'Thinking Acceleration—on!'
[Great Sage: Thinking Acceleration has been enabled.]
As the skill activated, Shigure's five senses sharpened drastically.
Almost imdiately, he noticed Dotō Kazahana's injuries—fresh wounds that were clearly the work of Honglian and Juugo.
Wait… those two ca to the Land of Snow and attacked Dotō Kazahana?
Orochimaru wouldn't send people out for sothing so trivial. There had to be a reason. Sothing about the Snow Country had caught his attention.
What kind of thing would interest soone like Orochimaru enough to take action?
"…The chakra armor?"
The answer clicked instantly. In a remote place like the Land of Snow, the only thing valuable enough to attract Orochimaru would be the chakra armor.
It made sense. But it still didn't explain why Orochimaru hadn't shown up in the original story. After all, the Land of Snow was isolated, insignificant compared to the Five Great Nations. Ninjas of that level rarely paid attention to such a place.
So… how did Orochimaru get wind of this now?
"As expected of the kid the higher-ups have taken an interest in. He's got potential!"
"The way he manipulates ice and snow… impressive. Hey, Guren, this kid's Ice Release isn't much worse than your Crystal Release!"
Juugo crossed his arms, scrutinizing Shigure with open curiosity.
Honglian stepped forward, her voice cool. "Hmph. Among the many kekkei genkai, Ice Release is average at best. But I'll admit, this kid wields it with frightening skill."
Condensing snow and ice to block my Crystal Dragon Jutsu… not bad at all.
Hearing their exchange, Shigure frowned slightly.
So they're not just after Dotō Kazahana's chakra armor… they're after .
How does Orochimaru even know about ? Did my na spread that fast from the mission I completed? No… soone must have tipped him off.
And there was only one person that ca to mind.
"Danzo."
Of course. Danzo must've leaked information about to Orochimaru. The chakra armor was just a bonus—I'm the real target.
Behind him, Dotō Kazahana reminded, "The Konoha ninjas are yours, but that girl—Koyuki Kazahana—is mine. Don't forget your promise~~!"
Juugo sneered, "Go get her yourself. We're only interested in him now."
He fixed his gaze on Shigure and stepped forward slowly.
Kakashi moved slightly, ready to intervene, but Guren imdiately locked onto him.
"These brats are nothing," she said, "but you, Kakashi Hatake—the Copy Ninja—are a bit of a hassle."
She clearly intended to stop him.
Kakashi's not going to break through easily…
"Naruto, Sasuke! Take the others and run! Get them to safety!"
Sasuke clenched his teeth. Kakashi had told him and Naruto to flee with the civilians—but not Shigure.
We're the backup. We're staying behind to buy ti…
"Damn it!" Sasuke growled, dragging a frozen Naruto by the arm. "Snap out of it! Didn't you hear what Kakashi said?"
"We're getting these people out first!"
Dotō Kazahana's eyes never left Koyuki. The mont he saw her being escorted away, he barked out, "After them! Kill the rest—I only want Koyuki!"
"Ice Release—Freezing Mont!"
Buzz!
A chilling wind swept across the battlefield.
In an instant, an overwhelming frost burst forth from Shigure's body.
Hundreds of Dotō Kazahana's n were frozen solid—encased in thick, unyielding ice from ters away.
One mont.
Hundreds frozen.
Ice Release can do that? Juugo's eyes widened in disbelief.
He turned to look at Guren, silently asking the question: Can you match that?
Honglian looked at Shigure with rare seriousness.
Such a jutsu requires a monstrous amount of chakra, near-perfect chakra control, and exceptional mastery over one's kekkei genkai.
Her Crystal Release couldn't compare.
Shigure glanced coldly at Dotō Kazahana—also encased in the ice, motionless.
Bang!
Suddenly, the ice shattered.
Dotō Kazahana erged from the frozen prison, unhard—just as Shigure expected. The man was wearing the strongest model of chakra armor, after all.
"That damn Konoha brat actually killed all my n!"
Shigure was about to speak when—
"What a powerful ninjutsu... Looks like I can really enjoy myself this ti!"
Suddenly, an unnatural chakra fluctuation erupted.
Dark, jagged markings crept along Jūgo's arm—ominous, pulsing with unstable energy.
Shigure's expression turned serious.
That's the Curse Mark… or rather, Sage Transformation!
Though it wasn't exactly senjutsu, the Curse Mark—especially Jūgo's—functioned by drawing in and manipulating natural energy. It was practically a kind of Sage Mode, and it was precisely the kind of "magic" Shigure had always dread of acquiring.
Analyze it! Analyze him now!
Shigure's excitent surged—but alongside it, unease. Could the Great Sage truly analyze sothing this complex?
Jūgo's abilities weren't from so implanted curse mark—he was born with this unstable yet extraordinary body. A true mutation. A rare bloodline limit.
Could the Great Sage even handle that?
[Great Sage: Would you like to conduct a comprehensive analysis and calculation of this target?]
"Yes, yes! Do it!"
He muttered to himself, then suddenly paused.
Wait... comprehensive analysis?
Was that different from analyzing just a jutsu?
[Great Sage: Previous task suspended. Redirecting focus to analyze and calculate target—Jūgo.]
Of course! The Great Sage didn't just analyze techniques—it could analyze people and objects directly, too!
This wasn't just scanning one jutsu—it was an in-depth breakdown of Jūgo himself.
Shigure couldn't help but grin. He had never tried analyzing an entire enemy before.
But this ti... he'd go all in.
Just then, Dotō Kazahana rushed past.
Shigure turned, seeing Dotō trying to slip past him and Kakashi to chase after the fleeing Koyuki Kazahana.
He stepped forward to block him—but sothing else caught his attention.
Jūgo…!
"...Kid, let's see how strong you really are!"
Shigure spun around, eyes narrowing at the advancing Jūgo.
Ice Release—Freezing Mont!
Freeze!
A wave of frost exploded out from Shigure, racing toward Jūgo.
For a mont, it looked like it had worked—ice crystals began forming around Jūgo's body.
But in the blink of an eye, the frost shattered—blown apart by the sheer force of Jūgo's chakra.
Not good!
[Great Sage: Analytical Calculation in Progress…]
[Target: Jūgo (10%)]
...
TN:
🔟 Pa-treon-com/Lordrlin
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