The moment he was caught in Banshō Ten'in (Universal Pull), Shin knew he was in trouble.
While mid-air, he immediately unleashed his Wood Release, attempting to counter the force pulling him in.
Massive wooden structures rapidly covered the entire battlefield, but even such an overwhelming technique couldn't withstand the gravitational pull of Banshō Ten'in.
Almost instantly, the wood was crushed into countless fragments, but the scattered debris still bought Shin a brief moment to react.
The distance between them had already shrunk from over a kilometer to just 100 meters, within the next two breaths, he would be right in front of Obito.
At that range, escaping from both Obito and Orochimaru would be nearly impossible.
Still airborne, Shin used the wooden debris to adjust his position and quickly launched a Fire Release jutsu directly at them.
But it was futile.
He had yet to fully grasp the extent of the Rinnegan's abilities.
Within the gravitational field of Banshō Ten'in, his fire jutsu was instantly disrupted and neutralized before it could reach its target.
The next second, Shin was pulled directly in front of Obito.
Simultaneously, Orochimaru attacked, summoning dozens of massive serpents that wrapped tightly around Shin, completely binding him.
The fangs of the snakes pierced into his body, injecting large amounts of venom.
"Don't worry," Orochimaru smirked, "the venom won't kill you… just paralyze your chakra flow, making you completely helpless."
But before he could finish speaking, his expression suddenly changed.
The next moment, a violent shockwave erupted, sending Orochimaru flying backward.
As he regained his footing, his eyes widened in shock...
Shin was now surrounded by a terrifying, explosive chakra aura, one that made even Orochimaru shudder instinctively.
At the same time, Shin was forcibly resisting Obito's Shinra Tensei head-on with sheer physical strength.
"…This is—Eight Gates Released Formation. At least the Seventh Gate."
As a former Konoha shinobi, Orochimaru was well aware of the Eight Gates technique.
In fact, it wasn't even considered a secret in the shinobi world.
However, the reality was… very few could actually master it.
It seemed like a technique anyone could train in, but in truth, it required both extreme talent and extraordinary effort.
When Might Guy had described Lee as a "genius of effort," it wasn't just a compliment. It was a necessity.
The Eight Gates required both talent and effort, without one or the other, it was impossible to master.
Shin, with his genetically enhanced body, had unmatched physical talent.
And under Kotoamatsukami's influence, he was also an unparalleled hard worker.
Even with these advantages, he had only been able to open the Seventh Gate.
It wasn't that he was afraid of unlocking the Eighth Gate, in fact, given his immortality, he was theoretically the most suitable person to use it.
But he simply couldn't.
At least, not yet.
Even so, his chakra reserves, combined with the Seventh Gate's power, were enough to shock both Orochimaru and Obito.
The moment Orochimaru's snakes wrapped around him, Shin activated the Seventh Gate,
A surge of violent chakra exploded outward, blasting Orochimaru away.
Obito, however, remained unscathed, He had reacted immediately, using Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push) to repel the attack before it could reach him.
Then, without hesitation, "Limbo: Border Jail."
As Shin and Obito clashed, Obito activated his Limbo clones.
Unlike Madara, who could create five Limbo clones, Obito could only summon two, but that was still more than enough.
The invisible clones attacked instantly.
While still mid-air, Shin was suddenly struck by an unseen force, his abdomen torn open in a brutal wound.
Before he could recover, his throat was hit next, crushing his windpipe.
Yet...
Shin didn't react at all.
He completely ignored the severe wounds on his abdomen and throat.
Instead, he focused entirely on the invisible opponent. Just before the Limbo clone could pull its arm back...
Shin caught it.
"…Got you."
As one of Aoba's closest subordinates, Shin was well aware of the existence of Limbo clones.
But since he wasn't at the Six Paths level, he had no Rinnegan and no Sage Mode, meaning he couldn't sense them.
Even in the late stages of the original story, Naruto could barely detect Limbo clones, and without Sasuke's Rinnegan, he had no way to counter them properly.
Which meant, Shin knew defending himself was pointless.
Instead of trying to dodge or counter the unknown, he had made a bold decision...
Use his immortality to endure the attack and counterattack blindly the moment he was hit.
The moment the first strike landed, he had already calculated the Limbo clone's position.
And on the second hit, he seized the perfect opportunity to strike back.
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Currently on Chapter 321 - The Battle for Authority