Susanoo Was Just Too Damn Good

Just as the wind pillar was about to completely swallow Uchiha Ran.

Buzzz—!

An indescribably heavy, chilling chakra suddenly erupted!

The chakra was so powerful that even the rampaging wind pillar froze for an instant!

Crimson light pierced through the violent sandstorm!

At the heart of that destructive storm stood not a body torn to shreds, but a massive, solid skeletal frame blazing with fiery red light!

The skeleton stood tall, its arms crossed before it, completely shielding Uchiha Ran behind the ribs of its chest.

This was precisely the innate ability of the Uchiha Clan's Mangekyō Sharingan—Susanoo!

"What the hell?!"

"What... what is that thing?!"

The scar-faced jonin cried out in shock, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. He had never seen such a bizarre and powerful defensive ninjutsu!

Rumble rumble rumble—!!!

The devastating wind pillar, carrying the combined power of more than thirty elite Hidden Sand shinobi, slammed viciously into the red skeletal frame!

Piercing screeches, slicing sounds, and explosions erupted in an instant.

The turbulent wind blades relentlessly battered and carved at Susanoo's bones, sending dense showers of sparks and ripples of energy bursting outward.

Under the pressure of the two forces, the ground cracked and collapsed inch by inch, forming an enormous crater.

And yet!

That seemingly fragile red skeleton stood like an ancient, immovable reef, firmly rooted at the center of the storm.

No matter how violently the wind blades raged, it merely trembled slightly with a deep hum. There was not the slightest sign of damage on the skeleton itself!

"Impossible!"

"What kind of ninjutsu is that?!"

"Even our combined Wind Style..."

The vicious anticipation on the Hidden Sand shinobi's faces was completely replaced by boundless terror.

The sight before them had utterly surpassed their understanding!

Their pride and joy—a combined ninjutsu powerful enough to destroy a fortress—had actually been stopped cold by a skeletal frame that had appeared out of nowhere?!

Amid the roar of the storm, a cold voice carrying a trace of mockery pierced through clearly, as though it were speaking directly beside every Hidden Sand shinobi's ear:

"Guys, you're pretty good at Wind Style, huh?"

The owner of that voice was none other than Uchiha Ran, protected inside Susanoo's skeletal chest.

He raised his head slightly. His scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan gazed through the skeleton's eye sockets, coldly sweeping over the terrified Hidden Sand shinobi outside.

The three tomoe had long since vanished, replaced by more intricate and sinister sickle-shaped patterns—the Mangekyō Sharingan!

"I should thank you. Not only did you blow up the way out, you even put up a sealing barrier..."

Uchiha Ran's voice suddenly turned cold.

"So now, I don't need to hide anything!"

Before his words had even faded, the skeleton's arms, which had been blocking the storm, suddenly shook. Red flesh covered the bones, making the entire Susanoo solid—truly flesh and blood!

"Susanoo. Third Stage!"

Boom boom boom!

Bang bang bang!

The destructive wind pillar that had been tightly entangling and cutting at the skeleton was smashed apart by Susanoo's fists as easily as brittle planks!

The dust and rubble filling the sky were blasted away, revealing the towering red skeletal giant at the center of the battlefield, along with the black-clad figure within it looking down at them like a deity!

Uchiha Ran was completely unscathed. Even the corner of his clothes was no longer stirred by the wind.

Standing beneath Susanoo's protection, his Mangekyō Sharingan flickered with an eerie, merciless light.

"Ahhh! Stop him!"

"Earth Style: Earth Rampart!"

"Earth Style: Rock Stealing Rod!"

"Heh heh, Hidden Sand trash..."

"You want to kill me, Uchiha Ran? Try again in your next life!"

Susanoo's massive arm suddenly swept sideways!

Rumble—!!!

It was as if the heavens had collapsed and the earth had split apart! The sturdy earthen walls were ripped open and pulverized as easily as tofu!

The Hidden Sand shinobi, puppets, and rocks standing before the giant arm were instantly ground into dust!

The gale was torn apart by an even more violent force, and the screams were drowned out by the deafening sound of collapse.

Then, Susanoo's other arm clenched into a fist and smashed viciously toward the area where the Hidden Sand shinobi were most densely gathered, carrying the force to destroy everything!

Boom!!!

The earth shook violently, and the canyon seemed on the verge of collapse! A gigantic crater appeared where the fist landed.

Within the crater remained only a blur of flesh and shattered ninja tools!

Even the Hidden Sand shinobi lucky enough to evade it were sent flying backward, vomiting blood from the shockwave.

The originally narrow terrain and sealing barrier had been most advantageous for the Hidden Sand shinobi, allowing them to use their superior numbers to surround and kill Uchiha Ran.

But now, that narrow terrain had instead become shackles trapping them, making it difficult to avoid Susanoo's attacks.

They could not escape, and once the barrier came down, Konoha's shinobi would attack from within and without. They would only die faster.

"Quick! Form up! Use Earth Style to restrict its movements, then attack with combined Wind Style ninjutsu!"

The scar-faced jonin commander of the Hidden Sand was terrified out of his wits as he screamed out his orders.

"Earth Style: Earth Cutting!"

"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"

"Earth Style: Rock Pillar Prison!"

"Wind Style: Vacuum Waves!"

"Wind Style: Great Sickle Weasel!"

Under the scar-faced jonin's hysterical roar, the surviving Hidden Sand shinobi unleashed their final will to survive.

Suppressing their terror of the red giant, they squeezed out what little chakra remained in their bodies, attempting to trap and kill this demon god with the combined ninjutsu they excelled at most!

The ground around Susanoo slowly sank as though it had been perfectly sliced apart.

Several heavy earthen walls rose from the ground and violently embedded themselves into the earth around Susanoo's feet, trying to lock its movements in place!

Sharp, gigantic stone pillars also burst from the ground at Susanoo's sides and rear. With thunderous rumbles, they crossed together like prison bars.

In the end, they formed a cage that trapped Susanoo within!

At the same time, high-speed wind blades sharp as knives, vacuum waves capable of tearing through steel, and enormous whirling wind-blade weasels came from every direction and at tricky angles.

They slashed and blasted viciously at its comparatively "weaker" joint connections and gaps between its ribs, targeting Uchiha Ran's body within the chest cavity!

This was the battle tactic Sunagakure's shinobi had honed through countless trials: use Earth Style to restrict a massive target's movement, then use Wind Style for precise attacks without blind spots!

They were still full of confidence in this tactic. They had once used it to trap the One-Tail jinchuriki in tailed beast form... for ten seconds!

However, their confidence burst like a bubble when they saw that Susanoo had drawn a ten-meter-long greatsword.

Clang—!!!

With one swing of Susanoo's greatsword, the powerful chakra clinging to it directly cleaved apart the entire Earth Style cage.

The earthen walls and stone pillars that had tried to restrict its movements looked even more laughable before Susanoo's mountain-like, crushing body.

Uchiha Ran: Sure enough, a real man had to play with Susanoo. It was just too damn satisfying!

No wonder every Uchiha Clan member who awakened the Mangekyō acted like an invincible idiot.

This kind of power really was just too addictive!