Chapter 98: 98: Just Stopped Time
Amber's full time-manipulation ability was exorbitantly priced, capable of leaping to past or future.
Shen Mo only bought time-stop.
He removed the aging side effect, replacing it with mental energy consumption.
It cost 27 million points.
Add body enhancements and Wolverine's immortality, and Shen Mo was left with 20 million points for emergencies.
He'd spent all his Land of Waves earnings.
"Time to earn it back," Shen Mo thought, eyeing the ninja, determined to bleed them dry and start saving for Ikaros!
He leisurely walked to Tsunade.
Reaching out…
He took the heirloom pendant from her neck.
Thinking it wasn't enough…
He pulled out a pen, did this and that, then leisurely returned to his spot.
Time-stop, released!
To the others, Shen Mo seemed to merely flicker, his position slightly shifted.
What happened?
"You said no need for trouble, what did you—" Tsunade stopped mid-sentence.
She saw the pendant in Shen Mo's fingers.
Looking down…
Only the Courage Cross necklace remained on her neck.
And more!
Her eyes scanned the Konoha jōnin, lips pursed, silent.
Each had a black ink mark on their neck!
Including Hiruzen!
All fell silent, understanding what this meant.
Ink marks could've been decapitations.
If Shen Mo had killing intent…
They'd all be headless!
How did he do it? What ninjutsu was this?
These battle-hardened ninja felt a chill creep up their spines.
"As expected, I'm not qualified to challenge you," Tsunade said, her expression unshaken. She'd anticipated this, and it was her goal.
Plus… everyone's neck had an ink mark.
Except hers.
Women sometimes find joy in odd things.
"How did you do it?" Hyuga Hiashi stepped forward, his activated Byakugan fixed on Tsunade's face. "Ink alone is one thing, but these patterns couldn't be drawn instantly without notice."
"Patterns?" Tsunade's expression froze.
"Lady Tsunade," Kurenai Yuhi offered a small mirror.
Her refined, beautiful face now looked comical. No matter how stunning, a dragon on the left cheek, a rainbow on the right, and a giant turtle on her forehead ruined it.
Shen Mo had only planned the turtle.
But looking at her face…
He felt compelled to add more.
Facing Hiashi's question, Shen Mo's lips curled into a smile.
"Simple. I just stopped time, walked over slowly, drew, then walked back."
He tossed the pendant to Tsunade.
It still held a faint warmth as she caught it.
Tsunade looked at Shen Mo's unchanged expression, then at her mirror reflection, teeth itching.
If she could win a fight…
Facing Shen Mo's casual claim, Hiashi and the others' gazes sharpened.
Stopped time?
Did he take them for three-year-olds?
"I don't know how you did it," Might Guy burst from the group, in his comical green vest, striking a combat pose as if unable to hold back. "But I demand a rematch! My youth doesn't give up so easily!"
He knew Shen Mo was strong.
Strong enough to mark his neck without him reacting.
But Might Guy wouldn't surrender.
It only fueled his passion!
He must've been unprepared!
"Don't believe me?" Shen Mo seemed slightly surprised, slowly raising a finger. "This time, I won't stop your time."
His finger tapped the air.
Like a drop in a lake, invisible ripples spread.
In that instant…
Time stopped.
Like his demonstration before Zabuza and Haku, everything—airflow, grass, leaves, all sounds—froze like a painting.
Two butterflies paused mid-flight before them.
Might Guy stumbled back two steps.
The grass under his feet bore clear footprints, blades frozen in their crushed state.
"Kurenai," Asuma Sarutobi turned to her.
"Not genjutsu."
Kurenai's face mirrored their disbelief.
This was real.
The entire world was in time-stop. Their bodily sounds—heartbeats, breathing, blood flow—amplified in this still world, proving it.
No matter how unbelievable…
This godlike miracle was happening.
"Some past clients said this world feels oppressive," Shen Mo said, strolling, eyeing the frozen butterflies. He brushed them lightly.
Suddenly…
As if reanimated, they flapped but soon spiraled to the ground, struggling futilely.
The air was stopped too.
No airflow.
Though their bodies' time flowed, the disorienting sensation was deeply oppressive.
"Your life's level can't adapt to differing time," Shen Mo's calm voice addressed Tsunade and Might Guy, who'd challenged him. "So, still want to spar?"
Feeling time stopped, being toyed with.
Then experiencing a stopped world.
Any rational person would abandon illusions.
As Shen Mo expected…
"No need," Tsunade shook her head slowly, eyeing the struggling butterflies. "Space is your toy… and time too…"
Mere ink marks didn't convey time-stop's weight.
But this scene…
Everyone understood.
No matter their skills or abilities, against time manipulation, they were laughable playthings.
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