The battlefield shifted in an instant.
From Yakumo struggling alone against Hiruko, it became Yakumo, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Naruto facing off against Hiruko and Kurosuki Raiga, two Akatsuki members!
Facing Raiga, who wielded the thunder blade Fang, the Leaf shinobi didn't dare underestimate him. They had learned not to take any Akatsuki member in their red-cloud cloaks lightly.
Hiruko, his five senses restored, glared at Yakumo with gritted teeth: "Impressive genjutsu! I didn't expect you to have such exceptional genjutsu talent on top of your Wood Release and dojutsu Bloodline Limit. Quite the surprise!"
Raiga glanced at Hiruko, unsure if he was being sincere or making excuses for falling into genjutsu earlier.
Kakashi, Sasuke, and Naruto shot Yakumo a look.
Hiruko's words made it clear that Yakumo had just won a genjutsu duel against him.
Recalling how Shinji had also defeated Hiruko with genjutsu, they concluded that while Hiruko might excel in other areas, genjutsu was likely his weakness!
Sensing their thoughts from their expressions, Hiruko's face grew darker, humiliated.
For a fleeting moment, even he began to doubt if his genjutsu skills were truly that lacking, repeatedly bested by mere kids.
Yakumo, however, felt no pride. Her emotions were complex.
In her spiritual world, Izanami no Mikoto was ranting: "Damn it, damn it, we were so close to killing him! If we had the Koryugan, we could've finished him!"
Yakumo responded inwardly: "His dojutsu power surpasses ours. Our success was partly luck!"
"Luck, my ass! I should've lunged out and bitten him to death!"
Izanami no Mikoto continued to rage.
Yakumo ignored its complaints.
She knew her genjutsu prowess was formidable—few in the village could match her. With Izanami no Mikoto's help, her genjutsu strength had nearly doubled, allowing her to seize the moment when Hiruko was unprepared and strip his five senses.
But now, with Hiruko on guard, she doubted she could succeed again. Their earlier clash confirmed his dojutsu power outstripped hers.
Unaware of Yakumo's thoughts, Hiruko stayed vigilant against another genjutsu attack. Checking his injuries, he found his left leg severely damaged from an explosion and his right arm twisted and broken—a pitiful sight.
He had swept through countless Leaf shinobi without a scratch, yet here he was, gravely wounded by Yakumo, a mere ninja academy student.
Worse, he still couldn't fathom how her genjutsu worked.
Raiga, observing, said: "Your leg was blown up by your own explosive tag! And you broke your own arm!"
Hiruko's brows furrowed, thinking: So that's the so-called 'Five Senses Deprivation'…
Ranmaru, perched on Raiga's back, whispered: "The blond kid over there must be the Nine-Tails jinchuriki!"
Raiga glanced at Hiruko again.
Hiruko nodded: "Yes, that's Uzumaki Naruto, the Hidden Leaf's jinchuriki!"
Raiga's gaze swept over Yakumo, Kakashi, and Sasuke, his voice low: "Then let's make this quick. You're still fit to fight, right?"
Crack.
Hiruko flicked his arm, his fractured limb snapping back into place, and snarled: "Obviously!"
Raiga exhaled in relief: "Good!"
Hiruko stepped forward, ordering Raiga: "Stay out of this. I'll handle them myself!"
Raiga frowned but stepped aside.
Kakashi quickly warned the others: "Be careful! He wields Swift Release, Steel Release, Storm Release, Dark Release, and a Mangekyo Sharingan—five Bloodline Limits. His strength surpasses mine!"
Naruto, noticing the fallen Leaf shinobi behind Hiruko—some dead, some barely alive—realized how terrifying their opponent was.
Sasuke said coldly: "What's the use of so many Bloodline Limits? Now that we know his weakness, he's already a dead man!"
Swish.
Before his words settled, Sasuke leaped forward, launching a genjutsu attack on Hiruko.
In his mind, if Shinji's three-tomoe Sharingan genjutsu could defeat Hiruko, and Yakumo's genjutsu could too, then he, with his Mangekyo Sharingan, was unbeatable in a genjutsu duel!
"No!"
"Be careful!"
Kakashi and Yakumo shouted in unison.
Kakashi, with his vast combat experience, knew that even if genjutsu was Hiruko's weakness, it required the right timing to strike—not a reckless charge.
Yakumo wanted to warn Sasuke of Hiruko's superior dojutsu power!
Their warnings didn't sway Sasuke. He pressed forward, his Mangekyo Sharingan gleaming with an eerie glow!
This strike wasn't just to punish Hiruko, who had stolen the Uchiha's Bloodline Limit—it was to prove to the world that the Uchiha were the Hidden Leaf's greatest genjutsu clan!
He was here to claim that name!
In an instant, their gazes locked.
Both Sasuke and Hiruko, nearly colliding, froze in place.
Their teammates tensed immediately.
Raiga cursed under his breath: "That idiot, dueling an Uchiha in genjutsu again? Hasn't he had enough of genjutsu losses?"
On the other side, Kakashi lifted his headband, revealing his Sharingan, ready to intervene.
Naruto asked, confused: "Who won?"
Yakumo hesitated: "It… it looks like a stalemate!"
Before her words finished, both sides' teammates realized they had to act. Raiga, on the Akatsuki's side, and Kakashi, on the Leaf's, prepared to intervene.
"Heh."
Suddenly, Hiruko snapped back to awareness, letting out a soft chuckle.
Then, with an uppercut, he slammed his fist into Sasuke's abdomen, sending him flying. Grabbing Sasuke's face mid-air, Hiruko held him aloft: "One after another, everyone dares to challenge me with genjutsu. Don't you know I have a Mangekyo Sharingan?!"