Kagutsuchi and Suijin both regarded Shinno, now enveloped in swirling, dark green steam, with grave expressions.
This was the forbidden biochemical technique Shinno had developed through his research – a jutsu focused on flesh activation. It was unexpected that Shinno, at this stage, had already perfected this secret technique for bodily regeneration and possessed the dark chakra of the Zero-Tails.
This forbidden jutsu granted the user the ultimate physical body, allowing them to fully open all Eight Inner Gates without dying. Under such conditions, it was truly impossible to predict the extent of the power this man could unleash.
Suijin spoke first. "Let me handle him. You take care of the distractions."
"Alright," Kagutsuchi nodded in agreement.
With the Eight Inner Gates opened, Shinno's taijutsu prowess would inevitably skyrocket. In this scenario, pitting Suijin, with his Byakugan, against him was indeed the more effective strategy.
As he agreed, Kagutsuchi's own eyes shifted, revealing a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan.
"You— you're the Uchiha from the Divine Court?" Seeing the Sharingan flare to life in Kagutsuchi's eyes, the previously imposing Shinno couldn't suppress a gasp of alarm. Fear flickered across his face.
The Divine Court's Uchiha was known to wield the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan and had clashed just months prior with the Rinnegan-bearing leader of Akatsuki. Facing such a powerhouse, Shinno, whose strengths didn't lie purely in combat, felt no confidence in his ability to achieve victory.
Kagutsuchi merely glanced at Shinno, a faint smirk playing on his lips. Then, with a flicker, he vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.
Not good!
Watching Kagutsuchi disappear, Shinno's focus sharpened instantly, his guard shooting up.
However, Kagutsuchi wasn't targeting him.
Pfft! Pfft!
In the distance, several unsuspecting Sky Ninja suddenly found their throats slit as Kagutsuchi reappeared amongst them, his blade flashing lethally.
"Damn it!" Shinno exclaimed, his expression twisting with alarm as he watched Kagutsuchi cut through his subordinates. He instinctively moved to intervene.
"Your opponent is me!" a voice stated coolly near his ear.
Shinno reacted instantly, spinning and throwing a powerful punch. The force of the blow generated a fierce shockwave that tore through the air beside him. Suijin's form had materialized right where the punch was aimed.
Clearly, Shinno's initial reaction had been a feint, a deliberate attempt to misdirect his opponent. His true target had been Suijin all along. His preferred tactic was obvious: eliminate one opponent quickly.
However, Shinno's ploy failed to achieve the desired outcome.
CRACK!
The ferocious fist wind surged forward, seeming to warp the very air, only to slam into a massive, transparent wall of ice that had suddenly materialized in front of Suijin. The impact shattered the barrier instantly, sending shards flying with a sharp cracking sound.
Though the ice wall was destroyed, the remaining force of the punch continued towards Suijin. With a slight tilt of his body, Suijin easily evaded the attack. Simultaneously, he pushed off the ground, blurring towards Shinno like a sudden gale.
Shinno didn't falter despite the failed attack. Facing the mysterious and formidable members of the Divine Court, he hadn't expected an easy victory. A savage grin spread across his face as he launched himself forward to meet Suijin's charge.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Across the central plaza of the Ancor Vantian Fortress, the figures of Suijin and Shinno became blurs, constantly flashing and colliding. Each impact of fist against flesh, or block against strike, echoed like rolling thunder. It was a duel between two masters at the peak of taijutsu.
Having activated his Flesh Activation Jutsu and opened the Gate of View, Shinno's physical power had reached an inhuman threshold. In terms of pure taijutsu, he had already crossed the line into Kage-level strength.
However, Shinno's combat experience was clearly lacking. While each of his movements packed immense power, they couldn't pose a truly lethal threat to Suijin, whose Byakugan perceived every nuance of the battle.
Instead, as the relentless exchange continued, Shinno found himself occasionally struck by Suijin's unexpectedly precise blows. In the short term, these attacks didn't inflict significant damage, but as the hits accumulated, Shinno soon felt something was wrong. His chakra pathways had sustained damage.
As time wore on, Shinno found himself gradually pushed onto the defensive.
From a distance, Yomi's expression shifted uncertainly. Screams continued to echo across the plaza as Kagutsuchi carried on his ruthless slaughter of Shinno's forces. Without a powerful opponent to hold Kagutsuchi's attention, the Sky Ninja, whose skills were merely average, stood no chance. Before Kagutsuchi, whose perception and agility far surpassed their own, their crude machine gun-like weapons and spherical bombs were rendered utterly useless. Worse still, amidst the chaos, many had fallen at the hands of their own comrades due to wild firing or perhaps Kagutsuchi's subtle influence.
In just a few short minutes, the remaining force of over a hundred Sky Ninja had been reduced by more than half.
"We're leaving!" Yomi finally hissed through gritted teeth. Watching Shinno losing ground and his Sky Ninja being massacred, he made the pragmatic choice to flee. Although he found it strange that Kagutsuchi was only targeting the Sky Ninja, he couldn't afford to ponder the implications now.
Ignoring the ongoing battle, Yomi immediately ordered his dozens of cultists, abandoning Shinno and the remaining Sky Ninja to their fate as they began to withdraw from the fortress.
"Heh." Kagutsuchi, still methodically eliminating the Sky Ninja, saw Yomi's retreat and offered only a cold smirk. He made no move to intercept or pursue.
Fool! Shinno, struggling under Suijin's pressure, inwardly cursed as a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. Judging by the Divine Court members' reactions, the fleeing Yomi and his followers were certainly not heading towards a safe escape.
Gate of Shock, Open!
Taking a fleeting moment to glance at the few remaining Sky Ninja, Shinno gritted his teeth and unleashed the power of the seventh gate.
BOOM!
Shinno's already robust frame seemed to visibly contract as a massive aura of brilliant blue steam erupted outwards. The sheer force of the release swept across the plaza like a hurricane.
Watching Shinno, now radiating this immense blue energy, Suijin held back from attacking rashly. Opening any of the final three Eight Inner Gates granted an exponential increase in power. Against the current Shinno, Suijin doubted he could match him head-on.
However, he could also see the toll opening the seventh gate was taking on Shinno's body. The burden was clearly immense.
With this in mind, Suijin pushed his focus to its absolute limit, preparing for a battle of attrition.
"Heh! Die!" Shinno snarled, instantly seeing through Suijin's intention. He vanished in a burst of speed, reappearing directly before Suijin with his fist already hurtling forward.
The terrifying blue aura surrounding the fist seemed to tear through the air, carrying an overwhelming pressure as it bore down on Suijin.
So fast!
Suijin's expression tightened as he accelerated backward, attempting to evade. But he wasn't quite fast enough.
Bringing his hands together, Suijin rapidly condensed his Ice Release chakra, forming an oval shield of dense ice just before the punch connected.
CRACK!
The ferocious impact met the ice shield, shattering it instantaneously. The residual shockwave slammed into Suijin's right shoulder, sending him flying sideways through the air.
Shinno didn't pause after landing the blow. Kicking off the air itself, he streaked towards the airborne Suijin like lightning, his incredible speed generating fierce sonic booms that cracked through the plaza.
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