The pitch-black kunai flew toward Xia Le, then collided with one another just before striking him, changing direction with a metallic clang.
At that exact moment, he flickered into view directly in their path.
Such deft control brought a trace of surprise to Xia Le's face.
"Interesting!"
The kunai struck his body, passed through his chest, and embedded themselves in the wall behind him.
Fugaku Uchiha's pupils contracted as he realized something.
Space-time?
His heart jolted. In the next instant, he formed hand seals and roared, his expression twisting.
"Even if I die!"
"I'll take you down with me right here!!"
A terrifying surge of air rushed upward. An enormous skeleton rapidly rose, enveloping his body in the blink of an eye.
"Susanoo!!"
The gigantic skeleton appeared before Xia Le, yet he showed not the slightest surprise.
"Enough!"
"Fugaku!"
A calm voice suddenly rang out, then swept forth like a gale, shaking the surrounding air and growing louder and louder.
Fugaku Uchiha froze, then his expression changed.
To his shock, everything around him was rapidly distorting and collapsing.
"Has your anger left you unable to distinguish reality from illusion?"
"Fugaku!"
The low voice shook his heart and abruptly snapped him awake.
He suddenly opened his eyes and began gasping for breath.
When he saw the scene before him again, Fugaku was stunned, almost unable to believe it.
Xia Le sat there quietly, the tea on the table still boiling.
He was still in Xia Le's courtyard.
But...
At that thought, Fugaku Uchiha's eyes flew wide open. The Mangekyō appeared in his blood-red eyes, reflected clearly in the tea before him.
For a moment, confusion filled his eyes.
He could not tell whether what had just happened was an illusion or reality.
*If it was an illusion, wasn't it far too