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[You Go, You Go]
The screams were endless. Every ninja within ten meters of him was crushed by an invisible gravitational force and then mercilessly cut down, one after another.
The Root ANBU operatives hesitated. None dared approach the killer directly. Instead, they retreated and began channeling their chakra, preparing long-range attacks.
Moments later, a barrage of elemental ninjutsu—Fire Style, Wind Style, Lightning Style, and more—was unleashed in his direction as if chakra was no object. But none of it mattered. In response, only a single slash answered them.
Ye Dou moved like a tiger unleashed into a flock of sheep, his blade whirling without pause. Each swing was different, unpredictable, precise—like a demonic dance of death. His white mask was stained crimson with blood, and his presence was completely transformed.
The killing did not stop. On the battlefield, blood sprayed like fountains, and the air was filled with unrelenting screams.
The Root operatives roared in anger, but beneath that, fear gripped them.
It was shameful. They were supposed to be among Konoha's most elite—a shadow force bred for brutality and silence. Now they looked like terrified academy students.
"Kill him!" bellowed Shimura Danzo from afar.
His face twisted in rage. He had been locked in a deadlock with Uchiha Shisui for far too long. He had underestimated the boy—or perhaps more accurately, underestimated the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Shisui hadn't even activated Kotoamatsukami, the fearsome genjutsu that Danzo feared most, and yet he was still holding his own against Danzo and a squadron of elite Root operatives.
Danzo's right eye throbbed—one of his Sharingan had closed permanently.
The Izanagi was indeed formidable. It allowed the user to record their current state with a Sharingan and, for a brief time, override reality to return to that state. Death itself became meaningless—so long as the technique lasted.
But the cost was steep. Each use consumed a Sharingan, rendering it blind forever.
Danzo, already wounded, had integrated cells from the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, into his body to maintain his vitality. In pursuit of even more power, he had embedded ten Sharingan into his right arm, all sustained by those Hashirama cells. Counting his right eye, he could activate Izanagi up to eleven times.
It sounded like a lot. But each use of Izanagi only lasted a brief window of time—just a few seconds per eye. And once they were all closed, he would have nothing left to rely on against the monstrous figure standing in his way.
That green monster—a fully formed Susanoo—stood protectively in front of Uchiha Shisui.
Danzo's expression darkened. "What are you waiting for?! Kill him!"
The Root operatives flinched, turning toward Danzo. They wanted to yell back: Then you try! What good is shouting going to do? Haven't you seen how many of us are already dead?
But no matter what they thought, Root ninja obey orders without question.
"Don't hold back! Attack together! Support Lord Danzo!"
With newfound determination—or perhaps desperation—they coordinated their attacks.
This time, it wasn't just a chaotic flood of ninjutsu. They combined their efforts with synergy: Wind Style to amplify Fire Style, Lightning Style to supercharge Water Style, each enhancing the others. A perfect storm of destruction erupted toward Ye Dou.
The sky lit up with a terrifying mix of elements, swirling together in lethal harmony. These were attacks powerful enough to disintegrate a person in an instant.
But what came of it?
A single swing—just one—and Ye Dou unleashed a crushing gravity wave. The combined ninjutsu were neutralized and reflected back at their casters with terrifying precision.
Several Root operatives were obliterated by their own techniques before they could even react.
Even Aburame Torune, one of Danzo's top subordinates, could not suppress his fear. And on the other side of the battlefield, even Uchiha Shisui felt a cold shiver run down his spine.
Who is this man? Shisui thought, eyes narrowed behind his crimson Mangekyō. What is this technique? Is he truly untouchable?
He glanced at the towering green figure around him—Susanoo, his ultimate defense, activated by his Mangekyō Sharingan. But even that now seemed insufficient.
He knew there were several stages of Susanoo:
The first form: a ribcage-like shield, offering basic protection.
The second: a skeletal torso, enabling both offense and defense.
The third: with flesh and muscle, and wielding exclusive weaponry.
The fourth: adorned with tengu-like armor, enhancing defense further.
But Shisui was aware that prolonged use of these advanced forms would strain his Mangekyō. He lacked the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, which alone could stabilize the complete Susanoo form without deteriorating vision.
If I could activate the armored version... maybe I could withstand his power and counterattack, he thought.
Quietly, he began lowering his chakra output, conserving energy while assessing his foe.
On the other side, Ye Dou also began regulating his chakra.
"Ye Dou, enough. You need to start thinking about retreat," warned his companion—the mongoose with keen senses and sharper instincts.
Ye Dou didn't respond immediately. His chakra reserves, enhanced fivefold by the ability [Potential Explosion], had kept him going this long. The technique amplified the output and impact of all ninjutsu and taijutsu fivefold, allowing devastating efficiency even with limited chakra.
But despite the power boost, his reserves were nearing depletion. His chakra was high-Chūnin level—respectable, but far from Kage level.
Without [Potential Explosion], he wouldn't have lasted half as long.
With that in mind, he started limiting his chakra output, relying more on strategy and traps than brute force.
Unlike Shisui, Ye Dou had studied Susanoo extensively. The six forms Shisui recalled were merely the standard transformations. Susanoo could also evolve under specific conditions:
Sage Mode Susanoo: Infused with Senjutsu chakra, it could harm even a Jinchūriki of the Ten-Tails.
Nine-Tails Susanoo Fusion: A hybrid transformation achieved by synchronization with tailed beast chakra.
Perfect Susanoo: A colossal, armored warrior that only Eternal Mangekyō users like Madara and Sasuke could summon.
Shisui knew none of this. If he did, Ye Dou wouldn't have dared stay this long. He would have vanished—no hesitation.
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