Itachi's expression changed in an instant. An indescribable taste spread from the fruit's flesh across his tongue.
An ordinary person would have spat it out long ago and cursed Zhou Cheng to his face.
But Itachi was Itachi—unyielding and unwilling to give up easily.
He ate the entire fruit in one go.
Silence fell beneath the arena as everyone waited for Itachi's reaction.
A moment later, Itachi opened his hand, and his palm turned into a mass of flames. The temperature around him began to rise rapidly.
The people in the front row were pushed back a step by the Heat Wave, their faces flushed red from the scorching heat.
Hiss!
The crowd let out a chorus of sharp breaths. This terrifying heat was far greater than that of Fire Style!
Sasuke leaped to his feet, his face alight with excitement. His big brother had gotten stronger again!
Shisui stared intently at Itachi. He could feel how powerful those flames were. If he didn't use Susanoo, Itachi should be as strong as he was now!
Uchiha Tadashi had lost all hope. He was utterly despairing!
Itachi had already been strong, and now that he'd gained a new power, he would only become stronger.
There was no chance left for him to turn things around.
He began to admire his father. The old man really had been far-sighted.
Kakashi's one eye was wide with astonishment. Fire transformation, and heat like that? This guy had gotten stronger again!
And not just by a little!
Should I choose a book, or something else, to get stronger?
But I really like that kind of book. This is so hard!
Tsunade lowered her arms. She could sense danger from those flames.
Damn it, could he be another Madara Uchiha?!
Iruka and Naruto were completely numb. In just a few short hours today, they'd been more shocked than they had been in all the years before combined.
Itachi narrowed his eyes and carefully examined his palm. Its temperature was at least a thousand degrees, but that wasn't the limit of the flames.
He flipped his hand over, and his palm returned to normal. Then he clenched it, and a fireball appeared in his grasp.
Hiss!
Another chorus of gasps rose from beneath the arena.
It was equivalent to performing a jutsu without Hand Seals. That kind of ability was terrifying.
No matter how fast you were at forming Hand Seals, you couldn't do it instantly. It always took some time.
But Itachi's new ability let him create flames in an instant. While you were still forming Hand Seals, his flames would already be in your face. How could you fight that?
"Not bad. At least you're worth watching!"
"You've obtained the power of the fruit!"
"Too bad you've used up both of your chances. Don't disappoint me again tomorrow!"
At those words, everyone rolled their eyes at Zhou Cheng.
This was only "not bad" and "worth watching" to you?
Could you stop rubbing salt in the wound?
Itachi looked at Zhou Cheng, a knowing look in his eyes.
As expected of a senior. Did he really think an ability like this was only worth watching?
Just how strong was he?
He bowed to Zhou Cheng, then left the arena and went over to Sasuke and Shisui.
"Shisui, you go up!"
Itachi was eager to test his newly acquired ability, but Shisui hadn't taken his turn yet, so he could only wait for him to finish before they left together.
Shisui noticed the anticipation in Itachi's eyes and felt eager himself. What reward would he get from the Blind Box today?
"Senior, it's my turn!"
Zhou Cheng had always liked people who could deal heavy damage.
They were the ones he could count on to break through the shield quickly.
Zhou Cheng waved a hand. "Go ahead!"
Shisui nodded, his expression growing serious.
He'd set his sights on Purple.
At his level, only a Purple Blind Box or one of a higher grade could contain something truly useful to him.
Green chakra covered his body, then formed a gigantic skeleton!
The skeleton was about to attack when Zhou Cheng raised a hand and stopped him.
"Wait a moment!"
The crowd erupted. What was wrong with Zhou Cheng?
Was he scared?
Quite a few people booed in protest.
It was like taking off your pants, only to be told to look at this instead!
"You don't need to boo. Shisui used this giant to attack Mr. Zhou yesterday!"
"And how'd that turn out?"
"Isn't that obvious? If anything had happened to Mr. Zhou, would he be standing here today?"
As he spoke, Zhou Cheng walked to the edge of the arena.
"The arena's too small, and you can't fight freely. I'll make an exception for you and let you go somewhere with more space, where you can attack to your heart's content."
Shisui looked grateful. The arena really was a bit small for Susanoo. If he transformed into its second form, it would be like standing on a tiny brick—awkward and cramped.
At that size, Zhou Cheng would be forced straight off the arena.
He'd built this arena out of wood bought with all his savings from before he got the system. It was small and shabby!
Now that he had money, he didn't have time to fix it up.
Such was the unpredictability of life!
Only then did everyone else catch on. They immediately moved aside to make a path for Zhou Cheng to leave.
Shisui first dispelled Susanoo, then walked to a spot twenty or thirty meters away from Zhou Cheng.
The green skeleton appeared again, then grew flesh and turned into a giant.
It was bigger than the skeleton and had an even more oppressive presence!
"Senior, watch out!"
Shisui shouted from within the giant's forehead, controlling Susanoo as it threw a punch at Zhou Cheng.
As the fist grew larger before his eyes, Zhou Cheng smiled faintly. Come on, put some strength into it!
Boom!
Susanoo's fist slammed into Zhou Cheng's head.
The immense force cratered the ground beneath Zhou Cheng's feet.
A gale swept across the area, sending dust billowing into the air.
Those nearby raised their hands to keep the dust out of their eyes.
The dust soon settled.
Susanoo's fist remained pressed firmly against Zhou Cheng's head. The ground where he stood had become a deep crater, and he stood right at its center.
Wow!
The crowd cried out in shock again. Just one punch had the power of a devastating jutsu. It was terrifying!
"What kind of jutsu is that giant? I've never seen it before!"
"It's so powerful, and its presence is overwhelming!"
"Shows how little you know. That's Susanoo, a jutsu that can only be learned when the Sharingan, the Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha Clan, evolves to its ultimate form!"
Everyone seeing Susanoo for the first time looked stunned.
The Sharingan was already powerful enough. It could evolve, too?
How was anyone else supposed to compete?
No wonder the village had pushed them out to such a remote place.
Sasuke and Itachi both wore looks of longing. The Mangekyō Sharingan. Susanoo!
They wondered when they would evolve their eyes into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Kakashi's eye held a hint of surprise. It seemed that each person's Susanoo was different after their Sharingan evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Shisui's was green!
He wondered what kind of ocular jutsu Shisui's eyes had!
Shisui's strength was on par with his own!
Tsunade shook her head regretfully again.
He was only sixteen, yet he'd already evolved his eyes into the Mangekyō Sharingan. It was clear he'd gone through things most people couldn't imagine!
Maybe he'd become even more corrupted than Madara!
A string of numbers appeared above Zhou Cheng's head: -13785.
[Damage dealt: 13785] [Shield HP remaining: 9,999,999,932,288] [Damage Rank: Purple] [Reward obtained: Purple Blind Box]
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