I'll Be Back!

"Found you!"

The sudden turn of events allowed King Piccolo to lock onto the crow clone Uchiha Itachi was hiding in.

Knowing he had been exposed, Uchiha Itachi reverted to his human form.

"Susanoo!"

The Mangekyo in his eyes spun, and an armored giant appeared once more. Without Susanoo's protection, Uchiha Itachi did not dare face King Piccolo's energy attacks head-on!

"Clone Great Explosion!"

Crow clones charged one after another at King Piccolo.

Boom—

Boom—

Explosions rang out in succession, delaying King Piccolo's movements.

"I can't keep tangling with you!" King Piccolo realized that he did not have much time left. In this world, there was no other half of him—the god—keeping him alive. He would soon reach the end of his lifespan and die.

Then he would be unable to complete the supreme mission assigned to him by the card master, Uchiha Feng.

"Gather!"

With a low cry, the energy within King Piccolo's body condensed even further.

This ability had originally been a desperate measure, sacrificing one's lifespan to increase one's strength.

"Super—Demon Light Wave!"

King Piccolo gathered energy in his hand and aimed at Uchiha Itachi.

"An opening!" Uchiha Itachi was likewise gathering energy. Against a technique that could lock onto its target, he could only take it head-on.

Just then, he had discovered that while King Piccolo was gathering energy, his body remained motionless. That gave him an opportunity.

"Yasaka Magatama!"

The second-stage Susanoo continuously gathered ocular power.

The Sharingan transformed into rope-like strands linking three magatama together.

A pitch-black divine artifact took shape.

Legend said this was the power of the god of desolation, capable of crossing thousands of miles to pierce its prey.

Both of them waited for the final clash.

Boom—

Two massive energies collided.

The already devastated grounds of the Uchiha Clan were reduced directly to ruins.

The Demon Light Wave passed through the red Susanoo's body and blasted straight into Konoha's protective barrier.

Crack, crack—

Transparent cracks appeared across the barrier before a huge breach finally opened.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi, protected by the red Susanoo, suffered another devastating injury and was already close to passing out.

King Piccolo had suffered severe injuries as well. His abdomen had been pierced clean through by the pitch-black divine artifact, and the scenery behind him could be seen through the gaping wound.

"Hahaha! What a familiar wound! But I've accomplished my goal too!"

King Piccolo let out a hearty laugh.

"It's time to send the card master away from here!" Feeling the battles around him, he became even more aware that his time was running out.

He turned away from Uchiha Itachi. A state like this, where the opponent might erupt at any time, would affect the card master's escape.

King Piccolo arrived at the deep well where Uchiha Feng was hiding.

"You went too far! You nearly got me stuck in trouble." Uchiha Feng emerged. Though he had retained control over King Piccolo the entire time, King Piccolo's instinctive fighting at certain moments was still troublesome.

It had nearly dragged Uchiha Feng into Konoha's mire. He had no desire to remain in Konoha after the clan massacre.

Now, he viewed every person in Konoha with malicious suspicion.

"Sorry, but this will be my last indulgence!" King Piccolo did not argue back. Characters drawn from cards possessed their own personalities and wills, yet they still obeyed Uchiha Feng absolutely.

"Goodbye! If I get the chance, I'll find a way to revive you." After all, King Piccolo had been his final support and the one who had saved him. Once the card exploded, it would be difficult for them to meet again.

"I still have some fun to have here, but before that, I'll send you off!"

King Piccolo nodded. If he had the chance to live again, he would not refuse it.

He walked over beside the dry well and found a wooden pillar that had once been a load-bearing support for the corridor.

Crack, crack—

He drove both hands into the wooden pillar, leaving two holes in it.

"Get on," King Piccolo said respectfully to Uchiha Feng. At once, both understood what the other meant.

Uchiha Feng walked over, and his feet fit perfectly into the two holes.

Uchiha Feng looked around. This familiar yet unfamiliar place had been his home for nearly ten years, and some members of the Uchiha Clan had given him warmth.

King Piccolo lifted the wooden pillar, aimed at the flaw he had created in the barrier, and hurled it with all his strength.

That was right—the method Tao Pai Pai, the world's greatest assassin, used to travel.

High in the sky, Uchiha Feng looked down at Konoha, which had descended into chaos, unsure of what he felt.

"This is only the beginning! I will be back!"

His body flew into the distance along with the wooden pillar.

At last, he became a speck of light and vanished into the distance.

King Piccolo completed his mission and returned to where Uchiha Itachi had been injured.

"A bunch of fools!"

Uchiha Itachi had vanished from sight, but King Piccolo's sensing ability told him that Uchiha Itachi was hiding underground, intending to ambush him.

Boom—

He stomped on the ground, and a crack spread across the earth toward where Uchiha Itachi was hiding.

Poof—

Uchiha Itachi's body was rocked by the violent shockwave and turned into a puff of white smoke. What had been hiding underground was one of his clones.

Poof!

A broken piece of wood beneath his feet transformed into Uchiha Itachi. Whether it was a Substitution Technique or a Transformation Technique, the clone earlier had merely been bait.

"Yin Seal Technique!"

As Uchiha Itachi formed hand seals, yin-natured sealing energy began crawling up King Piccolo's body from beneath his feet, restricting his movements.

This sealing technique used yin-natured chakra to seal the opponent's movements, and its priority was extremely high.

"A sealing technique?" A trace of fear finally appeared on King Piccolo's otherwise expressionless face. It reminded him of the hundred years he had spent sealed by the Mafuba.

The energy within his body began surging wildly, only to be neutralized by the yin-natured sealing formulae.

"Now!" Uchiha Obito appeared. The half of his body that had once been lost had been filled in by white cells, though his aura was still weak. "Wood Release: Hellish Rampage!"

Several massive thorn-covered trees erupted from the ground around King Piccolo. The vines extending from them wrapped around his body, restricting his movements.

Those spikes pierced into King Piccolo's body, continuing to ravage him.

"Did we succeed?"

Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Itachi shared the same hope.

Looking at King Piccolo, who had been drained and sealed, both of them let out long breaths.

They exchanged glances, each wearing a bitter smile.

Both of them had reached the Kage level, and thanks to the Sharingan, they were among the very strongest at that level. Yet in their battle against this monster, they had failed to gain even the slightest advantage.

In the end, they had only managed to win with great difficulty because of the opponent's baffling actions and his lifespan nearing its end.

Buzz—buzz—buzz—

A piercing sound came from the sealed King Piccolo. His powerful energy directly shattered the thorns formed by the Wood Release.

That powerful energy continued to gather. White light enveloped his body, and his aura reached its peak.

"Not good!"

Both of them cried out at the same time!

Uchiha Obito hid within his own dimension.

Uchiha Itachi used Susanoo to protect himself.

"What an unpleasant battle!" King Piccolo sighed. This entire battle had been in preparation for Uchiha Feng's escape, and he had not been able to unleash his full strength at all.

"Explosive Demon Wave!"

King Piccolo's body began to swell as he completely concentrated the energy around him within his own body.

Gathering all the power in his body and sacrificing himself, he would create an earth-shattering explosion centered on himself.

Boom—

With a deafening blast, a mushroom cloud rose with King Piccolo at its center, and all of Konoha shook.

Uchiha Feng, who had already flown far away, turned back as well. Seeing the enormous mushroom cloud, his resolve hardened. If he had the chance, he would definitely bring King Piccolo [First Generation] back. This was a card that had sacrificed itself to save him, leaving a profound impression on him.