"It's impossible. I remember now—your body can freely shift between flame and solid form. No wonder you've been so arrogant."
Shinnō stood up, his gaze cold as he stared at Kiyosuke.
"Oh? You only just remembered that?"
Kiyosuke's body reformed as he spoke.
"This is something everyone in the shinobi world knows. Why are you the last one to figure it out? Hehehehe. Come on, Shinnō. Let's see if you can live up to that name of yours."
"Then let's do this!"
Shinnō slammed both fists against his chest like a gorilla, and in the next instant he closed the distance to Kiyosuke. Dark chakra surged in his palm, condensing into a spiraling sphere of energy.
With a thunderous boom, Kiyosuke vanished from sight. Flames scattered wildly through the air.
Seeing this, Shinnō immediately formed hand seals and said coldly,
"If I extinguish these flames, you'll die as well, Asakawa Kiyosuke! Your weakness couldn't be more obvious! Water Style!"
Countless water droplets filled the air, precisely smothering the flames.
"Hahahaha! That's it! So this is the so-called strongest of Konoha? Nothing impressive at all! I've already killed Konoha's strongest shinobi!"
Shinnō laughed maniacally, brimming with confidence in his own power.
Squelch!
A hand pierced clean through his chest from behind.
Kiyosuke appeared at his back and said,
"Hey, don't take yourself so seriously. Did you really think you could keep up with my speed? Those sparks were nothing but traces left behind when I moved. And you thought they were my body? Ridiculous."
By elementalizing his body, Kiyosuke shed weight, enabling incredible speed—faster than Shinnō even after opening all Eight Gates. But because of his nature, each movement left behind trails of fire.
"You… impossible!"
Shinnō tore himself free. His wound healed instantly as dark chakra swelled violently, his muscles bulging until he looked like a monstrous bear in human form. His hair grew long and wild, black as ink, making him look eerily like a Saiyan.
"The more you hurt me, the stronger I'll become! Hahahaha!"
He roared with manic pride.
Kiyosuke only looked bored.
"How dull. To restore your body you need the Zero-Tails' help. Our Fifth Hokage-sama has a technique that heals wounds instantly without relying on anything else."
His words were true. Shinnō's technique resembled Tsunade's Creation Rebirth, but while Tsunade relied on stored chakra, Shinnō used the Zero-Tails' dark chakra. Worse yet, every injury he suffered only made his body stronger.
"Impossible! No one but a genius like me could use such a technique! How could that Tsunade ever—"
Before he could finish, Sakura spoke up, her voice sharp.
"Tsunade-sama's technique is a thousand times better than yours! At least she didn't waste decades scheming and plotting just to gain some filthy, disgraceful power!"
"Disgraceful power?"
Shinnō clenched his fists. Dark chakra boiled violently around him as black miasma swirled.
"Power is neither noble nor disgraceful. Just as there are no lower or higher humans. Little girl, do you know why such a weak species as humans came to rule this world?"
His gaze swept across everyone as he gave a chilling smile.
"Because humans are cruel enough. That cruelty, carved into their very bones, placed them atop the world. If Asakawa Kiyosuke were cruel enough, he alone could destroy the Five Great Shinobi Villages and reign over this world as its master."
"I don't have any plans to destroy the world."
Kiyosuke dug a finger in his ear, utterly unimpressed.
"No one in this world is more kindhearted than me. No one. Absolutely no one!"
His eyes gleamed faintly, sending a shiver down Shinnō's spine. Shinnō quickly shut his mouth.
Seizing the moment, Shinnō darted behind Naruto and smashed him aside with a punch. He kicked Sasuke away just as he reacted, then seized Sakura by the arm.
"In that case… then I'll—"
Boom!
Sakura's monstrous punch landed squarely on his face, blasting him straight through the throne and into a heap of rubble.
Kiyosuke shrugged.
"Seriously, of all people to grab, you chose Tsunade-sama's disciple? Did you really think the Senju clan's monstrous strength was just a joke?"
He helped Naruto and Sasuke back up, then turned toward Shinnō.
"Enough wasting my time with chatter. You know… this happens to be the Sky Ninja's main base. If I blow it up now, it saves me some trouble."
Shinnō clawed his way out of the rubble.
"I'm stronger than ever! You cannot defeat me!"
He charged with blinding speed. Yet again, he relied only on taijutsu. And yet again, Kiyosuke chose to meet him the same way, abandoning his special abilities and clashing with fists alone.
Their fight was dazzling, a blur of raw speed and power.
"S-So fast! I always knew Kiyosuke-san's ninjutsu was strong, but his taijutsu is this incredible too?!"
Sasuke's Sharingan spun as he tried to copy some of the moves, but quickly realized Kiyosuke's fighting style had no pattern. It wasn't like Rock Lee's structured taijutsu—it was instinct, reaction, and overwhelming strength. Still, he gained valuable insight just watching.
Shinnō's body continued to suffer damage, continue to heal, and continue to grow stronger—but no matter how much he powered up, he could not overcome Kiyosuke, who dominated him even in pure taijutsu.
"No! No no no no no!!!!"
He screamed frantically.
"I already possess the Zero-Tails' power! Why can't I defeat you?! This is impossible!!"
"Because you're too weak!"
Kiyosuke's fist smashed into his face, sending him flying again.
"Raw strength without training can never truly be strong! This power—"
He clenched his fist tightly.
"This power is the result of years of refinement, of training, of polishing myself to the limit! How could a cheat like you ever compare?"
Kiyosuke grabbed Shinnō's arm, planted his foot against his chest, and tore.
Rip!
Blood sprayed. Flesh and sinew ripped apart in a gruesome spectacle.
Kiyosuke grinned like a madman.
"That's why your power is still too weak!"
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Shinnō shrieked in agony, stumbling back again and again.
"Y-you… stay away from me!!!"
His arm began to regenerate, but this time, his body didn't bulk up. Instead, it withered. His thick black hair thinned rapidly, graying and falling away to reveal a shiny scalp.
Well… that was pretty bald.
"N-no… my power… my power! How could this be… what did you do to me?!"
His once-booming voice cracked and rasped. The powerful middle-aged man was reduced in an instant to a withered old husk.
The change came far too quickly.