Chapter 593: Fifty-Fifty
While Naruto was injured, Sasuke's situation was also dire. His Susanoo was caught by the rock golem, which was far superior in size and strength.
The rock golem lifted Sasuke's Susanoo high and smashed it ruthlessly into the ground.
Crack-crack-crack!
The third-form Susanoo shattered loudly.
In an instant, the "Three Blacks of Konoha"—Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke—were all put in critical danger by the "Three Whites of Iwa"—Neji, Haku, and Shion.
Just then, Naruto roared. The black-red chakra around him surged. After regenerating the four tails, a fifth tail sprouted.
Two seconds later, a sixth tail appeared!
Neji's gaze sharpened. He sensed danger from Naruto in this state.
He dropped his casual attitude, focusing completely, ready to use his full strength.
At that moment, inside the Susanoo smashed on the ground, Sasuke also saw Naruto's predicament.
Whether out of concern for Naruto or himself, he also roared. A massive amount of pupil power inexplicably surged from his eyes.
Then, his crumbling third-form Susanoo transformed again, donning a layer of armor.
In this critical moment, Sasuke had elevated his Susanoo to the fourth form.
Watching from a distance, Sōkai's eyes narrowed in shock. He recognized this form.
But because he recognized it, he was stunned. Sasuke had achieved the fourth-form Susanoo with just a regular Mangekyō Sharingan.
Before upgrading to the Eternal Mangekyō, Sōkai could normally only use the second form.
Uchiha Izumi, having absorbed much pupil power, was stronger and could fight in the third form.
But Sasuke's dōjutsu didn't absorb power, nor did it enhance Susanoo like in the original story. How could he outperform Izumi?!
"What a genius," Sōkai muttered. "Too bad Izumi-san went with Kurotsuchi's group. She'd be even more surprised than me."
The fourth-form Susanoo used its weapon to throw the rock golem off.
Then, both the golem and Susanoo stood up.
"Hahahaha! Neji Hyūga, prepare to tremble at my feet!"
"I will show you the true power of the Uchiha clan!"
Neji was surprised. These two had erupted at such a critical moment?
But Neji sneered. "What's the use of erupting? Before absolute power, it's meaningless."
Neji took a deep breath. Chakra surged out of his body, forming a cloak similar to Naruto's partial transformation.
Then he charged and appeared beside Naruto.
Neji's speed was far beyond before. Naruto didn't even react before Neji was on him.
Naruto, in his Six-Tails state, opened his mouth to form a Tailed Beast Ball. Neji slapped him on the head.
Naruto staggered, and the Tailed Beast Ball dissipated. Fortunately, his defense in this state was high, so he didn't cough up blood this time.
But that was only the first hit.
Neji's attack wasn't a special move, just a simple normal attack.
Taking advantage of Naruto's instability, he kicked Naruto into the air, then leaped above him.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Three consecutive kicks to Naruto's stomach.
BOOM!!!
Naruto was smashed straight down by Neji, creating a massive semi-spherical crater in the ground.
This time, even the Bijuu cloak couldn't protect him. He coughed up blood again.
Neji dove into the crater and delivered a full-power strike to Naruto's abdomen before he could get up.
Boom!
Naruto was smashed deeper underground. Cracks spread rapidly from his position.
From above, one could see that Naruto at the bottom of the pit had lost consciousness, and his Bijuu cloak had vanished.
Naruto's body was charred black, covered in burns from the corrosive Bijuu chakra, looking like a corpse burned in a great fire.
Just as Neji was about to deliver the finishing blow, a loud explosion rang out in the distance.
The fourth-form Susanoo had knocked down Neji's rock golem.
Neji raised an eyebrow. He formed hand seals and summoned a giant sword, much longer than either the Susanoo or the golem.
His small hands, completely disproportionate to the sword, gripped it and swung horizontally.
Sasuke couldn't dodge in time. The attack landed.
Sssshhh!
The giant sword sliced through the Susanoo, cutting the fourth-form giant in half.
Poof!
The severed Susanoo dispelled. Sasuke, already exhausted, fainted from the backlash.
Just then, a voice reached Neji's ears: "Neji, watch out for Hinata Hyūga. She's invisible!"
It was Haku.
While Neji was taking down Naruto and Sasuke, Hinata, also in danger, had used another dōjutsu: Invisibility!
Hinata vanished from Haku and Shion's sight.
At first, Haku could roughly judge her position based on feedback from his Ice Release as she broke through his containment.
But Shion couldn't locate her at all.
Once Hinata slipped through a gap in the ice, Haku lost track of her too.
Worried she would interfere with Neji, Haku shouted a warning.
Neji immediately scanned with his Tenseigan. Nothing. She seemed to have vanished into thin air.
So Neji connected to the Giant Tenseigan.
With its aid, Neji finally saw Hinata charging toward him.
Without hesitation, Neji raised his hand and struck at her.
Hinata frowned, dodging quickly. Detected? How is that possible?
She had seen Neji's full power. She knew she couldn't beat him now.
She had hoped to use invisibility to rescue Naruto and Sasuke, but that seemed impossible.
What now? Forget saving them; she might be done for too.
Just then, a white-haired figure suddenly appeared beside Naruto.
It was the Seventh Hokage, Kakashi Hatake.
Kakashi had been working in his office when he felt a sudden palpitation.
Instinctively, he thought something had happened to Naruto or Sasuke on the front lines.
So he used the Flying Thunder God to teleport to Naruto.
Neji spotted Kakashi immediately. He redirected his second strike, originally aimed at Hinata, toward Kakashi.
Kakashi was startled. What is going on? Why am I attacked every time I show up?
Unable to take Naruto, Kakashi dodged.
Simultaneously, his left hand shot toward Neji.
As it extended, his special arm transformed into a long wooden spike, aiming for Neji's chest.
Surprised by the speed of the counter, Neji turned sideways and slapped the side of the spike, snapping it.
The spike broke, but Kakashi wasn't hurt. The remaining half reformed into his arm.
During this, Kakashi's right hand had formed a Chidori, thrusting at Neji's waist.
With no time to think, Neji raised his hand. Imperial Wheel!
But to Neji's surprise, while Kakashi was repelled, so was Naruto, who was lying at their feet.
While attacking with the spike, Kakashi had secretly sent a small wood tendril from behind his back to wrap around Naruto.
Using the wood to pull Naruto, Kakashi used the force of Neji's repulsion to open the distance.
Nearby, Hinata breathed a sigh of relief. She stopped charging and retreated toward Konoha.
With Kakashi and his Flying Thunder God there, she didn't need to worry.
Just as Kakashi saved Naruto, swoosh, a figure flashed in. It was Sōkai, with his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan active.
The moment Sōkai appeared, he connected to the Giant Sharingan and unleashed a Complete Body Susanoo.
The Susanoo, wielding the Sword of Totsuka, smashed down at Kakashi.
Neji, seeing this, ignored Hinata's retreat and turned to attack Kakashi.
In the distance, Haku saw Sōkai and Neji's moves and didn't hesitate. "Shion, let's help Neji fight the Hokage."
"Mm." Shion agreed and immediately launched a Priestess Seal at Kakashi.
Kakashi's brow twitched wildly. What is this? An ambush? Is this a trap?
Kakashi used Kamui to deflect Sōkai's full-power strike. Pressed for time, he couldn't sever the Susanoo completely, only deflect the attack slightly.
Boom! Sōkai's sword struck the ground a dozen meters to Kakashi's left.
Kakashi threw Naruto onto his back, clapped his hands, and unleashed a massive Wood Release.
The wood blocked Neji's attack and hid Kakashi's position.
Kakashi tried to use the cover to reach Sasuke.
But a massive wall of ice slammed down from the sky, blocking his path.
Kakashi didn't hesitate. He thrust out a wood spike.
Just as it was about to hit the wall, a leg shot out from the ice and kicked the spike aside.
The spike grazed the wall, taking a chunk of ice but failing to break through.
When Kakashi looked for Haku with his Sharingan, Haku had already retreated into the ice.
And the damaged wall was rapidly repairing itself. While Kakashi searched, Haku healed the breach.
Just then, Sōkai's Totsuka Blade swept in, skimming the ice wall.
With one stroke, all the trees on one side of the wall were cleared, leaving only stumps.
Kakashi reacted fast. Before the attack hit, he leaped away with Naruto, dodging the blow.
But while they were in mid-air, a suction force pulled at them—not at Kakashi, but at Naruto.
Because Kakashi was holding Naruto tight, he was dragged along toward Neji.
Kakashi reacted quickly. While still unstable in the air, his left hand shot out multiple wood tendrils, stabbing into the ground to anchor them.
Just then, a purple-red light shot toward them—Shion's Priestess Seal.
Shion had no dōjutsu and couldn't see Kakashi through the trees. She lacked Haku's battlefield sense, so she hadn't found an opening until Sōkai cleared the forest.
Kakashi didn't know what the light was, but it wasn't good.
With no time for seals, he kicked Naruto away, using the recoil to dodge to the other side.
The light missed. Kakashi was about to pull the wood tendril connected to Naruto to bring him back.
But a long blade of ice slashed between them, severing the tendril.
Kakashi was separated from Naruto again.
Neji fired another Vacuum Palm at Kakashi, preventing him from getting close to Naruto.
But then, a wood strip shot out of the ground and wrapped around Naruto.
When Kakashi dodged, he hadn't severed his connection to the wood rooted in the ground.
He used it to grab Naruto again.
And he used the wood to pull himself toward Naruto.
Soon, they were reunited.
Just then, Haku shouted from inside the ice wall, "Not good! He sent a wood clone to grab Sasuke Uchiha!"
While Kakashi's main body was tangling with the four of them, a wood clone he had created under the cover of the forest had bypassed the ice wall underground.
It reached Sasuke.
Sōkai swung his blade at Kakashi again, but the next instant, Kakashi and Naruto vanished.
Neji's Tenseigan pierced the ice wall. He saw Kakashi appear next to the wood clone and Sasuke.
"Flying Thunder God... and seal-less!" Sasuke gasped.
In the past two years, Kakashi's biggest improvement was mastering the seal-less Flying Thunder God.
Kakashi was shaken. He had a marker on Naruto, but not on Sasuke.
Because Sasuke had been wary after the last time, Kakashi hadn't been able to place a new marker on him.
Because of Sasuke's willfulness, today had almost ended in disaster.
He didn't tangle with the four anymore. To avoid further complications, he placed his hands on Naruto and Sasuke and teleported away!
Kakashi lived up to his "Copy Ninja Kakashi" (Mr. 50/50) nickname. Under siege by two near-Super Kage and two Kage-level ninja, he managed to save Naruto and Sasuke and escape back to Konoha.
With Kakashi gone and Hinata retreated, the fierce battlefield fell silent.
Chiga waited a moment, then swallowed hard and stepped out of the shadows.
She was thoroughly terrified. She had thought these juniors were Kage or Elite Jonin, and that she couldn't intervene with her meager strength.
She had wisely hidden near Sōkai.
But she had still underestimated them. Sasuke and Naruto were Kage-level even before their outbursts.
She didn't know how strong they were after exploding.
Yet Neji defeated both of them easily, one against two.
Just how strong was this little junior brother?
Was he stronger than Ishiro-sensei?
The smoke cleared. Neji and Sōkai exchanged a look of regret.
Neji felt this was the perfect chance to destroy Konoha. If they had kept Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke, Konoha would be finished.
He had missed a golden opportunity.
Sōkai knew about the Sage of Six Paths, so he knew Sasuke couldn't be killed.
But he also felt it was a great chance to deal with Kakashi.
It was a pity Akino Atsumi wasn't there. If she had been, Kakashi wouldn't have escaped!
A moment later, Uchiha Izumi returned with Kurotsuchi's group.
"Sōkai, what happened?" she asked immediately.
She had sensed Sōkai communicating with the Giant Sharingan.
Thinking there was danger, she stopped Kurotsuchi's group from pursuing the Konoha rookies and returned.
Then she noticed the traces of Wood Release.
"The Hokage was here?"
Sōkai explained briefly. Izumi was tense hearing Kakashi had appeared, but relieved to hear everyone was safe.
They rested for a bit. Then Izumi asked Neji, "Neji, are you still going to the Konoha command center?"
Neji thought. "Yes. Although we failed to kill Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata due to the Hokage, the village's strategy must be carried out."
"Destroy the command center and spread the war to the southern Land of Fire."
"Konoha has deployed many eight- and nine-year-old genin to the south. After destroying the command center, Shinichi, Shizuka, and Rion will order all harassment squads to move south."
"If we kill a large number of those genin, Konoha will never have a chance to rise again."
Everyone nodded. They agreed and continued toward the command center.
But they were a step too late. Shikamaru Nara had already evacuated everyone.
Neji didn't mind. He collected the remaining supplies and sent a message to the Iwa command.
Border of the Land of Fire and Earth.
There was a temporary command center housing several hundred Iwa ninja.
Originally, Sōkai and Izumi were in charge.
With them gone, the base was on high alert.
Inside, Aono Shinichi, Shizuka Minamoto, and Rion were playing shogi while waiting for news from the front.
The preparations were done; they were just waiting for Neji's results.
Aono Shinichi said, "I wonder how much Neji-senpai achieved. The 'Three Blacks' are almost Kage-level. Not easy to deal with."
Shizuka said, "It depends on Neji-senpai's strength. He's improved again. No one knows his limit."
Rion added, "Against Konoha's known forces, Neji-senpai's trio plus Sōkai-senpai and Izumi-neechan could take the village."
"The fear is that person intervening. After all, Neji-senpai's targets are Sasuke and Naruto."
They knew about the Sage. As the actual commanders Ishiro appointed against Konoha, not knowing this would be dangerous.
Aono whispered, "Don't mention him. We just do our job."
"Ishiro-sensei didn't stop us, so he probably won't interfere."
Ishiro knew about Neji's plan but didn't object.
The Sage could resurrect the dead, so Neji couldn't truly kill Sasuke and Naruto.
On the contrary, getting beaten by a peer like Neji would only stimulate their potential.
They would grow faster, which was good for the Sage!
As for how many regular Konoha ninja died for their growth... the Sage didn't care.
If Ishiro went to kill them personally, the Sage might slap him to death.
But Neji, who didn't know, was different.
Neji had Ōtsutsuki blood and had inherited Hamura's legacy.
The Sage's tolerance for Neji was definitely higher than for Ishiro.
As for Neji's safety, it wasn't necessary to worry. Neji's current strength wasn't necessarily lower than Ishiro's.
Ishiro felt he could suppress Sōkai and Izumi in a one-on-one.
But he wasn't confident he could completely suppress the current Neji.
Neji was one step away from awakening the Tenseigan—one quickening left. His strength was very close to the limit of a mortal.
Ishiro was also one step away from five-nature fusion, but that step was still large.
He could only deal with Neji effectively using unconventional means like fuinjutsu.
A moment later, the three received Neji's report.
Aono frowned. "None dead? That's a mediocre result."
"If we flood the south now, when Sasuke's trio recovers and joins the fight, our losses will be heavy."
Shizuka said, "Don't think like that. Neji-senpai said Sasuke and Naruto are heavily injured."
"They won't be out for a while. We can use the time difference!"
Rion added, "I agree. Also, Neji-senpai defeated both of them alone. Konoha's morale is damaged. It's a good time to attack."
"And with Neji-senpai there, the Hokage won't send people out easily."
"Who knows if he can save them again next time?"
The three quickly reached a consensus.
(End of Chapter)
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