Hikaru instinctively took half a step back.
Not because he feared Nagato—no, it was because a tiny, absurd part of his brain believed this monstrosity really had been created by the "Military Communal Party." His mind actually paused long enough for him to hold his breath, afraid that he might smell the nonexistent stench radiating from the giant… poop-colored… creature standing before him.
Once he regained his senses, he silently stared at the massive sludge giant. If he ignored the color—which was extremely difficult—it wasn't actually that ugly. In fact, the lumpy proportions made it almost… weirdly cute.
But the color.
The color was a crime.
"This level of self-created ninjutsu… merging five chakra natures into one technique…"
"When it comes to fusion, you're easily the most talented shinobi I've ever seen. I acknowledge you."
Hikaru said that aloud, but privately he muttered to himself:
It's mixed very well. Just… please don't melt it again next time…
Inside the sludge giant, Nagato continued shifting positions, rolling his wheelchair from one side to another to avoid being buried in his own technique. Although he and Hikaru were enemies, being praised by the man widely regarded as the strongest shinobi alive instantly filled him with pride.
After all, no matter who won or lost today, they were destined to stand together under the Ninja Association later. They weren't mortal enemies. So receiving praise from Uchiha Hikaru—someone who was effectively becoming Konan's future brother-in-law—was something Nagato secretly cherished deep inside his chuunibyou core.
Thus, he returned the compliment immediately.
"As expected of the man acknowledged as the strongest by all five great nations. You saw the essence of this technique at a single glance!"
"Although its destructive power isn't as overwhelming as my Chibaku Tensei, I made several last-minute adjustments the moment inspiration struck me. This transformation of the Five Spirit Kings technique—this sludge form—won't be destroyed so easily."
"Being strong doesn't automatically mean you'll win. Show me your combat ability beyond pure ninjutsu power!"
The sludge giant's enormous mouth opened, and its voice boomed.
Then the creature jumped—its whole body compressing into a sphere mid-air—slammed into the ground, rebounded, shot upward, and sprouted a massive arm that stretched toward Hikaru.
Hikaru watched the arm approach, and with a sideways step he dodged it cleanly.
But after the brown arm missed its target, it bounced off the water's surface, twisted mid-air with disturbing elasticity, and lunged at him again.
Hikaru's Mangekyō Sharingan captured everything in perfect clarity.
A dark chakra skeleton erupted beside him—the early form of Susanoo emerging instantly. Its skeletal hand caught the incoming giant hand.
What made Hikaru recoil internally (눈‸눈) was that the sludge arm—elastic, squishy, dough-like—squeezed itself through the bones of Susanoo's fingers and wrapped around the skeletal arm, using its unnatural elasticity to swing Hikaru violently away.
The giant sludge man's extended limbs lashed out again, hurling Hikaru across the valley, smashing him into the Uchiha Madara stone statue and snapping off Madara's stone bangs.
Akatsuki members watching immediately erupted in chaotic excitement.
"You're amazing, Leader! That smooth, perfectly round shape—clearly inspired by my clay bombs!" Deidara yelled.
"Hmph! No, this is obviously derived from puppet techniques. Controlling a body this large—this is obviously my art." Sasori retorted.
The two began bickering instantly, each trying to prove that their art was superior.
Kakuzu, ever the seasoned shinobi, spoke calmly as he observed the technique with sharp eyes.
"I've seen the First Hokage's Wood Golem. Uchiha Madara's Susanoo. Iwagakure's stone giants. Sunagakure's puppets."
"But those were all straightforward giants fighting head-on. This… this is the first time I've seen such a revolting combat style."
"This elastic, disgusting texture reminds me of that shinobi from the Hidden Cloud—Dodai. His rubber defense is nearly immune to most attacks except cutting damage."
"But unlike Dodai's rubber, the Leader's technique regenerates instantly through chakra. Truly disgusting…"
Kakuzu's precise commentary made Juzo nod repeatedly. Among all the Akatsuki members, only he and Kakuzu seemed genuinely focused on learning from the battle. Everyone else was too distracted or too stupid.
Hidan was still twitching on the ground, unconscious. Even though Kakuzu had sewn him back together, he showed no sign of waking up.
Everyone turned to the Uchiha Madara statue where the bangs had broken off. A cloud of stone dust scattered as a figure slowly emerged.
Uchiha Hikaru walked out from the rubble, standing on the sheer stone wall with perfect balance, staring down at Nagato's grotesque sludge titan.
"As expected of Jiraiya's student—your intelligence processing ability is outstanding. At this point, you've even surpassed Jiraiya himself."
"You realized I severed the core of your Chibaku Tensei with my last strike, so you changed tactics instantly and created this technique. A fusion of Water Style and Earth Style—capable of reattaching and regenerating limbs even after being severed."
"To prevent the core from being destroyed, you replaced the technique's chakra anchor with yourself—using your body as the medium—and moved constantly inside your Five Spirit Kings form."
Hikaru's voice carried a subtle admiration.
"This fighting style truly resembles Jiraiya's. If he knew, he'd be proud of the strength you've achieved today."
Nagato felt pure joy at Hikaru's praise, though a lingering confusion remained. He raised his question through the giant's cavernous mouth.
"How… did you know this was a last-minute ninjutsu transformation I created on the spot?"
Hikaru smiled.
"You're good at analyzing intelligence, but you're not the only one who understands information."
"Jiraiya specializes in Fire Style and Earth Style. His combat ninjutsu is primarily destructive—offensive by nature. Your original concept likely centered around Fire Style and Earth Style as the main pillars, with Wind Style and Lightning Style enhancing the destructive force, and Water Style used at the critical moment to release steam and distort the Sharingan's vision, correct?"
"But once you saw you couldn't overpower me in direct conflict, you shifted to a battle of endurance—focusing on Water and Earth Style, even sacrificing Lightning Style entirely."
Each sentence Hikaru spoke pierced Nagato's thoughts perfectly. As much as he wanted to deny it, Hikaru had laid the truth bare.
"Hmph! So what if everything you said is correct?"
"Whether a technique focuses on raw power or attrition—if it can lead to victory, then it is a worthy method!"
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