The crimson Susanoo stood at the center of the battlefield, its terrifying presence sending chills down everyone's spine.
"That's Susanoo! The same technique Madara Uchiha used!"
"He awakened the Mangekyo, just like Madara Uchiha!"
"At his age? How is that possible?"
Cries of astonishment rose from all sides, then quickly faded as Watanabe Ichiro launched his attack.
The enormous Susanoo raised a finger slightly, tracing half an arc of crimson light through the air.
That arc gathered at its fingertip, growing increasingly dazzling until, at its peak, the red was almost black.
It shot from Susanoo's fingertip, accelerating even after it left, and tore through the air with a humming sound straight toward the First Raikage.
I really underestimated this bastard!
A bead of cold sweat trickled from the First Raikage's temple. His battle-honed instincts screamed warnings, and an icy premonition of death spread through his heart.
The pressure from this seemingly probing opening move was no less than that of the Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Technique Madara Uchiha had used when he invaded the Land of Lightning years ago.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode instantly covered his entire body. He used the Body Flicker Technique several times, attempting to evade the strange arc of light.
No matter how powerful an attack is, it's useless if it can't hit!
But he had miscalculated. The arc could actually predict his movements, locking directly onto his position after each Body Flicker Technique as though it were cheating.
His evasive maneuvers not only failed to throw the attack off course, but his poor positioning brought it closer, as though he were deliberately throwing himself into its path to stage an accident.
Utterly frustrated, the First Raikage brought out his strongest defense and braced himself against the arc that was already upon him.
If I can't dodge it, I'll try taking it head-on!
I refuse to believe some brat can break through my strongest defensive state!
A blinding light flashed across his body, then vanished without a trace.
The First Raikage looked himself over.
Not a scratch!
Hahaha! All that fanfare, and it couldn't even break my skin. What a joke!
Seriously, what's going on with Konoha?
First Madara Uchiha, then Hashirama Senju, and now Uchiha Ichiro. Who's next?!
One talent after another. They just keep coming, huh?
Tch. Then let's see whether Konoha has another genius waiting after I kill this Uchiha!
He raised his weapon, feeling unusually light in both body and mind.
Watch me kill... huh?
With one jump, he soared straight above Susanoo's head, then suddenly realized something was wrong. Wait, am I a little too light? How could I possibly jump this high?!
Suspended in midair, he turned to look back, only to find the battlefield utterly silent.
"He" remained in a defensive stance, motionless.
"Lord Raikage, how are you?"
"My lord, are you all right?"
Huh?
The First Raikage hovered in confusion. The lightness of his body abruptly became a crushing weight, and the binding force of the Netherworld's Pure Land dragged him straight down.
During his rapid descent, his gaze met a pair of red eyes patterned with black.
Their owner stood with his arms folded, staring at him without blinking. The instant their eyes met, a faint smile appeared, and he waved a hand in farewell.
But the First Raikage couldn't shake the feeling that the gesture looked more like someone shooing away a fly.
You've gone too far!
You people from Konoha have gone way too far!
"My lord!"
The First Raikage's body crumpled to the ground, his expression blank and his eyes still open in death.
There was nothing particularly special about that arc of light. Watanabe Ichiro had casually dug the original Technique Formula out of Tobirama Senju's pile of forbidden techniques.
One "perfectly ordinary" Technique Formula that could track enemies, a little Mangekyo ocular power, a few tons of chakra, and the skill True Damage Infusion.
Ta-da! A powerful Technique Formula was born, capable of automatically tracking its target, ignoring defenses, and killing most people on contact.
What's more, with the Senju bloodline that came with this disguise, the chakra expenditure wasn't particularly high. The reduced ocular power consumption granted by the Mangekyo's Amenominaka gave him the ability to fight for extended periods.
Simply put, he could fire off volleys of this ultimate move, which could take an enemy's head amid an army of thousands.
Three black-and-red arcs of light, now familiar and terrifying to everyone present, appeared again and shot straight toward the Kazekage, Mizukage, and Tsuchikage!
"Protect the Lord Mizukage!"
"Lord Tsuchikage, I'll cover you!"
"No need! Protect yourselves!"
"Retreat, now!"
"..."
Chaos erupted at once. Shinobi from every nation brought their abilities to bear, unleashing one ninjutsu after another.
But they soon discovered that neither bloodline limits nor secret clan techniques could impede the light in the slightest.
It darted nimbly through the crowd and the various techniques. Even defenses with no blind spots, such as the Sand Shield, were easily pierced, at most slightly diminishing the light.
Heh. Did you think the almighty true damage was a joke?
Ignoring defenses was one of the strongest abilities in any world.
Almost everyone's efforts to provide cover amounted to nothing. The light pierced layer after layer of defenses, evaded the desperate attempts of every shinobi who wasn't its target, and struck the nations' founding Kage.
There was only one exception: the First Mizukage.
He was the farthest away, giving him more time to observe and think. Seeing the Tsuchikage and Kazekage struck one after another, he abandoned all other concerns and immediately used Water Release.
The water swept up the guards around him, using their bodies to form a human wall in front, behind, to either side, above, and below, leaving not a single gap.
When he heard a faint wet thud, relief flooded his heart.
I'm safe!
There can't possibly be a perfect Technique Formula in this world. Every Technique Formula must have a way to counter it!
This Technique Formula seems impossible to block, but as long as the important person it targets has enough people around him who can die in his place, he can escape alive.
Hahaha, brat!
I've found your weakness!
Now watch me!
Time to get out of here...
The First Mizukage was a master of self-preservation. He stopped his Water Release, tossed his guards behind him as human shields, and turned to flee.
He glanced back.
He found himself facing a crimson palm so massive it extended beyond his field of vision, moving so swiftly it left afterimages.
Splat.
The First Mizukage became a paper-thin figure, entering the two-dimensional world.
"Did I say you could leave?"
With his Mangekyo active, Watanabe Ichiro smiled kindly.
"I haven't even asked whether you're all satisfied with Konoha's explanation. Leaving in such a hurry makes us look terribly inhospitable."
His gaze swept over everyone present again, lingering on the First Kazekage and First Tsuchikage, who were surrounded by their own guards. His voice rang across the entire battlefield.
"The Lord Raikage and Lord Mizukage have already given their approval by default. What do you two think?"
Susanoo spread its arms, and two more crimson-black arcs of light formed, one on either side.
Watanabe Ichiro stood within Susanoo, looking down at them.
"Life or death. Choose one, gentlemen."
Before you continue