Susanoo

Boom—

A massive surge of chakra shot into the sky, the energy storm it formed spreading outward and instantly blasting away the surrounding members of the Taketori Clan!

Enkō's black hair stood rigidly on end, veins bulging in his eyes, yet his face was filled with pride. "Before absolute power, everything else is nothing. And this—this is the true power of the Uchiha Clan!"

Roar!

Amid an earth-shaking roar, black flames blazed fiercely. Black bones began to gather around Enkō, followed by flesh covering them. In an instant, a towering giant descended upon the land!

Susanoo!

Crash—

As chakra condensed, a black spear appeared in the giant's hand. With one sweeping strike, the gust it raised swept across the entire plain like a storm!

Whoosh—

Already injured, Chikuma was forced brutally to the ground by that overwhelming pressure. Looking up at the black giant before him, his eyes were filled with shock and disbelief. "Th-this... is this the power of a god?"

Boom—

Under the night sky, muffled thunder suddenly rolled!

The enormous Susanoo giant swung its black spear, carving an arc beneath the moonlight before smashing it down across the endless plain from back to front!

Boom—

In an instant, the ground ahead caved in and tore apart, kicking up a towering cloud of dust. Then the gale swept it away, creating a yellow dragon that surged forward with unstoppable force and arrived before them in the blink of an eye!

Boom—

"Ah!"

"Help!"

The violent impact instantly sent more than ten people in front sprawling. Even Chikuma, trapped in the pit, was blasted into the air. He spat out a mouthful of blood midair, rolled several times across the ground, and panicked screams echoed throughout the mountains for a long while!

Crash—

The yellow dragon swept past, leaving behind a hundred-yard-deep fissure and Taketori Clan members sprawled across the ground, wailing in pain!

Boom—

After that strike, Susanoo began to disperse. Immediately afterward, bone-deep pain spread through Enkō's entire body!

Enkō let out a muffled groan and bit down hard on his lip until blood seeped out. Yet he still appeared calm as he walked step by step to Chikuma. "Do you still want to continue?"

Chikuma did not answer. He lowered his head as if possessed, muttering to himself. "That's right... power, this kind of power. This is the power we seek! The power of a god!"

"Yes, this power is too wonderful!"

"This is what battle is!"

The clan members below also erupted into cheers, like devout believers who had finally found the true god of their faith.

This was the Taketori Clan—a clan that regarded strength and battle as the meaning of survival. The best way to make them submit was to display absolute power that would make them utterly intoxicated!

Thus, when Chikuma looked at Enkō again, his eyes were filled with fervor. "Boss, from now on, we'll follow you!"

"That's right, Boss! Lead us into battle!"

"Kill all the Water Country ninja! We'll rule this land!"

"That's right! Kill them all!"

"Ahem."

Enkō gave a light cough, and the clamor below instantly fell silent. Everyone stared brightly at their boss, earnestly awaiting the instructions of their "god."

"Since that is the case, from now on, you are my subordinates. And my subordinates should not limit their sights to a mere Water Country. You must look to the entire world!"

"The world!"

For a moment, it was as though the gate to a new world had opened before them. In the past, they had only thought of proving their strength in the Water Country. They had never considered leaving this island.

"Tomorrow evening, everyone gather at the southern dock. I will lead you out of the Water Country and to a true battlefield. I will personally lead you through the most passionate battles and make the entire world tremble before the glory of your Taketori Clan!"

"Alright! Battle!"

"Long live the Boss!"

After thoroughly indoctrinating them, Enkō said to Chikuma, "For now, Chikuma, take your men somewhere to recover. Try not to let the other clans discover your whereabouts. We'll meet at the dock tomorrow evening at the ninth hour."

"Got it, Boss!"

"Then disperse!"

After the Taketori Clan members left, Enkō finally could not hold back any longer. He covered his eyes in pain, only recovering after a long while.

"Whew... whew... That really hurts. It's time to deal with the other matter too." With that, he vanished from where he stood.

Elsewhere, Funato Haiichi trembled as he hid behind a large tree, his eyes full of terror!

"There's no mistake. Those eyes... they definitely belong to the Uchiha Clan of the Land of Fire. The Uchiha Clan is actually meddling in the Water Country's civil war. Could it be..."

"Hey, what are you hiding here for?"

"Gah!" Funato Haiichi jolted violently and spoke at breakneck speed. "Don't kill me to silence me! I didn't see anything, and I didn't hear anything!"

Enkō looked at him teasingly. "What? You know who I am now?"

"I... sigh..." How could Funato Haiichi fail to realize that the man before him had deliberately allowed him to learn his identity? He could only say helplessly, "My lord, please stop playing with me. Why exactly did you keep me here?"

Enkō shrugged. "Nothing much. I just want you to take me to meet your leader."

"Huh?" Funato Haiichi froze for a moment. "You want to meet our leader? Why?"

"Heh, you could say it was a spur-of-the-moment idea. I suddenly realized that our clans happen to have areas where we can cooperate for mutual benefit."

As Enkō spoke, he took a chakra-encrypted letter from his clothes. After opening it, he coated his finger in chakra and wrote several lines on it. He sealed it again and handed it to Funato Haiichi.

"Since you already know my identity, deliver this secret letter to your leader. If he is interested, give me an answer at the southern dock tomorrow evening at the ninth hour. If he is not interested, pretend this letter never existed."

Funato Haiichi accepted the letter, his expression complicated. "Understood. I'll deliver it to our leader."

Watching Funato Haiichi leave, Enkō stretched lazily. "I can finally head back. Hmm... I remember the hot springs in the Water Country being quite nice. Might as well go try them out."

Nothing happened that night, and before long, the following evening arrived.

At the dock where they had landed yesterday, Sister Hualian had indeed prepared a large cargo ship as promised. This time, however, Sister Hualian was not aboard, which made Enkō breathe a sigh of relief.

After showing the crew the ring Sister Hualian had given him, Enkō boarded the ship without issue. Before long, he spotted Chikuma leading the Taketori Clan toward the dock from afar.

"Boss, we're here!"

"Mm. Board the ship."

After settling the clan members in, Chikuma finally could not help asking, "Boss, where exactly are we going to fight?"

"A place best suited for you."

"Oh." Chikuma scratched his head, somewhat confused. But after being won over by Enkō's strength, he had already pledged his full loyalty and said nothing more, turning back to find his clansmen.

Enkō waited a little longer, but the Funato Clan never appeared. He sighed regretfully and said to the crew, "Set sail."

Hooonk—

The cargo ship departed from the dock and headed toward the mainland. Yet before it had traveled ten miles, they saw a warship of considerable size blocking their path. At its bow stood a tall man, with the familiar Funato Haiichi beside him.

A faint smile appeared on Enkō's face. "So they came after all."

From the warship, the tall man called out in a booming voice, "Guest from afar, would you care to come aboard for a talk?"

Tap—

Signaling Chikuma to remain on standby, Enkō leaped into the air and landed steadily on the warship...