Chapter 174: Susanoo Armband
The entire Hidden Leaf Village had become a playground for the Demon Fox.
The Demon Fox rampaged unchecked through the village.
"We have to find a way to take back the village!"
Outside the village, Tsunade looked around at everyone and spoke.
No one had expected the appearance of the Demon Fox, and with the attack occurring deep in the dead of night, countless people were killed in the chaos.
"...I think... I might have a way..."
Following the direction of the voice, Tsunade looked up to see someone she had long believed to be dead—her former comrade, one of the Legendary Sannin—Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru!" Tsunade stared at him, perched on a tree branch. "I thought you were dead!"
"Hehehe... I have the Demon Fox Spirit Hero to thank for sparing my life," Orochimaru said, jumping down from the tree.
"You said... Demon Fox Spirit Hero?"
Orochimaru nodded, a trace of pride in his voice. "That's right. I've been working for him all along. Even the Demon Fox Armor that allows him to forcibly harness the Nine Tails' power—I'm the one who created it."
"Then do you know what's going on with him now?" Shikamaru suddenly asked.
"Of course I do," Orochimaru replied, casting a glance at the massive, crimson fox monster ravaging the village. "He overused the Nine Tails' power. The tailed beast's chakra has intertwined with his own. This state shouldn't have manifested so soon... Did you provoke him somehow?"
Shikamaru fell silent for a moment before slowly recounting the events of the night they tried to arrest the Demon Fox Spirit Hero.
"...More of the same old political nonsense..." Orochimaru turned to Tsunade. "I didn't expect you to become just like our teacher, Tsunade."
"It was all for the sake of the Hidden Leaf, Orochimaru! As a rogue ninja, you'd never understand that!"
Tsunade's emotions suddenly flared.
"Then Orochimaru, do you have any solution?" Shikamaru asked.
With Tsunade clearly too emotional, only he could handle this kind of negotiation.
"Of course I do." Orochimaru nodded and looked around. "Where's Sasuke? Where is Uchiha Sasuke?"
"I'm here." Sasuke stepped out from among the surviving villagers.
"Good, you're still alive. That's a relief." Orochimaru approached him and handed him an armband.
"What's this?"
"A device that can boost your power and help you defeat the Nine Tails—The Susanoo Armband. Through my research, I discovered that above the Three Tomoe Sharingan lies the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan, the very eyes that Uchiha Madara once possessed. This armband can forcefully evolve your Sharingan to that level. However..." Orochimaru hesitated, then continued, "Power always comes at a price. The Demon Fox Spirit Hero's price was turning into a monster. Your price might be blindness—or worse, an increased risk of developing a bloodline-related illness."
"Got it." Sasuke nodded and, without hesitation, strapped on the Susanoo Armband.
"To be honest, I really want to know... what exactly did the Demon Fox Spirit Hero do to you that turned you from a clown back into a—no, not a clown into a normal person—but into a hero again."
Orochimaru looked at Sasuke with an intrigued expression.
Hidden Leaf Village.
Carrying the hope of the people, Sasuke pressed the button on his armband. As blood tears streamed from his eyes, he let out a painful, raspy scream. Dark purple chakra poured out of his body, slowly forming the shape of a giant skeletal warrior.
Sasuke gasped heavily. He could feel the transformation in his eyes, accompanied by searing pain throughout his body.
The raging Nine Tails took notice of the sudden appearance of the dark purple giant and charged toward Sasuke's Susanoo.
The Nine Tails' claws slammed into the skeletal frame of Susanoo.
In return, Susanoo grabbed the Nine Tails.
The two colossal beings began a fierce struggle.
Newly awakened to the power of Susanoo, unfamiliar with how to control it, and enduring constant, excruciating pain, Sasuke was clearly at a disadvantage in this fight.
"Wake up, Naruto!"
Pinned to the ground, Susanoo suddenly punched the Nine Tails hard in the head as Sasuke roared in fury.
It was now Sasuke's turn.
The Nine Tails, pinned beneath Susanoo, thrashed and howled like a wild beast.
"The villagers... and Butler Kakashi... they all died because of you!"
Susanoo's fists rained down on the Nine Tails.
But deep within the beast, Naruto remained hidden—retreating further into himself after hearing Sasuke's voice. He couldn't imagine how he could face anyone, especially after Kakashi's death because of him.
"Sasuke's words seem to have provoked the Nine Tails..." Orochimaru observed as the beast suddenly counterattacked, flinging Susanoo into the air with its tail. "One, two, three... Nine tails—That's the fully formed Nine Tails!"
With a flick of its nine tails, the beast sent Susanoo flying and then leapt into the air.
From above, the Nine Tails opened its mouth and began to gather immense chakra, aiming at the fallen Susanoo below.
"That's... a Tailed Beast Bomb!"
As Orochimaru finished speaking, the Tailed Beast Bomb descended.
In the aftermath of the devastating explosion, Susanoo had vanished entirely, leaving only a battered and unconscious Sasuke lying on the ground.
"Sasuke!"
Ino cried out in anguish at the sight of Sasuke lying there.
"Hurry, bring Sasuke back!"
With Shikamaru's shout, Orochimaru charged forward. Forming hand seals, he bit his finger and slammed his palm to the ground.
A massive serpent was summoned through Orochimaru's summoning technique.
"Damn it! Orochimaru, you summoned me to fight that kind of monster?!"
"Manda, I just need you to distract the Nine Tails for a bit."
"One thousand sacrifices!"
"Deal!"
Though Manda always had a bad attitude toward Orochimaru, he was still his contracted summoning beast from the Ryūchi Cave. As long as the order wasn't too unreasonable, he would obey.
If the goal had been to defeat the Nine Tails, Manda would've disappeared without a word. But simply drawing its attention for a moment—he could live with that.
Still some distance from Sasuke, Orochimaru's modified, serpentine arms stretched out, grabbed Sasuke's legs, and dragged him back.
"That's enough, Manda!"
While retreating, Orochimaru shouted to his summoned beast.
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