Naruto: I have Ten Skill Bars

Chapter 479 - 478: Great Sage Takes Control

However, Shinji's attacks did not stop.

Wave after wave of golden energy continued to bombard Shigure's position.

Under the relentless assault, Shigure shifted continuously, dodging through space with rapid movements.

Seeing Shigure's weapon completely destroyed, Shinji let out a faint smile.

"To be able to block my Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion… that blade was already exceptional."

As he spoke, the Truth-Seeking Orbs formed once more, wrapped in dense Rinnegan chakra.

They shot forward like a storm, surging toward Shigure.

Shigure stared at him calmly.

Without his ninja blade, defeating Shinji would not be so simple.

But now… he no longer needed to think about it himself.

"Great Sage… I'll leave it to you."

"I only have one request."

"Make his death miserable."

The destruction of his blade had truly angered him.

[Great Sage: Taking control of the host's body. Battle Mode activated.]

Battle Mode?

Shigure was slightly surprised, but said nothing more.

[Great Sage: Analysis initiated.]

[ Target: Shinji Ōtsutsuki

Objective: Defeat ]

[Analysis complete. Strategy formulated. Execution begins.]

In the next instant, Shigure's eyes snapped open.

A strange crimson light flickered within them.

A black-red aura erupted around his body, surging outward like countless writhing tendrils.

It tore through the air and shot straight toward Shinji, attempting to bind him.

Shinji reacted immediately, mobilizing his Rinnegan chakra to block the incoming force.

But this was power refined under the Great Sage's control.

It was far from ordinary.

Each strand of black lightning carried terrifying destructive force.

The moment their energies clashed, Shinji's expression changed.

Something was wrong.

Shigure's raw power had not increased significantly…

Yet suddenly, it felt completely unstoppable.

"What… is this?"

Before he could fully react, a burst of flames erupted beneath his feet.

Fire Release ignited instantly, swallowing his entire body in blazing heat.

The flames alone were not enough to kill him, but they disrupted his chakra flow.

And in that brief moment of instability, the black-red aura pierced through his defenses.

Shinji's body trembled as the attack struck him directly.

Severe damage was inflicted in an instant.

The next second, Shigure appeared right in front of him.

A Truth-Seeking Orb formed in his hand, reshaping into a sharp black spear.

Without hesitation, he thrust it forward.

It pierced straight through Shinji's body.

At the same time, behind Shigure, multiple chakra tails manifested.

Each tail condensed a Tailed Beast Ball.

Nine spheres of destructive chakra formed in an instant, and were launched at point-blank range.

Boom—!!!

A deafening explosion shook the heavens.

The entire sky roared as if it were collapsing.

"Patriarch!"

The surrounding Ōtsutsuki clan members cried out in alarm.

From their perspective, Shinji had taken a direct, devastating hit.

And judging by the overflowing energy…

That level of impact was no small matter.

Worry spread among them.

But then, a surge of Rinnegan chakra erupted once more.

The chaotic energy was forcibly dispersed.

Shinji's figure reappeared in midair.

He looked slightly disheveled, his clothes damaged, his body marked with injuries.

But nothing fatal.

At most, he was wounded and somewhat battered.

Still, he remained standing.

Shinji showed no concern for his condition.

Instead, his gaze sharpened as he looked at Shigure.

"Very good…"

"You actually used such precise timing to catch me off guard."

His voice carried clear anger.

"Boy… to control your power with such speed and accuracy…"

"That shouldn't have been possible."

Shinji's expression darkened.

This opponent had actually disrupted his rhythm mid-battle and forced him into injury.

That alone was unacceptable.

At that moment, Kuroji's voice rang out urgently,

"Be careful, Shinji. Something about him… isn't the same anymore."

Not the same?

Shinji narrowed his eyes slightly as he observed Shigure.

On the surface, nothing had changed.

At most, his control over power had become sharper, more precise.

But, the next instant, Shigure's aura shifted subtly.

[Great Sage: Test phase complete. Target strength, reaction speed, and defense confirmed. Estimated time to eliminate target: ten seconds.]

Ten seconds?

Even Shigure himself was stunned.

That fast?

Even at full strength, he could not guarantee defeating Shinji in such a short time.

Was the Great Sage miscalculating?

No.

The Great Sage had already begun executing its plan.

The spatial domain suddenly contracted.

At the exact moment it shrank, Shigure vanished.

He reappeared behind Shinji at extreme speed.

His fist, already wrapped in dense chakra, struck instantly.

Boom!

Shinji, caught off guard, was blasted straight out of the sky and slammed into the ground.

A massive impact crater formed as debris scattered in all directions.

Before he could react, a beam of light descended from above.

Like a blade, it pierced directly through his chest.

Blood splattered into the air.

Shinji's pupils shrank.

He tried to unleash greater power, but the ground beneath him suddenly erupted.

Wood Release surged upward.

Thick wooden vines wrapped around his body, reinforced with sealing patterns that locked him in place.

Even if only for a moment, he could not move.

Then, thunder roared in the sky.

Shigure descended like lightning itself.

His foot slammed down onto Shinji's chest.

Boom—!!!

The ground shattered as Shinji was driven deeper into the crater.

The sheer force of the impact distorted the terrain around them.

Shigure's eyes twitched slightly.

Great Sage… what are you doing?

At this rate, Kirigakure itself will be destroyed.

That kick alone nearly wiped out the Mizukage Building.

But the Great Sage did not respond.

It continued executing its sequence flawlessly.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Several black chakra rods materialized and pierced through Shinji's body, pinning him firmly to the ground.

Immediately after…

The Great Sage activated its next function.

Devouring began.

Rinnegan chakra started being forcibly extracted from Shinji's body.

Shigure froze for a brief moment.

So this was the plan…

Suppress the target instantly, then create an opening for absorption.

A perfect sequence.

At this pace, defeating Shinji within ten seconds was not impossible.

As expected of the Great Sage.

[Great Sage: Warning. Unexpected variable detected. Recalculating.]

Suddenly…

Buzz!!!

A streak of golden light shot in from the right.

It struck Shigure directly.

The impact was so sudden that, if not for the Great Sage's extreme reaction speed, activating both chakra reinforcement and devouring defense simultaneously.

That single attack might have pierced straight through his body.

...

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