"Move!"
Inside the massive Susanoo, chakra cords wrapped tightly around everyone, securing them within the giant's body.
Sasuke shouted, his voice strained.
His eyes were blood-red now. Thin streams of blood trickled from the corners, staining his face. The sight was brutal.
The purple giant began to manifest its lower half.
Enormous wings unfurled from its back.
Complete Body Susanoo.
For Sasuke, this level was barely within reach. Maintaining it was excruciating.
The giant's wings snapped open—
Boom!
A violent hurricane tore through the underground chamber. Lava splashed wildly. Rock walls shattered and were pulverized midair.
Like a rocket launching skyward, the purple giant shot upward through the massive opening Sasuke had carved earlier.
But—
A gigantic black vortex suddenly formed in the center of the cave ceiling.
Like a gaping maw.
Waiting.
---
"As expected," Sasuke muttered through clenched teeth. "They don't want us leaving this space."
The vortex distorted space itself.
"Inferno Style: Flame Control!"
Two jet-black blades materialized in Susanoo's hands. Black flames coiled around the edges, radiating heavy Yin chakra.
The giant swung.
Slash!
Mountaintops were cleaved in half.
The fragments split again, shattered by surging chakra pressure, crumbling into dust.
In an instant, nothing remained above Susanoo except the swirling black void.
Outside the cave, Shiho stared in shock.
Neji and the others arrived just in time to witness the towering purple giant.
"My god… what is that?!"
"That's Susanoo. The Uchiha clan's ultimate defense."
"Sasuke awakened Mangekyō Sharingan?! At his age?"
"That giant fired the arrow earlier!"
"Lady Shion is inside it!"
"Everyone's alive!"
"What's that black vortex in the sky?"
"Back up!" Neji suddenly shouted.
He sensed it first.
The danger was overwhelming.
---
High above, the purple giant tried to veer away—
"Hmph. If I let a child escape, what would that make me?"
"Daikokuten."
Black specks appeared in the sky like falling raindrops.
In the blink of an eye, they expanded into massive black cubes.
Each one was the size of the giant.
They crashed downward like collapsing mountains.
Sasuke roared.
Blood streamed freely from his eyes.
The giant raised its blade—
Clang!
One cube was deflected—but the recoil forced Susanoo downward.
Clang! Clang!
More cubes descended.
Each impact drove the giant lower.
Boom!
The black cubes struck the ground.
The earth trembled for miles.
Neji and the others staggered, bones rattling from the shockwave. If Sasuke hadn't deliberately angled the impacts away from them, they would've been obliterated.
---
"I found you."
Naruto's voice cut through the chaos.
He appeared instantly at a distant point in space.
Without hesitation—
He punched forward.
Crack.
The air itself shattered like glass.
Invisible space fractured, splintered, and collapsed.
A hidden dimensional rift broke open.
A man stepped out.
White robe.
Long braid trailing behind his head, though only a small tuft remained on top.
Roman numeral IV tattooed beneath his left eye.
A wedge-shaped mark on his chin.
Red collar.
Red wrist guards.
Red belt.
Red earrings.
Black nails.
He clearly liked red.
Naruto blinked.
"I don't recognize you."
"I am Jigen," the man replied coldly. "Fifth Hokage… you should not exist in this ninja world."
Naruto snorted.
"Whether I should exist isn't your call. You set all this up just to lure me out? Then stop hiding and fight."
There was no fear in Jigen's eyes.
Only confidence.
Arrogance.
Like someone born above mortals.
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
The aura felt familiar.
Too similar to Ōtsutsuki.
---
Below, the Konoha teens stared in disbelief.
"That's Lord Hokage!"
"Naruto's here?!"
"He must've followed us secretly."
"Probably just worried about Hinata."
"Shut up!"
Neji's expression remained grim.
Through Byakugan, Jigen's chakra was like staring directly at the sun.
Blinding.
Overwhelming.
Even Jiraiya didn't compare.
---
"Uzumaki Naruto," Jigen said, black wedge marks spreading across his face. "Your existence disrupts this world."
The marks crawled over his body.
His chakra surged violently.
Like a volcano about to erupt.
"Daikokuten."
A black speck formed.
It instantly expanded into a massive cube and hurled toward Naruto with terrifying force—far faster and heavier than before.
The air screamed.
Naruto casually raised his fist.
Boom.
The cube shattered.
Fragments shot backward with tenfold force.
Jigen vanished into a space rift.
The debris rained down like missiles, carving a massive trench across the earth.
A black rod silently stabbed toward Naruto's back—
Naruto caught it without turning.
Crack.
The rod shattered.
Jigen slipped into another dimensional gap.
He moved like a phantom.
Striking from impossible angles.
Relentless.
Sasuke, now deactivating Susanoo, watched intently despite his burning eyes.
"This guy is stronger than Urashiki…"
In the Proving Ground, Sasuke had sparred with Ōtsutsuki Urashiki. Space-warping attacks were exhausting to counter.
This man—
Was on an entirely different level.
Even full-power Susanoo wouldn't be enough.
"We were bait…"
Sasuke clenched his fists, frustration boiling inside him.
---
"You're done hiding?"
Naruto's voice grew colder.
He parried another sneak attack effortlessly.
At first, he'd been curious.
Now—
He was bored.
The Ōtsutsuki clan loved their space tricks.
But beyond that?
Nothing impressive.
Naruto exhaled slowly.
Then clenched his fist.
"Let's add… just a little more strength."
And he punched.
Not fancy.
Not flashy.
Just—
More power.
-------------------------
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