My Color Is Above Yours!

The Konoha ninja who had rushed forward all stopped in their tracks, looking at one another.

They stared at the two enormous skeletons in the middle of the field, unsure whether to advance or retreat.

The oppressive aura emanating from those skeletal half-bodies was overwhelming. Just standing there made it hard to breathe.

Their comrades, who had just been sent flying by a sweep of Susanoo Armor's arm, were still groaning in the distance. That kind of power was beyond anything they could contend with.

Some clenched their kunai but did not dare step forward.

Others had already quietly taken half a step back, cold sweat pouring down their foreheads.

Mitokado Homura's expression darkened.

Genkawa Uchiha's words made him deeply uncomfortable. Genkawa had shown no regard for him as an advisor, nor any concern for the ninja from the same village.

But he had to admit that, in a battle of this level, ordinary ninja would only be throwing their lives away if they charged in.

So he could only raise a hand with a cold expression and signal them.

Seeing this, Utatane Koharu also waved her hand.

As if granted a reprieve, the ninja and Anbu quickly retreated, reforming their encirclement around the outskirts of the ruins and leaving the field to the two men.

Fugaku Uchiha stood not far away, his eyes wide.

His Three-Tomoe Sharingan had activated on its own, staring fixedly at the bright yellow skeletal half-body in the field.

That familiar chakra fluctuation, that oppressive presence, and the form of that skeleton... it was clearly Susanoo Armor.

When had that guy... awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?

Not even fourteen years old, yet he had awakened the Mangekyō. Had someone like that ever existed in the entire history of the Uchiha Clan?

The other Uchiha clansmen behind him were also staring wide-eyed, the three tomoe in their eyes slowly spinning.

Compared to Fugaku's shock, the people behind him were filled with wild delight.

"That's Susanoo Armor!"

"That's right, it's the power of our Uchiha Clan!"

"Lord Genkawa truly is a genius!"

The Uchiha were like that. They revered power, and worshipped power even more.

As long as you had strength, the Uchiha would submit to you.

In a sense, they were unexpectedly simple.

Fugaku said nothing, but his breathing had grown rapid as well.

In the field, Obito Uchiha's face beneath his mask had turned utterly grim.

The bright yellow half-body of Susanoo Armor stood before him, facing off against his pale blue skeletal half-body from afar.

That oppressive force, and that skeletal half-body, told him one fact. Not only did the other man's Mangekyō restrain his Space-Time ability, but even his Susanoo Armor was no weaker than Obito's.

I need to find a way out of here.

The instant that thought arose, Genkawa Uchiha moved.

The bright yellow skeletal half-body moved with his steps. Its huge palm slammed into the ground with a boom, sending shattered rocks flying.

Then that enormous skeletal arm swept out, carrying a howling gale as it smashed toward the pale blue Susanoo Armor.

At the same time, Genkawa Uchiha's voice rang out from within.

"Your Susanoo Armor is blue, and mine is gold. Hahaha... my color is above yours!"

Bright yellow was practically gold. It was not an absolute comparison, but it was not too far off either.

Genkawa Uchiha said that because he was already getting excited.

How long had it been?

How long since he had met a worthy opponent and truly stretched himself?

It seemed there had never been one before.

Obito Uchiha had arrived at exactly the right time.

At that moment, Obito Uchiha had no time to think. He hurriedly made his Susanoo Armor raise its arm to block.

The arms of the two skeletal half-bodies collided, erupting with an earth-shaking blast.

A shockwave spread outward from the point of impact. The resulting gust swept up every piece of rubble and charred wood on the ground. The ninja around the perimeter instinctively raised their arms before their faces, yet the fierce wind still blew so hard that they could not open their eyes.

Genkawa Uchiha did not pause in the slightest. His other skeletal arm came crashing down immediately after.

"Again, again!"

Obito Uchiha gritted his teeth and blocked. The two skeletons collided once more, and the crimson in his right eye socket grew increasingly vivid, even tinged with blood.

Genkawa Uchiha, meanwhile, grinned broadly.

"Not enough, still not enough! Give me pressure! Come on, give me pressure!"

Three consecutive collisions followed, each accompanied by a tremendous roar and a violent tremor through the ground.

The earth beneath the pale blue Susanoo Armor began to crack, fractures spreading outward like a spiderweb.

Obito Uchiha was sent staggering back again and again, each step stamping a deep footprint into the ground.

He steadied himself and drove Susanoo Armor into a counterattack. The pale blue skeletal arm clenched into a fist and smashed toward the bright yellow Susanoo Armor.

Genkawa Uchiha neither dodged nor retreated, throwing out a punch of his own.

The two fists collided with another deafening boom.

"That's it! Come on! Let's have a real fight!"

Honestly, he was a little crazy, but Genkawa Uchiha was having the time of his life.

This time, fine cracks appeared across the pale blue Susanoo Armor's fist.

Obito Uchiha's heart sank. His chakra consumption was too severe. Maintaining Susanoo Armor's sustained output consumed an enormous amount of chakra.

Yet his opponent seemed completely unaffected, his attacks growing fiercer and fiercer.

That realization sent a chill through Obito Uchiha.

Because he realized that his opponent's chakra reserves seemed even greater than his own.

After all, he had transplanted Hashirama Cells and grafted on a White Zetsu body. His chakra reserves were exceedingly abundant.

But even so, he could feel his own chakra draining far too quickly. If this continued, he would not be able to hold on much longer.

The battle continued. The bright yellow Susanoo Armor charged forward once more, its arms slamming down in alternating blows, every strike heavy and powerful.

The pale blue Susanoo Armor was forced to block again and again. More and more cracks spread across it, fragments constantly breaking off the skeleton's surface.

Obito Uchiha retreated step by step, crushing the ground beneath his feet into pieces.

The longer he fought, the more alarmed he became. The longer he fought, the more uneasy he felt.

This could not continue.

Obito Uchiha suddenly retreated several steps and slapped both hands against the ground in front of him.

Wood Release: Hell's Chaos!

Countless sharp wooden spikes burst from the earth beneath Genkawa Uchiha's feet. They grew and spread in an instant, winding around the bright yellow Susanoo Armor and binding its skeletal arms tightly.

At the same time, more wooden spikes exploded in front of Susanoo Armor, scattering fragments everywhere and blocking Genkawa Uchiha's vision.

Now!

Obito Uchiha's right eye spun rapidly as Kamui activated.

His body began to twist as he tried to use the opportunity to slip into the Kamui Dimension.

But in the next instant, his pupils contracted sharply.

Kamui... had failed again.

"I told you."

Genkawa Uchiha's voice came from above him.

Obito Uchiha abruptly looked up. Reflected in his pupils was a gigantic figure—the bright yellow Susanoo Armor had somehow appeared directly above him, looking down on him from on high.

The surface of the skeletal half-body began to change. Pale yellow chakra gathered between the bones, forming muscles and veins that wrapped around the entire skeleton.

Susanoo Armor advanced from its first stage to its second, transforming from a pure skeleton into a colossal body of flesh and blood.

In its right hand, a long sword formed from condensed chakra was slowly taking shape.

As for the place covered by Wood Release, there was no trace of Susanoo Armor left there.

"Here, I control space."

Genkawa Uchiha's voice was calm and cold.

"If you want to leave, you need my permission."

The chakra sword fully solidified, dazzling yellow light flowing across its blade.

Genkawa Uchiha swung his arm down, and Susanoo Armor followed, bringing the massive sword down in a single slash from above.

The pale blue Susanoo Armor raised both arms to block, but before that chakra sword, its bones were sliced apart with ease.

Crack—

The sword cleaved through the skeletal half-body, splitting it in two down the middle.

Pale blue chakra fragments scattered in all directions, turning into specks of light and fading away in midair.

The sword's momentum did not fade. Its lingering force continued forward, rushing straight toward Obito Uchiha's face.

Obito Uchiha only had time to tilt his head slightly.

His right arm, along with half his shoulder, was swept away by the sword energy and sent flying. Then the blade's lingering force shredded it into dust.

The sound of the mask breaking was crisp and loud.

Fragments peeled away from his face, spinning through the air and revealing the face underneath.

It was a face touched by surprise, its right half covered in clinging flesh and blood, riddled with scars.

Genkawa Uchiha looked down at him from above, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.