The stone statues' earth-shaking footsteps echoed across the sky, leaving Kuan, who stood on the cliff looking down, feeling utterly chilled.
Lu Sheng, that brat, had swaggered off and left him alone to face a legend of the Shinobi World.
Kuan's fingers, hanging at his sides, nervously tugged at the hem of his clothes. Like a trembling little beast, he asked the cold, aloof man before him in a quavering voice, "Is this the power of the Uchiha controlling a Tailed Beast?"
The silence in the air was like a blunt knife, slicing at Kuan's fragile nerves. He drew in a sharp breath and didn't dare exhale.
"Control?"
The drawled reply that came after a long pause rescued Kuan, easing the tension in his face. Pointing at the Red Giant below as it re-formed after being scattered once more, he added, "Manipulate would be more accurate."
Madara turned around and gave him a serious look, unable to help thinking of the Byakugan.
He had once thought that this kind of dōjutsu could only provide insight and support on the battlefield, but his journey to the moon had overturned that shallow understanding.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what the Ketsuryūgan looks like when it's fully developed."
After feeling that soul-piercing gaze leave him, Kuan leaned against the uneven stone wall behind him and rubbed his chest, steadying his breathing. He replied succinctly, "Yes."
Madara continued surveying the battlefield, gazing with satisfaction at the weapon in Susanoo's hand. The long halberd cut through the air with such force that he couldn't help feeling pleased.
Though he had helped with his chakra, he hadn't expected Lu Sheng to master chakra shape transformation so quickly.
He reached for his waist, took a scroll from his ninja tool pouch, and drew out a sealed bottle