So close—right in his face!
Shigure hadn't expected Jūgo to fight so recklessly.
At the same time, Jūgo reached out and grabbed his shoulder—he had no intention of letting Shigure dodge.
"Heh! Trying to run? Not a chance!"
"Go to hell!"
The chakra cannon was already fully charged. A manic smile flickered in Jūgo's eyes.
Just then, Guren—watching from a distance—noticed the situation.
"Idiot! Did that lunatic forget this kid is the one the higher-ups want us to bring back alive?!"
She hadn't expected the out-of-control Jūgo to actually fire a killing blow.
Meanwhile, Kakashi, still trapped by the Crystal Release, sensed it too.
"…Damn it."
There was no way Shigure could dodge in time.
"Raikiri!"
Kakashi summoned his lightning blade, aiming to break the Crystal Release prison—but even if he shattered it, he wouldn't make it in time to save Shigure.
BOOM!!
The chakra cannon exploded with terrifying force, tearing a massive crater into the earth.
The air rippled with shockwaves, instantly shattering the crystal that had trapped Kakashi.
The moment he was freed, Kakashi rushed toward Shigure.
"Shigure!!"
His voice boomed like thunder as he looked toward the massive crater in the distance.
Shock filled his eyes as he sensed Jūgo's chakra nearby—so dense, so overwhelming.
Even someone of his caliber might have trouble against such raw power.
Swish!!
Suddenly, a stream of condensed air arced through the battlefield. Shigure's figure took form in another direction, completely unharmed.
He dragged the ninja sword Zangetsu behind him as he slowly walked toward Jūgo.
Jūgo stared, wide-eyed.
"He actually dodged that?"
"How?!"
In that blinding flash of the chakra cannon's blast, he hadn't seen what Shigure had done at all.
But now—there he was. Alive. Calm.
Shigure said nothing.
He simply watched the countdown tick away.
[Estimated Analysis Completion: 10 seconds]
Only ten seconds remained.
But he wasn't planning to wait.
If not for the Instant Body Technique, he might've been gravely injured—maybe even killed.
This was the closest he'd come to death. His mood was grim.
With the Moon-Chopping Blade in hand, a faint glint of cold steel shimmered along its edge.
A deadly aura surged from Shigure's gaze—cold, focused, and sharper than ever before.
"Want to know how I did it?"
"Then try and survive."
Ninjutsu: Instant Movement!
Swish!
Shigure's body dissolved into streams of wind, splitting into five or six afterimages that whipped across the battlefield.
In a blur, and before Kakashi, Guren, or Jūgo could react—Shigure appeared right in front of Jūgo, mid-formation.
Before his new form could even stabilize—
The blade had already struck.
Breath Style — Earth Type: Twisting Vortex!!
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Shigure spun through the air, the flow of his blade swirling with brutal velocity. The centrifugal force carved deep, bloody wounds across Jūgo's arm.
But he wasn't done.
While maintaining his breathing technique, Shigure triggered the Instant Body Technique again.
His form vanished, riding the momentum of the swirling current—appearing right behind Jūgo.
Seventh Form — Shizuku Ripple Strike!!
A single strike drove Shigure's blade straight into Jūgo's back. Empowered by the flowing technique, the blade pierced through skin and muscle without resistance.
Shigure stared at Jūgo—his expression dazed, as if his mind was lagging behind his body's pain response.
As the edge sliced deeper, Jūgo's face finally twisted in shock.
Body Flicker Technique!
Shigure vanished again, reappearing in a stream of motion right beside Jūgo.
But this time, Jūgo reacted.
He snapped his head around, eyes locking onto Shigure's reappearing form—and before Shigure could fully solidify, a burst of chakra exploded from Jūgo's palm.
His elbow cells rapidly morphed into a monstrous hammer, and with the force of a chakra jet propelling it, the weapon came crashing down toward Shigure's face.
Shigure gritted his teeth—it was too fast to dodge.
The Instant Body Technique, used repeatedly in such quick succession, had reached its limit.
He braced himself, preparing to activate Boiling Release to counter.
But then—
[Analysis complete.]
[Cognitive acceleration activated. Bonus applied to analysis results.]
In that moment, Shigure's perception shifted.
It was as if a thousand thoughts bloomed in an instant.
Projected images flashed before his eyes: estimates of how much damage Jūgo's attack could do, potential countermeasures, simulated reactions—all unfolding simultaneously.
At first, there were dozens of scenarios.
Then they narrowed.
The last image stood out vividly—clear, precise, and surgical.
A single, angled slash would sever the tendons in Jūgo's arm and render his attack useless. A follow-up blow could land a critical hit—without wasting excessive chakra.
Shigure's eyes widened in awe.
"This... is what it means to fully analyze and calculate an opponent's movement?"
Terrifying.
One strike kill!
Kakashi, watching from afar, tensed the moment he saw Jūgo strike as Shigure reappeared.
But then—
In a flash, Shigure's black blade flicked across Jūgo's arm joint with chilling precision.
The chakra-enhanced strike sliced through tendons, halting Jūgo's monstrous swing mid-motion.
Jūgo's eyes flew open in pain and confusion.
Before he could react—
Shigure leaned forward slightly, adjusting his stance. One hand gripped the sword while his gaze locked onto Jūgo's chest.
Rip—!
The blade pierced clean through Jūgo's heart.
A burst of chakra surged from the blade's tip, sharpening its penetrative force.
Shigure formed a seal with one hand.
"Ninjutsu: Flowing Blade!"
The chakra-infused strike, empowered by Ryūjin, stunned Jūgo.
"Such... a brilliant attack..."
"I can't believe... you reacted so quickly..."
Jūgo's words trailed off as the light faded from his eyes. He staggered, then collapsed backward.
As Shigure stood, frozen in the aftershock of battle, Guren suddenly appeared and whisked Jūgo away.
Shigure didn't chase.
He was still immersed in the sensation of it all.
To see everything the enemy would do—before they even moved.
To kill with the bare minimum of effort.
So this... is what it feels like to fight like the Great Sage.
[Congratulations! Full analysis of target "Jūgo" complete. You've obtained: Skill – Natural Energy Absorption.]
Natural energy...?!
Shigure's eyes widened, a grin spreading across his face.
"Finally... it's here."
—Transmission complete.
...
TN:
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