"Mangekyo..." Hikari stared at the Mangekyo Sharingan swirling in Shisui's eyes, and instantly understood why he is so confident.
Even during the Warring States Period of her time, Uchiha Clan's members who awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan were exceedingly rare.
That was also why, when she had awakened hers as a mere teenager, her clansmen had reacted with both shock and terror.
Shock, because the Mangekyo Sharingan had appeared in a girl so young. Terror, because of the power she now wielded.
"I'll hold her off. You find a way to rescue Hayama-senpai." Shisui whispered urgently to Hoheto beside him during a brief lull in the battle, "Remember, once you get him, retreat immediately!"
Although Shisui has the Mangekyo Sharingan, the other side still has a red-haired Kunoichi who is imprisoning three Iwagakure's Ninjas not far away and watching the battlefield here.
Shisui suspected that the mastermind behind the upheaval in Land of Bears and Hoshigakure's rebellion was no ordinary foe, after all, they are actually capable of commanding a member of Uchiha Clan to serve them.
So his only goal now was to relay this intelligence back to the village.
"What about you?!" Hoheto covered the wound that was bleeding profusely and hurriedly put on a hemostatic patch.
"I have my own way to escape. Your mission is to bring Hayama-senpai back!" Shisui emphasized the word 'mission' with a firm tone.
Hoheto's Byakugan gleamed with deep solemnity as he nodded.
Their reconnaissance mission to Hoshigakure had already failed. They hadn't even gotten close, and after just crossing into the Land of Bears, they had encountered these two mysterious enemies.
Moreover, all three of them had been held back by just one of them. Even Hayama, an Elite Chunin renowned for his Taijutsu, had been defeated in a single exchange!
Now, his condition was unknown!
Having survived the brutal Third Great Ninja War, Hoheto clearly recognized the gap in strength between himself and their opponent. Staying would only burden Shisui, limiting his options.
The only thing he could do now was seize the moment and rescue their unconscious companion!
Once their strategy was set, Shisui gave Hoheto a slight nod before vanishing in a blur, charging straight at Hikari.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!" Shisui flicked his left wrist, sending a barrage of shuriken wreathed in flames hurtling toward her.
Hikari calmly tossed a few shuriken of her own, deflecting these fiery shurikens.
The sound of metal colliding echoed across the battlefield.
The attack was merely a distraction.
In the next instant, Shisui used his Afterimage Clone again, splitting into six afterimages that launched a coordinated assault from all sides.
"Show me something real. If this is all you've got, don't expect me to hold back." Hikari had already deciphered the secret of Shisui's Afterimage Clone: "You're an Uchiha too. You know the same tricks won't work twice on us!"
With a few swift strikes, Hikari shattered the afterimages and lunged straight for Shisui's real body.
"Then let me show you the power of the Mangekyo!" Shisui roared as an emerald Susanoo erupted from the ground!
The upper half of the colossal green giant encased him, its chest armor plates sliding apart to reveal an orange magatama embedded within.
"Susanoo: Tsukumo!"
In an instant, countless green Chakra Arrows shot out from the magatama in the green giant's chest, pouring down like a torrential downpour!
"I told you-" Hikari's scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan swirled, morphing into the intricate pattern of the Mangekyo as dark red Chakra erupted around her, solidifying into a physical form!
"…if this is all you have, I won't hold back "
A pair of dark red wings unfurled, blocking the storm of arrows effortlessly.
"How is this possible?!" Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan widened in shock as he stared at the fully formed Susanoo taking shape before him, his pupils trembling.
The girl's grave gaze burned with intensity as her Mangekyo Sharingan blazed like twin suns.
Hikari stood within the helm of her Complete Body Susanoo, the dark red behemoth towering over the battlefield as it unsheathed a Chakra Sword.
With a thunderous swing, the blade descended!
Shisui barely managed to raise his green giant's spiraled sword in defense.
Boom!
The collision of two titanic forces sent shockwaves ripping through the battlefield. The surrounding forest was obliterated in an instant, reduced to splinters and dust within a hundred-meter radius.
"This... this...!" Hoheto, who had seized the chance to reach the unconscious Hayama, hoisted him onto his back. But as he prepared to flee, the sight before him froze him in place!
'The Uchiha Clan's Susanoo!'
He didn't dare delay any longer. Carrying Hayama, he turned and fled in the direction they had come from.
At the center of the battlefield, the once-confident Shisui was now receiving a brutal beating from his 'Great-Grandma'.
Hikari's Complete Body Susanoo moved like an adult toying with a child… Shisui's emerald giant, still in its second stage, was utterly outmatched, forced into a desperate retreat under the relentless onslaught.
The dark red behemoth's Chakra Sword swung again and again, each strike carrying earth-shattering force!
Shisui's Susanoo was only in the second form, and it was obvious that he had just awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan not long ago. He could barely maintain it, let alone fight back effectively.
The two colossi clashed across the forest, leaving devastation in their wake. Trees were flattened, and the wildlife, having never witnessed such terror, scattered in panic.
"Who the hell are you?!" Tears of blood flowed from Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan, and his voice became hoarse due to overexertion.
'A Uchiha this powerful… there was no way she could have remained unknown! No way the clan would have abandoned her!'
"I told you! My name is Nanashi! Nanashi from the Uchiha Clan!" The more Hikari thought about it, the angrier she became. She controlled the dark red Susanoo to swing its Chakra Sword down once more.
As the ultimate weapon of the Uchiha Clan, she was stripped of her original name and given the name [Nanashi] by the Uchiha Clan. She was sealed away for centuries, forgotten by all… even her descendants knew nothing of her existence.
That feeling of being erased cut deep into Hikari's heart.
Clang!
The dark red giant's attacks grew fiercer, spiderweb cracks spreading across the green spiral sword.
'I have no choice but to use that move...' Shisui finally acknowledged the gap in strength between them.
If this battle of Susanoo continued, he would inevitably lose!
"Nanashi!" Shisui shouted, looking up at the dark red giant.
From atop the giant, Hikari lowered her gaze, and the two pairs of Sharingan locked onto each other.
[Kotoamatsukami: Radiance]
Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan emitted a golden light, dragging Hikari's consciousness into a Genjutsu World!
This was a desolate wasteland, bathed in the dim glow of a setting sun.
Within this space, both Shisui and Hikari had lost their Susanoo, standing face-to-face in the barren land.
"Here... I control everything..." Behind Shisui, a blood-red moon loomed, its Mangekyo pattern resembling a shuriken blooming in full.
But before Shisui could finish his words, the Genjutsu World began to tremble violently!
Behind Hikari, another crimson moon rose, etched with the pattern of a Mangekyo.
"How is this possible?!" This was the third time today Shisui had been shocked.
His Mangekyo's Dojutsu… had been broken!
The other party's Ocular Power far surpassed his!
Suddenly, a searing pain suddenly erupted from his right eye as the Genjutsu World collapsed!
The moment they returned to reality, Shisui, now with only his right eye, looked up in horror to see the 'Uchiha girl' standing right before him.
Her slender fingers had already plunged deep into his left eye socket.
"Aagghh-!!!"
With a sickening squelch, Shisui let out a bloodcurdling scream as his scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan was ripped out!
Staggering back, the gaping, bloody hole where his left eye had been was horrifying to behold. His remaining eye, drained from overuse, streamed tears of blood.
His entire body trembled from the agony and Chakra exhaustion.
"Your eyes... are beautiful." Hikari held up the bloodied eyeball, examining it with a faint smirk, "He will definitely love this gift."