Chapter 313 : You Wait To Die

Shen had already merged with the Zero-Tails, and now possessed its full power.

At the same time, he was continuously extracting Nine-Tails' chakra from Naruto's body.

Because Shen had enhanced the Zero-Tails' chakra absorption capacity, it was now incredibly difficult for Naruto to push it to its limit, no matter how much chakra he released.

Originally only around 30 to 40 meters in size, the Zero-Tails now swelled rapidly after absorbing large amounts of Nine-Tails' chakra—ballooning to a monstrous form over a thousand meters tall.

As Shennong emerged from the wreckage of the destroyed Flying Fortress, the Zero-Tails raised its massive head. It towered over the battlefield, its raised neck alone reaching more than 500 meters in height.

It now stood equal in size to the Titan— Prison—summoned by Riku.

Prison's golden eyes gleamed with intensity as it began forging weapons in each hand.

In its right, a massive lightning-forged shield took shape.

In its left, a long blade formed from pure chakra and electricity.

The scale of this battle was no less than the legendary clash between Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama.

In fact, the destructive power being radiated from the Zero-Tails in its current state was even more terrifying than Madara's Tailed Beast-enhanced form during the Fourth Great Ninja War.

And when facing a colossal, soul-infused entity like the Zero-Tails, Wood Style was clearly ineffective.

In terms of pure destructive power, Riku's thunder-based titan, Prison, was easily comparable to a Tailed Beast—perhaps even more formidable.

Its might could now rival Hashirama's ultimate technique, True Several Thousand Hands.

The 500-meter-tall Prison stood outside Kirigakure like a thunderous god looming over the horizon, while the kilometer-high Zero-Tails brought a suffocating sense of despair.

After all, the largest of the original Nine Tailed Beasts was just over a hundred meters tall.

Even the Ten-Tails, the mythical progenitor of all Tailed Beasts, was only slightly more than a thousand meters at full manifestation.

This battle—between two gargantuan, godlike constructs—shook the entire Hidden Mist Village to its core.

Everyone witnessing the clash felt their hearts sink.

This was a confrontation between living deities.

After merging with the Zero-Tails, Shennong could feel the immense chakra coursing through its colossal body. The sensation was intoxicating.

"Hahaha! The power of the Zero-Tails is beyond anything I imagined. With this, crushing you won't be difficult at all!"

Drunk on power, Shen momentarily forgot Riku's might as he reveled in the overwhelming strength granted by the Nine-Tails' chakra.

He truly believed he could now defeat Riku with ease.

This battle had long surpassed the level where anyone else could intervene.

Yamato, an elite Jonin and master of Wood Style, was far outmatched. Despite his mastery, most of his techniques were useless against constructs of this scale.

Sasuke, too, could only watch. His Sharingan, while evolved to the Three Tomoe level, placed him at best within Kage-tier combat. But this battle was in a completely different realm.

He stood quietly at the edge of the battlefield, his eyes narrowed as he observed the clash of giants.

"So this is what a real battle looks like for someone like him…" he muttered to himself.

The sheer size of both Prison and the Zero-Tails rendered most conventional ninjutsu irrelevant. Their raw physical presence alone could decimate entire villages.

Even without complicated chakra techniques, the sheer weight and mass of these entities could level cities.

Sasuke had once believed that, after over three years of intense training, he had finally caught up to Riku.

But now he realized with grim clarity—he hadn't closed the gap at all.

In fact, Riku had only grown stronger, widening the chasm between them.

Standing atop Prison's massive head, Riku looked down at the Zero-Tails as it reared up to meet his gaze, now nearly equal in height.

A smirk tugged at the corner of Riku's lips.

"So… you figured out how to absorb the Nine-Tails' chakra to increase your size. That's clever."

"But don't get carried away. Size alone won't win this battle."

Shen, bloated with power and arrogance, laughed uproariously upon hearing Riku's words.

"Riku, your bravado is pathetic. Just accept your fate. You're finished!"

He was utterly convinced of his superiority, overwhelmed by the strength surging through him.

But Riku simply chuckled in return, finding Shen's delusion amusing.