Strictly speaking, this was Tōshirō's first time fighting in a Tailed Beast Cloak.
He clenched his fist slightly, and it felt fantastic.
In this state, Tōshirō's stats across the board were enhanced.
At this moment, dense ranks of earthen puppets, clad in armor and wielding halberds, approached him.
Seeing this, Tōshirō was momentarily stunned.
Terracotta warriors?
After a brief daze, he understood what was happening.
Moryo's soul had finally been released. This was a bit tricky now.
Fortunately, Moryo hadn't obtained a physical body yet, so it was still within a controllable range.
Without further ado, Tōshirō immediately unleashed an Ice Release Ninjutsu.
Ice Release: Pheasant Beak.
An ice phoenix soared, charging forward.
Yellowish-brown tentacles surged from Shinno's back, forming a shield that withstood the impact of the ice bird.
Watching the ice phoenix shatter into glittering ice shards that scattered and vanished before his eyes, Tōshirō found the enemy's defensive technique somewhat familiar. For a moment, he fell into thought.
"Hmph hmph... do you remember now?"
Shinno took a few steps forward, a twisted, evil smile on his face.
Tōshirō narrowed his eyes and focused: "You are..."
Shinno chuckled: "That's right, I am..."
Tōshirō's expression froze: "Who?"
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Shinno's expression quickly turned to anger, his teeth gritted in fury.
Day after day, month after month, his mind was consumed with thoughts of revenge against Tōshirō. Yet, on this day of revenge, this bastard had forgotten him.
Comparing himself, Shinno felt an unprecedented sense of humiliation and indignation.
"What's wrong? Is it strange?"
Tōshirō tilted his head, an expression of incomprehension on his face: "Come on, I've killed thousands, if not tens of thousands, of enemies. I simply don't have the time to specifically remember the faces of small fry."
"Small... small fry?"
Shinno felt immense humiliation and was beside himself with rage: "Bastard, how dare you say that! My name is Shinno, a survivor of the Land of Sky, which was destroyed by your Konoha!"
"Shinno? Doesn't ring a bell."
Tōshirō chuckled inwardly.
His memory wasn't that bad; he was merely provoking the other party to make him expose his weaknesses.
Tōshirō's strategy was successful, and veins popped out on Shinno's forehead.
Just as he was about to make a move, Moryo within him timely reminded: "Fool, don't be provoked by this guy in front of you."
Shinno was startled, then came to his senses, his angry expression replaced by a smile: "What a treacherous fellow, I almost fell for your trick."
His petty trick exposed, Tōshirō remained unfazed, his gaze falling on Orochimaru: "Orochimaru is being controlled by you, isn't he?"
"That's right," Shinno admitted generously, a triumphant smile on his face.
"Good, in that case, it's simple."
The one who tied the bell must untie it. As long as Shinno was killed, Orochimaru should return to normal on his own.
"W-what?"
Tōshirō's body erupted with steam, entering his Steam Armor state, his instantaneous burst speed as fast as lightning, disappearing from his original spot.
Shinno's suddenly constricted pupils reflected Tōshirō, who had appeared before him unnoticed, bringing his sword down horizontally.
So fast!
The ice sword slashed horizontally, and Shinno frantically retreated to dodge.
Missing his attack, Tōshirō pushed off with his feet, gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, and thrust the sword forward in a flying stab.
Shinno couldn't dodge in time, and his chest was pierced straight through.
"Freeze into an ice sculpture!"
Tōshirō infused the ice sword with his icy chakra.
Feeling his body getting cold, Shinno quickly activated the Zero-Tails' power within him, causing tentacles to sprout from his back, which rapidly extended and pierced forward.
Tōshirō knew when to stop. He decisively abandoned his sword, leaped, dodged the stabbing attack, and formed a Fire Release hand seal in mid-air, spitting out a fiery dragon engulfed in raging flames that dove down.
Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique.
It was unrealistic to inflict damage on the current Shinno with just the Great Fire Dragon Technique.
Tōshirō's goal was to use the smoke and explosion generated by the Great Fire Dragon Technique to buy himself time for the Tailed Beast Cloak to advance further.
Shinno repeated his previous trick, creating a thick wall of tentacles in front of him.
The fire dragon struck the yellow wall and exploded, blasting a gap and spreading smoke.
The moment Tōshirō landed, he pushed off with his feet and charged forward.
At this very moment, the color of the Tailed Beast Cloak behind him became even darker. This was a sign that the Tailed Beast Cloak was entering its second stage: a semi-Tailed Beast state.
Shinno secretly marveled.
He had initially thought that with the power of Moryo and the Zero-Tails, he should be able to contend with Tōshirō, but he hadn't expected the disparity to be so vast.
As he was thinking, a dark red creature with white horns burst through the smoke, charging towards him.
Shinno could guarantee that he had not been careless; on the contrary, he was now holding his breath, completely focused.
However.
Even so, Shinno still couldn't evade.
Tōshirō's speed was simply too much.
There wasn't even time to gasp.
Without surprise, Shinno was heavily rammed in the lungs by a pair of white horns, his body flying out like a broken kite. This was followed by a loud crash as his back hit the wall, sending shattered rocks and smoke billowing.
This move, "Horn Break," was terrifyingly powerful. Where Shinno struck the wall, it had actually created a massive hole.
Inside the hole, Shinno, leaning against the rock wall, had a large hole punched through his stomach.
Around him, dark purple liquid spread from his body onto the ground, first forming puddles, then lakes, gradually expanding.
This dark purple liquid was his blood.
His body was abnormal, already akin to a demon.
A normal person with this degree of injury would have already died beyond recovery.
But for Shinno, this level of damage was not fatal. Physical wounds would heal, but mental ones were harder to say.
No, Tōshirō, that bastard, is just too strong...
Shinno's heart was in turmoil.
He pleaded: "Moryo, quickly, give me more power!"
Moryo replied: "No, now is not the time."
Shinno was stunned: "Wh-what!?"
Meanwhile, Tōshirō glanced around. The nearby terracotta warriors were continuously advancing towards him.
At the same time, the Sky Ninjas in the sky saw their leader, Shinno, sent flying by Tōshirō, and could no longer remain idle, launching a furious barrage of attacks at him.
"ICE AGE..."
Tōshirō unleashed a large-scale AOE to clear the ground.
The terracotta warriors couldn't be destroyed, so using this Ice Release technique to freeze their movements was undoubtedly the best option.
Soon, the slowly moving terracotta warriors were all frozen solid, unable to budge.
"Next, it's your turn, you annoying flies..."
Tōshirō opened his mouth, accumulating chakra, poised to strike, while his Sharingan predicted their flight paths.
The Sky Ninjas in the sky launched countless attacks at Tōshirō in this state.
Tōshirō disdained to dodge attacks of this level. Protected by his Tailed Beast Cloak, they were like mere tickles, causing smoke but no injury.
All of you, die! Tōshirō unleashed countless chakra projectiles from his mouth, moving at extreme speed, like a hail of bullets.
The principle of this technique was similar to a Tailed Beast Bomb, its drawback being that its power couldn't compare, but it excelled in speed and had a rapid-fire effect.
To differentiate it, Tōshirō called it a Tailed Beast Bullet.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
...
Each Tailed Beast Bullet caused a massive explosion when it hit a Sky Ninja. A series of consecutive explosions made the sky flicker between light and dark, like dazzling fireworks.
The Five-Tails felt its chakra visibly decreasing and complained: "Borrowing my chakra, you're really incredibly wasteful."
Since it wasn't his own chakra, Tōshirō didn't feel any remorse at all.
Of course, Tōshirō wouldn't say such a thing aloud.
"I'm just resolving the battle in the fastest way possible."
Tōshirō had never fought such an affluent battle in his life.
At this moment, Shinno, who had emerged from the cave, happened to witness Tōshirō killing, a scene like using insecticide to spray mosquitoes. His bloodshot eyes were filled with fury.
These Sky Ninjas were the reserve talents he intended to use to revive the Land of Sky. He never expected that Tōshirō would cause them to suffer more than half casualties in a single encounter.
Tōshirō noticed Shinno and contemptuously said: "Oh, I almost forgot about you..."
After a brief exchange, in terms of physical stats, Shinno wasn't actually that far behind him, but his combat awareness was simply terrible, severely holding him back.
This wasn't very noticeable against people with worse physical abilities than him, but once he encountered someone like Tōshirō whose physical abilities were comparable, that disadvantage would be infinitely magnified.
Shinno looked at Tōshirō, his eyes filled with anger and even jealousy.
They both had Tailed Beasts inside them, so why was the difference so huge?
Suddenly, a third voice rang out: "This is quite serious indeed..."
The woman's voice was gentle, particularly clear amidst the black smoke. Following the sound, they saw a woman of extraordinary beauty.
It was the first time Shion had seen Tōshirō in this form. After a brief surprise, she returned to her usual calm expression: "A Jinchuriki like you is truly unheard of."
The Priestess's power allowed her to sense that the Tailed Beast's power within Tōshirō was remarkably stable.
Tōshirō glanced at the slightly pale Shion, thinking that this Priestess was truly dedicated.
Sensing Moryo's soul breaking free, she immediately rushed to seal it after giving birth without a moment's rest.
Did she really not need to rest properly after just giving birth? Tōshirō really wanted to say that.
Considering that she was, after all, a Priestess with a special constitution, and couldn't be thought of with the logic of ordinary women, Tōshirō didn't dwell on it.
Having assessed the current situation, Tōshirō spoke to Shion: "I'll take care of this guy's physical body; the soul is up to you."
"Then I'll leave it to you."
This was the optimal plan for Shion.
As these two loudly conspired, Moryo would not sit idly by and began to continuously inject dark chakra into Shinno.
Shinno's eyes welled with darkness, and power continuously surged forth.
He felt invigorated again, and once more summoned a horde of terracotta warriors from the earth.
These later terracotta warriors were even more powerful than the previous ones.
"Oh dear, oh dear, they just keep coming."
Tōshirō wasn't too bothered. He replicated his previous action, slapped his hand on the ground, infused cold chakra into the earth, and an icy aura surged forth, sweeping outwards.
ICE AGE. Wherever the cold wave reached, everything froze, covered in layers of white snow.
The mighty terracotta warriors were all frozen, unable to move.
Shinno's mouth twitched. This damned Ice Release simply countered his abilities perfectly.
"Alright, the small talk ends here. Now it's your turn," Tōshirō said, his breath misting, pointing his finger.
With that, he disappeared from his spot.
The ground beneath him exploded with a sound, sending a large amount of sand flying.
This time, Shinno, strengthened by Moryo, could finally keep up with Tōshirō's speed with his dynamic vision.
While clashing head-on, he gave Orochimaru a command: kill Shion.
Orochimaru received the order, dashed forward, and in a flash, he had already charged in front of Shion, swinging his katana in a diagonal slash, also known as a袈裟斩 (kesa-giri).
Shion spread her hands, erecting a barrier that withstood the袈裟斩 (kesa-giri).
Orochimaru made several continuous slashes, all to no avail. His blade even chipped, showing how sturdy Shion's barrier was.
Physical attacks ineffective, Orochimaru threw away his weapon, retreated, performed a Wind Release ninjutsu, and emitted a sharp breath similar to a Kamaitachi from his mouth, sweeping his head.
Wind Release: Vacuum Wave.
This technique could cut through both the target's physical body and the chakra protecting it.
The Priestess's barrier remained impenetrable, successfully defending against this attack, just as before.
Tōshirō, while fighting Shinno, was also monitoring the battle between Orochimaru and Shion. After confirming that Orochimaru couldn't harm the Priestess, he sighed in relief.
The Priestess still had some tricks up her sleeve, which saved Tōshirō a lot of trouble.
With no more worries, Tōshirō could now strike with confidence.
Tōshirō unleashed a powerful punch.
Shinno, foolishly fearless, dared to meet the punch with his own fist.
To Tōshirō, this was like an egg hitting a rock. Steam surged from his arm.
Boil Release: Peerless Strength. Tōshirō's punch was incredibly heavy and powerful. With one punch, he shattered the incoming fist, the victory immediately clear.
Without giving his opponent a moment's respite, he grazed his arm, driving straight for the kill, delivering a direct punch to the head that resonated through the skull.
Shinno flew spiraling away, crashing heavily into the wall, creating a massive crater. After a brief delay, his body descended to the ground.
Excellent, a good opportunity had arrived.
Eight ice chains fanned out from Tōshirō's back, all flying out together.
As soon as Shinno got back on his feet, he was bound tightly by the ice chains.
These ice chains had a sealing effect, making it difficult even for Shinno to break free at once.
This bought Tōshirō enough time to prepare his technique.
He stood with his legs apart, clapped his hands together, forming a fist, holding it horizontally across his chest, then slowly raised his arms above his head.
After treating Jiraiya, Tsunade's gaze turned towards Tōshirō. She happened to see the starting pose of his technique and felt the immense chakra gathering on Tōshirō, exclaiming in surprise:
"Such powerful chakra! What technique is Tōshirō preparing to use?"
If she wasn't mistaken, Tōshirō was planning to use Ice Release: Aurora Execution.
This was an ultimate Ice Release ninjutsu that could only be used with Tailed Beast-level chakra, or in conjunction with her Yin Seal.
Tōshirō raised his arms upwards, his fist thrust towards the sky. A misty cold air emanated from his body, swirling around him, gathering into a vortex, turning ceaselessly, bringing blustering snow and whistling winds, ultimately forming an ice tornado.
"What kind of ninjutsu is this..."
Seeing Tōshirō's stance, Shinno was greatly alarmed. Even Moryo within him was utterly shocked.
At this very moment, Tōshirō's own ice-style chakra was constantly rising. Furthermore, he was even absorbing the surrounding cold air, enhancing it.
If he were hit by such terrifying cold, it would be no laughing matter.
Damn it, these ice chains have a sealing effect...
Shinno shrieked hysterically, desperately trying to break free from the ice chains' restraint.
At that moment, Tōshirō's ultimate Ice Release technique was ready. The violent ice-style chakra stabilized, forming the image of a young woman carrying a water bottle on her shoulder behind him.
She was exceptionally beautiful, dressed in sheer garments that accentuated her graceful and curvaceous figure. Her body emanated an incredibly pure and sacred radiance, as inviolable as a goddess from mythology.
"Ice Release: Aurora Execution."
Accompanied by a low growl, Tōshirō abruptly lowered his raised arms, extended them forward, and aimed his fists at the target.
The cold air from his body poured out like a breaching flood, forming a beam of light in mid-air that exuded astonishing pressure and coldness, shooting forward rapidly, freezing a jagged path of ice spikes along its way.
(End of Chapter)
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