Naruto: I, Uchiha, Just Want to Die

Chapter 158: Second Curse Mark, Mythical Serpent Form!

A swirling sandstorm cascaded to the ground.

The only sounds audible were the whistling wind and his own labored breathing.

Standing behind the intricate Lion Seal Array, Ebizō's expression grew grim as he witnessed Uchiha Ci adopt an awe-inspiring stance and hurl out those wildly arrogant words.

Ebizō's eyes turned ferocious, his old face trembling in fury as his beard quivered uncontrollably.

Clenching his teeth, he inhaled sharply, forcing himself to calm down.

The more critical the situation, the more composed he needed to remain. He could not fall prey to the provocations of this insolent brat across from him.

In battles between strong opponents, the smallest misstep could result in catastrophic defeat.

As the supreme commander of Sunagakure, the very brain of the entire village, he could not afford to lose his rationality and make an erroneous decision due to a few taunts from the enemy.

On the contrary, at this moment, Ebizō's sharp instincts, honed through years of experience, immediately detected Uchiha Ci's ploy.

This brat was trying to deceive him!

He was attempting to manipulate him into recklessly charging out of the array and abandoning the flawless battle environment that Ebizō had meticulously crafted.

Taking another deep breath, Ebizō narrowed his eyes and sneered coldly as he gazed at Uchiha Ci outside the array.

"Brat, I must admit, your tongue is truly sharp."

"The information in your words is entirely true, yet the way you've spun it makes it a blatant lie!"

"You almost had even me fooled!"

Ebizō cast a sidelong glance beyond the barrier at the swirling smoke signals in the distant sky. His lips curled into a smirk as he mockingly dissected Ci's scheme:

"Namikaze Minato coming here? That's true!"

"Your mission to stall me here? Also true!"

"And the rule that only one of us can leave this barrier alive? Absolutely true as well!"

"But you've woven a web of truth into a logical trap!"

"You've been trying to convince me that you're dangerous, that time is running out, and I must break through the array to kill you immediately if I want to survive!"

"But is that really the truth?"

"Ha ha ha ha."

Ebizō's eyes turned piercingly sharp as he stared at Uchiha Ci, exposing the deception.

"You've cleverly hidden crucial information buried in your so-called truths."

"You didn't mention that this is deep within Sunagakure's rear territory!"

"You didn't say exactly when Namikaze Minato would arrive—perhaps you don't even know!"

"And you certainly didn't say that Sunagakure's reinforcements could arrive even faster than Namikaze Minato!"

His cold gaze hardened as he barked,

"The one truly desperate to end this fight is you!"

"As for me, I've already secured an unassailable position!"

With that, Ebizō interlocked his fingers.

Clack, clack, clack!

Three puppets floated around him. The densely arranged seals on the ground lit up, and invisible, razor-sharp blades of Wind Release energy condensed at his fingertips.

An impenetrable shield of sealing techniques, paired with deadly blades poised to strike at any moment—this was Ebizō!

A Kage-level strategist and combatant, seamlessly integrating Wind Release, sealing techniques, and puppet arts!

As Ebizō systematically dismantled Uchiha Ci's ploys,

"Tch!"

Uchiha Ci clicked his tongue in frustration, his arrogant facade dissipating.

This level of old fox was indeed leagues above naïve hotheads like Hōzuki Mangetsu.

However, despite his ploy being exposed, Uchiha Ci's expression didn't falter. Instead, a smirk crept onto his face as he candidly admitted:

"You're right, old man."

Then, taking a deep breath, his crimson snake-like eyes narrowed as he crouched into a low stance.

Throwing his head back, a feral grin spread across his face as he declared:

"But I'm waiting for my peak moment to arrive!"

"And you—what are you waiting for?!"

As his words fell, a torrent of searing chakra erupted from Uchiha Ci's body!

Winds surged around him, creating a sandstorm that spiraled into the sky.

Infused with the Dragon Earth Cave's natural energy via the Heaven Curse Mark, his state reached its zenith!

Meanwhile, the miniature Zero-Tails within his abdomen had regenerated enough chakra for a full-on Fire Release mode burst.

And the surplus natural energy from the Heaven Curse Mark detonated at that moment.

In an instant, dense black markings spread across Uchiha Ci's body, turning his entire form jet black before abruptly shifting to a ghastly white.

Natural energy surged chaotically within him, relentlessly altering his body's structure.

White scales emerged across his skin, his muscle density skyrocketed, and both his physical resilience and flexibility surged exponentially!

As this transformation reached its peak, it seemed as if a massive serpent's tail would sprout from his spine at any moment. Pain erupted from his forehead, as if something were about to burst through his skin!

It was a state reminiscent of Kabuto's future Sage Mode transformation.

However, due to the limitations of his immortal body, the soul-bound nature of his undying existence prevented his physical form from exceeding its framework.

The overwhelming transformative force ultimately surged into his Sharingan through the blood vessels connected to his eyes.

"Ahhhh!!!"

A pain far exceeding that of a pierced and burned heart radiated from his eye sockets. Uchiha Ci clutched his face, falling to his knees in agony and howling in torment.

Purple eyeshadow gradually spread from the corners of his eyes to his nose bridge.

This enhanced the sharpness and eeriness of his vertical-pupiled Curse Mark Sharingan!

From Ebizō's perspective, the scene was nightmarish.

The boy before him writhed grotesquely as his muscles swelled, compressed, and transformed. The black patterns on his body were replaced by an unnervingly pale skin tone.

A chill crept down Ebizō's spine. Though he didn't fully understand the transformation taking place, an instinctual sense of dread overwhelmed him.

"We can't wait any longer!"

"Kill him while there's still time!"

Ebizō's eyes hardened as he swiftly maneuvered his hands. The lion-shaped puppets on the ground opened their jaws, revealing concealed massive crossbows, kunai launchers, and long spears.

"Puppet Technique: Thousand Blade Barrage!"

With a thunderous shout, his palms slammed into the ground!

The next moment, a storm of projectiles—close to a thousand—hurtled toward Uchiha Ci with ear-piercing velocity!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Like a torrential downpour, the storm of ninja tools ripped through the air, creating sonic booms as they raced forward.

In an instant, they crossed the fifty-meter distance and struck Uchiha Ci, pinning him to the ground like a hedgehog!

Blades pierced through his chest, legs, arms, and hands, scattering sand and dust in violent bursts.

The boy's agonized screams ceased abruptly.

Narrowing his eyes, Ebizō stared intently at the scene, murmuring to himself:

"Is he dead?"

"With the lion puppets' firing speed of over a thousand meters per second, even steel would have been shredded to bits under such an attack."

However...

As the sandstorm stirred by the barrage settled, revealing the scene beneath, Ebizō's expression froze in astonishment.

On the sandy ground lay what appeared to be the lifeless, weapon-riddled body of Uchiha Ci—yet the boy's crimson snake-like eyes suddenly snapped open!

His head twisted 180 degrees in a grotesque motion, and he bared his fangs at Ebizō.

The next instant, a pair of hands tore open the mouth of the "corpse" on the ground.

Dripping with saliva, the hands reached outward as an entirely new, pale-skinned Uchiha Ci emerged from the old body.

Landing gracefully, the reborn Uchiha Ci opened his eerie snake-like eyes, now framed by purple markings, and gazed coldly at Ebizō.

Before him, a series of messages appeared:

[You have mastered: Heaven Curse Mark, Second Form, Mythical Serpent Body (A+).]

[In this state, you have instinctively comprehended the principles of Snake Shedding Technique.]

[Your Snake Shedding Technique has evolved into: Great Serpent Substitution Technique (A+).]

[Your Sharingan has been influenced by natural energy, undergoing subtle changes.]

[It seems you've awakened a Sage Art Dojutsu.]