Susanoo! (Please Bookmark)

The three pitch-black tomoe in those pupils spun at high speed, linking together at their extreme limit.

They revealed the form of the Four-Pointed Windmill Sharingan.

Then, before Toroi's abruptly widening eyes—

A massive, terrifying purple-gold skeletal giant appeared before him.

"What is this thing!?"

The Mangekyō Sharingan was the supreme secret art passed down through the Uchiha Clan for generations. Ever since Uchiha Madara was said to have died in battle at the Valley of the End, those "evil and terrifying" eyes had never appeared again in the ninja world. Aside from truly elderly veterans like the Third Hokage and the Third Tsuchikage, no one of this era had ever seen a genuine Mangekyō Sharingan, much less understood what those eyes represented!

And what appeared before Toroi at this moment was precisely the supreme secret art represented by the Mangekyō Sharingan—Susanoo, a technique only Uchiha Clan members who had awakened those eyes were qualified and capable of using.

He had never found a suitable opportunity before, nor had he encountered a suitable opponent.

Now, with only the two of them present, and Toroi barely qualified to make him use this technique, Shōji did not hesitate. He directly unleashed Susanoo. Even though it was merely the skeletal first form, the pressure and intimidation it brought were simply beyond the resistance of ordinary ninja.

Toroi went completely rigid in that instant.

This existence lay beyond the bounds of his understanding.

Faced with that terrifying purple-gold skeletal giant comparable to a Tailed Beast, Toroi seemed to have completely lost the ability to speak. His widened pupils and uncontrollably trembling body all revealed the turmoil in his heart.

"To witness the supreme secret art of our Uchiha Clan—Susanoo—is your honor, Toroi! Now, farewell!"

The pupils deep within Shōji's eyes turned an even deeper crimson.

As he stepped forward.

A terrifying aura erupted.

A surging tide came rolling forth.

"Slash!"

It covered nearly the entire area before him.

"Rumble!"

From the figure at his side.

A gigantic golden blade appeared out of thin air in the purple-gold Susanoo's right hand and swung down head-on from its locked-on angle.

"Damn it!"

The terrifying pressure crashed into him head-on.

Toroi completely snapped awake in that moment. A savage expression appeared on his face as he released his last reserves of Chakra. A surging mass of black stone condensed, forming a pitch-black wall directly in front of him.

Yet this seemingly incomparably sturdy defense—

The instant the purple-gold slash swept down—

"Rumble!"

Was effortlessly reduced to dust—the Black Jade Wall.

"NO!!!!"

The attack bore down completely.

His body froze.

Unable to make a second response in time, Toroi could only watch helplessly as the gigantic blade swung toward him.

After he was engulfed by the purple-gold slash.

As that incomparably shrill cry fell silent.

"Rumble!"

A thunderous blast erupted, accompanied by a terrifying purple-gold tide soaring into the heavens.

As it exploded.

"Boom!"

After a massive wave roared up, it gradually subsided. When everything returned to silence—

"Tap, tap, tap, tap!"

Shōji walked with light steps to where Toroi had stood. The purple-gold skeletal giant had already vanished, and his pupils had returned to their distinct black and white. Looking at Toroi's corpse, already cleaved in two by a single strike, his eyes still held a trace of coldness.

To die beneath Susanoo, you have every reason to be proud, Toroi!

Even without Susanoo, he could have killed this Magnet Release Ninja before him. But the man's individual strength was indeed formidable, and his use of Magnet Release had reached an exceptionally high level. Dealing with him through ordinary means would truly have required considerably more effort. Shōji had also been unable to find a suitable chance to test his Mangekyō Sharingan's exclusive Dojutsu and Susanoo. With no other "spectators" around, Toroi was the most suitable test subject.

The facts proved that even Susanoo's first form was not something ordinary ninja could withstand. At the very least, one needed to be Kage-level to confront it head-on. Opening Susanoo for the first time had given Shōji a profound understanding of it. At present, he could probably only maintain Susanoo's first form; the second and third forms would require accumulated experience and adaptation.

But those were merely matters of time.

The issue of Dōjutsu Power consumption is what I need to pay close attention to instead.

Shōji gently touched the corner of his eye as he silently pondered.

If it truly came down to it, he could seek out Orochimaru for a deal. From that scientific madman, there was a chance he could obtain the First Hokage's cellular genes. Of course, that was only a backup plan for the most desperate circumstances. Who knew whether that plan would even work? Besides, Orochimaru was not someone easy to deal with.

Unless he truly had no other choice, Shōji did not particularly want to deal with the Snake Sage.

"Captain!"

Then, just as Shōji briefly cleaned up the battlefield and prepared to turn around to support his comrades, seven or eight figures suddenly appeared in the distance. Familiar voices rang out, and the one leading them was Hirahiro, the Chūnin in charge of intelligence gathering in Shōji's squad. The others who had come with him were all Konoha squads, like Shōji's, responsible for scouting and counter-raids in this area.

There were members of the Aburame Clan, the Akimichi Clan, and the Yamashiro Clan.

They had received the distress signal sent by Shōji's squad earlier and rushed toward the battlefield at full speed. They happened to encounter Hirahiro and the others being pursued, instantly turning the Kumo Ninja's numerical advantage into a disadvantage.

A reverse encirclement and a clash followed.

In the end, just as Shōji dealt with Toroi and the other two Kumogakure Jōnin here, Hirahiro's side likewise completely wiped out the pursuing Kumo Ninja squad. Only one person managed to escape with severe injuries using Lightning Release; everyone else was killed.

Konoha only paid the price of one dead and three severely wounded.

After leaving several people behind to clean up the battlefield and tend to the wounded.

The rest hurried toward Shōji's position under Hirahiro's lead. In Hirahiro's eyes, their captain had been caught in a pincer attack by three Kumogakure Jōnin, one of whom was the renowned Magnet Release Ninja—Toroi. The situation had to be extremely dire.

Their time together, as well as Shōji's earlier decision to stay behind and cover their retreat so they could withdraw first.

Had all been deeply engraved in Hirahiro's heart.