Chapter 158: Cursed Seal Stage Two—Serpent Sage Body!
A whirlwind of sand swept across the barren land, the only sounds the howling wind and his own heavy breathing.
Standing behind the dense lion-headed sealing formation, hearing Tsukasa's provocative posturing and arrogant declarations, Ebizō's eyes suddenly flashed with rage, his aged face trembling with fury.
He forced himself to take a deep breath, his teeth chattering as he tried to calm himself.
Especially at this crucial moment, he needed to think clearly and not fall for the brat's provocation.
In battles between elite shinobi, the slightest misstep could lead to catastrophic outcomes.
As the highest-ranking commander of Sunagakure and the strategic mind of the entire village, he couldn't afford to lose his composure and make a fatal judgment based on a few taunting words.
On the contrary, at this critical moment, the experienced and perceptive Ebizō immediately realized that this Uchiha brat was trying to manipulate him!
He wanted to deceive him! The goal was to infuriate him, causing him to abandon the excellent defensive position he had meticulously prepared.
Ebizō took another deep breath, staring at Tsukasa outside the barrier. He narrowed his eyes and sneered:
"Boy, I must say, your mouth is quite something."
"All the information you're giving me is technically true, but the way you're presenting it makes it one colossal lie!"
"Even I was almost fooled!"
Ebizō glanced sideways beyond the barrier, watching the colorful signal smoke billowing in the distance. A smirk played on his lips as he coldly exposed the deception:
"Namikaze Minato will come—that's true!"
"Your mission is to hold me here—that's also true!"
"Even the fact that only one person can leave this barrier alive is completely true!"
"Using multiple truths while seemingly mocking me, you're actually constructing a logical trap!"
"You keep telling me you're in danger, that my time is running out, that I need to break through this barrier and kill you immediately!"
"That only by doing so can I survive!"
"But is that really the truth?"
"Hehehehe."
Ebizō's gaze suddenly sharpened, his eyes fixed on Tsukasa with chilling intensity as he exposed the deception:
"You cleverly concealed crucial information within all that truth."
"You didn't mention this is Sunagakure's rear territory!"
"You also didn't say when Namikaze Minato would actually arrive! Perhaps because you don't actually know!"
"You didn't even mention that Sunagakure's reinforcements might arrive even faster than Minato!"
He glared coldly, his voice sharp and stern:
"The one truly desperate to end this battle is you!"
"And me? I'm already in an invincible position!"
Ebizō's fingers moved, and with a series of mechanical clicks, three puppets orbited around him. The dense puppet sealing formation in front of him glowed with ominous light, and an invisible, colorless yet razor-sharp Wind Release: Wind Blade quietly gathered at his fingertips.
An impenetrable wall of sealing techniques, combined with a blade that could strike like a ghost at the enemy's vitals at any moment.
This was Ebizō!
A meticulous and calculating master—a Kage-level shinobi proficient in Wind Release, Sealing Techniques, and Puppet Arts!
As Ebizō exposed Tsukasa's deceptions one by one, Tsukasa clicked his tongue.
"Tch!"
He quickly suppressed his deliberately arrogant expression.
This level of tactical genius definitely wasn't as easily fooled as someone naive like Suigetsu.
However, despite his deception being exposed, Tsukasa's expression didn't change much.
Instead, he grinned, looked at Ebizō, and readily admitted:
"You're right, old man."
Then—
Tsukasa took a deep breath, his crimson serpent eyes narrowing as his legs bent slightly, lowering his stance.
He raised his head, a sinister smile playing across his lips.
"But—"
"I'm waiting for my peak moment!"
"And what are you waiting for?!"
As soon as he finished speaking, an intense surge of chakra erupted violently from Tsukasa!
A sandstorm, seemingly appearing from nowhere, spiraled toward the sky!
The natural energy of Ryūchi Cave, channeled through the Cursed Seal of Heaven, underwent a series of transformations, bringing him to his absolute limit!
At the same time, the miniature Zero-Tails in his abdomen began accumulating enough chakra for a full-power Fire Release: Chakra Mode assault.
The remaining natural energy within the Cursed Seal also exploded at that moment!
Dense black markings instantly covered Tsukasa's body, turning it completely black before abruptly shifting to a deathly pale white!
Tsukasa felt the natural energy surging wildly through his body, constantly reshaping his physical structure.
White scales emerged across his skin, muscle density increased dramatically, and his strength and flexibility surged to new heights!
When this transformation reached its peak, it felt as though a massive serpent tail would sprout from his tailbone, and a sharp, piercing pain shot through his forehead!
It was almost like Kabuto's future Sage Mode transformation, but due to his unique constitution locking his soul's essence, this body-altering power couldn't break through his original physical framework.
In the end, it could only rush through the blood vessels connecting to his eyes, drilling directly into his Sharingan!
"AAAAAHHH!!!"
A pain far exceeding the sensation of having his heart pierced and burned rose from his eye sockets. Tsukasa covered his eyes, collapsing miserably to one knee, howling in agony.
Purple markings slowly appeared at the corners of Tsukasa's eyes, extending toward his nose.
They made the vertical pupils of his Cursed Seal-enhanced Sharingan even sharper and more unnatural!
From Ebizō's perspective, the young demon not far away appeared to be bulging and contracting, muscles shifting like living flesh. The black markings that had covered his body instantly transformed into a layer of pale white skin, sending chills down Ebizō's spine.
Although he didn't understand what was happening, this horrifying sight made him instinctively realize something was terribly wrong.
"I can't wait any longer!"
"I'll kill him now while he's vulnerable!"
Ebizō's eyes flashed with determination. He immediately waved his hands, manipulating the lion-headed puppets on the ground to activate their mechanisms!
They revealed massive crossbow bolts, kunai, and long spikes hidden within the puppets' mouths!
"Puppet Technique: Thousand Blade Storm!"
He roared, slamming his palm into the ground!
The next moment, nearly a thousand hidden weapons aimed at Tsukasa. The triggers clicked, and they suddenly fired in a devastating barrage!
Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh—
Like a torrential downpour, the projectiles tore through the air with sonic booms, shooting forth wildly!
Almost instantly, they traversed the fifty-meter distance, turning the kneeling, screaming Tsukasa into a pincushion!
Sharp blades pierced his heart and legs, severed his hands, shattered his arms, and kicked up massive clouds of dust!
The boy's agonized screams abruptly ceased!
Ebizō narrowed his eyes solemnly, gazing into the distance, muttering to himself:
"Is he dead?"
"The Lion Puppet's firing speed can exceed a thousand meters per second."
"Under such an assault, even steel would be riddled with holes!"
However—
When the sandstorm kicked up by the projectiles was dispersed by the wind, revealing the ground littered with weapons, Ebizō's expression froze, his eyes widening in shock.
Lying on the sand was the boy's body, riddled with weapons and pinned to the ground like a corpse.
Suddenly, he opened a pair of scarlet serpent eyes!
He twisted his head 180 degrees in an unnatural reverse motion, grinned at Ebizō, and opened his mouth impossibly wide.
The next moment, two hands tore open the mouth of the 'Tsukasa corpse' on the ground. Covered in viscous fluid, they emerged from within.
Soon, a brand new, deathly pale Tsukasa crawled out from inside the old body like a snake shedding its skin.
The moment he landed, the new Tsukasa abruptly opened his serpentine eyes beneath purple sage markings, and a series of notifications quietly appeared before his vision:
[You have mastered: Cursed Seal of Heaven - Stage Two - Serpent Sage Body (A+)]
[In this state, you have instinctively grasped the principles of the Molting Technique.]
[Your Molting Technique has been upgraded to: Orochimaru Style - Oral Rebirth (A+)]
[Your Sharingan has been invaded by natural energy, resulting in subtle mutations.]
[You appear to have awakened a Sage Art Dōjutsu ability.]
End of Chapter 158
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