When it came to developing Eye Power, how could a youngster like Uchiha Chen possibly surpass me?
So confident was Uchiha Fugaku that he even had the leisure to look at the many clan members outside the Four Violet Flames Formation.
By now, you must all be awestruck by this clan head's heroic bearing, right?
Seeing the astonished, horrified expressions on the faces of the clan members outside the formation, Fugaku felt incredibly pleased. Even the bone-deep pain of activating Susanoo seemed to ease a little.
Wait, why do they seem to be looking in the opposite direction?
"Fugaku, your Susanoo isn't as big as mine, and it doesn't look as good!"
Uchiha Chen let out a long howl. Chakra surged out of his body, and in one breath, he brought Susanoo to its second stage.
The long sword in the deep crimson Susanoo's hand plunged straight into the ground. The earth cracked as if an earthquake had struck, sending dust billowing into the sky.
Fugaku stared with his Mangekyō Sharingan, his heart surging with shock.
Beside Uchiha Chen's second-stage Susanoo—with its muscles, Chakra Cloak, and long sword—Fugaku's skeletal Susanoo looked like a foot soldier standing in the way of a charging general.
"This is Susanoo. Are you ready to face the Uchiha Clan's ultimate power?"
Yasaka Magatama!
The breastplate of the Susanoo above Uchiha Chen suddenly opened, and crimson Tomoe shot out one after another. At the same time, the Susanoo raised the long sword in its hand and slashed at Fugaku, Chakra currents surging around the blade.
Rumble!
Fugaku crossed his Susanoo's arms. Those skeletal arms, capable of defending against most ninjutsu in the Shinobi World, were shattered for the most part by Uchiha Chen's single slash. The purple-red flames and ribs that had surrounded Fugaku also dimmed considerably under the barrage of Yasaka Magatama.
With that one strike, Fugaku's Susanoo was nearly finished.
The earth trembled from the blow. The collision of immense force kicked up a gale, and the powerful shockwaves swept through the Four Violet Flames Formation, making it warp.
The Uchiha clan members watching were jolted this way and that, their faces alight with feverish devotion, as if they were gazing upon a god.
Uchiha Chen didn't stop. With an impassive expression, he raised the long sword in his Susanoo's hand once more.
"Fugaku, you're so frail. No matter how hard you reach, you'll never touch a true strongman. Just stay down there forever!"
Uchiha Fugaku was disheveled, blood continuously spilling from his mouth and nostrils from the shock of the previous attack. With great difficulty, he straightened up.
"Gaaaaah!"
He roared as the Mangekyō Sharingan in his eye sockets spun rapidly. Blood poured from his eyes like a dam had burst, and a surging torrent of Chakra burst from his body once more.
The Susanoo enveloping him was quickly repaired. Then, tendons and flesh grew over its original skeleton, and finally, a round shield formed on one of its arms.
The deep crimson long sword collided with the purple-red round shield, setting off a series of sonic booms.
"Second stage? You've got some measure of talent, Fugaku.
"But why is your Susanoo's weapon another turtle shell?"
Another taunt, another boost to my aggro, Uchiha Chen thought, narrowing his eyes slightly.
Fugaku must be at his limit too. He's a former clan head, so killing him would cause problems. But I can't let him keep interfering in clan affairs either. I might as well use this chance to wear down his eyes.
With that in mind, Uchiha Chen started "going full Sasuke," recklessly expending his Eye Power.
Yasaka Magatama rained down on Fugaku as if they cost nothing, forcing him to continually expend his Eye Power to block them and repair his Susanoo.
Rumble!
After another earth-shaking roar, the overburdened Four Violet Flames Formation finally warped and shattered. Shattered stones and billowing dust scattered in every direction.
Was that an earthquake? Or an enemy?
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been asleep, abruptly opened his eyes. With a light leap, monkey-like, he nimbly vaulted through the window and landed on the roof of the Hokage residence.
The ground was clearly trembling, but the shaking didn't feel like an earthquake, which usually lasted only a few dozen seconds and came with cracks in the earth's crust. Instead, it felt more like some enormous creature was moving.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had a bad feeling.
Did the Nine-Tails escape again? Or has Kumogakure gone mad enough to smuggle the Eight-Tails or Two-Tails into the village?
With no time to think further, Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned, quickly changed into his combat uniform, and headed toward the source of the tremors, summoning Anbu and other shinobi along the way.
Soon, a large number of shinobi had gathered. Their crowd stretched across the edge of Konoha's central district, but the source of the shaking lay even farther away.
"Further in that direction... that's the Naka River, isn't it?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked grimly toward Naka Shrine. He knew the Uchiha were holding a clan meeting today, with nearly all their jōnin gathered at the shrine.
Could the Uchiha have run into some difficult enemy?
At that thought, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowed his rapid pace and made a tactical hand signal, directing the Anbu to advance in a thorough sweep of the area.
The mixed group of shinobi from clans and civilian backgrounds immediately slowed by more than half.
The ground was still shaking, which meant the battle hadn't ended.
"Is it an enemy? I hope the Uchiha manage a costly victory!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen gazed toward the Naka River, his eyes flickering as he murmured to himself.
Uchiha Fugaku sat slumped on the ground, blood pouring from all seven orifices. His green jōnin vest was also stained with the blood he had coughed up.
His Susanoo was in tatters, having regressed to its skeletal form, and even its bones were gradually turning hazy.
But he no longer had the Eye Power to repair his Susanoo.
He had nothing left!
Fugaku had wanted to force himself to fight Uchiha Chen one more time.
But a sudden, excruciating pain in his eyes forced him to cover them and fall to the ground. His Susanoo vanished at once.
Fugaku forced himself up and struggled to open his eyes, which had returned to their normal state. The trees and rocks around him seemed veiled in thick fog, and countless overlapping images left him dizzy.
Had my eyesight really deteriorated this much?
Fugaku knew he had reached his absolute limit.
Eye Power was essentially Chakra, so it would eventually recover once depleted. But there was no way to make up for the damage to his eyes or the decline in his vision.
He lay helplessly on his back, gazing wearily at the hazy full moon in the sky.
"Is this where it ends?"
Uchiha Chen stood casually before Fugaku, who lay spread-eagled on the ground. Following Fugaku's weary, bewildered gaze, he looked up at the full moon.
"Cough, cough!"
Fugaku coughed up two mouthfuls of blood. Though he couldn't make out Uchiha Chen's face, he could hear the ease and regret in his voice.
After "going seven rounds in one night" and spending every last drop of his Eye Power, Uchiha Fugaku had fallen into the post-orgasmic state of "serene as a Buddha." He felt utterly at peace.
"I'm sorry, Clan Head Chen. I couldn't make this satisfying for you!
"Kill me!"
"No. I won't kill you!"
Uchiha Chen sprinkled a peach blossom petal he had plucked before coming to the shrine onto Fugaku's forehead, then raised a hand to block the moonlight shining on Uchiha Fugaku's face.
"But from now on, whenever you see the moonlight, I want you to remember this defeat!"
Fugaku let out a breath. Naturally, he was glad to be alive.
"Yes, Clan Head!
"I won't entertain any more impossible notions!"
Uchiha Chen shifted his fingers slightly.
Moonlight streamed through the gaps between Uchiha Chen's fingers and fell across Fugaku's face. All that remained on his fierce features was submission and respect.
"Just as I thought," Uchiha Chen said with a satisfied nod.
"The First's trick for taming Uchiha Pokémon really works!"
Before you continue