Chapter 106.2 : Evolution!!

Boom!

Shinnō's fist swung forward, wrapped in gale-force winds. He stood his ground, repeatedly punching forward, unleashing a barrage of tightly-packed shockwaves.

The wind-wall created by his pure taijutsu nullified Zero-Tails' special effects against ninjutsu and chakra. Its massive size and relatively slow movements made it a perfect target.

Shinnō's relentless assault carved the ocean's surface several meters deep, his fists raining down like a heavy drumbeat against Zero-Tails' enormous body.

Zero-Tail's skin, known for its toughness, showed remarkable resilience against attacks. 

However, under the relentless and ferocious assault from Shinnō, which was like a storm, its hard shell began to crack and break apart little by little. Its massive body trembled uncontrollably under the barrage of punches, as if struck by lightning, and eventually collapsed in a broken, battered state into the seawater below.

Huff! Huff!

After such an intense outburst, Shinnō couldn't help but breathe heavily. His chest heaved violently like a bellows, inhaling and exhaling massive amounts of air like a wild beast.

Even from a distance, the harsh, thunderous sound of his breathing reached Kagetsu and the others, faintly resembling the rough creak of a wind pump.

"This is truly astonishing," Kakuzu remarked, clearly surprised. He hadn't expected Shinnō's sudden surge of power to be so overwhelming. 

Placing himself in Zero-Tail's position, Kakuzu admitted that if he had tried to withstand Shinnō's attacks head-on with his Steel Release, one of his precious Kekkei Genkai hearts might have been destroyed, leaving him incapacitated.

Eight Gates!

Kakuzu silently committed the forbidden taijutsu technique to memory.

"To think someone could really combine the Eight Gates with medical ninjutsu," Kagetsu said, genuinely impressed by Shinnō's talent in medical ninjutsu.

Tsunade had never taken this path because she had better options, and this route was extraordinarily dangerous.

But Shinnō…

"I don't think his destructive power matches Duy's Eight Gates," Shisui murmured quietly, sharing his thoughts with Kagetsu.

Having sparred with Might Duy a few times in the past, Shisui relied on the insight of his Sharingan to make his evaluation.

Back then, when Duy opened six or more gates, Shisui had to rely on his Mangekyō Sharingan just to keep up in a direct confrontation without using genjutsu. If Duy opened the seventh gate, even his three-stage Susanoo would become dangerously fragile.

Still, Shisui believed his Susanoo could endure Shinnō's Eight Gates.

"The Eight Gates vary from person to person," Kagetsu explained. "Factors like chakra reserves, physical strength, and sheer willpower all influence how powerful this forbidden technique can be.

Shinnō only managed to open the Eight Gates by taking shortcuts. He used medical ninjutsu to activate his body, reducing the technique's power and aftereffects. Instead of truly fusing healing and destruction, he forced the two together."

Kagetsu shook his head. As a medical ninja, Shinnō might have a deep understanding of the human body's Chakra Pathway, but when it came to battle experience, he was severely lacking.

Even an average chunin who had survived the battlefield would likely surpass Shinnō in combat experience and strategy.

Might Duy and Might Guy, on the other hand, might lack Shinnō's intricate knowledge of the human body, but they had honed their own bodies through sheer determination and relentless training. 

They mastered every ounce of strength within themselves, wielding the wild power of the Eight Gates with precision and control.

It was a power that was pure, without any unnecessary flair—strength born solely from will and force.

Just as Shinnō thought he had dealt with Zero-Tails and prepared to reassert control over its weakened form, he noticed something shocking. The battered and scarred Zero-Tails was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Cero, Hierro, and High-Speed Regeneration.

The three signature abilities of Hollows were fully displayed by Zero-Tails. If you added its ability to forcibly absorb and steal chakra, that would make a fourth.

A black energy sphere formed in Zero-Tails's mouth once again, brimming with darkness. Almost instantly, it unleashed the attack.

However, Shinnō reacted swiftly. Just before the Cero could aim at him, he dashed to Zero-Tails's side, running along its massive body. His fist, wrapped in black chakra, struck Zero-Tails's jaw with tremendous force.

A dark beam pierced the sky.

But even as Shinnō tried to retreat, Zero-Tails's body extended countless tentacles, wrapping around him and trapping him in place.

Kakuzu, watching Shinnō's actions, couldn't help but find it ridiculous. Approaching Zero-Tails, knowing it could split itself into countless tentacles?

Was his combat experience really this immature?

If Shinnō had discovered or targeted a critical weak point, then such a move might have been a quick way to end the battle. 

But without finding the weak spot, he had clearly put himself in a cage-like predicament.

It was just like the current situation with the Shinnō.

Although countless tentacles were being torn off by Shinnō, the tentacles that continued to swarm in were nearly endless.

Even though Shinnō desperately swung his fists, creating a strong gust of wind that almost formed a wall in front of him, it still seemed like he was running out of strength in the face of the transformed Zero-Tail.

There were simply too many tentacles. After a frantic struggle and attempt to break free, Shinnō's body was ultimately wrapped up by the layers of tentacles, forming a ball with layers of tentacles inside and out, before being drawn back into Zero-Tail's body.

"Is the battle over?"

Kakuzu looked at the now calm Zero-Tail and turned to look at Kagetsu, hoping to get instructions for the next step from him. But Kagetsu's gaze was firmly fixed on Zero-Tail.

Under the watchful eyes of Kagetsu and the others, Zero-Tail's body underwent another change. Its outer skeletal shell grew even more, making it seem like its defenses were stronger.

On the bone mask of its face, a faint outline of a person began to appear. The massive body didn't grow any larger; in fact, it seemed to shrink, becoming smaller by more than half.

However, despite the smaller size of Zero-Tail, the pressure it exuded, along with the sense of spiritual oppression, felt even heavier than before!

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