[New Fanfic is Up!!]
[Bleach: No System, Just Skill]
Just as everyone lowered their guard…
Suddenly, a fierce shout rang out from nearby.
The voice was old and hoarse, yet carried the resolve of a man staking everything on one final throw.
"Eight Gates… open!"
A deafening roar followed.
The ground trembled. The air wailed.
The forest in the distance looked as if it had been torn apart by an invisible giant hand.
Trees were ripped up by the roots, and soil surged into the air like waves.
Broken stones were swept into the sky by the blast, then rained back down like a storm.
Several birds shot up from the treetops.
They circled in the air, crying in panic.
For a long time, they did not dare land.
Suna's Anbu instinctively retreated several steps.
Temari tightened her grip on the Three-Star Fan, her knuckles turning white.
Shinnō stood in the center of the wreckage.
His graying hair stood on end, and veins bulged beneath his dark skin.
They looked like twisted earthworms writhing across the surface of his body.
His body had swelled to more than twice its previous size.
His muscles bulged like stone. His veins stood out like vines. His entire figure looked like a demon god that had walked out of ancient times.
Steam poured from every pore.
It condensed into white mist in the air.
That was his body burning. His life boiling.
His eyes had completely turned bloodred.
His pupils were unfocused. Clearly, one foot had already stepped through the Gate of Death.
"Haha… hahaha…"
Shinnō laughed wildly, the sound waves hurting everyone's eardrums.
He casually swung an arm.
Where his arm passed, a tree thick enough for a man to wrap both arms around snapped in half and collapsed with a crash.
Then he threw a punch.
The ground exploded into a pit several meters deep.
碎 stone flew like shrapnel, tearing the nearby shrubs full of holes.
Several Anbu failed to dodge in time.
They were thrown to the ground by the shockwave, blood spilling from their mouths.
This was the Eight Gates.
By removing the body's limits one by one, it exchanged everything for power beyond the human extreme.
But Teizawa knew this was not yet Shinnō's real trump card.
This Eight Gates seemed somewhat different from the version he knew.
Perhaps it was not the complete Eight Gates?
Thinking about it, that made sense. If Yang Release chakra could create something like the Eight Gates, could Naruto's Rasengan really have beaten a monster like this?
"Kazekage-sama…" Temari's voice trembled slightly. "Let me go…"
"No."
Teizawa shook his head.
His gaze remained fixed on Shinnō, while his mind rapidly calculated every scrap of data.
"This isn't an opponent you can handle."
Of course, he was not worried that Temari could not defeat Shinnō.
He was worried he might miss the system mission.
That mechanical voice was still echoing in his mind.
He made his judgment almost instantly.
[Ding! Host is facing the legendary Eight Gates. Please make a choice…]
[Option One: Defeat Shinnō in his Eight Gates state using physical strength. Reward: Complete Eight Gates.]
[Option Two: Crush Shinnō with Magnet Release. Reward: Body Revival Technique.]
Teizawa almost did not think before placing his consciousness on Option One.
Body Revival Technique.
To put it plainly, it was a medical ninjutsu that overdrew life force.
In simpler terms, it traded one's lifespan for temporary power.
For him, it was completely useless.
But the complete Eight Gates…
That was the ultimate taijutsu that had nearly kicked out the finale.
When Guy opened the Gate of Death, he unleashed Night Guy.
He had almost kicked Six Paths Madara to death.
How could Teizawa possibly miss something like that?
"I'll go test him."
The moment his words fell, Teizawa vanished from where he stood.
Temari reached out to grab him.
But she caught only empty air.
She bit her lip and tightened her grip on the Three-Star Fan.
Her gaze followed that dark-gold shadow.
His figure moved like a ghost through the wreckage.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Shinnō.
Shinnō lowered his head and looked at this uninvited guest.
Reflected in his cloudy pupils was that young, composed face.
"Kazekage…"
Shinnō's voice was hoarse and low, like broken scrap metal being squeezed from deep inside his chest.
"You came at just the right time… Let me see exactly how much weight the Kazekage of Suna carries!"
He swung his fist violently.
His fist smashed toward Teizawa with a howling wind.
If this punch landed solidly…
Forget a human being. Even a mountain could be shattered.
Teizawa did not dodge.
He did not even block.
He simply stretched out a hand, spread his five fingers, and met that enormous fist head-on.
Boom.
Fist and palm collided with a muffled crash.
The shockwave exploded outward, kicking up dust across the sky.
Shinnō's pupils contracted sharply.
His full-power strike…
Had been caught by this young man with one hand.
And Teizawa had not moved at all.
He had not even taken half a step back.
His palm wrapped around Shinnō's fist.
It did not feel like he had blocked it.
It felt more like he had grabbed it.
As if he had casually caught a ball flying toward him.
Effortless. Careless.
"Impossible…" Shinnō's voice trembled. "How could you possibly…!"
The corners of Teizawa's mouth lifted slightly.
"That's it?"
His hand suddenly tightened.
Shinnō's fist let out a series of cracking sounds.
His joints groaned. His muscles wailed.
Shinnō's expression changed.
He desperately tried to pull his fist back.
But Teizawa's hand clamped around him like iron tongs, unmoving.
"Eight Gates, open! Open! Open!"
Shinnō roared wildly.
The steam around his body thickened.
His veins bulged like snakes, and his muscles swelled to their limit.
His strength surged again by a large margin.
He violently pulled his fist free and retreated several steps.
His bloodred eyes locked on Teizawa.
Like an enraged beast.
"You forced me to do this…"
Shinnō's hands began forming seals.
They moved so quickly that the naked eye could barely track them.
Black chakra began to rise from his body.
The chakra was thick and viscous, like mud.
It carried a rotten, nauseating stench.
As if something inside him had awakened.
Something greedily devouring all life force around it.
Teizawa's eyes narrowed slightly.
The Zero-Tails…
At last, it had come.
The ground began to crack.
Countless black tendrils surged from the fissures.
They writhed like snakes, rushing madly toward Shinnō.
They drilled into his skin and merged with his blood vessels.
They became one with him.
Shinnō's body began to twist, swell, and deform.
His skin turned gray-black.
Strange markings appeared across its surface.
His facial features blurred. His eyes bulged out from their sockets like two glowing blood spheres.
His mouth split all the way to his ears, revealing a maw full of sharp teeth.
Countless tendrils grew from his back.
They whipped madly through the air.
He was no longer human.
He was a monster.
The vessel of the Zero-Tails.
"Kazekage-sama…"
Temari's startled cry came from the distance.
Teizawa did not look back. He merely raised a hand and waved.
His gaze remained fixed on the monster before him.
The smile on his face did not change in the slightest.
The Zero-Tails…
An artificial tailed beast.
It strengthened itself by absorbing human chakra.
In the original plot, it had only been a minor character that could not truly step onto the main stage.
But now, fused with Shinnō and empowered by the Eight Gates…
It was indeed an interesting opponent.
But only that.
(End of Chapter)
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