The swirling blue orb of Shigure's Rasengan spun violently in his hand, closing the distance to strike. Yet just before impact, the massive white dragon's sinuous tail lashed out like lightning, swatting the attack aside as though it were nothing more than a spark.
Shigure landed hard but steadied himself with practiced control, his breath sharp in his throat and blood pumping hot in his veins. Strangely, despite the terrifying display of power, he felt a thrill rather than dread.
"What speed...!" he whispered, eyes narrowing. "For such a massive beast, it moves with frightening agility. It didn't even look at me yet somehow sensed my exact location. If I want to conquer this monster, I'll need to take this fight seriously."
The dragon roared, its voice like collapsing mountains, before rushing at him with crushing speed. Shigure's stance sharpened, his Sharingan's three tomoe spinning into focus.
"Byakuran: Three-Tomoe Vision!"
In an instant, the flow of energy and the intricate network within the white dragon's body became visible to him, each current of power glowing in striking detail.
"Dance of the Early Ferns!" Shigure shouted, his body bubbling with the eerie power of the Kaguya clan's Corpse Bone Vein. The ground around him erupted, jagged spires of bone thrusting upward in a lethal forest, surging to impale the beast.
But the dragon only roared in disdain. With one beat of its wings, it generated a whirlwind so violent it shredded the bone spurs like falling twigs.
Shigure's eyes widened. "Impossible. The density of those bone spurs rivaled steel… and this thing scatters them like dust. Just how tough is it?"
Clapping his hands together, he shifted tactics. "Suiton: Water Formation Wall! Doton: Earth Flow Wall!"
Twin barriers surged into place before him, a wall of rushing water layered with solid stone. At the same time, Shigure flicked a marked kunai high into the air — his Flying Thunder God safety net.
The dragon crashed into his defenses with unstoppable force. Both the watery current and earthen barrier shattered instantly, fragments scattering like torn paper.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Shigure cursed, vanishing in a flicker of golden light as he teleported out of harm's way.
"How do you take down a monster with no weaknesses?" he muttered, sliding across the battlefield. With a deep breath, he formed the sign of the Shadow Clone Technique. Five versions of himself appeared in a flash, each smirking with grim determination.
"Let's see how you handle this," the six voices echoed together, chakra swelling.
The clones wove through hand seals at blinding speed. Ninjutsu flared, flames twisting with water, lightning mixing with earth, wind surging into fire. Their collective attacks merged into Shigure's most powerful combination technique.
"Composite Dragon Bullet!"
The massive, spiraling mass of destructive chakra slammed into the dragon's side, exploding in a deafening shockwave. Smoke cleared—and Shigure's heart sank. The creature's white scales remained pristine, not even a scorch mark marring their brilliance.
"Unbelievable… Speed, destructive force, defense… what doesn't it have?"
The dragon answered with another roar, surging forward. Its maw snapped open, fangs glinting sharper than swords. In a flash of motion, it crushed one of Shigure's shadow clones in its teeth and smashed the remains into the ground. A whip of its tail followed, scattering the last of the clones in a single brutal sweep.
Its bite—merciless. Its teeth—razor keen. Shigure sucked in his breath, shocked by the raw carnage.
"Those teeth… sharper than any blade. Harder than its scales. Wait…" His mind clicked suddenly into place. "That's it!"
With resolve flashing in his gaze, Shigure darted forward, directly into the path of the dragon's stare.
"Dance of the Ten Fingers!"
Bone bullets snapped from his fingertips, clattering uselessly against the dragon's armored hide—yet serving their purpose. The dragon's furious eyes locked on him, hatred gleaming.
"Come on. Look only at me."
The beast lunged, and Shigure dove forward, teleporting with Flying Thunder God to perch on its massive serpentine body. Immediately the dragon thrashed, slamming itself wildly against the ground to dislodge him. Shigure's chakra poured out, fastening him to the creature's scales like a second skin.
"You think I'll fall that easily?" he growled, dodging each crushing impact by shifting across its cylindrical length. At last, when his mark flashed again, he vanished from one spot only to reappear ahead of the dragon's snapping jaws.
The dragon bit down instantly—but this time on itself.
A bone-shattering crack echoed. Its own fangs pierced through its unyielding scales, blood spraying as one tooth snapped loose.
Shigure's lips curled into a grin. "Just as I thought. Your teeth are sharper than your armor. Which means they're also your undoing."
Forming new clones, six versions of Shigure appeared, each conjuring a massive swirling Rasengan, larger than before, glowing blue with catastrophic energy.
"Ōdama Rasengan: Sixfold Strike!"
Together they hurled the six Rasengan into the dragon's bleeding wound. The concentrated blasts detonated at once, tearing the gash wider. White blood poured, scales split apart, and the dragon's head crashed down with earth-rattling impact.
"Not finished yet." Shigure's hands twisted, his arm bones extending outward to become twin monstrous spears. His chakra surged. "Dance of the Iron Wire Flower!"
He charged, impaling the bloody maw with both spears. The sound of rending flesh cut through the battlefield. The dragon let out one final shuddering roar before its enormous body dissolved into nothingness, fading like mist into the void.
The battlefield melted away with it. The sky stilled, the trembling ground quieted. What had been chaotic with natural energy now eased into stillness.
Shigure blinked, breathing hard. "What… What happened just now? That storm of energy… it's gone. Did it all… flow into me?"
Far above, the White Snake Sage herself was frozen, jaw slack. "All that feral natural energy… swallowed whole? Impossible…"
Shigure opened his hands. In them he now clutched two impossible relics: a massive bloodied fang that shimmered with lethal sharpness, and a luminous white scale glowing with raw toughness. Power radiated from them as though they were alive.
The Sage hissed softly. "Dragon teeth and dragon scales… You fought a dragon? And triumphed?"
"I did," Shigure replied quietly, golden eyes unwavering. "It was no illusion. I fought, and I won. These are the proof—the weapons it carried within itself."
The White Snake Sage slithered closer, stunned beyond words. "In truth, what you faced was the clash between your chakra and the vast natural energy. To win… means you will never be consumed by it. Natural energy now coexists peacefully within you. From this moment, whenever you wish, you may draw Senjutsu chakra and assume Sage Mode."
Her eyes flicked to the relics in his hands. "And those fangs, those scales… a once-in-a-lifetime fortune. The sharpness of that tooth could cut through any defense in this world. The resilience of those scales could make armor beyond compare. Weapons forged from such things… would shift the balance of nations."
Shigure felt the living hum of energy vibrating through them. A seal formed in his fingers, chakra gathering in his core like tides. His pores tingled with boundless energy. So this… was Senjutsu chakra.
"Sage Mode—activate." His voice was low, almost reverent.
At once, his body transformed. His horns lengthened slightly, eyes brightening into the molten glow of gold. A subtle, commanding pressure emanated from him, waves of quiet divinity. Yet aside from these minor changes, his form remained steady, controlled perfectly.
"You…" The White Snake Sage's words faltered. "The less the body changes, the greater the harmony with natural energy." She shivered, pupils narrowing. "In other words, you are not merely a sage. You… are an immortal."
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