"What are you? Why are you here?"
"Those... were you responsible for that?"
Kitsuchi bellowed.
He also spotted several Iwagakure ninja lying on the ground nearby, prompting him to grow serious and subtly shift into a defensive stance.
At that exact moment,
the masked figure across from them suddenly opened his right eye and locked eyes with Kitsuchi and his companion.
"It's the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
"Look away—don't meet his gaze!"
Kitsuchi roared loudly, urgently warning his teammate beside him.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Although Shimoku's mastery of genjutsu through his Mangekyō Sharingan couldn't compare to Itachi's specialization in Tsukuyomi,
the genjutsu power of any Mangekyō Sharingan was still formidable.
Under direct eye contact, controlling an ordinary Jonin temporarily wasn't difficult.
As a result,
this Iwagakure ninja, who only possessed Jonin-level strength, immediately fell under Shimoku's control.
Without hesitation, he flipped out a kunai and stabbed toward Kitsuchi standing beside him.
At this critical moment,
the powerful Kitsuchi still managed to react swiftly.
[Earth Release: Rock Fist!]
His right hand rapidly transformed into a hardened rock fist, significantly increasing both its durability and weight.
With one fierce swing,
he shattered the incoming kunai mid-air and sent his teammate soaring through the air with a single punch, slamming hard into the ground far away.
That punch alone was powerful enough to send even a Jinchuriki in tailed beast form flying!
Right now, he had clearly restrained the majority of his strength.
[Earth Release Barrier: Earth Prison Dome of Magnificent Nothingness!]
Then, just as his teammate hit the ground, Kitsuchi activated another earth-based barrier ninjutsu.
Rock walls rose up instantly, forming a prison that completely enclosed and protected the illusion-controlled team member inside.
Within mere seconds—two moves.
Kitsuchi had swiftly defeated and captured one of his Jonin-level teammates.
This alone demonstrated his overwhelming power.
The truth was, it was precisely because he didn't want to provoke war and hoped the spy would escape—thus preventing Iwagakure from continuing their attack plan against Konoha and triggering conflict—
that,
in the original storyline,
Kitsuchi chose to let Kabuto go.
Otherwise, given Kabuto's strength and condition at the time,
how could he possibly have escaped from someone like Kitsuchi, who was strong enough to momentarily suppress the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path?
...
"Not bad. You do have some skill."
"So, Iwagakure deliberately lowered your presence to hide your true strength?"
Shimoku smiled faintly, seeing straight through it.
There was no doubt about it—Kitsuchi unquestionably possessed Kage-level strength.
"What exactly do you intend to do?!!"
Frowning, Kitsuchi shouted angrily.
At the same time, he charged forward aggressively once more.
In his eyes, since this person had attacked first, he must be an enemy rather than an ally.
Might as well beat him up first!
[Earth Release: Great Shake!]
[Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spears!]
Facing an opponent wielding a Mangekyō Sharingan, Kitsuchi couldn't afford even the slightest bit of carelessness.
Countless Earth Release techniques flowed effortlessly from his hands as he unleashed them one after another.
In just a short span of time.
The earth around Shimoku surged violently upward, twisting into jagged ridges that trembled with rage.
At the same time, numerous sharp rock spears shot forth from the chaotic upheaval, aiming straight at Shimoku with immense force!
"To unleash such a large-scale Earth Release technique—you must have incredible Chakra reserves!"
"Unfortunately, your attack is still too slow."
Shimoku let out a light chuckle.
With swift taijutsu moves, he danced through the shifting terrain, dodging every incoming strike with effortless grace.
Those Earth Release spears had little chance of hitting their mark.
After all, Earth Release emphasizes weight and pressure.
Compared to techniques like Wind Release or Lightning Release, it lacks agility. It's nearly impossible to hit an expert in hand-to-hand combat.
Seeing his opponent evade so effortlessly only fueled Kitsuchi's anger.
He immediately poured more Chakra into his next move.
[Earth Release: Earth Dragon Spear!]
[Earth Release: Golem Technique!]
In an instant, over a dozen even more powerful stone lances launched forward.
They completely cut off all of Shimoku's escape routes.
Meanwhile, two massive clay giants summoned by the Golem Technique roared outward, leaping high into the air.
Swinging their fists downward, they came crashing toward Shimoku.
Even if the enemy somehow survived the dragon spear barrage, those two titans would finish the job.
Clearly, Kitsuchi had decided to go all-out now.
...
Faced with this torrential onslaught, Shimoku showed no sign of panic.
Instead, he calmly gripped the hilt of the divine sword at his waist.
In the next instant, a brilliant red glow burst forth.
The K'unwu Divine Sword slid free with a metallic clang.
No slash. No swing.
Shimoku merely flicked his finger lightly against the blade.
"Weng——"
An invisible, profound resonance stirred, radiating outward from the blade like ripples on water.
Time and space seemed to ripple outward, as if reality itself was shaking under the blade's resonance.
Nothing could block the spread of this sonic force.
And the shockwave also impacted Shimoku himself.
His muscles, bones, and blood all surged with energy, as though struck by an invisible hammer.
The surging vitality oozed through his pores, forming a radiant red aura that shimmered around him like morning mist.
[Cosmic Resonance!] Just one use, and Shimoku nearly coughed up blood from the backlash!
At this moment,
Even Shimoku, the wielder of the K'unwu Divine Sword, had been shaken to this extent,
Let alone the surrounding boulders and spears.
As the resonance expanded outward,
Dozens of stone spears shattered instantly into clouds of dust.
And those two towering clay giants descending from above disintegrated midair.
Their huge forms collapsed into countless chunks of earth, falling apart entirely—the Chakra within them completely scattered.
Even Kitsuchi himself, standing dozens of meters away and channeling his Ninjutsu,
Was disrupted by this mysterious cosmic rhythm.
Forced to retreat three steps, he pressed a hand against his violently surging chest while a thin trail of blood ran down from the corner of his mouth...
"What kind of ninjutsu is this?!"
"How powerful it is!!"
"Is it Wind Release?"
"No, it doesn't seem like it!"
"It must have something to do with that weapon in his hand!"
"Could it be... a divine weapon?!"
Kitsuchi's heart pounded with shock as these thoughts shot through his head.
At the same time, he suppressed the turbulent chakra and energy within his body while wiping away the blood at the corner of his mouth.
His face darkened — more serious than ever before.
This was because he felt like he had encountered the strongest opponent in his entire life.
...
"Huff—"
Shimoku stood upright with his blade, exhaling a long breath filled with intense heat.
No wonder this divine weapon costs 5000 coins!
Even just slightly revealing its sharpness was enough to easily break through Kitsuchi's dense attacks.
In the future, fighting enemies with this K'unwu Divine Sword in hand...
It wouldn't take many swings before their blood and energy violently exploded, rupturing all their internal organs.
Although, his physical body still seemed somewhat weak. Looks like, during spare time, he must also use this divine sword to properly temper his body.
Otherwise, in future battles, he might end up injuring himself—vomiting blood before even touching an enemy...
After testing the divine sword's power,
Shimoku had no intention of delaying any further.
Without hesitation, he gripped the blade, bent his knees, and sprang forward, charging swiftly toward Kitsuchi.
At the very same moment,
Seeing the enemy suddenly rushing him, Kitsuchi became greatly alarmed, eyes widening in shock.
He didn't dare to hold back at all anymore.
Instead, he poured out more than half of his vast chakra reserves to activate his most proud jutsu—the ultimate technique he had been saving.
[Earth Release: Mountain Crush Jutsu]!
The next instant, the ground roared and stones thundered.
Countless earth fragments erupted upward, quickly forming two enormous hemispheres each over one hundred meters wide, rushing toward Shimoku from both sides!
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