness the power of the legendary Frostmourne for themselves.
After all, everything they knew so far came from the stone tablet—claims that it could defeat ten Hokage-level opponents!
These were just speculations based on the tablet's records, but no one could deny...
Perhaps this was truly an incredibly powerful blade.
As for the truth?
No one knew.
Danzo stared fixedly at Frostmourne, muttering to himself, "Just what kind of power does it hold?"
If it really could defeat ten Hokage-level opponents...
Then they might finally have a way to counter these overpowered freaks!
If they could obtain it...
Or the other legendary blade wreathed in flames.
Konoha could truly rise to dominance.
...
"Awaken now." Uchiha Shin spoke in an icy tone. "Frostmourne!"
Instantly...
A bone-chilling, sinister cold seemed to emanate from the ancient hilt.
A flash of piercing light gleamed.
Seeing this, Pain's expression changed, and he immediately retreated, keeping a wary eye on Uchiha Shin, though his jutsu did not stop.
"Shinra Tensei!"
However...
"Frozen Throne..."
Before Uchiha Shin could finish speaking, his eyes suddenly narrowed as he stared at the sword in his hand with fury. "Submit to me."
...
All the ninja watched in confusion as Uchiha Shin abruptly stopped.
"What's going on?" a Konoha-nin asked curiously. "Charging up?"
Waiting for cooldown?
"Not sure," another Konoha-nin shook his head. "Maybe he ran out of chakra?"
"..."
Everyone gave the Konoha-nin a deadpan look. Anyone could tell Uchiha Shin wasn't lacking chakra!
He probably had Senju or Uzumaki bloodline—otherwise...
How else could he possess such monstrous reserves?
"Perhaps it's the legendary sword spirit?" Raiga narrowed his eyes. "If the wielder isn't acknowledged, they can't unleash its full power."
That was what the stone tablet had recorded.
Hearing Raiga's words, everyone's eyes widened...
Maybe...
That was it!
They turned their attention back to Uchiha Shin...
If he wasn't acknowledged, did that mean they had a chance?
If they could get their hands on the blade and earn its recognition, could they too become invincible?
The thought alone was thrilling!
And the Uchiha Clan...
Weren't they fire-style users?
Clearly, he wasn't compatible with water or ice release!
...
"Damn sword spirit!" Uchiha Shin said furiously. "Submit to me, or I'll destroy you!"
However...
Frostmourne seemed to hear his threat, and its glow intensified. A freezing blade condensed from the hilt—cold, sharp, and regal...
Captivating everyone's gaze.
As the icy, crystalline blade fully materialized...
Uchiha Shin shouted, "Frozen Throne..."
Before he could finish...
The blade trembled, and an overwhelming surge of chakra erupted.
Instantly, centered around Frostmourne...
A torrential flood of water burst forth like a waterfall.
Seeing this, Uchiha Shin's expression changed drastically. He immediately threw Frostmourne to the ground, then glanced at Pain, who was charging toward him, and said coldly, "I'll be back."
With that, he vanished in a shunshin.
As for Frostmourne...
Everyone stared at the blade embedded in the ground, gasping in disbelief.
"This... this..." a Kiri-nin stammered, trembling. "Truly a legendary blade passed down for millennia."
Unbelievable.
The flood of water had instantly transformed the forest into an ocean. Fortunately, everyone had quickly leaped into the trees—otherwise, they might have been swept away.
Yet, the moment they landed, Frostmourne plunged into the water and instantly froze the entire sea solid.
"Frostmourne..." Danzo's pupils contracted. "If I could obtain this blade..."
He could have brought true peace to the shinobi world long ago. Would he even need the Mangekyō?
"The sword spirit?" Danzo narrowed his eyes at the blade embedded in the frozen sea. "This complicates things."
Though the Mangekyō user had fled, the Rinnegan wielder was still here. Even if they all attacked together, he could probably wipe them out with just two jutsu.
So...
Despite their greed for the blade, none dared to act recklessly. They looked up at Pain, floating mid-air, and shuddered when his gaze swept over them.
It was so cold here!
Maybe they should retreat further.
However...
After glancing at them, Pain lowered his gaze to Frostmourne, then looked in the direction where the Mangekyō user had disappeared. To everyone's astonishment...
He pursued Uchiha Shin instead.
"This..." a Kiri-nin muttered hesitantly. "He's not taking it?"
Just how deep was their grudge?
To abandon such a powerful blade just to chase down the Mangekyō user.
Instantly...
Everyone exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming. Then, moments later...
"Move."
...
"It's done." Uzumaki Jun reverted to his original appearance and walked up to Kakuzu. "Do you want to return to Uzushiogakure?"
Kakuzu, however, stared at Uzumaki Jun in shock. "That blade..."
Did it really have a sword spirit?
Otherwise, how could it be so powerful?
"Fake." Uzumaki Jun paused, then chuckled helplessly. "As for the ice release, it was just an accidental fusion."
Thanks to the system...
Probably an accident, right?
"Your strength!" Kakuzu's expression grew even more stunned. If the blade was fake, then this kid's power...
Had even the Hokage...
Ever been this strong?
He suddenly realized how shameless it was to brag all these years about "fighting the Hokage to a draw."
And...
Kakuzu glanced pityingly at the ninja below, still fighting over the blade. They...
Had been completely fooled.