Chapter 221 : The third power: Susanoo!
"What... is this...?"
No one answered the question.
Even Chiyo, who had weathered many storms, froze at the sight of such devastation, her eyes vacant as she stared at the empty hillside, the remaining puppet strings in her hand trembling and snapping one by one.
And as the second wave of lightning needles was about to condense and unleash another massacre, a certain Sand Ninja, overwhelmed by this unknown terror, suddenly stumbled back repeatedly.
This tiny movement was like knocking over the first domino, and panic spread like a plague; from him onwards, everyone just wanted to get further and further away from the front, unable to maintain even a shred of resistance.
In less than ten seconds, the vanguard subtly began to collapse.
The biting evening wind swept across every inch of the battlefield, bringing the final declaration of an end to this escape that had concluded as soon as it began.
Death was a constant companion.
Countless flashes of lightning flickered across the sky, then poured down like a torrential rain, weaving a hellish scene with blood and wails.
It was as if an invisible tide swept through the crowd; though the injuries were to non-fatal areas and the wounds themselves not deadly, the Sand Ninja melted away one by one like snow under the warm spring sun, turning into dust and smoke.
Chiyo knew she was locked on by killing intent, and escape was futile, so she stopped dodging and instead reclaimed her pride as a strong person, standing solemnly in the center of the open ground, like a towering tree.
Her weathered gaze passed over the rapidly approaching lightning needles, looking at the figure diagonally above.
Behind him, the crimson clouds dyed the world blood red.
-- This is simply not a power a human should possess.
-- It's almost like... Boom!!!
Yellow sand fell from the sky like a mountain, piling into a solid, stable wall, enveloping the spike that carried a "curse."
A moment later, the sand mountain was vaporized into gray-black smoke, which was gently carried away by the cold wind and vanished without a trace.
-- This Chakra...!
Having a narrow escape, Chiyo let out the breath she had been holding in her chest and turned to look at the yellow-robed old monk who had walked to her right side.
"Bufuku the monk?"
"It is I, Elder Chiyo."
The elderly monk's tone was calm, his eyes compassionate, and the aura he exuded with every gesture was completely out of place in this blood-soaked battlefield.
But his presence here indicated that the Kazekage had given him orders regarding his other identity.
"Amitabha."
Bufuku uttered a Buddhist chant, and a small mountain of sand rose from beneath his feet, engulfing him, then rapidly expanded and swelled, growing limbs, a tail, and a beast's head.
A giant beast the size of a sand dune hill took shape in a breath, and the moment black markings spread from the tip of its tail to its forehead, its eyes lit up with fierce golden light.
"Oww—!!"
This colossal creature raised its head and roared at the front, the fierce winds snapping countless ancient trees, and some trees were even uprooted by the storm, tumbling down the cliff.
Facing Ichibi Shukaku, one of the nine Tailed Beasts, Naraku showed no fear, his expression conveying the indifference that comes from a resolve to die.
He first cast a Mangekyo Genjutsu, attempting to forcibly override Shukaku's negative emotions with his Dōjutsu Power and control its actions.
This move was initially effective; Shukaku's body twitched a few times and then stopped moving.
However, the Jinchuriki Bufuku the monk's will was extremely firm, and he had a close relationship with Shukaku, causing the Genjutsu to lose its effect in less than half a minute.
Shukaku forcibly broke free from control and angrily unleashed a Void Bullet.
Naraku decisively drew his ninja sword, which was covered in battle scars, gripped it with both hands, held it vertically in front of him, and his eyes exploded with blood-red light.
Third Power · Susanoo!
White flames ignited out of thin air, and the crisp sound of growing bones was continuous.
A massive and complete pure white skeleton suddenly appeared, its spinal bone spikes draped in crimson light, emitting a nearly metallic luster.
Its ribs were like fangs, tightly encasing Naraku, directly blocking the attack of the Void Bullet.
Subsequently, tendons and muscles grew wildly along every bone joint, filling the gaps in the skeleton at a visible speed.
Skin emitting a gentle glow followed closely, covering every bit of flesh.
The pristine white armor transformed from void to reality, attaching itself from the cervical spine.
As the facial armor plates interlocked, Susanoo stood up against the setting sun and let out a furious roar in retaliation to Shukaku.
"Roar—!!!"
The materialized sound wave shook the clouds, and the surrounding rubble vibrated violently, rolling down the mountain.
Seeing the Uchiha's ultimate Dōjutsu for the first time, Chiyo, in her shock, deeply understood that this was no longer a battle ordinary Ninja could participate in, and she scolded the chaotic troops to retreat quickly.
Naraku likewise waved away his own companions, telling them to spread out to both sides.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
Perhaps Susanoo stirred up some unpleasant memories, as Shukaku furiously slammed the ground, its abyssal maw opening to its widest extent, and a purplish-black vortex appearing deep in its throat.
Red and blue energies merged between its fangs, and a turbid sphere hung before it, its core condensing power capable of annihilating mountains.
-- Tailed Beast Ball!
Naraku's brows furrowed, and Susanoo immediately clasped its hands together, a golden-white long sword extending from its palms, its blade cutting through gusts of wind.
Just then, Shukaku had also compressed the Tailed Beast Ball to its limit, and with a bulge of its belly, it shot it out with a boom.
Wherever the chaotic sphere passed, the earth shook, rock layers, soil, and trees all turned to dust, and the ground was ploughed into a widegully like a riverbed.
Susanoo stepped forward, its blade first hitting the shell of the Tailed Beast Ball, and was pushed back dozens of meters by the terrifying impact, digging its feet firmly into the ground to stabilize its body.
The crescent moon pattern spun into an afterimage.
A fierce white light erupted where the divine sword named futsu no mitama made contact with the Tailed Beast Ball, and then the blade split it in two, the cut as smooth as silk.
The two hemispheres continued forward by inertia, passing over mountain peaks and endless dense forests, moving further and further apart, and higher and higher.
Until they reached the zenith of their trajectory, two purplish-black light beams shot out from somewhere in the distant forest, precisely piercing the two hemispheres.
Instantly, two sky-obscuring fireballs exploded in the firmament, as if the blazing sun had fallen, scorching even the atmosphere to a boil.
The orange-red light shone on the pure white giant, who descended like a god, on its head and shoulders, flowing slowly like liquid silk.
"How is this possible..." The more Chiyo understood, the more incredible this scene seemed to her, "This is a Tailed Beast Ball...!"
Konoha actually possesses such a weapon... Will the Ninja World once again tremble in the shadow of Konoha?
"Cough..."
Naraku, who had been using his Mangekyo for a long time, could no longer sustain it, spitting out a large mouthful of blood, and closed his Sharingan amidst the intense stinging pain.
Susanoo gradually became transparent and ethereal, completely dissipating after using its last strength to carry him to the ground.
Naraku, whose Dōjutsu Power was overused and vision blurred, barely supported himself with his ninja sword, standing alone and tottering on the mountaintop.
The surrounding Konoha Ninja gathered around him, wanting to protect him as much as possible.
"Good chance! Bufuku!"
Chiyo shouted a reminder, but saw Naraku, his eyes veiled as if by gauze, facing Shukaku and letting out a sigh of relief.
And at some unknown point, the golden sand waves on the distant main peak had stopped surging, crumbling and collapsing in large chunks.