A Sharp Drop in Vision

Kakuzu stared at the enormous, terrifying figure before him. His pupils contracted, and his soul shuddered.

The Karasu Tengu stood motionless, yet the terrifying pressure it exuded was enough to make anyone's heart tremble. What power!

The pressure came without a sound, yet it was more suffocating than any killing intent. It was like countless icy senbon piercing Kakuzu's body.

Kakuzu's throat bobbed. He couldn't believe that the brat before him had unleashed such power. He suddenly understood why the Uchiha were called weapons of war on the battlefield.

"Wh-what..." His body trembled uncontrollably, betraying his excitement. "What power! What a heart!"

He couldn't wait to dig out Sora Uchiha's heart and install it in his own chest.

As for fear? A little. Just a tiny bit. But after witnessing Hashirama's terrifying power, he was only a little afraid of the Karasu Tengu before him.

Sora Uchiha felt as if his body could explode at any moment. He lacked the strength to match this extraordinary power that wasn't his, and the burden of the Karasu Tengu felt like a mountain pressing down on him.

Blood trickled from his eye sockets, drop by drop...

A huge sword condensed from Chakra appeared in the Karasu Tengu's hand.

"Ah! Aaaah!" Suddenly, Sora Uchiha clutched his eyes, his face contorted in agony as he let out a scream. An unbearable pain surged from deep within his eye sockets.

He knew he couldn't maintain the Karasu Tengu Susanoo for long. A few breaths? Maybe a few seconds? He didn't know.

This battle had to end quickly!

"Hahaha, looks like you can't handle this power." Kakuzu laughed at the sight of Sora Uchiha's pain. The four mask creatures around him lined up and formed Hand Seals at lightning speed.

"Wind Release: Wind Pressure."

"Water Release: Water Curtain."

"Lightning Release: False Darkness."

"Fire Release: Searing Migraine."

"Secret Technique: Earth Grudge Fear!"

In an instant, the four mask creatures spat out ninjutsu of different natures. Lightning flashed and thunder roared as wind and flames intertwined. Four-colored light blazed wildly, and the brutal attacks hurtled toward the Karasu Tengu.

Sora Uchiha endured the stabbing pain in his eyes and stared fixedly at Kakuzu, making no move. Susanoo was known as an "absolute defense," let alone the Karasu Tengu form, whose defensive power had surged in its third stage.

Though Kakuzu was a powerful all-rounder, his attacks weren't strong enough to break through the Karasu Tengu's defenses.

Sure enough, despite how terrifying Kakuzu's attacks looked, they were no more than a tickle against the Karasu Tengu. They couldn't break through its defenses at all.

That was the monstrous thing about Susanoo. Anyone who couldn't break through its defenses simply couldn't fight it.

At the same time, Susanoo's attack power was just as terrifying. The Karasu Tengu swung the purple sword in its hand. It moved so quickly that Kakuzu didn't even have time to react...

"Three." Blood streamed from Sora Uchiha's eye sockets as he spoke calmly. By now, he had grown used to the pain. As long as he avoided making any major movements, it was still bearable.

The next moment, Kakuzu came back to life. His face was grim, but before he could react—

A terrifying giant hand crashed down, swallowing him whole.

"Two," Sora Uchiha said again, withdrawing the giant hand.

Kakuzu came back to life once more. This time, he was greeted by a gigantic fireball. The Great Fireball unleashed in the Karasu Tengu state was nothing like the harmless Great Fireball he knew.

"One." Sora Uchiha didn't even lift an eyelid. He looked utterly horrifying now, his enchanting Mangekyo eyes deathly pale.

Rumble!

Kakuzu came back to life again and unleashed terrifying power. He attacked with Fire Release, Water Release, Lightning Release, Wind Release, and Earth Release all at once, leaving an enormous crack in the Karasu Tengu's armor.

"You've reached your limit." Kakuzu leaped out of the dust and stared fixedly at Sora Uchiha.

"Maybe. Want to bet?" Sora Uchiha replied flatly, raising the sword in his hand once more.

Kakuzu's expression shifted uneasily. Did he dare to bet? Of course not. His instincts told him Sora Uchiha had reached his limit, but what if he hadn't?

What if he could still attack a few more times? Kakuzu had already died four times. He had only one life left. If he died this time, he would be dead for good.

The longer you lived, the more you valued your life. He didn't dare to bet.

He gave Sora Uchiha a long look, memorizing the young boy's face.

"I'll come for your heart."

With that, he ran for the exit without a moment's hesitation.

Sora Uchiha didn't stop him. He watched Kakuzu flee in silence until he disappeared from view.

The Karasu Tengu vanished with a crash, and Sora Uchiha dropped to his knees. The Mangekyo in his eyes quietly disappeared, leaving them black and white once more. A streak of blood running from his eye to his chin was all too vivid.

He stared blankly at his hands. In his vision, they seemed hazy, as if he had a third hand, then a fourth...

The third stage of Susanoo, the Karasu Tengu, had lasted only ten breaths. His vision had deteriorated drastically. He had a premonition that if he used it once more, he would go blind.

He gave a bitter laugh. "I really paid a steep price this time."

He wasn't worried in the slightest that Kakuzu would come back. That bounty hunter, who loved money more than life itself, valued his life dearly.

He looked up and surveyed his surroundings. Under the light of Chakra, the cave was in ruins. Pits of all sizes riddled the floor and walls. The fact that it hadn't collapsed was nothing short of a miracle.

"I'm exhausted..." he murmured, then passed out.

A while later,

A figure arrived, having rushed over after hearing the commotion. It was Tsunade. She lit the Chakra lamp and looked around. Her pupils contracted sharply.

"Damn it, that brat isn't dead, is he?"

It was no wonder she thought so. The devastation before her looked as if Kage Level fighters had battled here. She couldn't even imagine what Sora Uchiha had been through.

"Lady Tsunade, he's over there," Katsuyu reminded her.

Tsunade abruptly looked over.

On the blood-soaked ground, strewn with rubble, a figure lay motionless.

Tsunade's pupils contracted, and her heart clenched. Sora Uchiha was in an awful state. He had more than a dozen wounds all over his body, and the horrifying streak of blood on his face was especially bad. She couldn't imagine what kind of battle the boy had endured.

Tsunade's breathing grew rapid. Carefully, she held a hand beneath Sora Uchiha's nose.

She let out a long breath.

"He's alive. Thank goodness he's alive!"

"Katsuyu, heal him. Quickly!"

"Yes!"

Several Katsuyu slithered over to Sora Uchiha's wounds and began treating him. Tsunade also placed a hand on his chest and used Medical Ninjutsu to heal him.

But only a moment later, Katsuyu hurriedly said, "Lady Tsunade, someone's coming!"

"Damn it, of all times!"

Tsunade's body tensed. Without stopping to think, she picked Sora Uchiha up and hid with him in the darkness...