Susanoo Towering Over the Battlefield; Uchiha Makoto Fishing

"Yo! Good morning, everyone!"

Uchiha Makoto greeted them as a hundred-meter-tall Susanoo rose from the ground behind him.

The blue-violet Susanoo not only swept away the mist surrounding them, but also cast a shadow called despair over everyone present.

With just one glance, an intense ringing filled their minds, and even their breathing instinctively quieted to the utmost.

This was humanity's innate fear of colossal things!

Not only the enemies—even the Konoha shinobi hidden nearby were quietly stunned by the sight before them.

"So this is the Susanoo Grandfather and the others once possessed?"

Uchiha Fugaku stared blankly at the scene before him and muttered to himself.

An indescribable surge of pride and hot blood swept through every Uchiha present.

Look!

This was the power of the Uchiha!

The third power—Susanoo!

The red gleam emitted by pair after pair of Sharingan made even the Konoha shinobi uneasy, and they all silently shifted their asses a little farther away.

The Mist shinobi, however, were facing an entirely different scene.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Aoshi Shinomori trembled all over, itching to curse out loud.

"We're supposed to fight him? Have the higher-ups gone insane?"

Meanwhile, the still-young Hozuki Mangetsu asked with vacant eyes, "Can we win?"

"We're dead for sure, young master!"

Cursing as he spoke, Aoshi Shinomori turned around, grabbed Hozuki Mangetsu with one hand, and took off running.

The moment he ran, the shinobi present seemed to have opened Pandora's box, all turning to flee for their lives.

For a few tens of thousands of ryo a month, who the hell would risk their life?

Watching the routed Mist shinobi, Uchiha Makoto, standing atop Susanoo's head, did not stop them. Instead, he swiftly searched for his target.

Yet the result was less than satisfactory.

Uchiha Makoto frowned tightly—the Third Mizukage hadn't come?

After looking around the battlefield once more, Uchiha Makoto's frown deepened. That woman, Kaguya Takeori, hadn't come either?

What was going on? Neither of them came? Or did he intend to first wear me down, then launch a sneak attack when the chance arose?

At that thought, Uchiha Makoto stopped holding back and controlled Susanoo as it flew into the sky.

When Susanoo reached an altitude of a thousand meters, Uchiha Makoto extended his right hand, spread his five fingers, and softly shouted, "Yasaka Magatama!"

Before his words had even faded, blue-violet magatama rapidly condensed across Susanoo's body and blasted downward.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Those at the very front of the fleeing crowd suffered the fiercest bombardment, and the entire ground began to shake.

Some shinobi who had not been hit stared blankly ahead, but what they saw robbed them of all will to fight.

The mountain path, never particularly level to begin with, was now as flat as earth plowed by a farmer.

Not even a large stone could be seen!

While they were still frozen in shock, Uchiha Makoto controlled Susanoo as it descended from the sky.

Uchiha Makoto took a deep breath, feeling the damp morning air. He lightly rolled his shoulders as he silently considered his battle strategy.

Since the Third Mizukage wanted to wear him down, then he would put on a show of barely managing to erupt with power and cast him a bait!

Besides, he believed the system would not act without reason.

Inherently evil Third Mizukage, let me see where you've hidden yourself!

As Susanoo dissipated, the many shinobi on the Mist side gradually turned back around and focused their gazes on Uchiha Makoto once more.

"He wants to take us all on by himself!"

An Iwa shinobi said shakily, his legs trembling uncontrollably. His teammate had been right in front of him just now, then vanished with a pop.

"That must've been a forbidden technique. He used it once, so he can't use it again!"

"If we want to live, everyone rush him together! There are thousands of us—even if we have to bury him under taijutsu, we can beat him to death!"

A dark-skinned Kumo shinobi roared, raised a kunai, and charged forward at the head of the pack.

Not only him—shinobi erupted from every direction across the battlefield. Iwa shinobi, Mist shinobi, and Kumo shinobi alike led the charge at Uchiha Makoto.

"Rather than running away, you're coming toward me of your own accord? You really don't think much of me!"

Uchiha Makoto's gaze turned icy. Gripping the sword in his hand tightly, he likewise dashed toward them in an instant.

"Quick, create favorable terrain!"

A Mist shinobi commander shouted his orders. As long as they could create a large body of water here, they would still have a sliver of hope!

"Understood!"

Upon receiving the order, thousands of Mist shinobi seemed to have found their backbone. They formed hand seals almost simultaneously and took in deep breaths.

"Water Style: Great Exploding Water Shock Wave!"

"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"

"Water Style: Exploding Water Shock Wave Technique!"

"..."

All manner of ninjutsu capable of producing massive amounts of water appeared at once, successfully creating a vast lake spanning several square kilometers.

"Oh? You Mist shinobi have some skill after all!"

Uchiha Makoto nimbly evaded the attacks, somewhat impressed as he watched the lake rapidly take shape before him.

"Should I say, as expected of the Mist shinobi? As expected of one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages."

Uchiha Makoto smiled, though his words were mercilessly mocking.

Unfortunately, his few words only inflamed the enemy's anger toward him.

"Kumo shinobi! It's time for us to move!"

A Kumo shinobi commander shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Get your heads in the game! Don't embarrass yourselves!"

"Yeah!"

One Kumo shinobi after another shouted in response, all unleashing their signature techniques.

"Lightning Style: Earth Current!"

"Lightning Style: Lightning Attraction!"

"..."

Technique after technique either flowed into the water or burst from the Kumo shinobi's mouths.

They all struck toward Uchiha Makoto, only to be blocked by his swordsmanship.

"Hey, Mist shinobi!"

That Kumo shinobi commander shouted, signaling his old rival among the Mist shinobi.

"Oh! Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

"Lightning Style: Thunderclap!"

As a Water Dragon Bullet burst from the Mist shinobi commander's mouth, the Kumo shinobi commander grinned savagely and spat out a lightning spear.

"Composite Technique: Lightning-Water Dragon Bullet!" *2

The Water Dragon Bullet, wrapped from head to tail in lightning, charged straight toward Uchiha Makoto at the center of the battlefield, drawing everyone's attention.

"This attack is about at Kage level!"

A glint of interest appeared in Uchiha Makoto's eyes. These two elite jonin were truly talented!

What was known as ordinary Kage level was also called lower Kage level.

They were often considered the elite among elite jonin, capable of taking on several elite jonin alone without being defeated.

However, battles were often affected by a whole range of factors, such as combat experience, chakra nature counters, terrain, and intelligence.

For example, Kakuzu, who used Earth Grudge Fear in the original work, was a typical ordinary Kage-level shinobi.

"Just what I needed."

Feeling the power of that attack, Uchiha Makoto secretly rejoiced. Wasn't this bait now perfectly justified?

I need to keep up the act!

Uchiha Makoto silently reminded himself as he discreetly bit open a small blood pack hidden in his mouth.

The strong metallic taste made him suddenly cough harshly.

With each breath he took, an exceedingly faint scent of blood spread into the surrounding mist.

Sensing that bloody smell, one nearly impossible for ordinary people to detect, the eyes of the Mist shinobi who lived in the Village Hidden in the Blood Mist instantly lit up.

"That's... the smell of blood!"

"He—he's injured!"