Susanoo

"We got him!"

The group across from him cheered and smoothly divided up their tasks.

One caught the fallen Yamanaka Fu and swiftly retreated, while another hurried forward and reached out to catch the flying Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Their coordination flowed like water, clearly drilled through countless real battles. The instant Mind Control succeeded, the entire team moved into their predetermined tactical positions.

But before the ninja stepping forward could touch Naruto's body, a sudden blaze of light erupted before his eyes. Violent Chakra surged forth like an invisible wall, smashing into him head-on. Before he could even assume a defensive stance, he was blasted away.

The mental seal of completing the mission had already been branded into every Root member's heart. Even while airborne, the ninja forcibly twisted his body, stretching his arm forward at all costs to grab Naruto, who had been blown away with him.

But then a crimson energy hand suddenly appeared, gripping him as easily as one would catch an ant before giving a light squeeze.

A chilling crack of shattering bones rang out. Blood splattered from between Susanoo's massive fingers, scattering beneath the moonlight like a vivid flower of life blooming in the air.

As if tossing away garbage, Uchiha An casually flung the ninja's mangled corpse to the ground, then scooped Naruto back up.

"What is that thing?!"

Yamanaka Fu spat out a mouthful of blood and slowly regained consciousness. Slumped over his companion's body, he stared wide-eyed at the towering skeletal half-giant before him.

Having his secret technique broken dealt him no small amount of damage. If his companions had not shielded him, he likely would have been blown away by the Chakra storm as well.

"This is the Mangekyō Sharingan!"

Uchiha An stood firmly upon the earth within Susanoo's ribcage, wearing Uchiha Itachi's face. His madness was fully exposed as he threw back his head and laughed wildly.

"All Ninjutsu ultimately comes down to a contest of Chakra strength!"

"Secret techniques, Forbidden Techniques—before the Mangekyō Sharingan, they're all nothing but trash!"

Everyone looked up at the red Chakra giant in terror. Its overwhelming pressure left them unable to breathe.

As Danzo's confidant, Yamanaka Fu knew many secret pieces of intelligence, including information on Uchiha Shisui's and Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan.

However, neither of them had ever displayed Susanoo's form in the village before, so he had somewhat misjudged this power.

Only after experiencing it firsthand did he understand just how vast the gap was between written intelligence and seeing it with his own eyes.

Though it was only the first-stage skeletal form, this power truly transcended common sense. It was the kind of absurd thing that would make ordinary ninjas despair at a glance.

Under everyone's terrified gazes, Uchiha An held the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in Susanoo's left hand, drew him close, and placed him at his feet under Susanoo's protection. Then he brought his right palm crashing down upon Aburame Ryoma, who had been blasted away earlier.

The enormous Chakra palm descended with destructive force. Before the palm wind even arrived, the ground had already begun to crack and cave in.

Aburame Ryoma was shocked and hurriedly released more Kikaichū to defend himself, but against Susanoo's absurd attack, the insect spheres he sent out could not block it in the slightest.

The dense black swarm was torn apart like flimsy paper before the Giant Palms and scattered with a single blow.

The Kikaichū buzzed in despair before being crushed into powder by the Chakra.

With no other choice, Aburame Ryoma could only abandon another Insect Clone to save his life.

Seeing Aburame Ryoma in danger, his two companions hurried over to rescue him.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

The Combined Ninjutsu unleashed its power once more, and overwhelming flames swept toward him again. But this time, Uchiha An did not even use Ninjutsu. He merely swept his massive palm aside, breaking through the flames' blockade. Ignoring the Blazing Flames, he tore straight through the curtain of fire, and the airflow he stirred up rolled the flames back into a vortex that crashed down toward the two men.

The force was too terrifying. Neither dared block it head-on, and they hurriedly dodged aside.

But Susanoo moved with its user's will. With a horizontal sweep, it caught up to one of them. The massive palm opened, then clenched hard.

"Argh..."

With a scream, that ninja was crushed into a lump of flesh before he even had the chance to use the Substitution Technique. He died on the spot.

"Haha..."

Uchiha An laughed loudly, filled with endless madness and pain, as though venting hatred and fury that had been suppressed for far too long.

"Do you see it?"

"This is what was bought with the lives of the Uchiha Clan!"

"This is the power that old Danzo has always coveted, the power he has wanted to seize with all his heart!"

"This is why those people like the Third Hokage feared the Uchiha Clan from the bottom of their hearts and insisted on driving them to extinction!"

With every crazed shout, Susanoo's assault grew more violent. Scarlet Chakra churned like boiling blood, while the pinwheel pattern in the Sharingan spun ever more frantically.

He used no Ninjutsu at all, simply slamming palm after palm forward. Every strike shook the earth and mountains, driving everyone into a corner with nowhere left to run.

Yamanaka Fu and the others scattered like rats. Every counterattack Ninjutsu they launched at Susanoo could only produce the faintest ripple; they could not break through its defenses at all.

"Damn it!" Yamanaka Fu panted urgently. "How can Uchiha Itachi possibly be this strong?"

Aburame Ryoma had also expended a great deal. His already unhealthy complexion had become so pale it was nearly translucent.

As he continued releasing insects to interfere with the enemy's pursuit, he said in astonishment,

"I only knew that he was formidable with Genjutsu. The intelligence never said he possessed anything this outrageous!"

"Shisui seemed to have had the Mangekyō Sharingan before as well. If all Mangekyō Sharingan are this powerful, how did the Uchiha Clan end up being exterminated?"

Yamanaka Fu silently glanced at him without saying anything, then changed the subject.

"There's no point talking about that now. Susanoo's defense is too strong. We can't break through it at all. Do any of you still have any powerful offensive Ninjutsu you can use?"

Everyone shook their heads. "No. Even Forbidden Techniques can't harm that energy giant."

Yamanaka Fu looked toward Aburame Ryoma again, only to see him shake his head as well.

"If we'd known that guy's defense was so strong, we should have brought Kore. His Forbidden Technique, the Jar Poison Technique, is a large-scale poisonous gas attack. It's extremely difficult to defend against or treat. It might be able to seep through."

"My insects can indeed absorb some Chakra, but Itachi's Chakra is absurdly abundant, practically like a Tailed Beast's. Even if all my insects died, they still wouldn't be able to drain all his Chakra."

"Still, he's been standing in the same spot the entire time, and there doesn't seem to be any giant Chakra beneath his feet. We may be able to try breaking through there."

"Beneath his feet?" As Yamanaka Fu ran around Susanoo, he turned his head to look. Sure enough, that spot seemed to be a weak point. He immediately nodded. "This time, I'll create an opening. Be ready to cooperate."

"Remember, we only get one chance. Make sure to land a decisive blow."

"Yes!" Everyone answered in unison, squeezing out more Chakra as they began rapidly circling Susanoo.