Executioner's Blade, 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 fog spread instantly.

Visibility in the surrounding area rapidly dropped.

The stream, the woods, and the ground were all swallowed by white mist.

The most classic assassination environment for Hidden Mist ninja.

The Silent Killing Technique.

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

"The Sharingan can see movements clearly."

"But in the mist, what can you see?"

Uchiha You stood where he was, his expression calm.

White fog shrouded the surroundings.

His vision was indeed obstructed.

But he was not panicked.

Trying to wage 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 slowly turned.

The Black Umbrella's ocular power spread soundlessly.

The moisture, blood, and wounds that had been contaminated by pathogens earlier all became nodes of perception for him.

The dense fog was not an obstacle.

Instead, it had become a breeding ground for pathogen transmission.

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

Behind him to the left.

Thirty paces.

No.

Twenty-eight paces.

Twenty-five paces.

He was coming.

Juzo Biwa silently appeared behind Uchiha You, raising the Executioner's Blade high.

"Kid, it's over!"

The blade suddenly came down.

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

Those Mangekyo Sharingan eyes stared coldly at Juzo Biwa.

A chill ran through Juzo Biwa's heart.

How was that possible?

How did he know he was here?

The next second.

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

"Pathogen Outbreak."

The Black Umbrella chakra that had long lain dormant within Juzo Biwa erupted with a thunderous explosion.

"Argh!"

Excruciating pain instantly swept through his entire body.

Juzo Biwa's chakra flow fell into complete disorder. His meridians felt as if they were being scorched by poisonous fire, and his muscles lost coordination in that instant.

The descending Executioner's Blade slowed by a beat.

Uchiha You sidestepped it, extending two fingers of his right hand like a blade as chakra condensed into a sharp edge.

Squelch!

Blood sprayed.

Juzo Biwa's left shoulder was pierced clean through.

He gritted his teeth and retreated, only to discover that his body was reacting more and more sluggishly.

The pathogen chakra was spreading.

His chakra was being contaminated.

His muscles were stiffening.

His senses were becoming distorted.

What kind of monstrous ocular technique was this?

Juzo Biwa finally panicked.

He had seen many Uchiha Clan members.

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 direct contact.

Once it invaded the body, it was like an inescapable 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 side to spread this power.

"Those eyes of yours..."

Juzo Biwa panted heavily, his gaze locked onto 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 coming to a boil.

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

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

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

Juzo Biwa's face darkened.

"Quit playing tricks!"

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

This time, he completely abandoned defense.

The Executioner's Blade swept out with its most vicious momentum.

He intended to trade injuries for a life.

As long as he could strike Uchiha You once, the Executioner's Blade's power would be enough to split this kid in two.

Yet Uchiha You merely stood where he was.

The Mangekyo Sharingan in his eyes slowly turned.

Juzo Biwa had only charged halfway when his steps suddenly stopped.

His body froze.

His body began to disobey him.

The muscles in his limbs felt as though invisible strings were pulling them.

At that moment, the pathogen chakra within his body forcibly took over part of his nervous system.

Juzo Biwa's expression changed drastically.

"You..."

Uchiha You appeared before him.

One hand pressed against the hilt of the Executioner's Blade.

"This sword has a new owner now."

Juzo Biwa roared:

"Dream on!"

He tried to seize back control of his body.

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

White Umbrella Enhancement erupted once more.

Crack!

Uchiha You clenched his five fingers and forcibly twisted apart Juzo Biwa's wrist holding the sword.

"Argh!"

Juzo Biwa screamed.

The Executioner's Blade slipped from his hand.

Uchiha You caught it one-handed.

The blade was extremely heavy.

But under White Umbrella Enhancement, he held it steadily.

The next instant.

A flash of blade light.

Squelch!

Juzo Biwa's chest was cleaved open by the Executioner's Blade.

Blood sprayed.

He staggered backward, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He...

Had been cut down by his own sword?

Uchiha You dragged the Executioner's Blade as he walked toward him step by step.

The tip of the blade scraped across 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 instant he opened his mouth, blood gushed 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.

The Executioner's Blade swept across.

Juzo Biwa's body stiffened in place.

The next moment, blood erupted.

One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

A member of Akatsuki.

Juzo Biwa.

Dead.

The dense fog slowly dispersed.

The streamside fell silent once more.

The Executioner's Blade absorbed the blood, and the chips in its blade slowly began to 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 Senior Juzo."

"This is going to be troublesome."

His tone remained frivolous.

But the gaze hidden behind his mask had completely changed.

He had merely been passing by.

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

He had never expected to encounter an Uchiha being hunted by Root.

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

And to be this strong.

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

In the ninja world, he was undoubtedly a powerhouse above the elite jonin level.

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

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

Infection.

Corrosion.

Control.

Regeneration.

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

Tobi quickly weighed the matter in his mind.

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 him lost control, he would be even more dangerous than Itachi.