Mangekyō Sharingan: Kamui

In an instant, a violent surge of Void Reiatsu erupted, gathering before the blade and forming a crescent-shaped slash that shot straight toward Itachi Uchiha behind him!

This slash was far more powerful than the one before!

Even its spreading shockwave instantly destroyed the two stone pillars in front of the shrine, shattering them completely!

And its trajectory was aimed squarely at Itachi Uchiha!

"?"

At the sight,

Itachi's pupils suddenly contracted, and his expression shifted.

Could this Fox Ghost Mask-wearing guy actually have an ability similar to the Hyūga's Byakugan?

He had his back to me, yet that slash was so precise?

That was ridiculous!

In the blink of an eye, Itachi Uchiha had no time to think. He swiftly raised a hand and formed the seals with just one hand!

"Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"

At his words, a huge chakra dragon burst forth, carrying a sea of crimson flames as it rushed straight toward the crescent slash!

Boom!!

The moment the fire dragon touched the crescent, it had no chance to resist and was instantly cut apart!

The scattering flames turned into a chaotic shockwave that swept violently in every direction!

Meanwhile, the injured Itachi seized the force of the gust and, gritting his teeth, leaped into the air to evade the explosion!

Chen Xiaoxi's Moon Fang Sky Strike did not dissipate after colliding with the fire dragon. It slammed straight into Naka Shrine!

Bang!!

The sprawling shrine building collapsed in an instant!

The deafening crash rang out in the dead of night, almost loud enough to echo throughout the entire Leaf Village!

Amid the shockwaves of the collapse,

Itachi Uchiha used every ounce of strength he had to leap into an open space beside the shrine.

He dropped to one knee and panted heavily, his expression grim. His ineffective Mangekyō Sharingan deactivated as well.

"Whew... Hah..."

He couldn't go on.

He was already at his limit.

After suffering the backlash from having his genjutsu dispelled and exhausting himself with the Mangekyō Sharingan, he had almost no strength left to continue fighting.

More importantly, Chen Xiaoxi's slash from behind had badly wounded him.

It wasn't because he had held back.

Rather, the white demon wearing a mask had completely overwhelmed him!

Only then did Chen Xiaoxi turn around. Lowering the sword in his hand, he looked toward Itachi Uchiha and chuckled.

"As expected of someone known as a genius."

"When faced with a slash you couldn't block, you immediately thought to use the Great Fire Dragon Technique to create an explosive shockwave and escape."

"Impressive."

"But..."

"I doubt you have much stamina left, do you?"

"..."

Itachi remained silent.

He knew he had been completely seen through.

But

what he couldn't understand was this: the chakra inside this guy seemed incredibly weak.

So why had he been able to unleash one powerful slash after another without so much as a flicker in his chakra?

Was he secretly using some method to replenish it all along?

Though he could no longer fight for the moment, Itachi's mind raced as he considered his options.

Just then,

a low voice rang through the night sky.

"That's enough."

"This little game of yours ends here."

The speaker was, naturally, the Masked Man.

The man in the black robe who claimed to be Madara Uchiha.

He slowly walked in front of Itachi Uchiha, stopped, then turned to face Chen Xiaoxi. His eyes narrowed slightly as he said in a deep voice:

"That Shimura Danzō never told me he had a subordinate as powerful as you."

"You alone could have wiped out the entire Uchiha Clan long ago, couldn't you?"

"At the beginning, he didn't seem to need a partner at all."

The Masked Man spoke in a low voice.

He had spent so long lurking nearby while Itachi Uchiha fought in order to observe the man before him.

And now,

the Masked Man could confidently conclude—

This guy's strength was perhaps no less than that of his teacher... the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze!

Whether it was his bizarre Crescent Slash, his ability to dispel genjutsu, or his high-speed Instantaneous God Technique, everything about him was outrageously powerful.

Why would someone like this serve an old schemer like Shimura Danzō?

The Masked Man truly couldn't understand.

At that moment,

hearing the Masked Man's words, Chen Xiaoxi suddenly smiled faintly and said:

"You're giving me too much credit."

"That's right. As you said, Lord Danzo did consider having me take action, but I turned him down outright."

"As for why... it's simple."

"Unlike you two, I can't bring myself to do something as despicable as wiping out an entire clan."

"Besides,"

"Lord Danzo was afraid of getting burned. Isn't it better to let the two of you take the blame?"

"..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Masked Man and Itachi Uchiha both looked shaken.

Damn it...

As expected, Shimura Danzō had never meant well from the start!

A moment later,

the Masked Man's eyes narrowed. He raised one hand and said in a deep voice:

"Hmph. We've reached the point of no return. There's no point in saying more."

"Come on—"

"Fox Ghost Mask-wearing fellow, your next opponent... is me, Madara Uchiha!"

The Masked Man had finally decided to fight in person.

He might have loved to lie low,

but he knew he couldn't keep hiding now.

Itachi Uchiha could no longer maintain a high-intensity fight. He could die here at any moment.

If that happened, it would be a terrible loss.

Besides, if the man wearing the Fox Ghost Mask was already this powerful, wouldn't he reach Six Paths level someday?

In the future, he would undoubtedly become one of the Eye of the Moon Plan's greatest enemies!

So rather than let him grow even stronger, it was better to kill him... tonight!

Based on what the Masked Man had observed,

the masked man was indeed fast, but his speed was purely physical. He had no Space-Time Ninjutsu abilities.

As long as that was the case, the odds of victory were greatly in his favor.

No matter how fast you are, can you really be faster than Minato-sensei's Flying Thunder God?

"..."

However,

when he heard the Masked Man say this,

Chen Xiaoxi wasn't surprised at all. Instead, his heart stirred, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

I've been waiting so long...

He's finally going to fight me himself.

That meant

he could finally get ready to complete the last branch mission—

As he thought this,

Chen Xiaoxi put on an expression of surprise, raised the sword in his hand, and lifted his chin with a smile.

"Oh?"

"The legendary Ninja World Asura, Madara Uchiha, is going to take me on personally? I'm looking forward to it..."

As soon as he finished speaking,

Chen Xiaoxi's thoughts stirred, and he turned into a blur, disappearing from where he stood.

He reappeared in front of the Masked Man, raised his moon-white blade, and slashed forward!

This time, all his Reiatsu gathered along the blade. He didn't form a crescent; he simply cut straight toward the Masked Man's body.

Seeing this, the Masked Man let out a low, cold laugh. Without the slightest trace of panic, he immediately activated his Mangekyō Sharingan: Kamui.