"All of this... was your plan?"
"Teacher, what do you mean?"
Looking at the bewildered Amaru, Shinnō let out a strange burst of laughter.
"Hahahaha... Since you want to know, I'll tell you everything."
"Amaru, I am the leader of the Sky Ninja Village."
"The attack on your village was carried out on my orders."
Staring at the man before her, so completely different from the one in her memories, Amaru could not help asking, "But why would you do something like that?"
"To take revenge, of course!"
Shinnō gave a cold snort and continued, "When the Sky Ninja Village was destroyed, I lost everything."
"From that moment on, I lived for only one purpose: revenge!"
"To avoid being hunted down, I disguised myself as a doctor and traveled across the ninja world, gathering information and perfecting my forbidden technique."
"That was, until I obtained the Zero-Tails."
Shinnō seemed utterly certain of victory, so he had no intention of hiding anything.
He went on, "The Zero-Tails can absorb human negative emotions and use them to increase its power. So I kept searching for someone who could produce a massive amount of negativity."
"And then I found you..."
Hearing that, Amaru seemed to realize something, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
But Shinnō did not stop.
"Taking you in as my disciple and playing the role of a perfect saint in front of you was all just to make you admire me and depend on me."
"Only then, when you learned the truth, would you produce even more negative emotion."
"Amaru, you were nothing more than a tool to me. And everyone in your village died because of you."
Her face turned deathly pale, and her body shook like a leaf.
She had never imagined that the teacher she had always regarded as her savior was actually the true culprit behind the deaths of her family and comrades.
"Yes, that's the expression. Such rare nourishment. It makes all the effort I spent on you worth it."
Hearing the mockery in Shinnō's voice, the hatred inside her grew stronger and stronger.
She knew she should not give in to it, but she could not control her emotions at all.
And as more and more negative emotion seeped out of her, Shinnō's aura grew stronger as well.
When his body was finally completely wrapped in black chakra, he let out a furious roar.
In the next instant, his clothes exploded apart, revealing a body packed with thick muscle.
"Well?"
"I am invincible now!"
"Amaru, you've really been such a good child."
Her face was as white as paper, and her legs gave out beneath her as she dropped to her knees.
Just as her consciousness was about to sink into endless darkness, a pair of warm hands pressed firmly onto her shoulders.
Uchiha Yuzuru's calm, confident voice sounded by her ear.
"Amaru, leave the rest to me."
"I'll protect you. I'll protect the people of your village too!"
She froze for a moment. Then, seeing the composed smile on Yuzuru's face, a faint spark of hope rose in her heart.
She nodded hard. "Lord Yuzuru, I believe in you!"
After saying that, she retreated to the side under his signal and hid herself away.
Shinnō did not stop her. He merely stared at Yuzuru with open provocation.
"Uchiha Yuzuru, do you think those words were only meant for her?"
"I'll be honest with you. Luring you here was part of my plan too."
"As long as I can obtain the tailed beast inside you, no one in the ninja world will be able to stop me anymore."
"The Land of the Sky will achieve its glorious revival under my rule."
"And now, I'll avenge the subordinates you killed!"
After hearing all that, Yuzuru could not help but start clapping.
Then he asked in genuine confusion, "I understand the logic, but how exactly are you planning to take the tailed beast from me?"
"Do you really think you can defeat me?"
Shinnō gave a cold snort. "What nonsense. Can you not feel the immense power inside my body right now?"
"Evil chakra overflowing with human negative emotion. Can you withstand it?"
Yuzuru smiled faintly, and in an instant his dark eyes turned into scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Evil chakra, hm?"
"Then why don't you feel mine?"
A boundless wave of icy, negative pressure came crashing over him, making Shinnō shudder on the spot.
What was going on?
Why did the Dōjutsu Power radiating from Yuzuru's eyes feel even more terrifying than the Zero-Tails chakra he had absorbed?
Before he could think any further, Yuzuru vanished from where he stood.
When he appeared again, one hand had already reached Shinnō's face.
With the enhancement of the Zero-Tails chakra, Shinnō sensed Yuzuru's movement in advance.
He twisted his body to the side, but one of his arms was still torn clean off by Yuzuru.
"AAAHHH!!!"
Blood sprayed everywhere as Shinnō let out a scream.
His massive body stood in stark contrast to Yuzuru's frame.
It was like an ant crushing an elephant, creating a violently surreal image.
"So this is the confidence you had when you challenged me?"
Yuzuru sounded a little disappointed.
Too weak.
Pitifully weak.
Seeing the contempt in his eyes, Shinnō was consumed with rage.
"Arrogant brat!"
"My body has already surpassed human limits!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Body Regeneration Technique activated, and a brand-new arm instantly grew back from the severed stump.
Then he began to growl, and the aura around him rose higher and higher.
"Eight Gates Release—Open!"
His power surged again, turning him into a humanoid beast.
"Ha ha ha ha... My body can now open the Eight Gates Release without taking any damage. How can you possibly defeat me?"
His figure flashed, and he was already in front of Yuzuru.
"Take this!"
At last, Yuzuru showed a hint of interest and began exchanging blows with Shinnō head-on.
With the support of Dark Chakra and the Body Regeneration Technique, Shinnō's speed and strength had indeed risen to a frightening level.
Of course, the so-called Eight Gates Release he kept boasting about felt more like an incomplete imitation.
In Yuzuru's judgment, the secret technique Shinnō was using was at most comparable to the boost of the Seventh Gate.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
...
In the span of an eye, the two of them exchanged dozens of blows.
The more Yuzuru fought, the more excited he became. No matter how Shinnō attacked, he answered everything with raw strength.
Shinnō, on the other hand, was having a miserable time.
His body was repaired again and again, only to be smashed apart again and again. The agony turned his eyes bloodshot.
Inside, he could not help roaring in disbelief.
What kind of monster is this Uchiha Yuzuru?!