Even as the creator of the Twelve Palaces, Shinji wasn't entirely certain of all its capabilities.
For instance, he had just discovered that after training in the Twelve Palaces, techniques requiring precise control became far easier to wield.
Mastering the Rasengan was no challenge for the current Shinji.
He thoroughly understood the Rasengan's principles, training methods, and steps. With a bit of effort in private, he could easily master it.
But the Rasenshuriken was different—its training difficulty far surpassed that of the standard Rasengan.
Before practicing the Twelve Palaces, Shinji had privately attempted the Rasenshuriken, but the results were lackluster.
It wasn't that he couldn't use it, but he often struggled with the step of infusing Wind Release chakra into the Rasengan to trigger its nature transformation.
Moreover, the Rasenshuriken's destructive power didn't discriminate between friend and foe, often harming the user first. So, until now, he hadn't been able to use it in combat.
Things were different now!
After training in the Twelve Palaces, his control over his body reached new heights, making chakra manipulation effortless. Whether it was triggering nature transformation or mitigating the Rasenshuriken's negative effects, he could now handle both.
"What is that!?"
Beneath his Susanoo, Sasuke stared at the Rasenshuriken in Shinji's hand, instinctively sensing an intense threat!
Shinji didn't explain. He hurled the Rasenshuriken directly at Sasuke's Susanoo.
"Not good!"
Sasuke didn't dare underestimate it. He hurriedly urged his Susanoo to cross its arms, attempting to shield its front. But the Rasenshuriken was too fast, and the distance too short—his Susanoo had no time to mount an effective defense.
Boom.
This explosion far surpassed all previous ones!
Not only the area around the training ground but even villagers several blocks away heard the deafening roar and felt the ground tremble violently beneath their feet.
"What's happening? An earthquake?"
"Is the village under attack?"
"It came from that direction. A bunch of people went over there to watch—did something happen?"
Villagers far from the training ground turned to look in its direction.
Near the training ground.
Massive clouds of dust, carried by the shockwave, billowed outward. In the blink of an eye, the entire area around the training ground was shrouded in dust.
The watching jonin and students raised their arms to shield their faces, straining to see the situation on the field.
In their blurred vision, the towering purple Susanoo that had stood in the training ground was now leaning crookedly against several trees!
"Sasuke's Susanoo was knocked down?!"
Sakura covered her mouth, her face full of shock.
Naruto, beside her, stared wide-eyed.
The Mangekyo dojutsu Sasuke prided himself on had been toppled just like that!
As the dust gradually settled, the crowd's vision cleared, revealing that Sasuke's Susanoo hadn't merely been knocked down.
The skeletal Susanoo, leaning against the trees, had a gaping hole in its chest.
Around the hole, the purple chakra silhouette of the Susanoo flickered like a dying flame, as if it might dissipate at any moment!
Kakashi's expression tightened. "How is this possible?"
Asuma and Kurenai's faces changed as well.
They never imagined Shinji would have a way to breach Sasuke's Susanoo! And doing so meant Shinji had the ability to decisively defeat Sasuke!
On a distant high building.
Tsunade, her eyes locked on the field, asked, "What technique did Uchiha Shinji just use?"
Jiraiya shook his head.
In the original timeline, the Rasenshuriken was an S-rank ninjutsu developed by Naruto after three years of training with Jiraiya, integrating his strongest Wind Release into the Rasengan.
In other words, in this timeline, the Rasenshuriken hadn't been formally developed yet. Even Jiraiya, who guided Naruto in mastering the Rasengan, and Naruto, the technique's original creator, didn't recognize it now!
Though Jiraiya didn't recognize the Rasenshuriken, he could tell it was developed from the Rasengan. His gaze toward Shinji began to shift.
If Shinji learning the Rasengan through observation and imitation wasn't enough to impress him, then developing a technique from the Rasengan with such destructive power—capable of breaching a Mangekyo Sharingan's Susanoo—was truly astonishing.
On the field.
Glancing at Sasuke's toppled Susanoo, Shinji's expression remained calm, showing no pride in breaking through it.
He turned to Haku and Karin on the sidelines, speaking in a guiding tone. "Did you see that clearly? Susanoo is merely a manifestation of dojutsu power. Its strength is directly tied to the user's dojutsu power—its quantity and quality."
Haku and Karin, still somewhat dazed, nodded quickly.
Shinji continued, "If the user's strength is average, their Susanoo's defense won't be particularly strong. Find its weak point and hit it with a high-powered ninjutsu, like I just did, and you can deal effective damage!"
On the sidelines.
Listening to Shinji's explanation, Yakumo fell into thought.
How to counter Susanoo had always been a puzzle for her.
Of course, her hypothetical enemy wasn't Sasuke but her Akatsuki colleague, "B."
Naruto nodded, looking enlightened. "Oh, so that's how it works!"
Shikamaru, Kiba, and others who had been drawn to the scene exchanged glances. "Hey, is Shinji seriously trying to teach us how to beat Susanoo?"
Sasuke, somewhat dazed, struggled back to his feet.
Looking at his damaged Susanoo, his eyes seemed to blaze with fury. "Damn it!"
Shinji turned to him. "Want to keep going?"
Sasuke roared, "Of course—I haven't lost yet!"
Swish.
As soon as Sasuke spoke, Shinji flashed forward, slipping through the hole in the Susanoo's chest. He landed a powerful punch to Sasuke's abdomen.
Struck by the sudden blow, Sasuke collapsed in pain.
Roar!
With that strike, his damaged Susanoo could no longer hold. Amid a furious, helpless roar, it gradually dissipated.