Mikoto: What Are You Doing?

Ten White Zetsu fell from the sky, surrounding Ingetsu. Their right arms swung in long arcs, their clenched fists crashing down with the force of a thousand pounds!

Swish—

A perfect pitch-black arc spun through the air. Wherever Black Sword Dark Moon passed, it left behind a lonely, razor-sharp gleam.

The White Zetsu looked confused and stunned. The next instant, their heads and fists separated cleanly from their bodies and rained onto the ground.

Ingetsu sheathed his blade elegantly.

He glanced sideways at the Black Sword.

He sensed the process of the slash.

Dark Moon's hilt felt soft and delicate, while its blade was light. Cutting through the hard bodies of the White Zetsu felt like slicing through water, without the slightest resistance.

Moreover...

It gave Ingetsu an intense sense of longing. It seemed capable of carrying energy, waiting for its master to fill it.

Ingetsu stared at Dark Moon in his right hand, raised his left, formed the Tiger Seal, and transformed the Chakra in his body into Fire Attribute Chakra.

A searing energy gathered from the Chakra pathways throughout his body and surged toward his throat.

Taking an unconventional approach, Ingetsu guided that scorching Fire Attribute Chakra nature transformation toward his sword-gripping right hand.

A strange scene unfolded.

Like a long drought meeting sweet rain, Black Sword Dark Moon emitted a pitch-black, eerie mist that coiled around Ingetsu's right hand. Through his skin, the black mist absorbed the Fire Attribute Chakra contained in his arm and fed it into the blade.

In an instant.

The air seemed to ignite, and the temperature soared.

Below Dark Moon's hilt, its straight blade erupted with scorching black flames. Like Amaterasu's black fire, they seemed as though they would never go out.

"Does this count as... an attribute Chakra enchantment?"

Surprise appeared on Ingetsu's face. He could foresee that if Dark Moon struck an enemy now, it would carry the burning effect of Fire Attribute Chakra nature transformation.

The White Zetsu attacking the Uchiha suddenly stopped and turned to look behind them.

They keenly sensed that the temperature in the area had abruptly risen and the air was gradually drying out.

White Zetsu capable of using Wood Release were exceptionally sensitive to changes in humidity and temperature.

Their brows rose and their eyes widened as they stared at the black-flamed longsword in Ingetsu's right hand, revealing the raw fear of beasts facing their natural predator.

What plant wasn't afraid of fire...

The White Zetsu stopped attacking.

The Uchiha fighting desperately around them breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly helped their injured companions gather together, lest the White Zetsu scatter them again.

They were also astonished by the change in their Captain Ingetsu.

"What... kind of ninjutsu is that?"

An Uchiha stared fixedly at Dark Moon, burning with black flames, without even blinking.

That question was beyond them.

None of the companions around him answered.

Ingetsu walked straight toward the White Zetsu. The black flames on Dark Moon in his right hand surged, as though they would melt this entire world away.

Dark Moon continuously absorbed Fire Attribute Chakra to maintain this enchanted state.

Fortunately.

The effects of that pill had not yet ended. Ingetsu's strength and Chakra recovery speed were currently ten times their normal levels!

Although the White Zetsu looked terrified, they all took two steps back before the black flames, their faces becoming savage once more.

They abandoned their attacks on the nearby Uchiha and swarmed toward Ingetsu alone.

Boom—

The searing black flames surged again. Ingetsu swung Black Sword Dark Moon, and wherever its long blade swept, it raised a wall of black fire.

His figure was swift and nimble.

He darted through the White Zetsu's encirclement.

Every swing of Dark Moon cut several White Zetsu in half at the waist, after which the blazing black flames instantly scorched their bodies.

These White Zetsu possessed tremendous vitality. Ordinary ninja blades and Kunai could not kill them even after cutting them.

But before black flames that would not die until they had burned everything to ashes, they could only wait like firewood meant to be consumed.

The Uchiha stood frozen in place. They had never seen the methods Ingetsu was using now.

Izumi and Mikoto stared blankly at Ingetsu.

"Don't just stand there!"

As Uchiha Nanfeng spoke, he formed hand seals, refined the Chakra within his body, transformed it into Fire Attribute Chakra, gathered it in his throat, and unleashed the Great Fireball Technique.

In an instant—

The other Uchiha followed suit, unleashing different Fire Release techniques.

One high-temperature fireball after another blasted toward the clustered White Zetsu. The flames instantly lit up the night, smoke billowed, and fire shot into the sky.

The battle immediately became one-sided.

The few remaining White Zetsu from this group stood there in shock and terror.

What awaited them was Dark Moon in Ingetsu's hand cutting off their heads, followed by black flames burning their bodies.

After burning the White Zetsu to ash, those high-temperature black flames continued for half a minute before finally going out.

In the distance.

Within the forest.

Obito's Kamui Mangekyo Sharingan reflected the sea of fire beneath his mask, and his expression gradually darkened.

A pill that instantly restored mental and physical strength.

A pitch-black longsword burning with black flames.

"Just how many secrets are you hiding?"

Obito gritted his teeth and widened his eyes. He found himself increasingly unable to gauge this clansman.

On the rugged mountain road.

Ingetsu dominated the battlefield until the remaining White Zetsu could be handled by the Uchiha.

He stopped charging Dark Moon.

The medicine's effects had now worn off.

Fatigue showed on Ingetsu's face.

Without Fire Attribute Chakra to sustain it, the black flames burning on Dark Moon slowly faded and died, returning it to a seemingly ordinary blade as black as ink.

"How much longer?"

Ingetsu calmly looked at Nonō.

"Eight minutes!"

Nonō's expression was grave. She bit her lip, beads of sweat the size of soybeans forming on her forehead as the Medical Ninjutsu released from her hands continued to flow.

Under the cover of fluorescent green Chakra, sixty percent of Tamao's external injuries had recovered. He was still far from fully healed.

Ingetsu frowned tightly, then turned and walked toward where the Uchiha had gathered, his cold gaze sweeping across them.

The Uchiha executing White Zetsu on the ground felt chills run down their backs beneath their Captain Ingetsu's stare.

After inspecting them, Ingetsu's gaze settled on Uchiha Mikoto.

He strode over, seized her fair wrist, ignored Mikoto's glare, and pulled her before Nonō.

After the battle, this beautiful married woman was drenched in fragrant sweat. The sleeves of her long house dress were soaked through and bore punctures from a Kunai.

At night, without looking carefully.

It was impossible to tell that she had been injured.

"What are you doing?!"

Mikoto's face tightened.

Rip— The sound of tearing cloth rang out.

Mikoto's cheeks suddenly flushed, and she froze in place. The moment her words fell, the sleeve over the wound on her right arm was violently torn off by Ingetsu, exposing the Kunai puncture.

Her skin was white as snow.

Blood stained her lotus-like arm.

"Uh—"

This scene startled Nonō as well. The nun's face reddened as she mistakenly thought Ingetsu was about to do something to this exceptionally elegant married woman right in front of her.

Nonō immediately became alert.

Still holding Mikoto's hand, Ingetsu asked, "How long will it take to heal her wound?"

"To treat such a minor injury, only a dozen or so seconds."

Nonō stared at Ingetsu and responded seriously.

"Heal her first!"

Ingetsu pulled the slightly resistant Mikoto directly in front of Nonō.

"Oh, okay!"

Nonō stood up, rubbed her legs that had gone numb from squatting, and used Medical Ninjutsu to treat Mikoto.

The Uchiha all lowered their heads. While cleaning up the battlefield, they could not help glancing secretly at Ingetsu and Mikoto before quickly looking away.

The sound of earth breaking came from nearby.

Everyone discovered.

Beneath the night sky.

Beyond the battlefield, another group of White Zetsu emerged from the ground. One after another, they sprang up like bamboo shoots after rain, three times as numerous as before!

At that moment.

The wound on Mikoto's arm fully healed.

A prompt appeared in Ingetsu's mind.

Side Mission: Heal a Teammate

Options:

Heal a teammate.

Mission complete!

Reward: Green Medicine.