Susanoo's Debut

Kitsuchi's fist smashed into the ground with a howl of tearing air. Uchiha Sanpo's last shadow clone turned into white smoke and vanished under the bombardment of the Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique.

Through these two exchanges, it could be confirmed that Kitsuchi possessed Kage-level strength.

"His chakra reserves are indeed astonishing, and his Earth Release techniques are extremely powerful. But he lacks a one-hit kill technique like Dust Release or Explosion Release..."

"The intelligence has been gathered. Time to retreat. Coo coo coo... coo coo coo..."

Strange birdcalls echoed over the battlefield. The Konoha jonin moved at the signal, seemingly retreating in panic but actually falling back into the stronghold in an orderly manner.

The Iwagakure ninja cheered in victory and surged into the Konoha stronghold in hot pursuit.

Standing at the front of the formation, Kitsuchi suddenly felt a trace of unease. Everything had gone too smoothly... as if... it had been deliberate.

Boom boom boom... boom boom boom boom... boom boom boom boom boom...

In an instant, the entire stronghold was drowned in a continuous series of explosions. The earth trembled, flames shot into the sky, and the screams of Iwagakure ninja rose one after another.

"Damn it... it's a trap... Damn it... we were careless!"

Kitsuchi's eyes were bloodshot as he watched his subordinates get blown to pieces. His hands rapidly formed seals, chakra pouring out like a flood.

"Earth Release: Mountain Earth Technique!"

The ground shook violently, and a small hill rose from the earth, providing temporary shelter for the surviving Iwagakure ninja.

Kitsuchi panted heavily, cold sweat beading on his forehead. That move had consumed nearly half his chakra.

"Protect the wounded! Reform the ranks!"

Kitsuchi shouted, only to hear terrified screams from his men.

He looked up, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

A green giant over seventy meters tall stood before them, holding a Grim Reaper Scythe and radiating suffocating pressure.

Kitsuchi's throat tightened. He had fought Uchiha Fugaku several times before, but he had never expected Fugaku to have hidden his strength so deeply.

Uchiha Fugaku controlled the third-stage Susanoo and gave the order. "All troops, attack!"

At his command, more than four thousand Konoha ninja who had long lain in ambush surged forth like a tidal wave.

Cries of battle rang out without end. "Kill... kill... kill..."

Uchiha Fugaku stood atop Susanoo's head like a war god descending upon the world.

The Grim Reaper Scythe in Susanoo's hand, more than sixty meters long, swept lightly forward. Several Iwagakure ninja who failed to dodge in time were sliced in two, dying gruesome deaths.

Faced with such a terrifying attack, the Iwagakure ninja were caught off guard. Yet they immediately organized a counterattack, unleashing all manner of Earth Release techniques upon Susanoo like raindrops.

However, before Susanoo's impregnable defense, those techniques were like eggs striking stone. They could not inflict the slightest damage.

Seeing that their attacks were completely ineffective, despair rose in the Iwagakure ninja's hearts. Yet they did not retreat. Instead, they launched even more frenzied attacks, trying to find a weakness in Susanoo.

Iwagakure's commander-in-chief, Kitsuchi, forcibly gathered chakra and slammed both hands against the ground. "Earth Release: Gōryūshi Technique!"

A giant puppet statue made of hardened earth rose up. It stood roughly forty-eight meters tall and held a conical hammer in its hand.

The giant puppet charged at Susanoo, and Kitsuchi rushed after it.

"Earth Release: Earth Rock Giant Bamboo Shoot."

Behind Susanoo, he summoned an enormous Earth Rock Giant Bamboo Shoot, apparently intending to coordinate with the giant puppet and attack from both front and rear.

"Clan Head, watch out for the ninjutsu attack behind you!"

Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan spun, blood flowing from the corners of his eyes and making his expression appear far more ferocious.

"An interesting little toy, but it's a bit too slow!"

Susanoo turned, and the Grim Reaper Scythe slashed from the giant puppet's waist to its shoulder, instantly cutting it in half.

But it was not over yet. Like cutting grass, the Grim Reaper Scythe sliced through the base of the Earth Rock Giant Bamboo Shoot. The massive shoot was also split in two and slid diagonally to the ground.

Even his own ninjutsu had proven useless. Kitsuchi froze for a moment. "How could... it be this powerful?!"

Green Susanoo

Just minutes ago, they had encountered a massive trap ambush and lost over a thousand men. Now they were being hunted by a Susanoo over seventy meters tall, and even their commander-in-chief Kitsuchi was no match for it.

For a time, the Iwagakure ninja's morale began to collapse, and they all started fleeing for their lives.

Several dozen elite Uchiha ninja had already arrived behind them. They formed complicated hand seals together before violently pressing their palms to the ground.

"Ninja Art: Uchiha Flame Formation!"

The earth trembled as two crimson walls of fire rose from both sides of the canyon and rapidly closed toward the center. The searing flames formed an impenetrable barrier, enclosing the entire stronghold.

Several Iwagakure ninja who attempted to break through had barely touched the fire walls before turning into charred corpses amid screams.

Despair spread through the Iwagakure forces.

Kitsuchi looked at the tragic scene around him, his heart twisting in agony. More than a thousand had died in less than a few minutes, and now they had been surrounded by Konoha ninja.

He looked up at Fugaku within Susanoo. Fugaku's gaze was terrifyingly calm.

"Iwagakure ninja!"

Uchiha Fugaku's voice was amplified through Susanoo. Every word struck the Iwagakure ninja's hearts like a heavy hammer.

"Tomorrow, Kumogakure will officially declare war on Iwagakure. If all of you die here today, Iwagakure will have no strength left to resist Kumogakure's attack. What awaits you will be the destruction of your village, and the Land of Earth will be carved up by the surrounding nations."

The Iwagakure ninja looked at one another as fear spread through their eyes.

Kitsuchi, Iwagakure's commander-in-chief, clenched his fists, yet he was powerless to refute it.

Uchiha Fugaku's voice softened slightly. "However... if you surrender now, we can guarantee your safety. I guarantee it upon the honor of the Uchiha Clan, a noble clan with a thousand-year legacy. As long as Iwagakure declares defeat and pays thirty billion ryo in compensation, you will be allowed to leave alive."

Silence fell within the flaming cage. Only the crackling of the fire walls could be heard, while every gaze focused on Kitsuchi.

Kitsuchi closed his eyes, and the stern face of his father, Ōnoki, flashed through his mind.

As commander, he had lost more than a thousand men in barely over an hour. He could not let another five thousand compatriots die for nothing.

Kitsuchi's voice was hoarse and heavy. "I accept your terms... We... surrender."

Uchiha Fugaku nodded with slight satisfaction. Susanoo rapidly dissipated, and the Uchiha Flame Formation was lifted as well.

The Konoha ninja swiftly stepped forward and confiscated the Iwagakure ninja's weapons.

"Let a few people return to deliver the news. Make sure Ōnoki knows that his son is in our hands."

Iwagakure, Tsuchikage's office.

"Bang!"

Ōnoki smashed the desk with a single palm strike, sending wood chips flying everywhere. His aged face twisted with fury, and his short body shook without end.

"Over six thousand against over four thousand, and you still ended up like this... How could I have given birth to such a useless fool... Ah... I'm furious!"

Ōnoki roared inside his office in the Tsuchikage Building while the Anbu ninja around him stood silent as cicadas in winter.

"Lord Tsuchikage, we do not have much time left... You must make a decision as soon as possible!" an Anbu reported anxiously.

Ōnoki took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He walked to the window and looked out over Iwagakure's nightscape.

Would all the efforts of so many years really be destroyed in a single stroke?