Five Paths vs. Two Elites (2)

At the critical moment, Fugaku kicked Shisui away with all his strength. "Sizzle!" At the same time, red light burst from his right eye!!

Rumble...!! Explosive flames filled the interior of Susanoo!!!

Visible to the naked eye, it rapidly began to collapse!!

Shisui's pupils trembled. "Uncle Fugaku!!!"

Paper fluttered around Konan, waiting for the moment the flames dispersed so she could collect Fugaku's blood...

"Pant... pant... pant..." Yet when the flames cleared, Fugaku was somehow still crouching unharmed where he stood. He covered his right eye halfway and breathed heavily.

Deva Path Pain lowered his gaze and murmured, "Inside an almost fully sealed Susanoo, to remain completely unharmed after that kind of explosion... unimaginable. Was it his 'ocular power'?"

Crack crack crack!!

But then... an even more horrifying scene unfolded!!

The Asura Path Pain's body... rapidly began to fall apart!!

The unmanned Iron Sand World Method also reverted to free-floating Iron Sand and scattered across the ground!

Deva Path smiled. "Heh, confirmed... it was an 'ocular technique,' without a doubt. And it came from his right eye!"

Fugaku raised his exhausted face. The light in his right eye faded between his fingers, returning to Three-Tomoe. He muttered in a low voice, "If not for this Amenohiboko, I probably would have been in grave danger."

Just then, Shisui cried out, "Uncle Fugaku, behind you!!!"

Boom!!

The instant his words fell... Fugaku was lifted into the air!

The Animal Path's Chameleon revealed itself, its tongue tightly binding Fugaku...!!

"Now, Konan!!"

Konan waved her hand.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Sharp sheets of paper sliced across Fugaku's body, stained themselves with blood, and curled back!

"I want his Mangekyō Sharingan now!"

Boom!

The Naraka Path leaped down, reaching toward the defenseless Fugaku...!!!

"Huff." At that moment, Fugaku's left eye abruptly focused!

But... nothing happened.

"Ukanomitama's ocular power... doesn't work on him!?"

"Just now... your chakra gathered in the pathways leading to your left eye. Clearly, you used an ocular technique. If it had no effect, then that technique was either some kind of genjutsu or something targeting the 'soul.'"

"I'll be taking your eye..."

The Naraka Path's hand... had already reached before his eyes!!

Fugaku was utterly despairing. "Is this the end..."

Slash! A sharp blade flashed through the air!!

Even though the Rinnegan's shared vision had detected the warning, it still could not make an effective evasion against that inconceivable Body Flicker!

The Chameleon's tongue... was severed!

Deva Path looked up and swept his gaze around.

Shisui, Shisui... Shisui was everywhere!

The Shisui who had attacked just now carried Fugaku over his shoulder and landed behind the crowd of Shisuis!

Sizzle! Fugaku's strength had been completely exhausted... he could not even maintain his Sharingan anymore. "Shisui... don't worry about me. Run. The Uchiha clan still needs you!"

Shisui said solemnly, "Uncle Fugaku, forgive me for refusing. I cannot let your unborn child lose his father like this!"

Deva Path Pain said, "Both phantoms and physical bodies... the Phantom Body Flicker Technique. Is that where the name 'Body Flicker Shisui' comes from?"

The Naraka Path stood in the field, looking at the Preta Path that had already been crushed into bloody pulp, as well as the Asura Path that had been reduced to scraps by Fugaku's mysterious ocular technique. Neither Path could be revived any longer.

"This Preta Path is insignificant, but it's a pity about this Third Kazekage Asura Path..."

"But no matter. After this battle, I'll meet up with Orochimaru and make some adjustments. Then it will be time to go to the Hidden Cloud Village and acquire the Asura Path I favor most..."

"Once that Asura Path is complete, it will become the Six Paths of Pain's main attacker, capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the Deva Path—no, perhaps even surpassing it!"

Whoosh!!

Shisui's pupils narrowed, and every phantom charged at the Naraka Path simultaneously!

Boom!! Deva Path Pain descended beside the Naraka Path, spreading both arms. "Don't get too arrogant!"

A repulsive force field of blurred light... formed into a sphere and blasted outward in every direction!!

—Shinra Tensei!!!

Boom...!!!

The level ground rapidly collapsed into a hollow, which expanded outward as the wildly unleashed force sent every phantom on the field, as well as Shisui himself supporting Fugaku, flying backward!!

"Ughhhhh... Is this power from the same type of technique as the one that pulled me over before!!"

The phantoms... vanished.

Deva Path smiled. "Even phantoms with physical substance that are said not to disappear cannot be maintained if the original body suffers sufficient impact?"

Behind Shisui, Pain Rin formed hand seals with her small hands!

—Summoning Technique!

Poof!

From the smoke, a Rhinoceros charged wildly forward...!!

Fugaku exclaimed, "Shisui... put me down, quickly!!!"

But... Uchiha Shisui closed his eyes at that very moment!!

Sizzle!

When he opened them again... dazzling four-pronged curved tomoe appeared in his pupils!!

Then... the ribs of an emerald-green Susanoo covered his body. Crack! Crack! An arm condensed beside those ribs, bracing against the Rhinoceros's body!

Fugaku stared at the sight in shock. "Shisui, you..."

Shisui said calmly, "Uncle Fugaku, I awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan too. It happened during the Battle of the Upper Water Flow, when I witnessed my friends and loved ones die."

"Thanks to your demonstration, I can also barely control the ocular power of this Susanoo!"

Crack!!

Near Susanoo's skeletal palm wrist, a smaller skeletal hand grew out and gripped the Rhinoceros's horn. Once the main skeletal hand was freed, a curved blade formed and pierced the Rhinoceros's eye with a crunch!!

"Roar...!!" The Rhinoceros screamed and vanished into white smoke!

Nagato murmured, "As expected... Shisui awakened his eyes as well."

Within Susanoo, Shisui's eyes shifted as he spoke to Fugaku of his thoughts. "The two enemies we killed and those on the field... possess many similar traits, and their eyes are very unusual."

"Though I don't know their exact background, from the exchanges just now... I can at least determine one thing. Their vision is interconnected!"

"The only one who differs is that blue-haired woman. When Uncle Fugaku was bound by that strange summoned beast, she clearly had the chance to directly attack your vital points. Yet what did she do instead?"

Fugaku looked at the silent Konan atop the camel hump and said, "Yes... it truly is strange. At first, I thought her attack had missed, but now it's hard to imagine an enemy of this caliber making such a low-level mistake."

Shisui said calmly, "At the very least, we can be certain of one thing. She differs from the other enemies."

"Yes." Susanoo hurled the sword in its hand toward the camel hump where Konan stood!

Boom...!!

The camel hump collapsed amid a thunderous crash, and Konan leaped backward!!

"Forget the enemy's purpose for now... that woman is undoubtedly our breakthrough point!! Whether it's breaking through this killing trap or later uncovering the enemy's plot and turning the tables!"

Fugaku said, "If you have an idea, put it into practice. Don't worry about me!"

"Yes, I understand!" Shisui's eyes shone as the Susanoo around him rapidly transitioned from ribs into a skeletal form!

Poof! He threw a ninja smoke bomb at his feet, leaving Fugaku within the skeletal Susanoo. Then, like an arrow released from its bow, he burst out of Susanoo and charged at Konan at full speed!

—Save enough chakra to escape. There will only be one chance... I'll use the power of Kotoamatsukami on her!!!