In the Sand Village, the clones are everywhere, and the Arkham game begins

Chapter 498 Scorpion: What's the point of me playing this?!
The manufacture of pyrometallurgical nuclei is complicated and also very expensive.

Therefore, as the inventor of the pyrometallurgical nucleus, Kusno didn't have many on hand.

Shimizu doesn't lack technology, money, or materials. Although its industrial system lags behind the One-Punch Man world in many advanced fields, Shimizu can still build them by hand.

It's just a little slow.

After breaking the fourth limiter, he began to work on this scorching core in his spare time, and so far he has only made the one he has.

Even with just this one scorched core, combined with the arc reactor, it would be enough to give Sasori's puppets the strongest combat power in the ninja world, second only to Shimizu.

Even if Hashirama Senju were to recover to his peak, he would still have a fighting chance.

After Shimizu explained the function of the scorching core to Sasori, Sasori immediately wanted to install it on Sasori of the Red Sand.

"Is it really as terrifying as you say?"

"Theoretically, if it is pushed to its limit, it should have the ability to pierce through the entire Ninja World continent in one strike. The only drawback is that it requires a huge amount of energy to power it, but as long as there are enough Arc Reactors, energy is not a problem."

Shimizu smiled faintly at Scorpion.

The energy limit of the scorching core is quite considerable, even for a sixth-level powerhouse.

Although its form is relatively simple and lacks variation, consisting of nothing more than a pure energy bombardment, it possesses a pure numerical beauty. If used properly, it can be considered an important and powerful output skill at the Six Paths level.

In terms of power, even if it doesn't have the same mechanics and numerical values ​​as Planetary Devastation, which can seal Kaguya, it is still a considerable threat to most Six Paths level powerhouses.

At least for Shimizu himself, this move was enough to severely injure him.

If you can hit it.

Even if he gets hit, he can recover thanks to his self-healing ability, but it will still cause considerable damage and will take some time to heal.

If one were to be attacked like this when facing an enemy of the same Six Paths level, while there might not be any immediate danger, the physical injury would likely take time to heal, temporarily impacting combat strength and putting one at a disadvantage.

Therefore, although Shimizu will produce the pyrometallurgical core, it will not actually unlock all the limits of the pyrometallurgical core. It will only open up about 50% of it under the pretext of the existence of technical barriers.

Although he trusted Sasori and Chiyo, there was still a possibility that this item could fall into the hands of others besides Sasori and his group, so it should not be underestimated.

Although on the surface he is the only Six Paths level powerhouse in the ninja world, who knows when those hidden Otsutsuki will show their faces and oppose him.

Fifty percent of the energy already has the destructive power of a Dragon-level being. Even Hashirama Senju at his peak, or Madara Uchiha with the Rinnegan, might not be able to withstand a single hit.

It's enough that they can control the puppets and have the power to suppress a great nation single-handedly.

After Shimizu finished explaining the scorching core to Scorpion in detail, Scorpion choked.

What does it mean to conquer the continent and destroy the ninja world?
Although it cannot unleash its full power, even fifty percent of it would be enough to destroy the world, right?

“I never doubted your research results before, but this time… this power, you could say it’s more like the Sage of Six Paths.”

"The Sage of Six Paths, I may still be a bit behind him for now, but I think I should be considered a strong person of the same level."

Shimizu raised his head, thought for two seconds, and then said.

Scorpion initially thought Shimizu was joking, but when his gaze returned to the scorching core, he looked at Shimizu with suspicion and uncertainty.

"Are you serious?"

"From childhood to adulthood, over all these years, when have I ever lied to you?"

"Heh, I didn't lie, but you've fooled me quite a few times. I've figured it out. You're just like me, thinking everyone else is too stupid. Every time there's new knowledge, you teach it to me first, and then leave me to teach that bunch of idiots alone."

Scorpion sneered and looked at Shimizu with disdain.

"Well, I have other things to do, and tell me, have I ever cheated you? When have I ever let you off the hook?"

Shimizu put his arm around Scorpion's shoulder, looking like they were best buddies.

"You should be glad you didn't betray me, otherwise you would have been dead long ago."

Scorpion glanced at the clear water and took the scorching core.

"I'll study how to properly install and adjust this thing later, but before that, you have to help me test the power of Sasori of the Red Sand. You've already exaggerated to the point that you're close to the Sage of Six Paths, so surely you can handle this puppet of mine, right?"

"Oh? You're getting cocky, aren't you, Scorpion? Let me think, the last time you asked to spar with me was about three and a half years ago, right?"

Three and a half years ago, when the Third Kazekage tried to give Shimizu pointers but ended up fighting him to a standstill in the training grounds, proving that Shimizu already possessed the strength of a Kage, Sasori, who used to enjoy sparring with Shimizu, never challenged him again.

Their strengths are no longer on the same level. A year and a half ago, he only crossed this threshold by using a puppet made from the corpse of the Third Hokage, while Shimizu was already able to fight against three Kage-level powerhouses on his own. The gap between them is even wider now.

Although the gap is large, Scorpion can at least see it clearly.

On the contrary, Sasori doesn't know how big the gap is between himself and Shimizu, or how much the Sasori Puppet of the Red Sand can bridge.

But he wanted to give it a try.

Surely Shimizu couldn't have really reached the level of the Sage of Six Paths, could he?
Soon, Scorpion found out the answer.

"where is this place?"

Scorpion sat atop the head of the Crimson Sand Scorpion, staring in horror at the reality around him that was swirling upside down.

Where on earth has Shimizu dragged me?

Is it inside some kind of barrier?
How did I get in here?
Was he pulled in by Shimizu's space-time ninjutsu?
But he was completely unaware of it; he had only touched the mirror that had been shattered by the water when this happened.

Be nice.

Could it be that you really have the strength of the Sage of Six Paths?
"This is a mirror dimension, existing in the space between reality and illusion. In short, just think of this as an alternate dimension. Here, any damage you cause to the environment will automatically recover after a period of time."

This place is also secure enough to ensure that our confrontation won't be detected by outsiders.

Shimizu smiled slightly and spoke to Scorpion, who was stunned in the cockpit of the giant puppet's head.

"So it's a powerful space-time ninjutsu? This place is so big, can an entire army be put in here? Is the exit to the outside also selectable? Doesn't that mean that after our army is assembled, it can launch a surprise attack on other ninja villages in an instant?"

"Yes, but unfortunately, there isn't anyone in the village who has been able to learn the Flying Thunder God technique that I've compiled, let alone Mirror Dimension and Spatial Teleportation."

Shimizu shrugged. "Skills involving space are never particularly simple. Even psychic arts require a certain talent in spacetime and a basic grasp of sealing techniques to learn."

Kamar-Taki, the sorcerer in the Marvel universe, is indeed quite adept at manipulating space and has done considerable research, but all of this is based on using the Sling Ring to communicate with the power of the Vishanti. Essentially, the sorcerer's role in this process is that of a medium, similar to a magical artifact.

Even Qing Shui only got to where she is today after mastering multiple space-related abilities and having a sufficient foundation, thanks to the opportunities in the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley.

Without the Mangekyou Sharingan, a bloodline limit of the Otsutsuki clan, a normal ninja in the ninja world would at most be like Minato Namikaze.

Unfortunately, Konoha has only produced one Minato Namikaze in decades, and Shimizu has not yet found anyone in Sunagakure with such extraordinary spatial abilities.

Such geniuses are rare and hard to come by; even geniuses like Orochimaru and Sasori, whose intelligence surpasses that of ordinary ninjas, cannot learn this skill.

"I'm going to start."

Scorpion quickly adjusted his mindset, controlled the Red Sand Scorpion, and entered battle mode.

"bring it on."

Shimizu remained relaxed, not even drawing his sword, but a fierce aura erupted from his body, turning his hair and skin milky white at that moment.

Since breaking the fourth limiter, his physical strength has already reached the threshold of the Dragon level, and with the support of his mental aura and the reversal of immortal techniques, it has risen even higher.

Shimizu believed that even without using any other means, he could probably smash a complete Susanoo with his bare fists.

As for Scorpion's Crimson Sand Scorpion...

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

Dense beams of light and projectiles rained down on Qing Shui from the cannons that rose from the giant scorpion puppet's body.

As the ground trembled, a giant metal scorpion, nearly two hundred meters tall and over eight hundred meters long, spewed out streams of scorching steam and strode toward the clear water with its long, segmented legs on either side of its body.

Second-generation arc reactor + Five-Tails chakra dual-core drive!
Faced with this attack that could split mountains, Shimizu neither dodged nor avoided it, but simply assumed the stance of the Flowing Water Rock-Shattering Fist and charged straight forward.

Water Stream Formation!
Numerous fist shadows flew out, their afterimages so fast they were almost invisible. Combined with the flowing, water-like Sage Chakra overflowing from his hands, Shimizu was as if he had activated the Hyuga clan's Reversal Technique, easily deflecting attacks that would have required multiple powerful ninjas to block, while simultaneously closing in on him.

"boom!"

A strong, powerful fist slammed straight into the metal giant scorpion's pincers, creating a large crater.

Inside the cockpit, Scorpion was shocked. He hadn't expected that Shimizu would dare to charge straight at him using only his physical body and ninjutsu without resorting to any other means.

Even more unexpectedly, even with this, his Sasori of the Red Sand was already at a disadvantage right at the start of the fight!
Is it possible for a human body to be this strong?
Even the Third Raikage, who is considered by everyone in the ninja world to have the strongest physique, is probably far inferior to Shimizu now.
"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

Thunderous vibrations resounded continuously, causing Scorpion's body inside the cockpit to tremble.

Shimizu was standing on top of the giant scorpion's head, punching it down repeatedly.

Even though Sasori had activated all the weapons on Sasori of the Red Sand, with his stingers swarming like snakes as he chased after Shimizu, and even released powerful regular puppets like the Third Hokage puppet to assist him, he still couldn't stop Shimizu's fist.

"Tornado Iron Fist!"

Sharp gusts of wind surged forth, and Shimizu's figure shifted, moving between the scorpion tail and the puppet.

Even using only the most basic Body Instantaneous Movement technique, the sheer speed, enhanced by her powerful physique, was still unbelievable.

In just a few seconds, the salamander puppet at the very front was torn in two by Shimizu's sharp fist wind, and the chakra threads connected to it were severed.

Next came the Third Hokage's puppet and the Black Ant, followed by the Black Crow...

Before long, Scorpion's puppet army, which was capable of contending with a Kage-level expert, was severely damaged and temporarily lost its fighting ability.

Scorpion was not discouraged, but instead thought about continuing to operate.

However, Shimizu did not give him another chance.

After roughly testing the combat power of Scorpion's large puppet, Shimizu directly raised his hand to open a teleportation circle, which led directly to the cockpit where Scorpion was located. He rushed in and instantly arrived in front of Scorpion. He stretched out his left hand, bent it together, and flicked Scorpion's head from top to bottom.

"Ouch! What are you doing!?"

Scorpion rubbed his red forehead, groaned, and complained.

Well, you lost.

Shimizu said with a grin to his friend.

Scorpion was silent for two seconds, then smiled helplessly.

What the hell are you even chasing?!

He lost, and even though he lost, he couldn't tell how much of Shimizu's strength he had used.

Although Shimizu was powerful and ahead of him in the past, Sasori was at least very clear about the extent of Shimizu's current strength and where his limits lay.

But now?
Without even using his signature swordsmanship, ninjutsu, or puppetry, he simply relied on his bare fists to overpower Sasori, whom he had painstakingly created, and also managed to render several other puppets incapable of fighting.

If his physical body is this formidable, imagine how powerful he would be if he used his full strength!
Now Sasori truly believes that Shimizu has already stood on the same platform that the Sage of Six Paths belonged to a thousand years ago.

For ordinary ninjas, the Five Kage and the Three Sannin are legends, while for Kage-level ninjas, figures like Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha are true legends, unattainable but at least within reach.

As for the Sage of Six Paths?

For all the ninjas in the ninja world, that was already a myth, something they could never forget, like a true god.

In other contexts, it might sound like a mythical tale of Nuwa patching up the sky or Pangu creating the world, resembling a creation god.

(End of this chapter)