Chapter 56: The Price of Resurrection, Shinno's Gradual Descent into Madness

Chapter 56: The Price of Resurrection, Shinno's Gradual Descent into Madness

Facing Uchiha Ci's sincere gaze, Terumi Mei felt her heart suddenly skip a beat.

Her face flushed slightly as she raised her head without hesitation. With her clear, emerald-green eyes, she looked seriously at Uchiha Ci.

"I will definitely come."

Uchiha Ci nodded, his gaze focusing as he continued to observe the dozens of enemies on the city wall below with his Sharingan, carefully memorizing each of their positions.

Soon, he frowned slightly. It wasn't because the enemy was formidable or looked intimidating.

Rather,

He suddenly realized that his Sharingan could now see farther and clearer than before.

With the rapid spinning of the tomoe, his dynamic vision had improved, akin to the ability to slow down time like bullet time, making it even more powerful.

Uchiha Ci couldn't help but feel a sinking sensation in his heart, sensing something was off.

He immediately wanted to open his status panel to check his current condition.

However, at that moment,

Shinno, who had been silently observing Uchiha Ci with his arms crossed, approached and sneered coldly, asking:

"You've noticed it, haven't you?"

"The heart beating in your chest not only grants you life but also becomes your shackle."

Uchiha Ci frowned, glanced at him coldly, and decisively opened his status panel.

Employee: Uchiha Ci

Title: Heaven's Chosen Warrior

Talents: Heartsteel (SSS), Sharingan (Double Tomoe, A-), Battle Instinct (Proficient, S+)

Special Equipment: Earth Grudge Fear Heart (Earth): When equipped, grants the Earth Release: Earth Spear ninjutsu. Body attributes are erased, and only the heart's attribute can be used for ninjutsu. Additional attributes can be gained by retraining chakra in other attributes.

Skills: Uchiha Style - Manipulated Shuriken Technique (Master, S), Super Death Battle Barrier (Master, S), Fire Release Ninjutsu (Forbidden), Wind Release: Extreme Air-Cutting Wave (Forbidden), Water Release: Water Fang Blade (Forbidden), Earth Release: Earth Spear (Beginner, B)

Special Skills: Fire Release: Chakra Mode (Forbidden), Forbidden Technique: Body Revival (Proficient, S), Secret Technique: Earth Grudge Fear Stitching (Beginner, A)

Accumulated Heartsteel Layers (Expandable)

Insurance Status: Paid.

Seeing his status, Uchiha Ci's frown deepened.

It seemed that the reason he was alive was because Shinno had replaced his heart with Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear heart.

The side effects were obvious too.

Due to the unique nature of the Earth Grudge Fear secret technique, each heart could only use one type of elemental ninjutsu.

This led to a problem.

Now, his arsenal of ninjutsu was severely limited. He was left with only Earth Release: Earth Spear.

Other techniques like Fire Release, Water Release, and Wind Release were unusable, including his explosive trump card, Fire Release: Chakra Mode.

He had transformed from an all-rounder ninjutsu user into a close-combat specialist who could only use a defensive Earth Release.

Yet Uchiha Ci did not feel any relief from this. Instead, his heart grew heavier.

Because,

He had become stronger! And more resilient!

After all, the lost chakra attributes could be regained through retraining.

But,

Earth Release: Earth Spear.

This technique was nearly the pinnacle of conventional Earth Release ninjutsu, an advanced version of Earth Release: Hardening Technique.

It could make the body as hard as diamond, raising defense to its limit while also increasing physical attack power.

Apart from Lightning Release techniques that counter Earth Release, no conventional ninjutsu existed that could break through the Earth Spear.

In other words, as long as he could handle the technique's extreme chakra consumption, Uchiha Ci could practically bathe in a barrage of ninjutsu attacks.

Imagining such a terrifying scenario, Uchiha Ci fell silent, unsure of how to respond to Shinno's question.

Shackles? What shackles?

All he knew was that he was now absurdly strong!

Seeing Ci's utterly frustrated expression, Shinno's eyebrows raised, and a trace of uncontrollable glee appeared in his eyes.

He chuckled sinisterly, adopting a creepy expression to intimidate him further:

"How does it feel? Empty?"

"Everything you've trained for, now turned to dust."

"All the effort you've put in so far has betrayed you."

"Do you understand what reality is now?"

Uchiha Ci: "..."

He had no idea how to respond to Shinno's taunts.

Should he say, "Thank you, really"?

Not only had this guy cleaned out the trash, but he also graciously handed him a +20 Dragon Slayer Sword?

"Hmph." Shinno sneered, crossing his arms and leaning close to Uchiha Ci's ear, coldly saying:

"Do you know why I brought you back to life?"

"I want you to descend step by step into this world of eternal suffering."

"Realize the cruelty of this world, then obediently give up on your ridiculous ideals."

After a moment of silence,

Shinno patted Uchiha Ci's shoulder and sneered:

"The ninja world won't be so naive as to be ruled by an idiot like you."

"And those Blood Mist ninjas? They're not worth your trust."

"Now, go home and drink your milk, kid."

On the cliffside,

The morning breeze blew, carrying a few fallen green leaves.

Uchiha Ci narrowed his eyes slightly, slapped away Shinno's hand from his shoulder, and then asked coldly:

"Why are you telling me all this?"

Shinno frowned slightly and then replied calmly, "Do you really need to ask why?"

"With nothing left, what can you possibly accomplish?"

"Keep pretending to be strong?"

"Or persist in your nonsensical ninja way?"

"Oh, don't tell me you think I pity you?"

Shinno chuckled before continuing with a cold laugh:

"Sorry, but I don't pity the dead."

"The moment you stole the Forbidden Technique: Body Revival from me and used it, your fate was sealed."

"This technique is labeled forbidden because it drains the body's life force."

"After using this technique, you only have three to seven years left to live."

"And let me tell you, the only way to escape the price of this forbidden technique is to find a substitute to pay the cost."

Shinno sneered as he revealed the cruel truth.

"And that substitute? A tailed beast!"

Uchiha Ci frowned at him. He had speculated that this forbidden technique might come at the cost of his lifespan.

Orochimaru's Immortality Jutsu was based on the Forbidden Technique: Body Revival, which originated from Shinno.

When Orochimaru used Immortality Jutsu before seizing Sasuke's body, he had been using the imperfect body of Yūkimaru, which began to reject him after three years.

A woman's body that Orochimaru had used before Yuukimaru's had also rejected him after about seven years.

Using an unsuitable body led to degradation, which Orochimaru forcibly repaired using Body Revival until it eventually collapsed.

To overcome this side effect, one could either steal the power of a tailed beast like Shinno or, like Orochimaru, rely on constant body swapping.

Shinno narrowed his eyes, as if interrogating:

"Now, do you see reality clearly?"

"With all your power gone, including that overwhelming strength that once nearly burned you out..."

"Do you really think you can grow into Kage-level strength in just three years?"

"Or do you believe you can risk igniting another ninja war to defeat and steal the tailed beasts from the great hidden villages?"

Shinno's questions struck at the core of the dilemma, not only aimed at Uchiha Ci but also at his former self.

Back then, Shinno had chosen to run, taking an alternative path by studying the incomplete Zero-Tails.

During this process, he realized the dangerous nature of the Zero-Tails' dark chakra, prompting him to travel the ninja world searching for a solution, which had led him to the Land of Hot Water.

And now, at this very moment,

He was eager to see,

Faced with an even more difficult situation,

What would Uchiha Ci, this arrogant brat, choose?

Would he flee like Shinno once had, or confront this despairing reality head-on?

A twisted smile gradually appeared on Shinno's face as his expression grew more joyful. He pointed to the 400-meter cliff below,

Then leaned close to Uchiha Ci's ear and whispered:

"So, want to prove me wrong?"