From a Distance.
"Is that purple thing the Uchiha clan's Susanoo?"
"Yeah, it should be."
"Its size seems off!"
"They say the Uchiha's Susanoo can be scaled. The Akatsuki's 'A' and 'B' have Susanoos that can reach a hundred meters tall and even sprout wings to fly!"
"Really? So, in that Akatsuki member's eyes, dealing with Upper Rank Two doesn't require such a massive Susanoo?"
"Does that mean Upper Rank Two is going to lose?"
The Cloud shinobi, having retreated from the battlefield, hid among the dense tree canopies, whispering as they observed from afar.
For them, the outcome of the clash between Upper String and the Akatsuki was critical intelligence, so they hadn't fully withdrawn.
On the Battlefield.
Sasuke smirked. "Even your sword broke?"
With that, he prepared to unleash Amaterasu's black flames on Upper Rank Two, pinned to the ground by his arrow, to finish him off.
But at that moment, Kokushibo, pierced by Sasuke's massive Susanoo arrow, stabbed his broken sword into the ground. Gripping the arrow through his chest with both hands, he yanked it out and hurled it aside.
Boom!
The massive arrow crashed into the ground, unleashing a resounding roar!
Kokushibo's chest wound healed at a visible rate. He then drew the broken sword from the ground, and with a single swing, his cursed blade, Kyokokushinge, regenerated just like his body!
Sasuke, watching this, was inwardly shocked.
The opponent was as formidable as rumored, and he hadn't expected even the sword to possess regenerative abilities.
On the Tree.
Haku's shock was no less than Sasuke's.
He instinctively compared Kokushibo to the Water Hashira he'd fought before, realizing with surprise that Upper Rank Two seemed even stronger than that formidable opponent!
"The leader was right. We need targeted methods to deal with these demons."
Haku reached into his ninja pouch, grasping the vial of Type-2 aging agent.
Seeing Sasuke summon Susanoo, he'd initially thought he might not need the agent. But now, it seemed his earlier optimism was misplaced.
On the field, Kokushibo began to gather power, unleashing all the chakra he'd accumulated through consuming flesh.
In an instant, the air around him seemed to distort.
Sasuke's expression tightened.
Thud.
Kokushibo took a step forward, declaring, "Moon Breathing, Eighth Form: Moon Dragon Wheel Tail!"
Before his words faded, he swung Kyokokushinge. The sharp blade, wrapped in a fusion of Blood Demon Art and chakra, formed a fighting spirit sword aura, slashing forth like a cold moonlight!
Boom!
Wherever the sword aura passed, everything was shredded. Even the air seemed to fragment, emitting bursts of explosive roars.
"This!?"
Facing the oncoming sword aura, Sasuke's expression changed drastically.
Though confident in his Susanoo's defense, the terrifying aura made him falter.
Boom!
With a deafening roar, Kokushibo's sword aura struck Sasuke's Susanoo. Following a crack, Sasuke's half-armored Susanoo staggered and was forced back.
After retreating over ten meters, Sasuke's Susanoo barely stabilized.
He then noticed a massive gash in his Susanoo's frontal armor, carved by Upper Rank Two's sword aura—just shy of breaching its defense.
"Damn it!"
Sasuke, humiliated, was about to command his Susanoo to counterattack.
But at that moment, a sharp pain stabbed through his eyes. The sudden agony caught him off guard, forcing him to his knees.
Simultaneously, his Susanoo regressed to its skeletal half-body form.
"What's wrong with Sasuke?!"
Haku, watching from the sidelines, was alarmed.
Accustomed to 'B's' full-form Susanoo, he'd assumed Sasuke's half-body Susanoo meant he was in control. He hadn't expected Sasuke to falter mid-battle.
Kokushibo clearly saw the opportunity and leaped forward, swinging Kyokokushinge again. "Moon Breathing, Fourteenth Form: Catastrophe, Full Crescent Moon!"
Countless crescent-shaped sword auras rained down like a storm, overwhelming the kneeling Sasuke.
In an instant, Sasuke's skeletal Susanoo was engulfed by the sword auras.
When Kokushibo's barrage finally dissipated, Sasuke lay collapsed on the ground, his Susanoo shattered and on the verge of crumbling with the slightest touch.
Seeing this, Kokushibo surged forward, swinging Kyokokushinge with intent to shatter Susanoo in one strike.
But at that moment, Sasuke's seemingly fragile Susanoo swung its arm, seizing Kokushibo in its grip.
Sasuke rose slowly, clutching his eyes, and said coldly, "You're getting too cocky!"
Swish.
Haku flashed onto Susanoo's skeletal arm, pulled out the Type-2 aging agent, and plunged it into Kokushibo, held fast in Susanoo's grip.
At first, Kokushibo paid little mind to the mysterious vial injected into him. But moments later, a thump-thump echoed from his body, so loud that Haku and Sasuke could hear it clearly.
"Is that… a heartbeat?"
Haku was momentarily stunned.
The heartbeat was abnormally loud and rapid, a clear sign something was off—and the more abnormal, the more it confirmed the agent was working.
Sasuke shouted, "C, get out of the way! I'm using my dojutsu!"
His earlier hesitation had allowed Upper Rank Two to break free from the arrow, putting him on the defensive. Now, having finally caught Kokushibo, he wasn't about to give him another chance.
Haku raised a hand, stopping him. "Hold on. The leader instructed us to observe the agent's effects first!"