Shigure was slightly surprised.
He hadn't expected Black Zetsu to go to the moon and seek out the Ōtsutsuki clan to deal with him.
And now it seemed that Black Zetsu had made the right choice. The strength of the Ōtsutsuki clan was indeed extraordinary.
"What are you here for?" Shigure asked calmly.
Shinji smiled. "Of course, to reshape this world."
"The world created by the Sage of Six Paths has already proven to be a failure. I will correct that failure."
As he spoke, Shinji studied Shigure carefully. The more he looked, the more satisfied he became.
"You're different from the others," he said.
"Have you considered joining us? The power you possess proves that your Ōtsutsuki bloodline is quite strong."
"You could barely be considered one of us."
An invitation.
He wanted Shigure to betray the shinobi world.
Shigure looked at him for a moment, then spoke flatly.
"Are you an idiot?"
Shinji froze, clearly not expecting that response.
"Boy… what did you say?"
Shigure met his gaze coldly. "You want me to join you? To destroy my own world?"
"What a joke."
A trace of regret appeared on Shinji's face as he shook his head. "What a pity. If you refuse… then there is only one outcome for you."
Shigure remained completely unconcerned.
"You're just an Ōtsutsuki," he said calmly. "Why are you acting so arrogant? Do you really think you can defeat me?"
Shinji's expression darkened slightly.
"You are talented," he admitted, "but the power of the Ōtsutsuki is not something you can resist."
"Boy… I'll make you understand just how terrifying our power truly is."
As his words fell, Shigure casually dug at his ear, looking utterly unimpressed.
Then he flicked his fingers lightly and glanced at Shinji.
"If you're done talking… show me."
"Let me see how terrifying it really is."
Boom!
In an instant, a terrifying wave of power erupted from Shigure, so dense it felt almost tangible.
It surged forward like a storm, crashing toward Shinji.
At the same time, Shinji released his own power without hesitation.
Pure dōjutsu force collided head-on.
The invisible clash of ocular power tore through the air, sparks flickering violently as the two forces met.
Below them, the lake surrounding the Mizukage Building began to churn.
Ripples spread rapidly, growing into massive waves that surged outward, crashing violently against the shore.
Boom!
A thunderous roar echoed through the sky.
Across Kirigakure, every shinobi instinctively looked up toward the village center.
A massive column of energy shot upward, piercing straight into the clouds.
In the next moment, a gigantic vortex formed in the sky.
It spun wildly, dragging the surrounding clouds into its center.
The sky darkened almost instantly.
Fierce winds howled across the village, pressing down on everyone with a suffocating weight.
Then—
Crack!
Black-red lightning split the heavens.
Bolts of thunder rained down continuously, and an overwhelming pressure spread across the entire village.
It wasn't just physical.
It was a crushing, spiritual force.
"Ugh—!"
A shinobi from Sunagakure suddenly collapsed, losing consciousness instantly.
Moments later, a Kirigakure ninja fell as well.
One after another, shinobi began dropping to the ground, unable to withstand the pressure.
The surrounding people stared in shock.
"What's happening?!"
"Why are they suddenly collapsing?"
Their voices were filled with confusion and fear.
"This… is his presence."
A deep voice suddenly spoke.
Gaara's gaze was fixed on the sky, his expression grave.
Rasa, standing nearby, was momentarily stunned. "What do you mean?"
"Just his presence… is doing this?"
Could mere pressure really knock people unconscious?
If that was true…
Then just how terrifying had this person become?
Impossible!
"This pressure… it's overwhelming. It makes your blood boil, yet it's almost impossible to resist," the Second Tsuchikage muttered with a sigh.
Compared to the others, his mastery of advanced chakra control allowed him to sense it more clearly.
Shigure's presence was terrifying.
Kazuma looked around at the shinobi collapsing one after another, disbelief written across his face.
"How can someone make others lose consciousness just by releasing their presence?"
Kuji, who was still fighting, let out a proud laugh.
"Those who are too weak can't even stay conscious in front of the Mizukage!"
Hearing this, the shinobi of the three great villages were stunned.
They suddenly recalled the rumors that had spread from Konoha.
The Sixth Mizukage of Kirigakure possessed an overwhelming presence. Anyone below a certain level of strength wouldn't even be able to remain conscious in his vicinity.
At the time, many had dismissed it as exaggerated propaganda.
But now…
"I thought it was just Konoha exaggerating to cover up their own weakness…"
"But it's real…"
"How strong do you have to be to knock people unconscious just by releasing your aura?"
Boom!
Suddenly, three massive bolts of black-red lightning crashed down from the sky.
With a deafening roar, the lake in front of the Mizukage Building exploded.
At this point, the clash between Shigure and Shinji had escalated.
It was no longer just a collision of dōjutsu.
It had risen to the level of Six Paths power.
Shigure's overwhelming aura surged outward, crackling with black-red lightning.
On the other side, Shinji stood within an invisible barrier formed by his Six Paths chakra.
The black-red lightning lashed against it, yet failed to break through.
The two forces collided violently.
Under their impact, the lake was completely drained.
The remaining water evaporated instantly under the immense energy.
Shinji stared at Shigure, his expression turning serious.
"What kind of power is this?"
Shigure met his gaze calmly. "Isn't it similar to yours?"
Shinji frowned.
No… it wasn't the same.
Shigure's power was fundamentally different from Six Paths chakra, yet it possessed equal intensity.
What exactly was this power?
Before he could think further—
"If you want to understand it," Shigure said coldly, "then experience it yourself."
In the next instant, he moved.
The ROOM expanded instantly.
Thunder roared across the space.
Within Shigure's domain, five streams of energy condensed at once.
Wind, fire, water, lightning, and earth.
The Five Nature Transformations manifested simultaneously, surging toward Shinji from all directions, sealing off every possible escape.
At the same time, Shigure stepped forward.
His figure blurred, crossing the distance in an instant.
A fist wrapped in overwhelming power crashed toward Shinji's face.
And in that same moment, the Five Release attacks converged.
Shinji's pupils shrank sharply.
What is this…?
Teleportation?
He didn't even have time to process it.
The attack had already arrived.
Without hesitation, Shinji unleashed his full power.
"Rinnegan Chakra Mode… Activate!"
Boom!
A violent surge of chakra erupted from his body, shaking the surrounding space.
...
Note:
I've decided to do a big chapter dump to compensate for the delay in uploads. I'll try to keep updates daily or at least semi-regular from now on until we finish the story here.
Also, this work is already complete on Patr/on. Head over there if you want to read it all at once!