[Uchiha Clan Grounds]
Right after Rengoku's main body went to the barrier division, this clone also used Shadow Release and directly followed the shadows toward the battle inside the clan grounds.
A moment later, Rengoku had already arrived at the battlefield.
This was not inside the clan grounds, but in the forest outside the perimeter.
Clearly, the enemy had been caught before they could sneak into the Uchiha clan grounds.
At the scene, Makumi and Shisui were already engaged in combat with the enemy.
Rengoku hid inside the shadows and did not rush out. Instead, he carefully observed the opponents.
One of them looked somewhat unfamiliar, but Rengoku knew his abilities very well.
He was Hiruko, who could use Storm Release, Dark Release, Swift Release, Steel Release, and also possessed Mangekyo Sharingan in both eyes.
The other man made Rengoku's eyes light up.
This man wore a hoodie with fur trim on the upper half of his body, paired with tight jeans and high boots below.
His slicked-back hair shined with oil, and he tightly held a huge blood-red scythe in his hand.
The outfit was too recognizable. Rengoku recognized him at a glance as Hidan.
Hidan was like a crazed beast, constantly making strange noises while wildly swinging the huge sharp scythe in his hand.
All around him were countless Shisui figures.
This was Shisui's specialty ninjutsu, Phantom Clone Technique.
At a glance, at least a dozen Shisuis surrounded Hidan. Their bodies looked identical and their movements matched perfectly, making it impossible to tell which one was the real Shisui and which ones were illusions.
The hot-tempered Hidan had already lost his mind. While swinging his scythe, he shouted arrogantly, "Ahahahaha! Hurry up and serve Lord Jashin!"
Even though his attack speed was extremely fast, he still could not touch Shisui at all.
He kept swinging the scythe, but every attack hit nothing but air and achieved nothing.
Meanwhile, Shisui took advantage of the openings full of flaws in Hidan's movements and cut him from time to time.
But Hidan possessed an immortal body. Even though blood kept pouring out, he was still jumping around full of energy.
"With Lord Jashin's blessing, I can't die!"
"Hahaha!"
Hidan laughed proudly, his voice echoing across the battlefield.
At the same time, his hands never stopped moving. The scythe spun rapidly in his hands like a high-speed windmill.
His violent eyes kept searching everywhere, trying to find the real Shisui.
The reason Shisui had not taken down Hidan was not because of Hidan's immortality.
It was because Hiruko had been standing nearby the whole time.
Hiruko's Dark Release could absorb most ninjutsu, basically making the Uchiha's Fire Release useless.
So they could only rely on taijutsu and genjutsu to fight Hiruko and Hidan.
Just earlier, Shisui used genjutsu to briefly control Hidan, but Hiruko immediately grabbed Hidan and swung him around like a human shield.
Hidan quickly woke up, and no matter what injuries he suffered, he still remained lively and energetic.
On the other side, Hiruko had Steel Release to reduce damage and Swift Release to increase speed, making it difficult for Makumi to take him down.
And his eyes kept moving around, clearly showing he still had strength left over.
He could even occasionally help out on Hidan's side.
The once arrogant Hiruko no longer shouted wildly. Instead, he fought calmly and steadily.
Makumi seized an opportunity and suddenly swung his blade toward Hiruko's neck.
But Hiruko remained completely calm. Instead of defending, he used Steel Release.
In an instant, his neck turned pitch black. At the same time, large amounts of dazzling lightning suddenly burst from his palm.
It was Storm Release, Laser Circus!
Makumi's face remained cold. After letting out a snort, a huge and mighty Susanoo arm suddenly appeared out of nowhere before him.
The arm stood in front like a steel wall and blocked the incoming Laser Circus.
However, Makumi understood the value of eye power well, so after the Susanoo arm successfully blocked the Storm Release, he immediately canceled it without hesitation.
After all, in this fierce battle, every bit of power had to be used carefully.
At that moment, Hiruko displayed astonishing speed and agility.
Using Swift Release, his body moved like lightning. Like a ghost, he flashed to Makumi's side and suddenly threw a punch toward Makumi's head with fierce force.
For someone with Steel Release, fists were not much different from weapons.
Both were equally hard. If Makumi took a direct hit, he definitely would not feel good.
But the moment Makumi was struck, his entire body suddenly exploded with a "bang," turning into countless black crows that scattered in every direction.
It was Makumi's specialty, Crow Clone Technique!
A moment later, the crows gathered together again in the air and reformed into Makumi's shape.
At this moment, he floated in midair with powerful eye power waves spreading from his body.
He slightly moved his hands, and the massive eye power flowed out like liquid mercury, gradually forming a small and delicate Susanoo bow before him.
The next moment, Makumi grabbed the bowstring and pulled hard. A red-black arrow slowly formed in his hand, glowing with an eerie light.
The arrow seemed to contain endless killing intent and destructive force. Just one glance at it would send chills through a person.
Makumi's eyes were sharp as he aimed at Hiruko below.
Although he felt puzzled as to why Hiruko was acting so carelessly and standing still without moving, since the other side had already become a perfect target, there was no reason not to attack.
So Makumi took a deep breath and released the tight bowstring.
The red-black energy arrow shot out like lightning and rushed straight toward Hiruko.
Hiruko's Mangekyo Sharingan flickered with strange light as they tightly locked onto the incoming energy arrow.
The instant the arrow was about to touch his body, Hiruko rapidly formed a hand seal with both hands, the Swift Release seal.
With a flash of bright light, Hiruko's figure vanished from the spot like a ghost, successfully dodging the deadly strike.
And just like that, both sides exchanged moves back and forth for several rounds.
Whether it was Hiruko's timing when using Steel Release to harden his body against attacks, or his judgment on the key moments to summon Susanoo for defense, or his precise control over the timing for using Swift Release to quickly reposition, every move was practically flawless.
(End of the Chapter) ✅