Naruto: Manipulation-Chapter 170: No, This Body Is Far Too Strong

It was unimaginable.

Humans could never truly comprehend what they had never seen before.

Just as the shinobi of Konoha could never have imagined the true strength of the world's most powerful being—until now, when they were witnessing it firsthand...

Even Senju Hashirama, once hailed as the "God of Shinobi" by countless others, found his body instinctively stiffening in front of Shigen. His very soul trembled at the sight of a being who could truly be called eternal.

"This is... terrifying chakra."

Hashirama's expression grew solemn as he stared at Shigen. He didn't dare let his guard down just because Shigen had lost his eyesight—in fact, the realization only made him more tense.

"So this... is Lord Shigen's true power?"

Shigen ignored Hashirama entirely. Instead, he simply closed his empty eye sockets, breathing in the earthy, metallic scent of the battlefield—something he had never been able to experience in his Edo Tensei body.

Life...

Truly was beautiful.

While Hashirama was reeling from the sheer scale of Shigen's power, Senju Tobirama had an even clearer and more immediate understanding of it!

Tobirama, too, refused to underestimate Shigen just because he had lost his vision. He knew that a living Shigen and an Edo Tensei Shigen were as different as heaven and earth!

The Second Hokage tensed every fiber of his being, his chakra surging throughout his body. Yet, he remained immobilized under the influence of the cursed seal. He could only call out a warning to the others present.

"Right now...

He is no different from a god."

"We have to try something...!"

Hashirama narrowed his eyes, retracting his clenched fist before striking out at Shigen's neck with a powerful chop!

Among all of Konoha, he was the strongest in direct combat. It was up to him to test the limits of Shigen's power in this moment!

Shigen effortlessly caught Hashirama's wrist, his body seamlessly attuned to nature itself. He could perceive every movement around him with perfect clarity!

The next moment—

Hashirama felt his world spinning!

By the time he realized what had happened, his entire body had already been thrown through the air, carving a deep trench into the ground upon impact!

The difference in their strength...

Was like heaven and earth!

"Tobirama!"

Seeing his older brother being effortlessly overpowered, Tobirama immediately turned to Minato Namikaze. "Fourth Hokage, quickly! Help me seal away the cursed mark!"

Minato, highly skilled in sealing techniques, recognized the urgency of the situation. Without hesitation, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to appear beside Tobirama, forming the necessary hand seals for the sealing jutsu.

Aside from Tobirama...

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, also needed his cursed seal to be neutralized.

The power that had once granted them incredible strength, bestowed upon them by Shigen himself decades ago, had now become the very trap leading them to their downfall!

"Wood Style!"

Despite his battered state, Hashirama swiftly leaped back to his feet, forming seals to unleash his Wood Release technique in an attempt to bind Shigen!

Three massive wooden tendrils surged toward Shigen, attempting to ensnare him!

"Wind Style."

Shigen barely moved, merely tilting his head slightly as he raised a hand. A single motion was all it took for sharp wind blades to shred the wooden tendrils to pieces!

His body vanished in an instant—

By the time Hashirama could react, Shigen was already in front of him!

"So fast—"

Wham!

A powerful roundhouse kick slammed into Hashirama's body, sending him flying backward!

"Flying Thunder God Technique...?"

Hashirama barely managed to steady himself, analyzing the movement speed Shigen had just displayed. "No... that wasn't a teleportation technique... it was pure speed!"

And the next moment—

Shigen charged at him again!

Hashirama barely had time to raise his arms in defense before Shigen's kick sent him crashing into the ruins!

But—

That brief moment gave him a chance to breathe!

"Sage Art: Myojinmon!"

Hashirama immediately formed seals while still in midair, summoning a series of colossal torii gates from the sky to restrain Shigen!

Yet—

The Myojinmon could no longer seal him!

"Dust Style: Particle Annihilation!"

Without even looking, Shigen raised his hand.

A bright white glow materialized in his palm, forming into a circular disc that shot upward! The moment it touched the torii gates, the massive structures crumbled into nothingness!

Dust Release.

A technique Shigen had obtained from the Second Tsuchikage, Mu, decades ago during the First Shinobi World War.

No—

It was Sage Art: Dust Release!

More precisely, it was Dust Release imbued with Six Paths-level Sage Chakra—pushing the technique's power to an unprecedented level!

"What technique...?"

Tobirama couldn't immediately recognize the jutsu Shigen had just used, but he could judge its devastating power from the effect alone.

By now, the cursed seals on both Tobirama and Hiruzen had been successfully suppressed, allowing them to rejoin the battle.

"Fourth Hokage."

Tobirama placed a hand on Minato's shoulder, quickly devising a strategy.

"His speed is unmatched. We'll leave Flying Thunder God marks on each other so we can alternate attacking and retreating. If an attack fails, we immediately teleport away to reposition."

It was the safest approach.

In the brief time they had observed Shigen's movements, Tobirama had already determined that his speed was on a whole other level. At the very least, their Flying Thunder God Technique would allow them to barely evade his attacks.

And since both of them were in Edo Tensei bodies with infinite chakra, they didn't have to worry about energy consumption.

However—

Shigen likely had countermeasures against Edo Tensei as well.

"We may be in Edo Tensei bodies... but..."

Tobirama furrowed his brows, a disturbing thought surfacing in his mind. "He has access to all of my knowledge. That means he must be proficient in sealing techniques..."

"I understand. I'll be cautious."

Minato nodded slowly.

Having studied many of Tobirama's forbidden techniques, he knew Shigen must also be highly skilled in seals.

However, Tobirama quickly let out a sigh of relief, bringing up another point. "Thankfully, that snake, Orochimaru, isn't here. As long as he doesn't release the jutsu, our Edo Tensei bodies won't be dispelled. Even if one of us is sealed, we can help each other break free and continue fighting."

It was a strategy bordering on shamelessness.

As long as the Edo Tensei technique remained active—

As long as all three Hokage weren't sealed at the same time—

The battle could continue endlessly!

With their plan set, Tobirama and Minato immediately launched their assault, moving at lightning speed as they alternated their attacks in an intricate pattern of teleportation and retreat!

This was the ultimate application of the Flying Thunder God Technique—

With two simultaneous users, their movement became nearly impossible to track, as they continuously flickered between space-time intervals, never truly appearing until the moment of attack!

From the sidelines, Konoha's shinobi struggled to follow their movements.

And yet—

Shigen, blind as he was, simply stood in place, listening carefully.

If he wanted to counter this strategy...

It would be difficult without vision.

However—

For someone who had truly returned to life—

It was effortless.

Even if he simply stood there and allowed Senju Tobirama and Minato Namikaze to attack him freely, their strikes wouldn't be able to harm him.

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A body at the level of the Six Paths granted him unparalleled durability, and his regenerative abilities far surpassed even Hashirama's legendary self-healing.

Crack!

Tobirama's kunai shattered upon contact with Shigen's body, unable to pierce even his skin!

"Sage Art: Rasengan!"

Minato's Rasengan slammed into Shigen's chest, but all it managed to do was stir up a brief cloud of dust. The Fourth Hokage's eyes flickered with disbelief.

But Minato was unshaken.

He had anticipated this.

And he noticed something—

His Rasengan had left behind a Flying Thunder God mark on Shigen's body!

As long as that mark remained—

Endless attacks could be unleashed upon him, eventually finding a way to bring him down!

"Retreat for now!"

Tobirama swiftly signaled Minato!

The two Hokage flickered away using the Flying Thunder God Technique!

But...

Their chance was already gone.

Behind Shigen, nine pitch-black orbs silently emerged, floating ominously in the air.

The atmosphere grew even more oppressive.

Without a single sound—

Shigen had entered Six Paths Sage Mode.

"What... is that?"

The shinobi around them stared at the black orbs in shock.

They had never seen anything like it before.

No one knew—

That these were Truth-Seeking Orbs, the culmination of all seven chakra nature transformations combined.

And no one knew—

That the very appearance of these orbs signified a fundamental shift in power—

A complete disparity between Shigen and the rest of the shinobi world!

"Your space-time techniques are impressive."

Shigen shook his head slightly.

He raised his hand, pointing calmly toward the two Hokage who had just teleported away.

His voice, serene yet absolute, echoed through the battlefield.

"But against overwhelming power... they are meaningless."

A sudden sensation of weightlessness overtook Tobirama and Minato!

Their movements halted abruptly—

Despite still being in the middle of their teleportation, their bodies froze in place!

Because their very souls—

Were being forcibly extracted from their Edo Tensei bodies!

"No...!"

Tobirama's mind reeled in horror as he watched his own soul slowly rise out of his body!

He finally realized—

The Edo Tensei itself was being forcefully undone!

If their Edo Tensei was erased—

Then none of the summoned dead could continue fighting.

And that meant—

This world would be left completely at Shigen's mercy!

The next moment—

Two souls fully separated from their bodies!

Minato looked down at his open palms, watching as his translucent spirit drifted upward.

A deep concern flickered in his gaze.

Because at this moment, one thought weighed heavily on his mind—

His son.

His eyes instinctively turned toward Naruto Uzumaki.

Because once he returned to the afterlife—

He had no idea if he would ever get another chance to see his child again.

Especially in a world that was about to fall completely under Shigen's rule.

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Powerstones?

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