"Stop him!"
Shin moved with incredible speed, his Taijutsu strikes rendering even Elite Jonin defenseless with a single blow. The Third Hokage struggled to keep up with him, and, in mere moments, eighteen Jonin lay severely injured.
For Konoha, the loss was devastating. Already weakened by the recent Shinobi World War, the village's strength had never been so depleted. Today, the future looked grim, with the Nine-Tails breaking free and the village's jinchuriki already on the brink of collapse.
With the village's strongest, the legendary Sannin, either defected or away, only the Third Hokage and the newly appointed Hokage "Yellow Flash" Minato Namikaze could stand between Konoha and utter ruin.
As Shin continued his assault, a massive skeletal hand materialized from the sky, blocking his path. Without hesitation, Shin struck, his blow nearly shattering the skeletal hand before it finally halted him.
Uchiha Fugaku's eyes glowed a deep red, blood and tears streaming down his face as the patterns of the Mangekyō Sharingan swirled. Gathering all his power, Fugaku's Susanoo began to form, its skeletal hand growing flesh and muscle, raising its fist to strike.
Shin countered with a sneer, surrounding himself in his signature black mist. He discovered, however, that Susanoo's chakra wasn't as easily absorbed by his Dark Fruit ability. The high quality of Fugaku's chakra seemed to resist the mist's effects naturally.
'This is tougher than I expected,' Shin thought, while Fugaku's expression reflected a different horror. Each second, the dark mist drew out more of his chakra and deteriorated his Sharingan, forcing Fugaku to pour even more power into his Susanoo just to keep it intact. The cost was steep, with his eyesight failing and excruciating pain stabbing at his eyes, making his vision blur.
Meanwhile, the Third Hokage seized the opportunity to strike Shin from behind, but he struggled without using his powerful Adamantine Staff, which had been damaged in the previous fight. His elemental jutsus, formidable in normal circumstances, were ineffective against the gravity and devouring properties of Shin's Dark-Dark Fruit.
By now, the Hokage had no means left to trap Shin. He silently cursed himself for not learning the Reaper Death Seal—if he had, he'd be more than willing to risk his life to drag Shin down.
With a final, desperate attempt, Fugaku maintained his Susanoo, but the accumulated strain became too great. His Susanoo regressed to its ribbed form, weakened and brittle before Shin shattered it with a powerful punch. With a cry of agony, Fugaku collapsed as blood poured from his eyes, and the relentless black mist engulfed him, drawing him into the dark void.
Rather than just claiming his Mangekyō Sharingan, Shin opted to consume Fugaku entirely, intending to absorb his Uchiha bloodline as well.
The barrier surrounding the Nine-Tails battlefield shattered with a loud crash at that moment.
Shin's eyes lit up, and he unleashed a surge of black mist, pushing Hiruzen Sarutobi back as he dashed toward the heart of the battlefield.
In the ruins of the broken seal, Minato Namikaze and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, lay motionless on the ground while their newborn son, Naruto, cried inconsolably nearby. The black mist surged forward like a dark wave, threatening to engulf them.
"You dare!" the Third Hokage roared, dashing forward and grabbing Naruto before retreating, leaving Minato and Kushina's bodies to be consumed by the mist.
Shin's face broke into a triumphant smile as the bodies of Minato and Kushina disappeared into the darkness. Minato still contained half of the Nine-Tails within him, and Kushina's Uzumaki bloodline held significant power. They were his ultimate prize.
Ignoring Hiruzen Sarutobi and the rest of the devastated Konoha forces, Shin vanished, leaving Konoha to mourn its heavy losses.
Shin soon found refuge in a temporary underground base he created with Earth Release. He laughed with unrestrained glee, barely able to contain his excitement as he reviewed his spoils.
First, he examined the Scroll of Seals he had taken from the Hokage's office. It contained nearly all of Konoha's most advanced ninjutsu except clan-specific jutsus. The book held techniques such as the Shadow Clone Jutsu, the Reanimation Jutsu, the Eight Gates, and the Flying Thunder God Jutsu—abilities that Shin was eager to master. While a powerful seal originally protected the book, Shin used the Dark-Dark Fruit to drain the chakra that maintained the barrier, shattering it easily.
From Danzo's lab, he had also acquired valuable items: a significant collection of Hashirama cells, research on various bloodline limits, multiple Sharingan, and an array of research materials on genetic experiments. His haul was beyond anything he could have anticipated.
In addition, he now possessed Kakashi Hatake's Mangekyō Sharingan, Uchiha Fugaku's entire body along with his Mangekyō Sharingan, the pure-blooded Uzumaki Kushina, and Minato, who still carried half of the Nine-Tails sealed within him. The power these items represented was staggering.
"I've hit the jackpot," Shin said with an exhilarated laugh. With these new assets, his chakra-based abilities could soon surpass even his mastery of the Dark-Dark Fruit and Haki. He could feel his power growing, reaching levels that could rival even the legendary Uchiha Madara or Hashirama Senju.
"The Scroll of Seals can wait," he decided. "First, I'll work on modifying my body. Hashirama's cells and the Mangekyō Sharingan are my top priority."
Hashirama's cells would grant him enhanced regenerative powers and a more substantial chakra pool, allowing him to learn and control Wood Release. Although Shin's natural physical resilience rendered some of these benefits less significant, adding these cells would still push his chakra capacity to even greater heights.
"Once I complete these enhancements, my chakra network will be nearly limitless," he mused. He relished the thought of combining these newfound abilities with his existing skills, anticipating the day when he would truly become the strongest shinobi in the world.
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Chapter 109: Deadly Disguise is now available.