It was said that the reason the Second Tsuchikage, Mū, was covered head to toe in bandages was because of a previous battle with the Second Mizukage, Hōzuki Gengetsu. In that fight, he was grievously burned by Gengetsu's Jōki Bōi (Steaming Danger Tyranny). The technique's heat and steam had seared his entire body, forcing him to remain wrapped in bandages forever after—a notoriously troublesome jutsu indeed.
Fortunately, Shigeo's Jiton (Magnet Release) shield had protected the Ink Ninja Village's forces from that same fate.
Kimimaro, scorched and breathing hard, glanced up at the sky where another Jōki Bōi puppet materialized and began swelling ominously. He also saw Shigeo hovering high above, surrounded by storming chakra, battling not one but four reanimated Kage at once. Only then did Kimimaro realize just how vast the gulf between them had become.
This was no fight a man like him could even dream of joining. His rage and pride—everything that had driven him here—now looked laughably small. Shigeo's power was beyond reason. His mastery of Jiton and flight alone made Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse) useless.
"Jōki Bōi No. 2!" Gengetsu laughed. Even though he did not understand why he had been revived and made a pawn, he could feel something about this boy, this Hyūga Shigeo, was far from ordinary.
Nearby, the Third Raikage A frowned. "Where is this? Are we attacking a fortress?" He scanned the unfamiliar terrain and the emblem at the village gate.
"This is Ink Ninja Village," answered the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, his body already coated in Jiton: Gold Dust. "I never expected, even in death, to be used as someone's weapon."
The Second Tsuchikage, Mū, remained silent. Instead of speaking, he formed seals and launched an attack.
But the wooden clone of Shigeo standing before them blocked his advance with unrelenting precision. Around the battlefield, magnetic iron sand gathered in thick clouds—each grain moving as if alive—forming dense layers of protection between the reanimated Kage and the village.
Shigeo had deliberately divided his Jiton into two formations: one positioned at the front to restrain the enemy, and the other behind to shield the village.
Because the oil within Jōki Bōi was the natural nemesis of magnet release—once oil-coated, the iron sand could no longer bind together—he had to prepare for both offense and defense simultaneously.
It wasn't ideal, but it was the only possible choice. Using Kamui (Divine Authority) to transport an explosion of that magnitude was far too risky; the mixture of oil and steam possessed destructive energy that no normal chakra barrier could withstand.
"Lord Mo-Kage, let us fight!"
Voices rang from the village wall—dozens of ninja shouting in unison, their blood boiling at the sight of their leader battling alone.
"Stand down," Shigeo commanded firmly.
He knew sending them would mean sending them to die. This was not their fight. What he wanted instead was for them to watch—to learn from what they saw. Battles like this, between titans of the shinobi world, were things few would ever witness in a lifetime.
Then, once again—BOOM!—Jōki Bōi exploded.
The magnetic shield shuddered under the impact. Though it spared the village, the outer layers of iron sand dripped away, blackened and inert, losing cohesion as if their chakra had been drained. They fell like dead ash to the ground.
"Susanoo!"
The Mangekyō Sharingan flashed open in Shigeo's eyes. A colossal, golden Susanoo materialized around him—its second form towering above the battlefield. Though it could not guard the entire village, it could protect a section of it and unleash immense power against the enemy.
He focused his chakra and charged.
If he could suppress Hōzuki Gengetsu before he unleashed another Jōki Bōi, victory would be within reach.
The giant avatar's hand swung down.
The air rippled with divine pressure.
Gengetsu sidestepped nimbly, the edge of the spectral blade grazing his sleeve. He raised an eyebrow. "So this is the famed Sharingan's ability, huh?"
This boy was formidable. Despite using a colossal Susanoo on one front, he still had Jiton actively flowing elsewhere, protecting the entire village. Even the portions of his magnetic sand that had been ruined were swiftly replaced with fresh streams drawn from the earth itself.
He's a monster, Gengetsu thought with admiration. Not just a good leader… but a genius of chakra.
"Brat," he said, grinning. "I think I'm starting to like you!"
In life, Gengetsu had been both a battle maniac and a lover of talent. And now, Shigeo's display ignited every dormant spark of his fighting spirit.
"Suiton (Water Release): Teppōdama (Water Bullet Barrage)!"
From the mist, a barrage of massive, oil-mixed water spheres surged toward Susanoo. The golden titan braced, raising both arms. Boiling liquid struck and hissed, but the armor's chakra density rivaled steel itself. The attacks evaporated harmlessly on impact.
Gengetsu laughed maniacally and lunged, his body moving like lightning, his taijutsu sharp and unpredictable. Susanoo swung its arm in a sweeping motion, slamming down with explosive force. The two exchanged blows—one evading, one striking—neither gaining advantage.
Inside the glowing ribcage of Susanoo, Shigeo's eyes were calm. Outside, his wooden clones continued their own struggles against the other Kage. Two had already been defeated, their bodies collapsing into wooden husks.
I can't keep stalling.
He clasped his hands together, pressing them to the earth.
"Mokuryū no Jutsu (Wood Dragon Technique)!"
Four or five massive wooden dragons erupted from the ground, their coils lashing out at the remaining reanimated Kage.
At the same time, the half-bodied Susanoo expanded, growing into its complete form. Its chakra armor thickened, now lined with muscle-like texture and blood-red energy veins pulsing beneath its golden plating.
"Now it ends," Shigeo whispered.
The titan lunged and seized Gengetsu with one massive hand.
He could have crushed him instantly—but something in Shigeo's eyes held back the killing blow.
To Gengetsu's surprise, the Susanoo's fingers only tore the fabric of his cloak. He slipped free, staggered back, and laughed.
"Is that all Susanoo can do?" he mocked.
But his grin froze as a shadow loomed behind him. One of Shigeo's wooden clones appeared silently, arms snapping around his torso from behind.
"Ha! You think a clone can restrain me?" Gengetsu barked. "Suiton: Suikyū no Jutsu (Water Bubble Technique)!"
Dozens of shimmering bubbles formed around them, each glowing faintly with chakra.
The clone tightened its grip, cautious not to touch any bubble. Another clone rushed forward, testing the formation. The moment one bubble was struck—
BOOM!
A chain of fiery explosions erupted, the bubbles bursting in oily flames that turned the air white-hot. The charging clone was obliterated instantly, reduced to lifeless wood.
The clone holding Gengetsu frowned. So they explode on contact…
It exhaled sharply, then uttered, "Rinnegan: Chakra Absorption."
Thick streams of chakra began to pour from Gengetsu's body, siphoned into the clone's palms.
Across the battlefield, the floating water bubbles popped one by one, their structure collapsing without the chakra sustaining them.
"You… you drained my chakra!" Gengetsu gasped.
Only now did he understand. Shigeo hadn't aimed to destroy him—because he couldn't. Edo Tensei bodies were immortal; even Susanoo could smash them to pieces, and they would simply reform.
But robbing them of chakra rendered them powerless—an eternity of existence without strength.
As the last of his chakra flowed away, the steam-filled battlefield quieted.
Gengetsu's proud smirk faded into weary respect.
Shigeo, encased within his towering golden armor, gazed down impassively. The reanimated Kage would remain trapped—undead but harmless. The Ink Ninja Village still stood.
(End of Chapter)
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