A perilous confrontation finally drew to a complete close.
Fugaku relaxed his tense form slightly, panting softly as he slowly reined in his billowing chakra fluctuations.
After all, his eyes were still not the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and continuously keeping Susanoo active placed an immense drain on his pupillary power and physical stamina.
As the battle ended, the Mangekyō patterns in his eyes gradually faded, reverting to the appearance of a normal Sharingan, and the colossal black skeleton also dissipated into nothingness.
Yet just at this momentary lapse in tension!
Squelch—!
A chilling, razor-sharp pain suddenly pierced straight through from his back to his chest!
Fugaku's body stiffened abruptly, his pupils contracting violently as disbelief plastered his face.
There was absolute emptiness ahead of him, yet right behind him, Shimura Danzō—who ought to have been crushed to a pulp by Susanoo and left without a whole bone in his body—was standing there completely unharmed.
Danzō held a blood-stained kunai in a tight grip, driving it fiercely through Fugaku's back. A cold and cruel smile crept across his entire face, his aura remaining steady and entirely devoid of the faintest trace of heavy injury.
"Izanami!" Fugaku tasted a salty sweetness in his throat and let out a strained, low roar.
Danzō slowly pulled the kunai free, his frigid words carrying a bone-chilling frost that rang through the night sky: "Fugaku Uchiha, did you really think I had no precautions against you Uchiha clan members?"
Danzō slowly peeled back the bandage over his right eye, revealing an ash-colored orb that had gone permanently blind.
He had activated Izanami before the kunai ever stabbed Susanoo, waiting all the way until Fugaku dismissed Susanoo and dropped his guard in that fatal opening to quietly manifest and deliver this ultimate, fatal sneak attack.
"Did you think you were invincible just because you possessed a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Danzō wiped the blood from the kunai, his gaze dark and ruthless: "From the very beginning, you were the one destined to lose this battle."
The Sky Screen displayed the complete annotation of Izanagi, and line after line of text clearly imprinted itself into everyone's eyes as discussions erupted in waves across every corner of the continent.
[Izanagi: The ultimate forbidden jutsu of the Uchiha clan, an ultimate technique that rewrites reality and reverses life and death.]
[Once activated, it can turn all unfavorable circumstances—such as damage received or death—into a dream, retaining only the favorable reality.]
[Cost: The Sharingan used goes permanently blind.]
"Danzo was just sent running away in a sorry state, and he turned the tables with this move?"
"Danzo is no pushover either! Wind-style ninjutsu was practically effortless in his hands, and that speed was just too fast!"
"What use was it? That wind couldn't even break the defense of Susanoo!"
"Truly tyrannical! This Susanoo is just too tyrannical!"
"I thought Danzo was an idiot for trying to stab Susanoo with a kunai! Turns out the idiot was me! The man kept a trump card the whole time."
"Isn't the Uchiha clan just incredible? Izanami is an Uchiha clan ninjutsu after all! Could it be that the only thing capable of defeating the Uchiha is the Uchiha?"
"Wait a minute, is this Uchiha clan really not a race of gods? Are these skills that humans can use?"
"Altering reality and dreams—is this really something a human can do?"
"No way! How on earth did the Uchiha clan create something like this?! I can't even dream up moves like these!"
"Hang on! Didn't Xiao Zhi already get Izanami?"
"That's right! Uchiha Fugaku just gave it to him earlier, and so reluctantly too! I even thought he was stingy! Now I see it was just my own ignorance."
"And there's Izanagi, which can stand alongside Izanami and certainly won't be simple! Spirit Hall has reeled in a massive stroke of fortune this time!"
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect
Ning Rongrong widened her eyes as she stared at Danzo returning from the dead within the Sky Screen. Disbelief covered her face as she turned to look at Ning Fengzhi beside her: "Dad, whoever learns that Izanami can practically revive twice!"
Ning Fengzhi gently set down the teacup in his hand, massaging his brow with his fingertips as a grave expression settled over him. "I'm afraid it goes far beyond that."
He saw it clearly now—no matter how much importance one placed on the Uchiha clan, it could never be too much!
Ning Rongrong wore a blank look, tilting her head as she pressed further: "Why is that?"
Bone Douluo let out a long breath, slowly explaining: "Rongrong, that Shimura Danzō in the Sky Screen clearly wasn't using his own eyes! That proves the most crucial element of Izanami isn't Uchiha bloodline, but the Sharingan!"
Sword Douluo took over the conversation, striking straight to the core with a single remark: "In other words, as long as one can stockpile enough Sharingan, theoretically they can repeatedly invoke Izanami and continuously rewrite life and death."
"This pupillary technique is just too bizarre and powerful! Good thing our Douluo Continent doesn't have martial souls like this." Ning Rongrong unconsciously let out a sigh.
The moment she finished speaking, she caught the hesitant expressions of her two grandfathers, and her thoughts immediately flew to Xiao Zhi. "Wait! Xiao Zhi is the only person on the continent with a Sharingan right now—doesn't that put him in a perilous situation?"
"Perilous doesn't even begin to cover it," Ning Fengzhi said, his tone turning heavy. "Not only does he harbor the Sharingan, but he has also mastered the cultivation method for Izanami. Every powerhouse across the entire continent will set their sights on him, coveting this power, and even within Spirit Hall, not everyone may be willing to sit quietly."
"Now I finally understand why Konoha feared the Uchiha clan!" Sword Douluo's expression was stern. "Purely in terms of potential, the Sharingan even overshadows the Angel Martial Soul. The angel lineage produces only a single divine emissary per generation, but every single member of the Uchiha clan has the potential to evolve a Mangekyō."
"The situation is in utter chaos." Ning Fengzhi furrowed his brow, his heart filled with worry. "Bibi Dong is deep-scheming and harbors vast ambitions. Now that Xiao Zhi holds such supreme treasures, I simply cannot be certain she will always treat this disciple kindly."
Ning Rongrong covered her mouth, shocked and alarmed: "The Pope... could she really make a move against her own direct disciple?"
"In the face of the temptation of ultimate power, master-disciple bonds count for nothing at all. Even closest blood relatives will turn on each other as enemies," Bone Douluo said in a cold tone, laying bare the cruel reality.
If Xiao Zhi were to hear these words, he would only find them utterly laughable.
Bone Douluo simply had no idea just how terrifying the Love Continent was!
Spirit Hall, Pope Hall
Bibi Dong gazed at the Sky Screen, her expression exceptionally grave as she immediately issued a stern command: "When Xiao Zhi returns, you must immediately step up his guards and ensure he is never left unattended twenty-four hours a day."
She saw through the situation clearly: with numerous Titled Douluo across the continent now coveting the Sharingan and the two major forbidden jutsu, Xiao Zhi was already standing in the crosshairs.
"His Holiness the Pope is wise! His Highness the Holy Son secured this stroke of fortune for Spirit Hall, and now that he finds himself in peril, we must never let a meritorious contributor suffer any grievances."
Chrysanthemum Douluo hurried forward to echo the sentiment, his attitude exceptionally warm whenever he spoke of Xiao Zhi.
Bibi Dong cast a satisfied look his way. Ever since Xiao Zhi gifted Chrysanthemum Douluo the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum Douluo's enthusiasm toward Xiao Zhi had reached new heights!
If not for the special relationship between herself and Xiao Zhi, she would have suspected Chrysanthemum Douluo was about to betray her!
Beside them, Hu Liena also understood Xiao Zhi's predicament, but a doubt remained that forced her to speak up: "I don't quite understand. The moment Xiao Zhi obtained the ninjutsu, he could have slipped away—why did he insist on getting tangled up in the feud between the Uchiha and Danzo?"
Before you continue