Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for only $7 to get early access to upcoming chapters!
>> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations <<
Chapter 25 — Body Revival Regeneration
Before Konan could even react, a series of sharp pfft, pfft, pfft sounds burst from behind her.
The bulging white paper seal split apart, and several jet-black tendrils shot out like lightning.
The Zero-Tails had broken free.
Ten shadowy appendages twisted together midair, fusing into a dense black mass before streaking toward the heart of the explosion.
The attack came so suddenly that neither Konan nor Alex had time to prepare. They had barely sensed the disturbance from the sealed pool before the Zero-Tails shattered its paper prison and leapt free.
Ten layers of reinforced paper seals—utterly useless.
The black shadow streaked through the air like a beam of dark light.
By the time Alex could fully register its form, it had already crossed the distance of several dozen meters, heading straight for the blast zone where Shinnō had fallen.
No way!
Even without knowing exactly what would happen if the Zero-Tails reached that point, Alex knew it would be nothing good.
He had to stop it.
In the blink of an eye, he unleashed Paper Release—paper swirling madly around him to form a solid white wall between the Zero-Tails and the explosion's center.
At the same time, Alex split his focus. While maintaining the barrier, he drew on his ability to instantly cast ninjutsu, releasing three jutsu in rapid succession.
From his paper body erupted a slicing wind blade, a roaring water dragon, and a solid earthen sphere.
—Wind Release: Blade of Wind!
—Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!
—Earth Release: Rock Bullet Technique!
Three elements, one after another.
He wanted to see which chakra nature could hurt the Zero-Tails most effectively.
Thud!
The Zero-Tails smashed into the white wall head-on, bursting through it and leaving a gaping hole. Half of its distorted, amorphous body was already inside.
Even the reinforced paper barrier couldn't withstand the force of that creature—but at least it slowed it for a moment.
And that was all the time Alex needed.
The wind blade, the spiraling water dragon, and the rock bullet all shot through the hole, slamming into the Zero-Tails.
Immediately after, a rain of Exploding Tags thrown by Konan followed them in.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The blast roared through the chamber. Shards of rock and paper flew everywhere, and a wave of searing heat washed over them.
The white wall disintegrated back into countless sheets of paper, scattering in the turbulent air.
Alex strained to see through the haze, but the explosion filled the area with thick white steam. Nothing was visible inside.
Then—
"Keh keh keh keh keh!"
That laugh.
The sound of madness echoed from within the smoke—harsh, mocking, and horribly familiar.
Alex and Konan froze.
Shinnō.
The voice was no longer frail or wheezing. It was deep, strong, and brimming with vigor—nothing like that of an old man.
"White Tiger!" he bellowed. "I told you—you cannot kill me!"
With a sudden gust, the smoke and steam were blown away, revealing the center of the blast.
Shinnō floated there in midair.
His head still hung loosely above his neck, connected by a pulsating strand of black light. His body was riddled with wounds—some deep enough to expose shattered bone and mangled organs.
He looked like a corpse strung together with shadows.
And yet—he lived.
In fact, his energy was only growing stronger.
Every gash, every torn muscle and broken bone began to glow faintly with black light. Flesh knitted together. Bones reformed. His crushed body began to swell—filling out again like an inflating balloon.
Alex stared, speechless. You've got to be kidding me… he's healing faster than I can blink! It's like watching someone pump air into a corpse!
Even Konan, usually composed, looked shaken.
She had never seen regeneration like this—not even the Rinnegan could restore what was lost so completely.
"Keh keh keh keh! This is the ultimate secret of my Dark Medical Ninjutsu…"
Shinnō's body straightened, his head snapping back into place with a flash of black light.
"…Body Revival Regeneration!"
At once, his neck smoothed—no scars, no wounds.
And then, before their eyes, his aging body began to change.
The wrinkles melted from his face. His white hair darkened to jet black. The thin, withered frame of an old man filled out with muscle and vitality.
Within seconds, the decrepit doctor had become a man in his thirties—strong, broad-shouldered, radiating youthful energy.
This was the result of fusing his body with the Zero-Tails' dark chakra—the ultimate medical forbidden technique.
—Body Revival Regeneration.
A jutsu capable of reversing cellular decay, turning injury into energy, and transforming the body into a self-healing vessel of ultimate vitality.
In this state, Shinnō's regenerative power and life force were monstrous—wounds closed faster than they could be dealt.
He had even endured Konan's massive bombardment head-on, taking the explosions with his bare body—without a single defensive jutsu.
And yet, every injury vanished as soon as it appeared.
Konan stopped attacking, frowning as she readied another wave of paper blades.
During his transformation, she had bombarded him with countless Exploding Tags, jutsu, and weapons, but none had left a lasting mark.
The man was regenerating too quickly—faster than she could destroy.
Her cold gaze sharpened. "...Then I'll just have to learn more through battle."
Retreat wasn't an option.
From what she'd seen, the Dark Medical Ninjutsu was far too valuable to let slip away. She had to obtain it.
Alex, still hidden within her, racked his mind for options.
A foe who felt no pain, no exhaustion, and couldn't die—was beyond frustrating.
But aside from that black beam attack earlier, Shinnō hadn't shown any other powerful techniques.
That black beam… it's too strange to use casually, Alex thought. He probably can't fire it freely—
And then, as if to crush that thought—
Shinnō sneered, raising his hand.
"White Tiger! Allow me to test this new body of mine!"
"Taijutsu: Super Activating Fist!"
He thrust his arm forward—and a black beam of energy shot out once more, effortlessly tearing through the air toward Konan.