Eyes of the Sharingan

As Shinji's right hand slowly reached toward Hiruko's eye socket, everyone held their breath. For a moment, it was as if time and space had frozen.

Shinji wouldn't make a move unless he was sure of success.

So after seeing Hiruko's Nether Release, Swift Release, Steel Release, and Storm Release, he had already decided to deal with him using genjutsu.

That was why he'd put on the Uchiha Clan's air of arrogance and deliberately activated his Sharingan as he closed in. It was all meant to lure Hiruko into following his rhythm and make it easier to decide the fight with genjutsu.

There had been one small surprise.

The eyes in Hiruko's sockets weren't ordinary Three-Tomoe Sharingan. They were a pair that appeared to be Mangekyō Sharingan. But the situation was still within Shinji's expectations.

After all, it was uncertain whether Hiruko's eyes were actually Mangekyō Sharingan. And even if they were, Shinji wasn't the least bit intimidated.

Shinji's own Sharingan was almost certainly the most powerful in the Shinobi World right now, after Karin's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan had evolved into the Rinnegan.

On top of that, he had used the Susanoo Lamp to wield a pair of Rinnegan, a pair of Mangekyō, and a pair of Ketsuryūgan.

If it came down to a proper genjutsu contest, he had nothing to fear from anyone.

Sure enough, when Shinji and Hiruko cast genjutsu on each other, Shinji broke free in just a second. Hiruko, meanwhile, was still trapped in Shinji's genjutsu.

Boom!

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, stopping Shinji's hand from reaching Hiruko.

Shinji leaped back to dodge the bolt, then looked up at the sky. The Akatsuki Organization member riding on the Chimera's back had already removed his hat. He held a pair of swords