Asuma's entire body was charred black, covered in severe burns, with wounds so deep they exposed bone, a truly horrific sight.
"Hahahaha… This little bit of injury isn't enough."
Asuma suddenly burst into maniacal laughter, the black Chakra of his Jashin Mode surging wildly, covering his wounds.
Alarmingly, those gruesome burns healed at a visible rate. Charred skin peeled away, new granulation tissue rapidly grew, and within mere seconds, most of his injuries had recovered.
This was precisely the "Jashin Mode" granted by the Jashin Cult's secret jutsu, allowing for infinite self-regeneration as long as the Jashin Chakra was not depleted.
A flicker of understanding passed through Shun's eyes, yet his expression remained impassive.
Taking advantage of Shun's observation, Asuma formed hand seals again and bellowed.
Wind Release: Dust Cloud Jutsu!
A violent sandstorm erupted around him, instantly engulfing an area of over a hundred meters, reducing visibility to less than a meter and completely obscuring Shun's vision.
"Shun, try this!"
Asuma's voice sounded from within the sandstorm, laced with maniacal laughter.
Immediately following, a massive Chakra fluctuation emanated from the sandstorm, and a golden thousand-armed Kannon phantom slowly emerged. This was the Fire Temple's secret jutsu, Welcoming Approach: Thousand-Armed Murder.
The thousand-armed Kannon stood over twenty meters tall, its countless golden arms raining down like a storm, striking towards Shun's direction at supersonic speed.
Complete Body Susanoo!
Shun remained calm as the orange Complete Body Susanoo instantly formed, protecting him within it.
The thousand-armed Kannon's fists pounded densely on Susanoo's toes, emitting thunderous "bang, bang, bang" sounds. Golden fists collided with the orange Susanoo, stirring up waves of energy that caused the island's rocks to shatter and fly.
However, to Asuma's astonishment, not a single mark, not even a slight dent, was left on Susanoo's toes.
The thousand-armed Kannon's super-speed attack was like a mere tickle against the Complete Body Susanoo, completely ineffective.
As the sandstorm gradually dissipated, Asuma looked at the unharmed Susanoo, the madness in his eyes slowly replaced by disbelief, then consumed by rage.
He pointed at Shun and cursed, "Shun, are you a sore loser?! Are you just going to hide inside Susanoo like a coward?!"
Shun stood inside Susanoo, looking at the enraged Asuma through the armor's gaps, a mocking smile on his lips.
"Sore loser? I just don't want to waste my time with you. Your attacks can't even break through my Susanoo's defense, yet you dare to yell here?"
Asuma was left speechless, a mix of anger and helplessness intertwining in his heart, yet he could only watch as Susanoo slowly raised its giant blade and brought it down towards him.
He knew that today, he might fall here.
Meanwhile, at the Land of Water's royal palace, the defensive barrier slowly receded. Tsunade, Mei, and Kurenai were busy comforting the startled guests and dealing with the aftermath of the battle.
Shiryu clutched Tsunade's clothes, his face filled with worry. "Mommy, will Daddy be okay?"
Tsunade caressed his head, her eyes filled with determination. "Don't worry, your Daddy is very strong. He will definitely come back."
She looked towards the island, her heart filled with worry, yet she had full confidence in Shun. That man would never disappoint her.
...
The giant blade in Susanoo's hand whistled through the air as it descended towards Asuma.
Asuma's pupils constricted, he instinctively conjured a black shield of Chakra, but only heard a crisp "crack." The shield was cleaved apart like paper by the giant blade, and the edge of the blade landed on his shoulder without obstruction.
Pfft!
Blood gushed out, and Asuma was sent flying several meters by the impact of the giant blade, crashing heavily onto the rocks.
He struggled to get up, the wound on his shoulder deep enough to expose bone, and the black Jashin Chakra immediately surged forward to repair it. But this time, the healing speed was noticeably much slower. The wound that would normally recover in a few seconds now took nearly ten seconds to barely stop bleeding, leaving a gruesome scar.
"How could this be…"
Asuma looked at his shoulder, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Jashin Mode's self-healing ability had never failed, but that last strike seemed to have not only caused physical damage but also suppressed the Jashin Chakra within his body.
Shun controlled Susanoo, walking step by step towards Asuma, his tone icy. "Your self-healing ability consumes Chakra. Each time you get injured, the Chakra consumed increases, and there will always be a moment when it runs out."
As soon as he finished speaking, Susanoo raised its giant blade again, the blade glowing with a cold blue light, and once more, it slashed towards Asuma.
This time, Asuma barely had the strength to dodge. He could only watch as the giant blade descended, heavily striking his chest.
Boom!
A deep crater was created in the ground.
Asuma spat out blood, his body almost crushed and deformed by the giant blade. Black Chakra surged wildly, repairing his shattered bones and internal organs, but the healing speed grew slower and slower, and signs of Chakra disorder began to appear at the wound.
This repeated three times. Susanoo's giant blade fell again and again, and again and again, Asuma slowly healed in agony.
In the end, Asuma no longer had the strength to get up. He lied in the deep crater, gasping for breath, the black Chakra on his body becoming thin, and his gruesome wounds could only barely stop bleeding, no longer able to fully heal.
"Asuma, was that fun?"
Shun looked at the dying Asuma and dispelled Susanoo.
He slowly walked towards the deep crater, preparing to end this boring battle.
Just then, a spatial rift suddenly appeared behind him.
Obito's figure burst out of the rift, throwing dozens of black kunai.
He hadn't gone far earlier. Instead, he had been observing the battlefield with Kamui, waiting for the opportune moment to ambush.
"Hmph, still dare to come back?"
Shun seemed to have noticed him long ago, using Flying Thunder God to appear behind him. Golden Chakra wrapped around his fist, carrying the explosive power of Nature Mode, and landed on Obito's chest.
Bang!
Obito's body was instantly sent flying, turning into a puff of white smoke, it was a Shadow Clone.
The real Obito appeared from another spatial rift, his eyes under the mask filled with gravity.
That earlier probing attack made him fully realize that Shun's sensory abilities far exceeded his expectations, even detecting the spatial fluctuations of Kamui.
He dared not attack rashly again, only able to hide in the distance, maintaining a safe distance, cautiously looking for the next opportunity to ambush.
Shun glanced at Obito, not paying too much attention to him.
Someone who only knew how to hide in space and ambush was not enough to make him go all out.
He continued to walk towards Asuma in the deep crater, his steps steady, each one like a stomp on Asuma's heartbeat.
Asuma watched Shun's approaching figure, and a hint of mad excitement suddenly flashed in his eyes. He laboriously raised his hand, a strange smile on his lips.
"Shun, do you think you've truly won?"
Shun's heart stirred, and he looked down at the ground, only to see that the crevices in the rocks around the deep crater were filled with dense yellow explosive tags.
Earlier, while maneuvering against Susanoo, Asuma had secretly used Shadow Clones to set up these traps during the sandstorm's concealment, all to blow him up when he got close.
"Shun, die for me!"
Asuma used his last ounce of strength to detonate a large number of explosive tags.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Countless explosive tags detonated simultaneously, a violent explosion echoing across the island, with flames and smoke soaring into the sky.
Obito watched this scene from mid-air, a flicker of surprise in his eyes under the mask. He hadn't expected Asuma to set such a death trap.
However, after the smoke cleared, there was no blood on the island as there should have been.
Asuma's eyes widened, unable to believe his eyes. The area covered by the explosive tags was completely empty.
"Are you looking for me?" A voice sounded from behind Asuma.
Asuma sharply turned his head, only to see Shun standing not far behind him, apparently having instantly teleported to a safe area using Flying Thunder God the moment the explosive tags detonated.
"Impossible… How could you be so fast…"
Asuma's voice was filled with despair. The trap he had exhausted his last bit of strength to set was so easily thwarted by his opponent.