Sakura clutched her chest with both hands: "Is that really Sasuke?"
Naruto, too, was somewhat incredulous: "How did he end up like this?"
Sasuke's dark-skinned, winged appearance truly shocked many, to the point that even his teammates, Naruto and Sakura, could barely recognize him.
Kakashi didn't act rashly, though his heart was already in turmoil.
Soon, his gaze fixed on Sasuke's shoulder, recalling the assault Sasuke had faced during the final exam.
"Could it be that the mysterious figure who attacked Sasuke did something to him back then?"
With this suspicion in mind, he furrowed his brows and observed closely, trying to figure out what was going on with Sasuke's current state.
Thus, despite the sudden upheaval on the battlefield, no one intervened for the moment, and the clash between Shinji and Sasuke continued.
Boom.
Another deafening roar echoed as a large tree at the edge of the field was completely shattered by Sasuke's raw physical strength.
Shinji dodged with a flash, his calm expression now tinged with curiosity.
The "Cursed Seal" was, when ignoring its side effects, an incredibly effective boost to a shinobi's strength.
In the original timeline, Sasuke had used the "Cursed Seal" as one of his trump cards, challenging Itachi Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan with only his three-tomoe Sharingan.
It could be said that before awakening his Mangekyo Sharingan, Sasuke relied heavily on this "Cursed Seal of Heaven."
Similarly, Kimimaro, with the "Cursed Seal of Earth," had leveraged its immense power amplification to withstand Gaara's sandstorm, breaking free from the sea of sand like a monster, leaving even Gaara in shock!
"What's wrong? All you can do now is dodge like a coward?"
Sasuke sneered, his expression growing increasingly ferocious.
Activating the Gear Two state of the "Cursed Seal of Heaven" greatly accelerated the seal's erosion of his body, leaving him in a frenzied state of mind.
"Heh."
Shinji let out a light chuckle before fully unleashing the "Twelve Palaces" and charging at Sasuke.
Boom, boom, boom.
In an instant, the two engaged in a brutal, hand-to-hand taijutsu battle!
This time, Shinji didn't dodge or evade at all. For every move Sasuke made, Shinji countered with equal force.
Their speed was so blinding that to many onlookers, they appeared as two flickering afterimages, accompanied by the low, continuous sound of fists and feet clashing!
Haku and Karin exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with worry.
Sasuke's current state was clearly abnormal, even resembling a demon in some ways, making them fear he might have fallen into darkness.
After all, Sasuke was not only their friend but also their comrade.
Rock Lee, who had just had his challenge interrupted by Sasuke, watched the intense battle between Shinji and Sasuke with a look of awe: "So strong! I'd probably need to open the Fifth Gate, the Gate of Closing, to even keep up with their speed!"
Tenten, unable to follow the fight clearly, turned to Neji beside her and asked, "Neji, who's got the upper hand right now?"
Neji, ignoring Tenten's question, wore a heavy expression with a trace of barely concealed disappointment.
He had thought that the gap between himself, Shinji, and Sasuke was narrowing after receiving his "bio-exoskeleton."
But now, it was clear that not only had the gap not closed—it had widened.
The speed and strength of the two fighters on the field completely surpassed him. He reckoned he could only match them when synchronized with Kimimaro.
Boom.
With a massive explosion, the two afterimages in the arena broke apart!
Sasuke, in Gear Two, was knocked back, stumbling over a dozen steps until he crashed into a large tree, barely stopping himself.
Shinji, too, retreated some distance, planting his feet firmly and creating a large crater in the ground to absorb the impact.
"Damn it!"
Sasuke panted heavily, wiping the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
He had unleashed everything he had, yet he still couldn't take down Shinji. This fueled his rage while planting a seed of doubt in his heart—when had Shinji become this strong?
Shinji, meanwhile, studied Sasuke, thinking to himself: Natural energy…
There was no doubt that Sasuke's strength in Gear Two of the "Cursed Seal of Heaven" had caught his attention, making him realize the terrifying potential of natural energy.
His "Twelve Palaces" technique achieved perfect coordination of the body's organs through chakra stimulation, unleashing a person's full physical potential without waste.
Thus, the "Twelve Palaces" was the pinnacle of technique, an ultimate art that used chakra to maximize bodily strength!
But Sasuke's "Cursed Seal of Heaven" belonged to a different system.
It was a grotesque product born from Jugo's innate ability to absorb natural energy chakra, combined with Orochimaru's "Cursed Seal" modifications.
Yet, no matter how twisted its origins, its essence couldn't be denied—it was a utilization of natural energy!
Natural energy was a vast force scattered throughout the shinobi world, omnipresent and on a scale no less immense than chakra.
The senjutsu derived from it was one of the most advanced systems in the shinobi world. Every single shinobi who mastered senjutsu was at least Kage-level. Or, to put it another way, only those with the potential to reach Kage-level could harness natural energy to cultivate senjutsu!
"Unfortunately, I don't have time to study natural energy right now. For now, I'll leave Sasuke to Tsunade and let her try to break the 'Cursed Seal'!"
While senjutsu was powerful, Shinji's priority was to awaken the Rinnegan. Once that was achieved, he could still pursue senjutsu later.
With his decision made, Shinji slowly approached Sasuke: "Making yourself look neither human nor demon—how disgraceful! As a fellow Uchiha, I won't allow you to keep shaming our clan like this!"
Whoosh.
The moment his words fell, Shinji activated the Seventh Form of the "Twelve Palaces," "Shrinking Step." In an instant, he closed the distance to Sasuke, catching even Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan off guard!
The Seventh Form, "Shrinking Step," was akin to the Body Flicker Technique, but faster and far more subtle.
"You—"
Sasuke instinctively stepped back, but the tree that had just stopped his retreat now became an obstacle.
Boom.
Shinji landed a heavy punch to Sasuke's abdomen, causing him to double over.
Whether it was Sasuke's "Susanoo" or the "Cursed Seal of Heaven," both placed immense strain on his body, which was already pushed to its limits. Meanwhile, Shinji's "Twelve Palaces" evenly drew energy from every organ, giving him far greater endurance than Sasuke!
After knocking Sasuke down, Shinji grabbed him and tossed him into the center of the arena, declaring, "Uchiha Sasuke has defied his superior—take him down!"
Swish, swish.
In an instant, two Anbu shinobi appeared, restraining Sasuke and escorting him away.
At that moment, Shinji, standing in the arena, scanned the surroundings. The watching students all lowered their heads, avoiding his gaze in awe.