After the explosion, the Iwagakure Ninja defenses descended into chaos.
The deaths of the Jinchuriki and three jōnin temporarily paralyzed the Iwagakure Ninja command structure.
Uchiha Iori's squad seized the opportunity to withdraw quietly from the border and quickly returned to the Konoha camp.
"Lord Iori."
"Lord Iori."
In the darkness, the ninjas standing watch greeted Iori and the others one after another.
Seeing the wounds on their bodies, they knew the squad had just been through a fierce battle.
After nodding in reply, Iori didn't stop. He went straight to the command tent to report the mission to Jiraiya.
"You're back. Is everyone all right? Did you complete the mission?"
Jiraiya first looked over the squad. Though everyone was injured, no one besides Iori had suffered serious wounds.
Then he asked. As the Iwagakure Ninja continued to send in reinforcements, the pressure on him had been mounting.
"Did you find out what the outpost was like? How many ninjas were stationed there? Was the Five-Tails Jinchuriki there?"
"How many people should I send to make sure you can take the outpost down?"
Jiraiya asked seriously. If they could destroy the outpost quickly, it would deal a major blow to the Iwagakure Ninja's advance and effectively slow their offensive.
"We've already taken care of it. We blew up the Ninja Tool Depot, their medical supplies, and their Explosive Tags, and killed Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki."
Iori calmly unsealed a scroll and tossed Han's severed head onto the ground.
"What?"
"That can't be!"
"It really is Han!"
Everyone in the tent was stunned. They were all battle-hardened jōnin who had seen their share of things.
But this was a Jinchuriki—and the renowned Steam Ninja, no less.
In all these years, there had been few recorded cases of Jinchuriki being killed. They had never seen anything like this.
Aside from Jiraiya, who wielded Senjutsu, and Minato Namikaze, no one on the front lines dared claim they could beat him, let alone kill him.
Iori understood their doubts, so he revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan. "Before these eyes, he was nothing more than a beast."
Hearing that classic Uchiha-style answer and seeing those eerie eyes, the others couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
Then they looked at Han's head on the ground. They had no choice but to accept the truth: the Uchiha Clan had once again produced a Mangekyō Sharingan.
And this time, its wielder was powerful enough to kill a Jinchuriki.
With the situation so tense, Iori's achievement was undoubtedly a much-needed morale boost for the Konoha Ninja.
"Truly worthy of the Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan—the legendary bane of the Tailed Beasts."
Jiraiya sighed. Though he hadn't lived through Madara Uchiha's era, his teacher had told him about those eyes.
Konoha's wariness toward the Uchiha stemmed largely from that power. It was simply too strong—and too unpredictable.
"Iori, you've been a tremendous help. With the Five-Tails dead, their only top fighters are Ōnoki and Roshi."
Jiraiya continued, a hint of relief in his voice.
"With you keeping them in check, Ōnoki and Roshi won't dare act rashly."
"That gives us more room to maneuver."
"And they'll have to spare some of their forces to search for where the Five-Tails will be reborn and find a new Jinchuriki candidate."
"The pressure on the front lines will ease considerably."
"It was my duty. If you need my strength, just let me know."
Iori replied calmly. After using up so much of his ocular power, he had regained his usual composure.
"All right. Iori, why don't you get treated in the medical tent? You can use healing techniques yourself, but you don't look well," Jiraiya said with concern.
It was true. Iori had stopped the bleeding, but his clothes were still stained red.
One arm hung limply at his side. His clothes were torn and covered in scratches and scuffs.
They were all from when Han had sent him flying and he had scraped across the ground.
"No need, Lord Jiraiya. I'll go back and treat myself."
Iori said.
"All right. Go get some rest. If there are any more missions, I'll come discuss them with you."
The squad left the tent together. The camp was brightly lit.
Patrols and sentries rotated in shifts, keeping the camp under tight guard.
"Let's split up here. Get some rest. We should have a few days off now that this mission is over."
"Once a new mission comes in, there won't be any time to rest."
Iori said to his teammates.
"All right, we'll head off too, Captain/Iori."
They replied.
After this mission, Maruboshi Kosuke and Aburame Shibi had fully accepted Uchiha Iori as their captain. Iori was strong and responsible; they had no reason not to acknowledge him.
Back in his tent, Uchiha Iori began organizing what he knew about his Mangekyō.
The way his Mangekyō Sharingan had awakened was different from how it did for most people. It hadn't been triggered by receiving love and then losing it. Instead, it had answered his own call.
Among the Mangekyō users known to him:
The reasons Madara Uchiha and Izuna Uchiha awakened theirs were unknown, but it was most likely due to the deaths of their brothers and other family members.
If Fugaku Uchiha had one, he had awakened it after witnessing his friend die to save him.
The reason for Shisui Uchiha's awakening was unknown, but it was most likely caused by a friend's death as well.
Itachi Uchiha had witnessed Shisui's death.
Sasuke Uchiha had witnessed his brother's death and learned the truth behind the Uchiha Clan's destruction.
But Uchiha Iori was different. When he had faced death, his eyes had answered his plea.
His Mangekyō had manifested because of Projection Magecraft.
The essence of Projection Magecraft was to give form to one's inner self, while the Sharingan was the eye that reflected the heart.
Faced with death, Iori had confronted his fears and darker side.
He had reforged his own heart, bringing about a miraculous evolution.
Is that why my mental state hasn't changed much?
After my ocular power settled and that feeling of being able to do anything faded, I felt almost the same as before.
I should go to the Hall of Heroes later and ask them to examine me. Those guys must have plenty of experience. Iori thought.
My Mangekyō technique is called Susanoo-no-Mikoto. Like Obito Uchiha's, it's a single-eye technique with two effects.
Using both eyes together strengthens Susanoo and reduces its energy consumption, allowing it to evolve to the fourth stage while my eyes are still in their Mangekyō state.
Once I get more proficient, even the complete form should be possible.
The left eye enlarges Susanoo. Its strength and energy consumption increase proportionally.
The fourth-stage Susanoo I used earlier was already close to the size of other people's complete forms.
The right eye shrinks Susanoo, making it smaller and greatly reducing its energy consumption. Since its power is concentrated, its strength only decreases slightly.
The Sharingan really is the eye that reflects the heart. Its abilities fit my fighting style perfectly.
And because it works so well with Projection Magecraft, the weapons I project can not only be enlarged proportionally.
I can also use my ocular power to fuel their releases. Their power is no weaker than when they're powered by True Ether.
Though if I keep doing this, I'll probably break Uchiha Sasuke's record for going blind the fastest.
Iori couldn't help taking a jab at Sasuke Uchiha in his mind.
At the rate he was going, even with a cheat, he would still be the type to go blind in no time.
Several hours earlier
Under the moonlight, in the Land of Grass
A humanoid creature, completely white from head to toe, emerged from the ground. It moved without a sound, and there wasn't even a trace of chakra.
"What is that giant? Is it Susanoo? Why is it so huge?"
White Zetsu said in confusion.
As Madara Uchiha's subordinates, they were familiar with the various forms of Susanoo.
The giant before them matched the fourth-stage form of Susanoo in every respect.
But it was far larger than normal, almost the size of the complete form.
"Lord Madara will definitely be interested in him. I have to go back and report to Lord Madara."
White Zetsu muttered to himself as he sank into the ground and disappeared without a trace.