Kubikiribōchō, Acquired!

Juzo Biwa ignored him.

He stared fixedly at Uchiha You.

"Kid, I admit you've got some skill."

"But if you want to kill me, you're still far too early!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his hands rapidly formed seals.

"Hidden Mist Technique!"

Thick mist instantly spread out.

Visibility in the surroundings rapidly dropped.

The stream, the forest, and the ground were all swallowed by white fog.

The most classic assassination environment for Hidden Mist ninja.

The Silent Killing Technique.

Juzo Biwa's voice came from within the thick fog.

"The Sharingan can see movements clearly."

"But what can you see in the mist?"

Uchiha You stood where he was, his expression calm.

White fog enveloped his surroundings.

His vision was indeed obstructed.

But he was not panicking.

Trying to fight an environmental battle against a Mangekyo Sharingan like his?

Juzo Biwa thought far too highly of the Hidden Mist Technique.

Uchiha You's left eye turned slightly.

The Black Umbrella's ocular power silently spread.

The moisture, blood, and wounds that had been contaminated by the pathogen earlier all became nodes for his perception.

The thick fog was not an obstacle.

Instead, it had become a breeding ground for the pathogen's spread.

He could clearly sense Juzo Biwa moving through the mist at high speed.

Behind him to the left.

Thirty paces.

No.

Twenty-eight paces.

Twenty-five paces.

Here he came.

Juzo Biwa silently appeared behind Uchiha You, raising Kubikiribōchō high overhead.

"Kid, it's over!"

The blade suddenly came down.

But at that very moment, Uchiha You abruptly turned around.

Those Mangekyo eyes stared coldly at Juzo Biwa.

A chill ran through Juzo Biwa's heart.

How was this possible?

How did he know I was here?

The next second.

The black pattern in Uchiha You's left eye spun fiercely.

"Pathogen Outbreak."

The Black Umbrella Chakra that had long lain dormant within Juzo Biwa's body erupted with a bang.

"Argh!"

Agonizing pain instantly swept through his entire body.

Juzo Biwa's chakra flow was thrown directly into disarray. His chakra pathways felt as though they were being scorched by toxic flames, and his muscles lost coordination in that instant.

Kubikiribōchō's downward strike slowed by a beat.

Uchiha You sidestepped the blow, his right hand held together like a blade as chakra condensed into a sharp edge.

Splat!

Blood sprayed.

Juzo Biwa's left shoulder was pierced straight through.

He gritted his teeth and retreated, only to discover that his body was responding more and more slowly.

Pathogen Chakra was spreading.

His chakra was being contaminated.

His muscles were stiffening.

His senses were distorting.

What kind of cursed ocular technique was this?

Juzo Biwa finally panicked.

He had seen many Uchiha.

He had also heard countless rumors about the Mangekyo Sharingan.

But he had never seen an ability like this.

It made no sense.

There was no need for a clash.

Once it entered the body, it was like being struck by an incurable curse.

And it was not Genjutsu.

Biting his tongue was useless.

Disrupting his chakra was useless.

Even Water Release had become a medium for the other party to spread this power.

"Those eyes of yours..."

Juzo Biwa panted heavily, staring fixedly at Uchiha You.

"What exactly are they?"

Uchiha You looked at him calmly.

"Protective Umbrella."

Juzo Biwa froze.

"What?"

Uchiha You slowly raised his left hand.

Black-red chakra gathered in his palm, like a drop of poisonous blood boiling away.

"Under the Black Umbrella, all beings are equal."

"Whether it's Konoha's Root or a Hidden Mist rogue ninja."

"As long as you can bleed, you can be infected."

Juzo Biwa's face darkened.

"Quit pretending to be mysterious!"

He suddenly gritted his teeth, forcibly suppressing the pathogen within his body as he gripped his sword with both hands and charged forward again.

This time, he completely abandoned defense.

Kubikiribōchō swept out with the utmost ferocity.

He intended to trade injury for life.

As long as he could hit Uchiha You even once, the power of Kubikiribōchō would be enough to cut this kid in two.

Yet Uchiha You merely stood where he was.

The Mangekyo Sharingan in his eyes slowly rotated.

Juzo Biwa had only charged halfway when his steps abruptly halted.

His body stiffened.

His body began to disobey him.

The muscles in his limbs seemed to be tugged by invisible strings.

At that moment, the Pathogen Chakra within his body forcibly took control of part of his nerves.

Juzo Biwa's expression changed drastically.

"You..."

Uchiha You appeared in front of him.

One hand pressed against Kubikiribōchō's hilt.

"This sword will have a new owner from now on."

Juzo Biwa roared:

"Dream on!"

He tried to regain control of his body.

But in the next second, Uchiha You's right eye suddenly focused.

White Umbrella Enhancement erupted once again.

Crack!

Uchiha You clenched his five fingers, forcibly snapping the wrist of Juzo Biwa's hand gripping the sword.

"Ah!"

Juzo Biwa screamed.

Kubikiribōchō slipped from his grasp.

Uchiha You caught it with one hand.

The blade was extremely heavy.

But with White Umbrella Enhancement, he held it steadily.

The next instant.

A flash of blade light.

Splat!

Juzo Biwa's chest was cleaved open directly by Kubikiribōchō.

Blood sprayed.

He staggered backward, his eyes filled with disbelief.

I...

Was cut down by my own sword?

Uchiha You dragged Kubikiribōchō as he walked toward him step by step.

The tip of the blade scraped against the ground with a piercing screech.

Juzo Biwa clutched his chest as blood continuously poured from between his fingers.

He wanted to speak.

But the moment he opened his mouth, blood poured out first.

"You... you really..."

Uchiha You stood before him, looking down at him from above.

"I told you."

"Your sword and your life are mine."

As soon as he finished speaking.

Kubikiribōchō swept horizontally.

Juzo Biwa's body froze in place.

The next moment, blood gushed out.

One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

A member of Akatsuki.

Juzo Biwa.

Dead.

The thick mist slowly dispersed.

The streamside became quiet once more.

Kubikiribōchō absorbed the blood, and the chips along its blade began to slowly repair themselves.

Uchiha You glanced at the sword in his hand, his expression indifferent.

"It handles fairly well."

In the distance.

Tobi stood beneath a tree and clapped his hands.

"So amazing, so amazing."

"You actually killed Juzo-senpai."

"This is going to be troublesome."

His tone remained flippant.

But the gaze hidden behind his mask had completely changed.

He had only been passing by.

He had brought Juzo Biwa along to the Land of Water, intending to recruit Kisame Hoshigaki.

He had not expected to encounter an Uchiha being hunted by Root.

Even less had he expected this Uchiha to possess the Mangekyo Sharingan.

And to be this powerful.

Juzo Biwa might not have been Akatsuki's strongest member, but he was still one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

In the ninja world, he absolutely counted as an elite Jonin-level powerhouse or above.

Yet before Uchiha You, he had been almost completely suppressed from start to finish.

Most importantly, Uchiha You's abilities were far too suited for war.

Infection.

Corrosion.

Control.

Regeneration.

If such abilities were used on the battlefield, their effect would likely be even more terrifying than an ordinary Mangekyo Sharingan.

Tobi quickly weighed his options.

This person could be used.

But he also had to be watched carefully.

Because Uchiha You was not like Itachi.

Itachi had weaknesses.

He had a village.

He had a younger brother.

He had that ridiculous spirit of self-sacrifice.

But the Uchiha before him was different.

The killing intent around him was pure.

Calm.

Rational.

Unburdened by anything unnecessary.

Once someone like this lost control, he would be even more dangerous than Itachi.