Chapter 265: Transcendent Shadow, The Final Moment
Hell Valley, Cliffside Edge.
Boom!
A massive ochre-colored urn crashed onto the ground, spinning once before coming to a stop.
Immediately afterward, a colossal blue chakra hand manifested and shot forward, gripping tightly onto the abdomen of the collapsed Uchiha Ci.
From his stomach, a black-and-red masked creature, writhing like a serpent, was forcibly pulled out—
It was none other than the Tailed Beast sealed within Uchiha Ci's body: Zero-Tails, Void!
At this moment—
As Zero-Tails spit out the First Hokage's necklace, its jaws, which had been clamped down on Uchiha Ci's abdominal muscles, loosened. The entire serpentine form was suddenly sent flying backward—
Right toward the urn.
With the Third Raikage rushing in at full speed, the lid would soon be sealed shut, completing the sealing process entirely!
In this way, despite losing the Two-Tails, Kumo had still managed to capture this special tailless Tailed Beast. And once their forces crossed Hell Valley, the battle results would be theirs to claim.
When calculated altogether, this operation was still a profitable one for Kumo!
However, at that precise moment—
A cold, indifferent voice, aged yet resolute, rang out:
"Sage Art: Transcendent Shadow!"
From Uchiha Ci's neck, a surge of vibrant green chakra burst forth into the air!
Seeing this abrupt development, the Third Raikage, A, immediately halted in his tracks, his gaze sharpening.
Simultaneously, as this chakra flowed out of his body, Uchiha Ci's expression changed drastically—
He suddenly realized that his body was no longer under his control!
The Dragonization Persona, now entirely dominated by the White Snake Sage, was no longer something Uchiha Ci could simply glare into submission.
On the contrary, he had now become the prey.
Then—
As this chakra was drawn out, the forbidden technique, Body Revival, was triggered uncontrollably!
It was as if a barrier had been shattered—
That single thread of life force, forcibly locked by his so-called immortality, was squeezed out, compressed into chakra, and gathered within the void of his chest.
Before their eyes, strands of blood and flesh rapidly wove together, visibly forming an entirely new heart!
The next instant—
The green chakra coalesced into the phantom of a massive white-scaled serpent.
It lunged forward, biting into the newly formed heart and devouring it whole!
Then, harnessing the immense suction power of the Amber Purifying Pot, the serpent wrenched itself free from Uchiha Ci's body and took flight, coiling itself around the struggling Zero-Tails.
At that moment, the white-scaled giant serpent opened its gaping maw—
And swallowed both Zero-Tails and Uchiha Ci's heart in a single gulp!
At this very instant—
With Uchiha Ci's heart as the core, the White Snake Sage as the vessel, and Zero-Tails as the power source—
A brand-new Zero-Tails Jinchūriki was born!
One that had devoured the Dragonization Persona and was now completely controlled by the White Snake Sage!
The spectral form of the white-scaled serpent began to bloat and morph, shedding its pale scales as black-and-red flesh burst forth—
Its form swelled into the fully transformed state of Zero-Tails, enormous as a double-decker bus.
"Heh… This old one has succeeded!"
The White Snake Sage's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. Without hesitation, it severed part of its tail, utilizing its unique Sage Art: Illusionary Transformation to morph the severed limb into the exact likeness of Zero-Tails.
The illusion was so potent that even the divine Amber Purifying Pot was momentarily deceived, unable to distinguish which Zero-Tails was the true one.
Seizing this chance, the White Snake Sage broke free from the pot's pull, its massive body slithering swiftly toward the southern exit of Hell Valley.
Beyond the southern border of Hell Valley—
Through the lands of Tani, Taki, Kusa, and Ame—
Lay the Land of Wind, home to the legendary Dragon Vein!
Thus, even though the Mangekyō Sharingan had eluded its grasp, the White Snake Sage had still managed to achieve most of its grand scheme!
However—
At that very moment—
On the cliffs surrounding Hell Valley, a spiky-haired, brown-haired youth clenched his teeth and leaped out from the dense foliage.
Gazing at the glowing kanji "Zero" in his palm, he hesitated no longer.
Gritting his teeth, he grasped his left wrist and forced the "Zero" to shift—
To "Seat".
With a trembling voice, he shouted at the White Snake Sage:
"Hokage-Style Sixty-Year-Old Technique — Kakuan Entering Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands!"
As his youthful voice fell—
The White Snake Sage's body suddenly froze in place!
At the same time—
The First Hokage's necklace, lying near Uchiha Ci's fallen form, erupted with dazzling radiance!
Beams of emerald light surged out, coiling tightly around the White Snake Sage's massive form, binding it firmly to the ground. The serpent writhed and struggled in vain!
Immediately following—
Yamato, under Orochimaru's remote control, clasped his hands together and—
"Sage Art: Transcendent Shadow!"
Utilizing the power of the Ninja God, Hashirama Senju, he completely suppressed the White Snake Sage, leaving it utterly immobile!
At that moment—
From within Zero-Tails—
A different chakra surged forth, accompanied by another consciousness!
It was the Curse Mark created from Hashirama Cells that Orochimaru had implanted within Zero-Tails—
Where he had hidden his very soul, lying in wait for this final strike!
Now—
The White Snake Sage's eyes widened in shock as it let out a furious roar:
"Orochimaru?!"
"You dare scheme against me?!"
—
Meanwhile, as various techniques and counterplays unfolded on the battlefield—
Uchiha Ci felt only exhaustion.
No matter what happened elsewhere, one thing was certain—
As a Jinchūriki, he had lost his Tailed Beast.
With a Tailed Beast forcibly extracted, death was nearly inevitable.
Now, with Zero-Tails gone, his supply of chakra had been severed. Even the last vestige of immortality anchoring him to life began to collapse.
Were it not for his residual Tailed Beast-enhanced physique, he would have ended up just like Yugito Nii—
His head lolling to the side, dead on the spot, his corpse lost amidst the battlefield's carnage.
Even so—
At this moment—
Uchiha Ci felt his body growing heavier, his consciousness dimming—
As if an irreversible floodgate had been opened, allowing something immeasurably precious to leak away.
"Hahh… hahh…"
He gasped for breath, his face deathly pale.
Summoning the last of his strength, he rolled over onto his stomach, trying to push himself up—
But—
"Cough! Cough!—Pfft!"
A gush of blood sprayed from his mouth.
He gritted his teeth, bitterness flashing through his mind.
His body had reached its limit.
—
This long yet fleeting night—
He had faced three Kage-level opponents alone.
First, he killed the Two-Tails Jinchūriki before Killer B's very eyes.
Then, he chased the Eight-Tails across the battlefield.
Afterward, he clashed in brutal melee with the Third Raikage.
And in the end—
He obliterated a Tailed Beast Bomb with Kirin, sending Killer B crashing into the dirt.
How had he survived this far?
And why—
Even at this desperate moment—
Did he still refuse to give up?
But now—
With everything lost—
What could he still do?
Bang!
Even the strength to support himself with his palm was slipping away along with the gaping hole in his abdomen.
Uchiha Ci collapsed onto the ground, struggling to lift his head to look at Killer Bee, now reduced to a charred lump of flesh right before his eyes.
Right… he had planned to use this damn bird to threaten the Third Raikage.
From somewhere deep within, he found the strength to move.
Uchiha Ci reached for the innermost pocket of his torn ninja pouch at his waist, trembling as he pulled out a kunai through the hole in the fabric.
He was just about to press it against Killer Bee's throat when—
Heavy footsteps sounded.
He forced his head up.
All he could see were a pair of red-and-white Kumogakure shinobi greaves, steadily approaching him.
Then, a voice—old, whether regretful or indifferent, he couldn't tell—echoed beside his ear.
It was the voice of the Third Raikage, A.
"You really are hard to kill."
At that moment, A let out a deep breath and cast a glance to the side.
There, in a chaotic struggle for dominance over the body, three distinct consciousnesses clashed violently, surfacing alternately on the host's form. Yet, the White Snake Sage still had the upper hand, and the battle raged on, drawing them farther and farther away.
But A made no move toward them to contest the ultimate fate of the Zero-Tails.
Instead, he turned his head and took heavy steps forward, approaching the battered and fallen Uchiha Ci with unwavering resolve.
"Though the ending deviated slightly, it doesn't really matter."
"I don't mind staining my hands with a little more blood."
"Uchiha Ci… this is the end."
With each step he took, the lightning around his body crackled ever more fiercely.
Then, he raised his hand, fingers curling into a spear-like formation.
Hell Stab—One-Finger Nukite.
In an instant, his strike was not aimed at Uchiha Ci, but at the Konoha shinobi standing beside him—shaking uncontrollably, faces mostly filled with fear, yet not retreating a single step.
Uchiha Setsuna, Aburame Ryoma, Aburame Shikuro, Hyūga Hizashi, Hyūga Kenshi.
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