Obito stared at the Susanoo that blotted out the sky, at the figure laughing maniacally amid the bloodshed, and at the ninjas and villagers below, being slaughtered like ants. All that remained in his heart was endless fear and regret.
He had opened Pandora's box with his own hands, and now he could no longer close it.
The monster he had created to eliminate a threat had become the greatest nightmare of the entire Shinobi World—including himself.
"Damn it..." Obito muttered, his voice trembling with barely contained fear.
For the first time, he began to waver in his plan. He even started to wonder whether the "peace" he sought had been doomed from the very beginning to end in such destruction.
At that moment, Genki's madness continued unabated. He raised the black Eight-Handled Sword once more, and a new round of slaughter was about to begin.
Obito stood in the shadows, afraid to approach yet unable to sit by and watch Genki destroy everything. Trapped in an unprecedented dilemma, he felt his heart gripped by such overwhelming fear that he could barely breathe.
"Hahahahaha!!"
The manic laughter had barely faded when cruelty surged once more in Uchiha Genki's eyes.
He controlled the thousand-meter-tall Black Susanoo Armor, ignoring the scattered, feeble attacks around him. Its enormous hand, like a dark cloud blotting out the sky, carried an oppressive force capable of destroying the world as it reached straight for Sarutobi Hiruzen, who sat slumped on the ground, utterly powerless to resist.
Before the giant hand even came down, the terrifying wind pressure sent rubble flying, and fine cracks spread across the ground once more.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat where he was, his hollow eyes streaming bloody tears. The agony of watching his grandson die before him had long since drained him of all strength. He could not even think to dodge, and could only wait numbly for death to come.
"Not a chance!"
Seeing this, Jiraiya's eyes widened, veins bulging on his forehead.
No longer caring how much Senjutsu Chakra he had left, he poured all his strength into charging toward the Susanoo. His hands flashed through Hand Seals as he roared, "Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon!"
Countless white hairs infused with Senjutsu Chakra shot toward the Susanoo's giant hand like a downpour, each one sharp enough to pierce steel;
Then he formed another set of Hand Seals. "Sage Art: Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!" The enormous Rasenshuriken, wrapped in a violent torrent of wind-natured chakra, slammed into the Susanoo's wrist in a desperate attempt to stop its deadly grasp.
But even these all-out Senjutsu attacks were like stones sinking into the sea.
The Hair Needle Senbon struck the black armor with a series of crisp clangs, then snapped apart;
The violent energy unleashed by the Rasenshuriken left only a faint white mark on the armor. It could not even make the Susanoo pause for half a second.
The Susanoo's giant hand continued its steady descent toward Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the shadow of death fell completely over the elderly Hokage.
Is this it? A profound sense of helplessness welled up in Jiraiya. Was even their last hope about to be snuffed out?
At that critical moment, Fukasaku, perched on his shoulder, suddenly spoke. His voice was hoarse, but firm and decisive. "Little Jiraiya, there's no time to hesitate! Use that technique! It may be the only thing that can hold him back!"
"That technique?!" Jiraiya shuddered, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes like the last lifeline seized by a drowning man.
He whipped around to look at Fukasaku, his voice urgent and hopeful. "That's right! We still have that technique! Great Fukasaku, Great Shima, please!"
Fukasaku and Shima exchanged a look, then nodded together.
They leaped down from Jiraiya's shoulders and landed on the ground, feet shoulder-width apart as they slowly pressed their hands together.
Rich Senjutsu Chakra surged from their bodies, and the Natural Energy around them gathered wildly in response, forming visible streams of pale green air that swirled around the two toads.
"Sage Art: Sound of the Toad's Song!"
As Fukasaku and Shima shouted the name of the technique in unison, both toads opened their mouths. The next instant, countless noisy yet strangely rhythmic croaks burst forth like a tidal wave!
These were no ordinary croaks. They were a genjutsu attack infused with powerful Senjutsu Chakra. Their penetrating sound was like an invisible blade, sweeping toward Uchiha Genki in the air.
Wherever the croaks passed, the Konoha Ninjas could not help covering their ears. Their heads spun, and their minds grew dazed;
Even Obito, hidden in the distant shadows, instinctively frowned and circulated chakra to resist the strange sound waves.
Uchiha Genki's form in the air indeed froze for an instant!
The manic smile on his face stiffened, and a trace of confusion appeared in his scarlet eyes. His control over the Susanoo halted as well.
The giant hand hung less than three meters above Sarutobi Hiruzen's head, no longer descending—the genjutsu had worked!
"We did it!" Joy surged in Jiraiya's heart, and hope blazed in his eyes.
As long as they could hold Genki back, even briefly, they could buy time to rescue Sarutobi Hiruzen and organize their defenses!
But that hope lasted only an instant before an even more terrifying force shattered it completely!
Just as Jiraiya was about to seize the opportunity to rush over and pull Sarutobi Hiruzen away, the tens of thousands of spirit figures behind Uchiha Genki, which had remained motionless, suddenly raised their heads as one and let out a piercing, shrill wail!
"Aaaaagh!!"
The wail was like a lament from hell, filled with endless pain and hatred. It penetrated far more powerfully than the croaks of the Sound of the Toad's Song.
The two sound waves collided violently in midair. With a thunderous boom, the croaks were instantly overwhelmed and torn apart by the wail!
Even the air trembled violently under the terrifying sound waves. Many ninjas were shaken until they spat blood, their eardrums throbbing with unbearable pain.
Before Jiraiya's disbelieving eyes, Fukasaku and Shima both shuddered and spat out great mouthfuls of blood. It splattered across the ground, staining a wide patch red.
Their faces turned as pale as paper. Their once-abundant Senjutsu Chakra rapidly drained away, and they grew withered and weak, their bodies trembling. They had clearly suffered a devastating backlash from the genjutsu.
"Those souls..." Fukasaku panted, his voice weak but full of horror. "He's taken complete control of them! He can draw on the power of every soul he's devoured. Our genjutsu... won't work on him!"
Shima added weakly, "And... the hatred in those souls is too strong. The power they've formed... is beyond anything we can withstand..."
"Hahahaha!!"
The confusion vanished from Uchiha Genki's face, replaced by even more frenzied laughter.
He completely broke free of the genjutsu's effects and set the Susanoo's giant hand in motion once more. This time, however, he did not reach for Sarutobi Hiruzen. Instead, he turned to look at Jiraiya, whose face had fallen into despair.
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