From a distance, Obito, hidden in the shadows, witnessed the scene.
To be precise, he was positioned right beside the mountain that had just been cleaved in half. If the blade's energy had veered slightly eastward, he might've had to use Kamui to escape.
"Zetsu, the eye technique she's using… is it…?"
"That's right. It's Susanoo—and a complete form at that," Black Zetsu, disguised as a Venus flytrap, replied slowly. "In the history of the Uchiha clan, only a rare few with extreme mastery of their ocular powers and immense chakra reserves could manifest Susanoo to this degree. Lord Madara achieved it, and before him…"
Before him, it was the successive Indras!
Theoretically, any Uchiha could awaken a complete Susanoo, but in practice, it was almost exclusive to Indra's reincarnations. Only they had the potential and fortune to fully develop their ocular powers in a single lifetime. For most Uchihas, even awakening the Mangekyo was a monumental feat, let alone perfecting it.
At that moment, Black Zetsu felt a pang of regret.
As a schemer lurking in the ninja world's shadows for a millennium, he had long known of Uchiha Hikari's existence but paid her little mind. The Uchiha clan had seen countless fleeting geniuses over the years. Initially, Black Zetsu had tried manipulating non-Indra prodigies, but the results were lackluster, so he shifted his focus to pitting Indra and Asura's reincarnations against each other.
But now, in hindsight…
If he had approached Hikari earlier, perhaps even dug her out of her seal a few years ago and swayed her with honeyed words… wouldn't his mother have already been freed from the moon?
Both Uchihas, yet such a gap: one a twelve-year-old with the potential of the Five Kage, and a girl no less; the other, a twenty-year-old raging child still stuck at Sage-level…
Black Zetsu sighed inwardly, then regained his composure, analyzing coolly, "She's still young, with limited chakra. Even if she's awakened a complete Susanoo by some fluke, she can't sustain it for long. But if we let her grow, it's hard to say. She might soon reach the heights of Lord Madara."
"So…" Black Zetsu turned to Obito. "Don't hesitate, Obito. You need to reclaim Kakashi's eye soon. Only then will you have the strength to face Uchiha Hikari. It's essential for the Moon's Eye Plan."
"…"
Obito fell silent.
This wasn't the first time he and Black Zetsu had had this conversation.
He knew that to create a world with Rin, the full power of Kamui was indispensable. With only one eye, he could only flee from the might of a complete Susanoo.
But…
"Let's talk about it later," Obito said. "Even if I reclaim the eye, now's not the time to act. But you're right—Hikari's too dangerous. For the plan to succeed, we need to eliminate her. Zetsu, record this battle and show it to Nagato. To kill her, we'll likely need their strength."
"Got it," Black Zetsu nodded. "What about Hiruko?"
"…" Obito hesitated. "Let's see how it plays out. If Hikari can't maintain her complete Susanoo for long, Hiruko might still have a chance to survive."
Obito still hoped to save his subordinate. His relationship with Nagato was cooperative, not commanding. Having capable allies like Hiruko made things easier.
For now, Obito and Black Zetsu watched from the mountain, observing the battle unfold.
…
On the other side, Hiruko stared up at Hikari, who loomed like a descended deity, fear creeping into his heart.
He knew the Mangekyo was powerful, but he hadn't imagined it could be this powerful.
The sight before him defied comprehension. Against a force so far beyond his level, he had no idea how to win.
"Heh," Hikari's light chuckle echoed. "Your Chimera Technique is pretty interesting, so I'll give you a chance. I'll strike one blow. If you survive it, I'll let you go. How's that?"
"…Are you kidding me?!" Hiruko snapped, stunned, then furious.
After witnessing the mountain-cleaving might of her complete Susanoo, even with confidence in his Chimera Technique, he knew he couldn't defeat an opponent of this caliber.
But… one blow?
Did this Uchiha matriarch think he couldn't even withstand a single attack?!
"That's what I hate about you so-called geniuses!" Hiruko roared. "If you weren't born with that bloodline and those abilities, how could you ever reach heights normal people can't even dream of?!"
In his rage, Hiruko grew eerily calm. Swallowing two soldier pills, he channeled his chakra fully. Bone Manipulation, Storm Release, Swift Release, Steel Release, Sharingan—five bloodline limits manifested in succession. His aura surged, an invisible storm forming around him, blasting dust and debris outward.
"Storm Release: Thundercloud Activation!"
"Steel Release: Steel Fortification!"
"Bone Manipulation… Dance of the Clematis!"
Winds howled, and lightning crackled.
A mass of white bones sprouted from Hiruko's body, growing and spreading wildly. In moments, a forest of bone trees, each dozens of meters tall, filled the area. Coated in a metallic sheen and laced with blue-purple lightning arcs, they stood like a fortress.
The Dance of the Clematis was the pinnacle of Bone Manipulation. In the original story, only Kimimaro had used it, nearly killing Gaara and Rock Lee while buried under a sand tomb, only to succumb to his waning life force. Now, Hiruko, not even a Kaguya by birth, had unleashed it through his Chimera Technique.
(Looks like the Chimera Technique can enhance absorbed bloodline limits…) Hikari mused, her expression neutral as she waited for Hiruko to prepare.
"Ready?" she asked, raising her massive sword in a poised stance.
Then…
"…Hundred-Eight Cross Slash!!"
Hikari commanded her Susanoo, its crimson sword tracing a horizontal and vertical arc through the air.
In an instant, two blazing red blade beams formed a fiery cross, streaking across the night sky with overwhelming force, leaving a dazzling trail of red flame. Even the moonlight paled in its glow.
The next second, the beams struck Hiruko's bone forest.
Crack!
The bone trees, reinforced by Steel and Storm Release, were fragile against the mountain-splitting blade. Entire swaths snapped, crushed into fragments, then ground to dust in the sea of fire.
The bone forest spanned hundreds of meters, with thousands of trees. The sound of snapping bones echoed relentlessly.
In mere seconds, Hiruko and his forest were engulfed by the crimson light. Smoke and flames roared skyward, cloaking the area in a gray haze. Bone dust drifted like falling snow.
"Did he block it?"
"Or… is he already dead?"
Obito, Black Zetsu, Tsunade, Kakashi, and the others held their breath, staring at the smoky center, eager for the outcome.
Hikari, hovering in the air, squinted slightly, a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"He actually… blocked it?"
Though her strike hadn't used her full power—no "Fire Thunder God," and only half her chakra—surviving it was impressive.
As the smoke cleared, a bone shield, over ten meters thick, stood amidst the white-dusted ground. Two long, narrow slashes—one horizontal, one vertical—nearly pierced it through, stopping just centimeters short.
Whoosh.
A gust scattered the bone shield into fragments, blending with the powdered ground—all remnants of the crushed forest.
Hiruko's figure emerged.
He looked years older, his face drained of color, his body trembling, barely standing. His chakra was clearly overdrawn.
"…" Hiruko's lips moved, but no sound came. He only stared at Hikari in the sky.
Hikari dispelled her complete Susanoo and descended with Eri and the others.
"Not bad," she said. "You survived my strike, so I'll keep my word. You're free to go. I won't kill you today."
"?!" Kakashi spun around, shocked. "Lady Hikari, you can't let him go! His abilities are too dangerous for Konoha. If he escapes, it could—"
"What, scared?" Hikari tilted her head. "The mighty Konoha, afraid of a mere rogue ninja? I doubt the Third is that timid. Besides, I gave my word. You wouldn't want me to break it, would you?"
"…" Kakashi opened his mouth but said nothing.
Fair enough. Hikari had single-handedly subdued Hiruko. Whether to kill or spare him was her call. Even Tsunade didn't object, so what could a regular Konoha Jonin say?
Just another rogue ninja… Konoha had plenty of those. One more or less shouldn't matter… right?
Meanwhile, the Cloud Village's Yugito Nii and her team narrowed their eyes, whispering among themselves, seemingly debating whether to ambush Hiruko later.
Hiruko, after catching his breath, stared at Hikari. "You're really letting me go?"
"Of course," Hikari replied.
"…You'll regret this," Hiruko said with conviction.
"Oh?" Hikari smirked. "Then prove it. I look forward to that day."
Her decision to spare Hiruko wasn't just about keeping her promise.
She wanted to plant another pawn within the Akatsuki, particularly near Obito and Black Zetsu.
Danzo, her previous "undercover" agent in the Akatsuki, was sidelined due to his role in destroying the original Akatsuki, earning Nagato and Konan's resentment. He was relegated to grunt work and wasn't trusted by Obito either—his age and reputation didn't help, even if Obito's own deeds were just as vile.
Danzo's intel was limited.
But Hiruko was different.
A technical genius with a Chimera Technique rivaling Orochimaru's, he'd defected from Konoha decades ago to focus on his secret arts, with no ties to the Rain Village or Akatsuki. He'd likely be more readily accepted by Nagato and Obito.
Plus, Hikari wanted to test if Black Zetsu could detect or remove her mark. In that fleeting moment of eye contact, she'd already placed it on Hiruko.
For now, she watched as Hiruko staggered away.
At the same time, a Cloud Jonin quietly slipped away from their group, using an earth-burrowing technique to pursue Hiruko.
Well, that was a Cloud Village tradition.
They'd even dared to kidnap Konoha's Kushina and Hinata, so a weakened, wild bloodline limit user like Hiruko was too tempting to ignore.
Still, making such a move right under Hikari's nose, after witnessing her complete Susanoo, was bold to say the least.
Hikari cast a cold glance, then drew the "Spear of Judgment" from a sealing scroll. Gripping its handle, she tapped it lightly on the ground.
Instantly, a gravitational force dozens of times stronger than normal descended from the sky, centered on her.
emm, just noticed I forgot the chapter title… I'll ask the editor tomorrow if it can be fixed.