Susanoo vs. Great Ape!

Uchiha Hikari did not hold back with this slash.

As the kunai's edge cut across her arm, flesh peeled back, blood poured out, and the wound nearly reached the bone.

But the next second, the wound healed at a visible rate. After only one breath, it had returned to normal. Even after wiping away the blood and inspecting it closely, there was no sign that she had just been injured.

Uchiha Hikari then pierced her palm and thigh in turn, carefully assessing the results.

"The healing speed is even a little faster than expected. The pain only appears during the first second, and the regenerated flesh is almost no different from before. It doesn't affect my mobility at all..."

"But these injuries are too minor. I need something more serious to judge the upper limit of the healing speed."

If Shenron had not cut corners on her wish, then in theory, even if she severed her own arm or gouged out her eyes, she should immediately be able to regenerate a new pair. After all, those counted as "damage" to the body as well.

But the cost of that experiment was a little too high, and Uchiha Hikari was not entirely confident...

Just as Uchiha Hikari hesitated, planning to break a few fingers first as a test—

She heard cries of alarm from Buma and the others.

"Hmm? What happened?"

Uchiha Hikari turned around.

In the distance, a gigantic ape had appeared on the lawn, and it was still growing larger. Above its head hung a round full moon, radiating a clear, silvery glow.

"Hikari, run! Goku turned into a monster!"

Buma, Yamcha, and the others fled for their lives while calling out to Uchiha Hikari.

"..."

Uchiha Hikari's mouth twitched.

She remembered warning Buma when they left Pilaf Prison, telling her not to let Goku look up at the moon...

But...

"This is an opportunity!"

"Perfect. I can use Little Goku to test the upper limit of my recovery ability!"

In his normal state, Little Goku's battle power was only a little over ten. He was fine for sparring with Uchiha Hikari in taijutsu, but he could not force her to use the Mangekyō Sharingan. But after transforming into a Great Ape, Little Goku's battle power soared past a hundred, close to Master Roshi's.

And because he had no reason, the strength he could actually display was far below Master Roshi's. He also had the fatal weakness of his tail. If she truly could not beat him, she could quickly end the battle by cutting it off... As a sparring partner for testing her recovery abilities, he could not have been more suitable!

Having thought that through—

As Buma and the others ran past her, Uchiha Hikari did not follow them. Instead, she took a deep breath and charged toward the Great Ape.

"Mangekyō Sharingan..."

"Susanoo!"

She opened with her ultimate right off the bat!

As her Eye Technique surged, dark red arms and ribs emerged from thin air.

Then came a skeletal frame.

Next, meridians and flesh formed from Chakra extended across those bones like an enormous outer garment, enveloping Uchiha Hikari's entire body. In the right hand of this Susanoo, a massive greatsword, nearly black-red in color, was held tightly.

—Every Susanoo had its own exclusive weapon, and Uchiha Hikari's was a two-handed greatsword.

Then...

"Susanoo, Third Form!"

Uchiha Hikari continued to drive her Eye Technique.

A massive amount of ocular Chakra surged forward, pouring into the Susanoo with almost violent force. The already enormous Susanoo swelled even further, expanding as its lower body and legs formed. It slowly rose from the ground, reaching a height of more than twenty meters, nearly level with the Great Ape.

During the process, dark red tears of blood once again flowed from Uchiha Hikari's eyes.

At the same time, that tingling sensation returned, instantly reducing the pain to a very mild level—so faint that she could barely feel it without paying close attention.

"When I use Eye Techniques, the damage should occur before the healing. Before the Susanoo's Third Form, the healing speed directly covers the rate of depletion, so I can't feel anything during the process. Starting from the Third Form, there's a slight gap, but it's basically negligible..."

Even as she made those judgments—

Uchiha Hikari controlled the Susanoo and crossed its arms before its chest in a blocking stance.

The next moment, the Great Ape that Little Goku had become slammed into her head-on!

Bang—!!!

The two enormous bodies collided in the open field, and a huge shockwave erupted outward like a tidal wave, instantly splitting the ground for dozens of meters around them. Tremors like an earthquake continued to spread, while fierce winds swept in every direction. The buildings inside the castle cracked and warped under the pressure, showing signs of collapse.

"What incredible strength..."

Uchiha Hikari could not quite withstand the Great Ape's savage charge. It carried her across the ground in two rolls, smashing through a tower before she controlled the Susanoo to forcefully throw its arms apart and create distance.

During the exchange, she briefly checked Buma and the others' positions, retreating in the opposite direction from them.

—The commotion caused by one Great Ape was already bad enough. Now two monsters were wrestling here. It would be troublesome if the aftershocks made the ground beneath Buma and the others collapse.

"Roar!!"

The Great Ape pounded its chest, working itself into a frenzy.

Uchiha Hikari drew the greatsword from her waist. After a brief standoff, she stepped forward and brought it down in a vertical slash!

Bang—

The sound of the greatsword tearing through the air exploded high above!

"Roar!!!"

The Great Ape roared repeatedly, spreading its arms to seize the greatsword in midair before clapping its palms together. Just as the dark red greatsword was about to fall onto its head, it was firmly caught between those enormous palms. It was forced down several meters before barely stopping.

"I didn't dare use my full strength, but if he can catch that slash..."

"Susanoo, Fourth Form!"

Uchiha Hikari gauged their respective conditions and once again drove her Eye Technique at high intensity.

As tears of blood streamed from her eyes, the pain began to grow noticeable. The dark red Susanoo's body also expanded beyond its original twenty-plus meters, reaching thirty to forty meters in height. A dense layer of Crow Tengu Armor appeared around it.

In this state, the Great Ape's strength could no longer restrain the two-handed greatsword.

With a slight exertion of force, Uchiha Hikari pulled the greatsword from its palms. As she sheathed it, she used the Susanoo to ram the Great Ape to the ground, then seized its shoulders and pressed down with force!

Power far greater than that of the first three forms erupted forth, nearly crushing the Great Ape outright. No matter how madly it roared, it still could not help but submit!