Susanoo's Path of Advancement

"If you want to try, then let's fight."

The childish yet clear voice rang in his ears. The young man's expression shook, but then crimson liquid gathered from all directions, wrapping him tightly within it.

Boom!

A massive emerald skeleton fist crashed down, shattering the pool of blood and blasting a three-meter-wide crater into the ground.

"Oh, what a fascinating Substitution Technique."

Looking at the puddle of blood beneath Susanoo's fist, the Mangekyo behind Shisui's fox mask spun and reverted to its Three Tomoe form.

Not far away, drops of pale red liquid appeared out of thin air and condensed into his opponent's figure.

"Blood Substitution, a unique ability of our clan."

The character at the center of the young man's pupils grew increasingly profound, shifting from light purple to deep violet, with faint black glimmers visible within.

"Oni, I know that once you Uchiha awaken the Mangekyo, you undergo a qualitative leap. But after slaughtering my entire clan, my Ketsuryūgan surpassed all my ancestors. Make way and pretend you never saw me."

Shisui's Three Tomoe fell upon the infant in his arms, making him even more curious about the man before him.

"How strange. Facing an Uchiha descendant who exiled your clan to Hell Valley, you don't feel the slightest killing intent. The human bombs earlier were the same—they were mainly meant to break the Barrier. I can sense Dojutsu Power no weaker than the Mangekyo. Is it because of her, your daughter?"

The young man's face suddenly turned cold. Threads of blood seeped from his right palm and formed a blood-red sphere half the height of a person. It enveloped the baby girl and sent her back into Hell Valley.

"Oni, it seems you want to die."

"No, it's only a mission. I hope you'll come with me to meet Lord Danzo."

Explore Hell Valley.

The mission was broad in scope, but if he brought back a living member of the Chinoike Clan, its rating should be very high.

Shisui had never completed an S-rank mission, yet his heart remained calm as the Mangekyo in his eyes opened once more.

"According to the clan's records, the Ketsuryūgan is also a 'Hypnotic Eye.' Its enhancement of Genjutsu is no weaker than the Sharingan's. Just in case, I may need to use that Dojutsu."

A great battle was on the verge of breaking out!

At Konoha's main camp, Danzo looked at the bedraggled Namikaze Minato without any change in expression.

"Still clinging to that pointless pride?"

The Third Raikage was open to cooperating with Konoha to strike Iwagakure together, but the terms could not be excessive. The Fourth Raikage, however, had attacked the moment he heard the additional conditions. Together with the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, he had chased Namikaze Minato all the way to the camp.

"What should we do, Commander? Of the three factions, our forces are currently the weakest."

Konoha had far too many fronts to defend. Even after drawing in as many troops as possible, there were only five thousand Shinobi on this battlefield in total.

If not for their top experts holding the line, the Raikage would likely have charged into the Land of Fire from the very beginning.

"Shikaku, what are you afraid of?"

Danzo's tone was cold, but the dissatisfaction in it made everyone inside the tent break into cold sweat.

"The Tsuchikage puts profit above all else, while the Raikage puts strength above all else. There is a strong chance the two sides will join forces again. Although we have you, Lord Jiraiya, and Minato, the enemy has two Kage, the Jinchuriki of two villages, and the Shadow Guard."

Shikaku Nara had never supported leading the army forward, but Danzo was the commander. Being warlike was simply part of who he was.

"A Shinobi war is different from a war among ordinary people."

An overwhelming confidence radiated from his words. The black-haired, black-clad elder rose to his feet, placed his Ninja Blade on the table, and pressed it onto the territory of the Land of Lightning.

"One thousand men or ten thousand men make no difference to me."

As a child from the Warring States Period, Danzo had witnessed Uchiha Madara's invincible bearing. That Asura wore bright crimson armor, held a war fan, and stood alone against ten thousand on the battlefield.

Taijutsu, swordsmanship, Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Dojutsu, and secret techniques had merged perfectly in that Asura. If Third A was a "War Machine," then Uchiha Madara was the "God of War among men."

A God of War who would not lose even when facing a hundred thousand Shinobi on the battlefield.

"Lord Danzo, Iwagakure's army has appeared on our flank."

At that moment, intelligence from Inoichi Yamanaka entered the minds of everyone present.

"It seems the Tsuchikage already sees the Raikage as meat on his plate and doesn't want us ruining his plans."

Jiraiya stretched lazily and rose with a yawn. His expression was solemn, yet faintly excited. Ever since losing to the Raikage, he had gained a deeper understanding of Sage Mode, and had found the right direction for two Sage Techniques he had always been unable to use.

"Lightning Release Chakra Mode is the strongest and most complete Nintaijutsu in the Shinobi World. If I had a Raikage's corpse, I should gain very satisfying results from dissecting it."

With so little time, Guo Wang's understanding of this world's Chakra system was limited to Danzo's memories. Yet after Kagami's Mangekyo reopened, it had gradually perfected and altered his body, evolving it in an unknown direction.

For example, Danzo originally did not possess Lightning-nature Chakra, but Guo Wang did now.

Moreover, this aged body seemed to have unknowingly gathered all seven attributes: fire, water, wind, lightning, earth, yin, and yang.

This was not because of possessing another body.

It was because of Kagami's Mangekyo. He could keenly sense that these eyes were breaking the shackles of bloodline and touching upon the most fundamental mysteries of Chakra.

"If I thoroughly understand all seven Chakra natures, I should be able to glimpse the operational foundation of this world's energy system. Gathering the Shinobi World's various secret techniques is essential, but the most crucial thing is rare samples like Kekkei Genkai."

If possible, Guo Wang still wanted to try the Shinobi World's only Kekkei Tōta.

"With my current, incomplete Susanoo, I probably can't withstand Dust Release. I need stronger and more refined Dojutsu Power."

Dojutsu Power was also a type of Chakra, the fusion of spiritual and physical energy. Because Danzo's body was old, even with Guo Wang's powerful spirit, he was constrained by innate limitations. However, through the tempering of battle, he could make the Dojutsu Power dormant within the Mangekyo boil once more.

"If I fight opponents like the Raikage a few more times, I can restore my Dojutsu Power to the state it was in before Kagami died. Combined with Susanoo-no-Mikoto, I may even be able to awaken Susanoo's strongest ability."

The Shinobi World's Kekkei Genkai seemed similar to the bloodline inheritances of high-level Monsters in the Dao Realm. Once their power reached a certain level, their bodies and minds would automatically know how to use them.

While recuperating in bed, Danzo suddenly learned the method for Susanoo's further advancement.