The Sky Screen kept playing. A battle was about to erupt!
The Uchiha clansmen's blood surged, and they shouted as one.
"Clan leader, that's the spirit!"
"Show them the true power of the Uchiha!"
"For the glory of the Uchiha!"
Having witnessed Susanoo's terrifying might, the clansmen's eyes burned with battle fervor.
Danzo's heart sank. Knowing full well how formidable the Mangekyō was, he barked, "Root ninja, kill Fugaku Uchiha at once!"
Before his words had faded, Fugaku had already locked onto his target. "Danzo is mine," he said grimly. "Handle the rest of Root yourselves!"
There was no hesitation left in him. All he wanted was to kill Danzo.
A clansman beside him laughed aloud, eager for the fight. "Now that's more like it! First time I've thought our clan leader was up to the job!"
Susanoo's pitch-black skeleton towered against the night sky. Its skeletal claw swept down toward Shimura Danzō with force enough to crush everything in its path!
The air shuddered violently, and the fierce wind sent gravel skittering across the ground.
Danzo's face changed. He dared not take the blow head-on and sprang back, pouring Chakra into his feet to narrowly evade the deadly claw.
Boom—!
The skeletal claw slammed into the ground. Dense, spiderweb cracks instantly spread through the hard flagstones, and the surviving Root ninja trembled at the sight of its terrifying power.
Several Root elites abandoned their opponents and rushed forward at full speed, hoping to cover Danzo and tie Fugaku down.
But the moment they moved, several scarlet Sharingan locked onto them!
The Uchiha elites surged into action. Every one of them was among the clan's finest, skilled in Fire Release, Lightning Release, and the Uchiha's signature swordsmanship. They fought in perfect coordination, offense and defense as one.
One Uchiha clansman closed in with the Body Flicker Technique. His scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun as his ninja blade flashed and slashed cleanly down, pinning a Root ninja in place;
Another formed Hand Seals with one hand. Flames roared as Majestic Destroyer Flame burst forth, a sea of fire sealing off the enemy's escape routes and driving the Root ninja back;
Still others unleashed Lightning Release. Electricity coiled around their blades as they struck with swift lightning slashes, overwhelming opponents of the same rank in speed and explosive force!
Against an entire force of Uchiha elites, even Root's long-trained ninja were driven steadily back, unable to break through and offer support.
Within a few breaths, every Root ninja who tried to reach Danzo had been intercepted and pinned down by the Uchiha clansmen. None could interfere with the main battle.
The entire battlefield had tipped decisively!
Flashing blades, raging fire, and cracking thunder intertwined. Every attack was sharp and vicious, leaving Root's fighters hard-pressed as their casualties mounted.
"Damn it!"
Danzo had barely dodged Susanoo's attack when he caught sight of Root collapsing across the line. His face darkened as he cursed through clenched teeth!
He had thrown his weight around Konoha for years, always the one suppressing others. Never had he imagined that Fugaku Uchiha, who had always endured and yielded, would drive him to such straits!
Ahead, Fugaku Uchiha's eyes were cold, their Mangekyō patterns spinning rapidly. The pitch-black Susanoo skeleton gathered its strength again. Its enormous right claw rose and swept toward the isolated Danzo a second time, carrying force enough to crush mountains and rivers!
At that critical moment, Danzo remained calm. A dense layer of Wind Release Chakra suddenly wrapped around him.
Wind-nature Chakra coated his limbs, pushing his speed and movement to the limit. His body suddenly became light and swift.
Boosted by Wind Release, Danzo shifted sideways several times in succession, each movement uncanny. Again and again, he escaped a fatal grab a heartbeat before Susanoo's claw struck the ground.
Thunderous impacts rang out without cease. The claws gouged trenches several meters deep into the earth, spraying stone and soil everywhere. Their destructive power was horrifying.
Danzo did not merely flee after dodging the assault. He immediately struck back, forming Hand Seals with one hand as Chakra surged forth.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves!"
Several condensed, razor-sharp blades of pressurized wind tore through the night and struck Susanoo's black skeleton with precision.
But however fierce the wind blades were, they could not shake the Mangekyō Susanoo's defenses. They failed to leave even the faintest mark.
When that attack failed, Danzo's expression did not change. He immediately changed tactics, using the tremendous speed granted by Wind Release Chakra to keep moving and draw the fight out rather than clash with Susanoo head-on.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Blast!"
Highly compressed Wind Release projectiles blasted out one after another, bombarding Susanoo's skeleton as he searched for a weakness in its defenses.
Another technique followed on its heels. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A violent gale swept across the battlefield, scattering gravel. Its crushing wind pressure struck Susanoo head-on, but still accomplished nothing.
Vacuum Serial Waves, Vacuum Blast, and Great Breakthrough came in relentless succession. Danzo kept moving and harrying his opponent, his Wind Release Ninjutsu never letting up. Yet he could not break through Fugaku's defenses—or even force him back half a step.
Several rounds of futile attacks exhausted Fugaku's patience.
If ordinary attacks and defenses couldn't finish Danzo, then a wide-ranging killing blow would seal the battle!
Fugaku raised Susanoo's hand and gathered its strength. Vast ocular power and Chakra converged in its palm, forming several dense, pitch-black Tomoe out of thin air. Violent explosive Chakra churned around them.
His gaze turned glacial. Susanoo's arm swung!
The black Tomoe shot forth. Rather than pursuing a single target, they spread in every direction, covering every area around Danzo and cutting off every route he could take to dodge or flee!
Rumble—!
A chain of violent explosions shook heaven and earth. Savage Chakra shock waves swept across the Uchiha Clan Grounds. Great stretches of ground cracked and collapsed, while dust surged skyward and blotted out the night, leaving Danzo no room to maneuver.
When the dust slowly cleared, the scene came into view.
Shimura Danzō stood there in a wretched state. Half his clothes had been torn apart, wounds of varying depth covered his body, and flesh hung open in several places. His breathing was ragged and weak. The attack had grievously injured him.
Danzo knew perfectly well that if he kept drawing out the fight, he would be worn down and killed. He had no chance of winning that way.
Stalling was useless now. Only by risking his life could he turn the tables!
Shimura Danzō growled through clenched teeth and poured every last bit of his Wind Release Chakra into the Kunai he carried. A cutting wind aura wrapped around the entire weapon, its edge menacingly sharp.
He drove off with both legs and shot into the air. Using Wind Release to push his speed to the limit, he charged straight at the towering Susanoo and thrust the wind-imbued Kunai at it!
Fugaku Uchiha neither dodged nor defended against the desperate attack. He let the Kunai, laden with all of Danzo's Wind Release Chakra, strike his Susanoo's skeleton.
Clang—!
A piercing metallic crack rang out!
The instant the Kunai struck the skeleton, it failed to budge Susanoo in the slightest. The dense bone formed from ocular power snapped the entire weapon in two!
Danzo stared at the broken Kunai in his hand and the pitch-black skeleton inches away. His pupils contracted.
Looking down at him with cold indifference, Fugaku said with biting contempt, "Danzo, is this all you have left?"
The instant his words fell, Susanoo's enormous skeletal claw snapped shut, catching Danzo before he could dodge!
He had no room to struggle. With a muffled burst, the immense force crushed Danzo's body.
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