Sasori, Orochimaru, and Shin did not stop the escaping Kaguya clan members. They had already achieved most of their goals, and stopping all the fleeing ninjas with just the three of them without going all out would have been impossible.
Although Sasori and Orochimaru seemed to be taking it easy, both being at the Kage-level, they had already subdued several Kaguya ninjas, securing enough material for their experiments. The remaining escapees did not concern them.
After finishing off the last of the Kaguya ninjas, Shin glanced around. In terms of fleeing, being a ninja is advantageous. Without fuinjutsu barriers, it was easy for hundreds of ninjas to escape despite being pursued.
Orochimaru observed the subdued Kaguya clan members with keen interest, clearly eager to begin his experiments, although he lacked the necessary equipment. Meanwhile, Sasori had paralyzed two of the captured Kaguya with his poison, likely intending to turn them into human puppets.
Seeing that all the other Kaguya clan members had fled, Shin ceased his disguise. He returned the metal he'd used into his dark dimension, then channeled a black mist through his hands, consuming the corpses individually. He absorbed their bloodline directly into his own body.
The Kaguya clan could be considered to possess a form of the sage body. Though their chakra potential was not at the level of the Senju clan, their bodies showed remarkable resilience. They could extend bones through their flesh, yet their bodies would completely heal once retracted. This self-repair ability was almost on par with the Hashirama's vitality.
After absorbing the bloodline of several ninjas, Shin felt a tingling sensation, particularly in his bones, and even noticed himself gaining a few centimeters in height. The chakra within him also surged, and he sensed a new change in its nature—his chakra's seven attributes were beginning to blend harmoniously.
"Senju, Uzumaki, Uchiha, Hyuga, Kaguya… In terms of bloodline, I'm edging closer to the Ōtsutsuki," he mused.
"If I could obtain the bloodline of the Ōtsutsuki on the moon, I'd practically be indistinguishable from a true Ōtsutsuki!"
The Ōtsutsuki on the moon had never mixed with outsiders, preserving their pure lineage. The purity of this bloodline was evident from Toneri Ōtsutsuki, who the alien Ōtsutsuki acknowledged as one of them.
"It's a shame that reaching the moon isn't possible yet," Shin sighed. "Perhaps it's time to travel to a new world, or perhaps return to the One Piece world and acquire a third devil fruit."
Since the age of ten, when he was nearly forced onto the battlefield, Shin's pursuit of power had been relentless. Virtually everything he did aimed to increase his strength; other concerns were merely incidental.
Even now, as one of the strongest individuals across both worlds, his determination to pursue greater power has not wavered.
After scouring the Kaguya clan's grounds, Sasori and Shin found some scrolls on the clan's jutsu, but Orochimaru seemed to have discovered something unusual—a young child, whom Shin immediately recognized as Kimimaro of the Kaguya clan.
The intimidating appearance of most Kaguya clan members—a group of burly warriors marked with red dots on their foreheads and dark circles under their eyes—often evoked apprehension. But on Kimimaro, these markings seemed fitting, adding a sense of ethereal beauty to his delicate, androgynous features.
Now, Kimimaro was following Orochimaru quietly, already swayed by the master manipulator.
Despite his heritage, Kimimaro had little attachment to the Kaguya clan. He had been imprisoned from a young age, and his loyalty to the clan was minimal. His decision to fight for them seemed driven by inner confusion rather than genuine allegiance. Once exposed to Orochimaru's persuasive influence, he quickly shifted his loyalty.
After ransacking the Kaguya clan grounds, the three quietly departed. However, the turmoil they left behind quickly caused an uproar throughout Kirigakure.
"This must be the work of those bastards from the Akatsuki!"
In the Mizukage's office, Uchiha Obito, hidden behind his swirling mask, was seething. "What are these lunatics thinking? They are sabotaging my entire plan!"
Obito had planned to systematically push the bloodline clans of Kirigakure to their limits, positioning himself as a savior. But now that plan was in tatters. Not only that, but many of the Kaguya clan's strongest members, especially those with dead bone pulse, were dead, with no bodies left behind. This set the remaining bloodline clans on high alert.
The Kaguya clan was second only to the Hozuki clan in terms of power within Kiri. For the clan to be decimated by what was seen as an attack from the Anbu, under the fourth Mizukage, was catastrophic.
In these circumstances, pushing the bloodline clans further might backfire. The fourth Mizukage himself could be overthrown before the clans were subdued.
And Obito couldn't afford a full confrontation at all. His control over the fourth Mizukage stemmed from Uchiha Madara's initial brainwashing of the man. As a perfect jinchuriki, Yagura could not be controlled indefinitely with just a Mangekyo Sharingan.
If the Kiri ninjas noticed something or the battle caused the Mizukage to break free of control, Obito would have no choice but to retreat.
Losing his influence over Kirigakure would be a minor setback compared to jeopardizing his position within the Akatsuki. Capturing the tailed beasts and advancing the Eye of the Moon plan would be almost impossible without the help of Akatsuki.
"Everything began to fall apart because of Kurogami!" Obito fumed. "This time, the survivors reported that one of their attackers was seemingly invulnerable, his body tougher than the bones of their dead bone pulse users. That must have been that Kurogami!"
Shin's physical durability was rarely displayed, as he often relied on his Mangekyo Sharingan, Wood Release, and Dark-Dark Fruit abilities in battle. Still, it seemed Obito had pieced together some of the information.
With a network of White Zetsu clones, Obito possessed unmatched intelligence worldwide, a vital asset for his ongoing schemes.
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