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BOOM!
The instant the White Cursed Seal erupted, a torrent of powerful chakra blasted apart the thunderous water dragon binding Sasuke!
A corona of white light clung to Sasuke as he retreated a hundred meters back.
Crack!
A tearing pain erupted from the nape of his neck. The White Cursed Seal wasn't just spreading—it was flowing into him, merging with his very bones!
"GRAAAH—!!!"
Something stirred within his osteoclasts. Driven by an irrepressible urge, Sasuke violently ripped the top of his white kimono away.
Tchk! Tchk! Tchk! Tchk!
Sharp white bones burst through his skin, erupting from his chest, his back, his shoulders.
Gaara and Kabuto stared in unison, stunned. "The Shikotsumyaku…?!"
"…" Ōnoki's hands, glowing with the light of Particle Style, slowly lowered.
Crk! Crk!
A pair of winding, upright horns sprouted from Sasuke's forehead!
The Sharingan in his eyes receded. A white light swirled within his pupils, and for a moment, they seemed washed clean of all color, turning pure white.
Sasuke's own shock was beyond words.
"Incredible… Orochimaru. Just what have you achieved?"
Observing Sasuke's new form, Orochimaru smiled with deep satisfaction. "White Cursed Seal: Stage Four—'Cursed Arhat.' As an embryonic Ōtsutsuki, Sasuke-kun, your Hashirama Senju power is now fully unleashed. You possess both the 'Byakugan' and the 'Shikotsumyaku'!"
"Once Stage Four is active, the Byakugan is dominant. You cannot freely switch back to the Sharingan. However, this restriction will lift the moment you fully absorb this stage."
"Now then, Sasuke-kun… embrace this taboo and fight without limits!!!"
Sasuke felt a surge of understanding. He brought two fingers to his chest, forming a seal.
—Byakugan!
THUMP! Veins bulged at his temples. His vision washed out to monochrome, every detail within a full kilometer flooding his senses.
"So this is the 'Byakugan'… Its insight surpasses even the Sharingan…"
"This… how is this possible?"
Cold sweat dripped down Ao's face.
Chōjūrō looked worried. "Ao-san? What do you see?"
Ao's voice was low and grim. "Listen to me. All of you. That kid's eyes… they're the Byakugan!!!"
"What…?!"
The Kage's guards, and the samurai led by Mifune, all turned in shock.
Mifune's voice was sharp. "He is of the Uchiha clan! How can he possess the Hyūga's Byakugan?!"
Ao gave a bitter laugh. "Hah… I'd like to know that myself. And it's not just the Byakugan. His chakra now… compared to this, the version of him fighting the Five Kage moments ago was as harmless as a child!!"
The Cloud guard, Shi, spoke urgently. "Then… what should we do?"
Ao's answer was immediate. "The Five Kage alone won't be enough! Every single person here who can still fight must unite! That is our only chance!!!"
Every ninja present wore a grim expression. Only Nara Shikaku sank deep into thought.
The Five Kage landed from Gaara's sand platform. Each possessed excellent sensory abilities. They knew better than anyone just how monstrous Sasuke's chakra had become.
Sigh.
Ōnoki spoke first, his voice heavy. "Kage. Let me be blunt. In the battle to come… some of us may die."
Ā grunted. "Hmph! I'm not afraid to die! Even in death, I'll shatter my enemy's teeth!!"
Mei's gaze was resolute. "As ninja who bear the name of Kage, we accepted the possibility of dying for our nation the moment we received these hats."
Gaara's voice was quiet, pained. "The one who saved my life… now we stand as mortal enemies. It is… difficult to accept."
Tsunade cracked her knuckles. "As long as I'm here, I won't let a single one of you die before me!"
Sasuke swept his gaze across the battlefield, his new eyes missing nothing.
"Stage Four is active. The objective of the seventh battle is achieved. I could withdraw now… But the Five Great Villages, long-time enemies, have finally joined forces. If I leave now, this hard-won unity will be fleeting."
"Let me carve this sense of crisis deep into their hearts. That will be far more meaningful than my own growth alone."
BOOM—!!
Sasuke shattered the ground beneath him and shot straight for the Five Kage!
Mei gasped as the white blur closed in. "So fast! His speed is almost on par with the Raikage's…!!!"
Ōnoki shouted, "Obstruct his Sharingan's vision!"
Mei's hands flew through seals.
—Hiding in Mist Technique!
Whoosh…
A thick fog billowed out, blanketing the battlefield. Sasuke didn't slow.
His Byakugan saw right through it.
BOOM!!!
Ā, clad in his Lightning Armor, heard the thunderous footsteps in the fog and charged head-on!
"I'll take your head clean off!!!"
—Lightning Style: Guillotine Drop!
CRASH—!!!
Ā's blade-like left arm slammed squarely into Sasuke's neck!
But… there was no satisfying crunch of severed flesh and bone.
At the moment of impact, Sasuke had generated a layer of hardened bone right beneath his skin.
"I see… So this is the Shikotsumyaku. No wonder Orochimaru coveted it so much…"
Crk! Crk!
Sasuke used the momentum to grab Ā's arm!
—Wood Style: Over-the-Shoulder Dragon!
Snap!
A small 'wooden dragon' sprouted from Sasuke's shoulder, coiling tightly around Ā's limb!
"Tch!" Ā tried to muscle free… but the dragon rapidly absorbed the lightning chakra of his armor, its constriction growing even more fierce!!!
Using the dragon as an anchor, Sasuke summoned his diamond-like strength and executed an—Uchiha Suplex!!!
RUMBLE—!!!
Stripped of his lightning protection, the impact shattered multiple bones throughout Ā's body, leaving him sprawled and immobile!
Crack!
A white bone spear formed in Sasuke's hand. He raised it, poised to finish the Raikage, when sand suddenly wrapped around him.
—Sand Coffin Binding!
He turned his gaze towards the red-haired boy emerging from the mist. "You want to kill me?"
"You… are the one trying to kill us."
Gaara raised his hand slowly, the hesitation in his eyes finally solidifying into resolve.
—Sand Waterfall Funeral!
CRUNCH…!!!
The sand compressed violently—only for Sasuke to shred through it with brute force the next second!!!
WHOOSH—!!!
He closed the distance with lightning speed, appearing right before Gaara!
The Shield of Sand had no time to form.
Sasuke's Byakugan pinpointed a chakra point on Gaara's chest. His sword-fingers jabbed out, clean and precise.
Tap!
The Sand Armor was pierced by the single finger. Sasuke curled his finger into a fist and struck the same spot.
THUD—!!!
"A chakra point strike…?!"
Gaara was sent flying back. With his chakra points sealed, his Sand Armor crumbled away. In his fading vision, he saw Sasuke vanish back into the fog, leaving the defeated Raikage alive.
As darkness crept in, the confusion in his heart only grew sharper, more urgent.
"Sasuke… just what are you…?"
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