Hiruko had broken into the Fire Temple to seize its unique heritage.
What he aimed to steal was none other than the Sage Clan Talent.
He planned to capture ninjas with special abilities across the shinobi world, absorb them, and turn them into his own power.
The Fire Temple was his first target.
But he never expected to encounter such an unexpected delight as Shinji here.
Long before defecting from Konohagakure, he had seen Kakashi's Sharingan and confirmed that Dōjutsu could be transplanted. For this purpose, he secretly placed a Puppet Curse on Kakashi, waiting for the day to devour him with the Ghost Absorption Technique and claim the Sharingan.
But now, he had a better target.
"Heh heh heh heh!"
Hiruko's stitched lips split open, his eyes filled with a nearly pathological greed, locked firmly on Shinji.
"I'll break your limbs and take you away."
Shinji felt every hair on his body stand on end, a chill shooting up his spine to the top of his head.
Damn, being targeted by a pervert?
If given the chance, he'd definitely chop this guy to pieces!
He glanced at the fallen ninja monks, a wave of irritation washing over him.
If it weren't for these people holding them back, Tsunade wouldn't have had a hemophobia attack, and he wouldn't be left alone to face this deadly battle.
Shinji narrowed his eyes, the crimson Sharingan slowly rotating.
In his vision, three distinctly different types of Chakra within Hiruko were violently fused together—chaotic, frenzied, and full of openings.
This was his chance.
He gripped his sword with both hands, twisted his wrists, and swung it in a flourish, already charging forward.
Without a single word, the blade aimed straight for Hiruko's neck, each strike lethal.
Hiruko let out a sinister laugh, shaking his arms as bandages shot out like living snakes, forcefully blocking the short sword.
Shinji's hands gripping the sword bulged with veins, the blade pressing hard against Hiruko's bandage-wrapped arm.
The seemingly soft cloth was now incredibly tough, withstanding the custom-made Chakra metal short sword.
The short sword and bandages clashed violently at close range, the sharp, piercing sound tearing through the air.
Slashing, thrusting, parrying—every move aimed for vital points. The bandages danced wildly, coiled, pierced, and clashed, each strike threatening to tear him apart.
In the midst of close combat, Hiruko suddenly swung his arm, pushing Shinji away as the bandages around him exploded outward.
"I want you more and more!"
He laughed maniacally, spreading his arms and quickly forming the lotus seal. A massive, ethereal image of Kannon rose behind him, a thousand hands moving in unison.
"Raiou: Senju Kill!"
Giant palms descended, shaking the space around them. The ground in front of the Fire Temple's main hall shattered violently.
Just as the thousand hands were about to crush him, Shinji's figure suddenly blurred.
"Pervert!"
He cursed inwardly, activating the Phantom Body Flicker Technique to its fullest.
His true body instantly escaped the killing range, while over twenty afterimages exploded simultaneously, surrounding Hiruko in a circle and charging at him with swords drawn.
He felt his blood boiling with frenzy.
The Sharingan's dynamic vision was pushed to its limit. Amidst the countless palm shadows, he continuously shifted positions, nimbly dodging, each step teetering on the edge of death.
The Sage Clan Talent enhanced by Hiruko far surpassed the power of the Fire Temple's original monks.
The palm seals whistled past his ears. He knew all too well that a single hit would mean serious injury.
And once he fell, what awaited him wasn't death, but something even more terrifying.
He would be locked in a dark room by Hiruko, becoming part of this madman's power.
That was absolutely unacceptable.
There were still people waiting for him.
Shinji's footsteps suddenly quickened. His phantom Body Flickers closed in on Hiruko, his blade flashing again and again, each strike drawing blood.
In the distance, Chiriku clasped his hands together, his pupils contracting. "Is this his true strength?"
When he fought Kazuma, he was clearly holding back.
Kurenai Yuhi clenched her fists tightly, filled with frustration.
She had been training hard, yet once again, she didn't even have the qualification to intervene. Stepping in would only make her a burden.
Her training was still insufficient. She would definitely have Shinji help her train more times later.
The front hall of the Fire Temple was already empty. The ordinary monks had long since evacuated, leaving only Asuma, several Guardian Ninja candidates, and Ninja Monks guarding the periphery.
They were all waiting, waiting for a moment when they could lend a hand.
But Shinji and Hiruko's battle was too fast, too fierce, too dangerous. No one could keep up with the pace.
"Wait," Asuma's voice was grave. "Wait for the moment Hiruko reveals an opening, when his Chakra is exhausted. Then we'll all go in together."
"Right!"
Shinji's left hand reached into his ninja tool pouch, instantly grasping over a dozen shuriken.
Using his phantoms to constantly swap positions, he fired a continuous stream of shuriken, maintaining harassment.
Hiruko swung his arms to block the flying projectiles, but he couldn't pin down Shinji's figure, his patience slowly wearing thin.
"You only know these petty tricks!"
He suddenly slammed his palms together, his sinister gaze locking onto Shinji.
The golden Avalokiteshvara apparition behind him transformed into a crimson, ferocious Fudo Myoo.
Countless fist seals suddenly doubled in speed, raining down violently, completely sealing off the entire front hall, leaving not a single gap.
The phantoms crumbled one after another under the dense barrage of fist seals, as if Shinji could no longer sustain the Genjutsu.
"Heh heh heh heh!"
Hiruko sneered, unleashing his Chakra completely, intensifying the fist seals another level.
All the phantoms vanished, leaving only Shinji's true form scrambling to dodge, forced into a corner, completely surrounded by the overwhelming fist seals.
"Damn it!"
Everyone exclaimed, about to rush forward to rescue him, but it was already too late.
Yet, at that very moment.
Shinji's body suddenly exploded, scattering into over a dozen Ninja Crows that dispersed and vanished.
"Huh?"
Hiruko frantically looked around, about to search for Shinji's location.
Hiss—Twang—!
An ear-piercing, grating sound of steel wires tightening suddenly erupted.
All those shuriken he had deflected earlier now transformed into trap nodes. Countless steel wires instantly tightened in the air, brutally binding Hiruko's arms behind his back.
It was a trap Shinji had laid from the very beginning.
The next instant, Shinji's figure flashed, appearing right in front of him.
"More of these cheap tricks!"
Hiruko roared furiously, his muscles bulging as he prepared to forcibly break free.
Shinji's Sharingan flashed red.
Genjutsu: Shackling Stakes Technique!
Invisible iron stakes slammed deep into Hiruko's psyche, instantly pinning his limbs and torso in place, rendering him completely immobile.
Excruciating pain shot through his mind, and he couldn't suppress a low, guttural roar.
Shinji flipped his hand holding the blade and slammed the short sword into the ground with a clang. His hands formed hand seals at an extreme speed, and the chakra within his body was almost completely drained in that instant.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Scorching chakra surged wildly from his mouth, transforming into a massive crimson fire dragon with scales ablaze. It roared as it soared into the sky, its maw wide open, carrying a blazing temperature that could incinerate everything. In one gulp, it completely engulfed the immobilized Hiruko!
The intense heat instantly distorted the air, cracking the ground and leaving a trail of scorched earth. Flames swept through the entire front hall, crashing against the gates of the Fire Temple and erupting into a sea of fire.
From deep within the flames came Hiruko's agonized, piercing scream, which soon grew faint.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!"
Shinji knelt on one knee, bracing himself with his hands on the sword hilt, breathing heavily as he stared intently at the source of the scream.
"He should be dead now!"
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