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Bang!!
A jet-black staff tore through the air and came crashing down on Nue's head with brutal force.
"Roar!!"
Nue howled in pain, snapping its head around, blood-red eyes blazing as it locked onto the source of the attack.
Not far away stood a figure clad in black armor—Hiruzen Sarutobi. His expression was grim as he faced the monstrous creature that had appeared out of nowhere.
Originally, he hadn't planned to interfere.
But the moment he saw Nue absorb chakra, swelling in size as its aura grew heavier and more terrifying by the second, he understood just how dangerous this thing was.
Fugaku's death. The fall of the Uchiha.
That was a sight he wouldn't have minded seeing.
But what then?
Once Nue fully devoured Fugaku's chakra, it would only grow stronger. After wiping out the Uchiha, there was no way it would just stop. Its next move would be to rampage through Konoha.
After weighing the risks, Hiruzen chose to act.
"Extend, Enma!"
He thrust the staff forward and roared.
The Ruyi Staff pressed against Nue's chest and began to lengthen rapidly, forcing the massive beast backward. It shoved the monster clean out of the Uchiha district and straight beyond the village walls. Buildings along the way collapsed into rubble as the ground cracked beneath its retreat.
"Haa… haa…"
Fugaku Uchiha landed nearby, drenched in sweat, his face pale as he dispelled Susanoo. He shot Hiruzen a sharp glare.
"Third Hokage. Was this your doing?"
"What a stupid question," Hiruzen snapped. "If this were my creation, do you think you'd still be alive?"
Fugaku let out a cold chuckle. "Who knows? Maybe your little experiment went out of control. Maybe you stepped in because you were afraid it would turn on you."
Even if Hiruzen hadn't created the monster himself, Fugaku was certain he wasn't completely uninvolved.
Hiruzen's face darkened. "I swear on the name of Hokage—this creature has nothing to do with me. A beast that can absorb chakra? I've never seen anything like it."
Fugaku opened his mouth to argue further—
"Enough!" Hiruzen barked, cutting him off. "This isn't the time. We deal with the monster first."
"Hmph."
Fugaku turned his gaze toward the battlefield outside the village.
"That thing absorbs chakra. It's a nightmare to fight. Any ordinary ninja who gets close will be drained dry in seconds. And my Susanoo…" His expression turned grim. "It's pure chakra. To that monster, it's a feast."
His eyes narrowed.
"It was designed to counter the Uchiha. More specifically, to counter Susanoo. And as for who hates the Uchiha most… do I really need to say it?"
He cast Hiruzen a sideways look.
Hiruzen felt a headache coming on. How did this keep circling back to him?
If only it actually were his creation—at least then he'd have answers. Whoever engineered a monster capable of suppressing Susanoo was no ordinary mind.
He almost wanted to meet them.
"ROAR!!"
Nue's fury exploded. It locked onto Hiruzen. This insignificant human had ruined its hunt.
It charged.
"Daytime Tiger!"
Just as one of Nue's claws stepped back into Konoha's boundary, a thunderous shout rang out. A massive tiger-shaped blast of compressed air roared forward and slammed into the beast.
BOOM!!
The shockwave hurled Nue back hundreds of meters. Trees snapped like twigs, and four deep trenches carved into the earth where its claws had dragged.
In the lead, gates open, was Might Guy in his Seventh Gate form, with Konoha's elite ninja charging behind him.
"Be careful!" Fugaku shouted. "It absorbs chakra! Numbers won't help. Don't let that tail touch you!"
"These are the village's finest," Hiruzen replied calmly, then frowned. "Where's that Uchiha of yours? Uchiha Akira, wasn't it? The so-called reincarnation of your ancestor? With his power, suppressing this monster should be easy."
Before Fugaku could answer, a mocking laugh echoed across the field.
"Hahaha! How naïve, Hiruzen. To think you'd place your hopes on an outsider."
Fugaku's pupils shrank.
"You… Danzo!"
He instinctively distanced himself from Hiruzen, his face turning ugly.
"Well, Third Hokage? Anything to say now?"
Hiruzen glared at his former friend. "Releasing a monster like this inside Konoha—what are you trying to accomplish, Danzo? And how did you escape from the prison?"
Danzo Shimura ignored the questions.
"The creature is called Nue," he said calmly. "The ultimate weapon, developed with over half of Root's resources."
He watched the distant battlefield with burning eyes—pride flickering across his face, tinged with regret.
"A pity it's incomplete. If perfected, Konoha would fall in moments."
His lips curled.
"I released it to destroy the Uchiha. To destroy Konoha. Hahaha!"
His laughter grew unhinged.
Fugaku's voice dropped low. "We spared your life once. This is how you repay that mercy?"
"Mercy?" Danzo's gaze turned icy. "Crippling my limbs. Skinning me alive. That's what you call mercy?"
He let out a dark chuckle.
"Don't worry. Soon, you'll get to experience my mercy firsthand."
Fugaku scoffed. "You won't have the chance. When our ancestor returns, you'll regret everything you've done. You should've just stayed hidden and clung to life. Why come out seeking death?"
"Ancestor? Uchiha Akira?" Danzo smirked. "Relax. He won't come. Not yet."
He shook his head slowly.
"By the time he arrives, Konoha will be rubble. Nue will have devoured enough chakra to become unstoppable. And when Uchiha Akira finally appears… it will be his death day."
His voice turned colder.
"No. Death would be too kind. I'll make him suffer every bit of pain I endured."
"And you Uchiha will all—"
Bang!
Danzo's body exploded into a puff of white smoke.
Hiruzen rested the now-shortened staff on his shoulder, frowning. "Fugaku. Arguing can wait. We deal with the monster first."
Root Headquarters
Darkness swallowed everything.
Akira walked forward at an unhurried pace, face calm.
Hidden in the shadows, Fū Yamanaka formed a hand seal.
"Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
Buzz—
His consciousness surged out as spiritual energy, diving straight into Akira's mind.
"Got him. Strong body, weak awareness. Too careless."
Fū's physical body collapsed, caught quickly by a nearby Root member.
Inside Akira's mental world, Fū looked around.
So this is the monster's mindscape?
It looked… ordinary.
Nothing special. In fact, weaker than an average jonin's mental defenses. So he's just muscle and no brain? All brawn, no depth?
What was Yamanaka Inoichi so afraid of?
Fū smirked.
Only within Lord Danzo's Root could true strength be found.
He began searching for Akira's consciousness.
After a full sweep, confusion crept across his face.
Huh?
Where is it?
Was it so weak he couldn't even detect it?
And what's this massive wall of light?
He'd never seen anything like it in anyone else's mind.
High above, towering like a god, Akira looked down at him with amusement. The Yamanaka operative scurrying around below resembled a lost ant.
With a lazy motion, Akira lowered a single finger.
Thud.
It slammed down in front of Fū, blocking his path—like a child teasing an insect.
"What the—?!"
Fū jumped back in shock.
He'd never encountered something like this before.
Curiosity got the better of him. He craned his neck upward, following the endless pillar of light.
And then he saw it.
A colossal face, vast as the sky itself.
Familiar.
Wait… that face—
Recognition hit.
That was Akira.
His consciousness.
Except it was absurdly huge.
"AHHH!!"
Fū collapsed onto the ground, paralyzed with terror. If he'd had a physical body here, he would've wet himself.
In the real world, the Root members stared in disgust at Fū's unconscious body—now embarrassingly soaked—and promptly shoved him aside.
Inside the mindscape, Fū's finger trembled as he pointed upward.
"Y-you…"
He couldn't even form a sentence.
A consciousness this massive… he'd never seen anything remotely close.
Akira's two-hundred-meter Susanoo was nothing compared to this.
Just how monstrous was this man's spiritual power?
"You Yamanaka really have guts," Akira said lightly, stroking his chin. "Using your clan's secret technique on me. Not afraid of dying, are you?"
But Fū couldn't hear him anymore.
There was only one thought left in his mind.
Get out.
Now.
As fast as possible.
He formed a string of hand seals, trying to dispel the jutsu.
The secret technique activated successfully. But to his horror, he realized his consciousness couldn't leave.
"W-Why is this happening?!"
Yamanaka Fū's face twisted in terror, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Tch. Boring. Teasing you isn't even as fun as teasing an ant."
Seeing the man on the verge of a mental breakdown, Akira immediately lost interest.
A massive palm descended from above.
It came down like the sky itself collapsing. Yamanaka Fū had no strength to resist. In his despairing gaze, the giant hand slammed him into fragments. His consciousness shattered into specks of light and vanished.
Back in the real world, Yamanaka Fū's body jolted violently as his eyes flew open.
"Well? Did you control him?!"
A Root comrade beside him asked anxiously.
"Aba… aba… the Giant of Light…"
Drool trickled from the corner of Yamanaka Fū's mouth. His eyes were unfocused.
He'd been reduced to an idiot.
"Fū!!"
His companion stared in disbelief. All he'd done was use a clan secret technique from a distance, and he'd ended up brain-damaged?
That was beyond terrifying.
"Fū! Root will remember you. Your sacrifice was worth it. Even if you only stalled Akira for two seconds."
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Two seconds is enough. It's your turn. Torune… use the poison in your body. Kill him."
Boom.
As the words fell, the ground beneath Akira cracked open. A strange figure with purplish skin burst out.
"Well done, Fū. I won't let you down."
Aburame Torune seized Akira's calf.
"Hahaha! I touched you! My body carries deadly poison. Even giant summoned beasts die from it. You're finished, kid!"
Torune grinned smugly.
Last time, he'd been injured during a mission and hadn't participated in the Uchiha extermination. Ironically, that had saved his life.
He'd always felt it was a shame. If he'd been there, Akira's arrogance would've gotten him close enough. One touch, and the poison would've killed him. Danzō-sama wouldn't have suffered like this.
"Y-You… why aren't you affected?!"
Torune's laughter faltered.
Akira's skin was perfectly intact. There was no sign of poisoning.
Impossible.
His venom was innate, lethally toxic. He'd killed countless enemies with it. Why wasn't it working on this person?
"Even Susanoo might not break my defense. And you think your poison can?" Akira scoffed. "Don't make me laugh."
He slapped Torune casually.
The man's head exploded on the spot.
"If the outside won't work… then attacking from inside your body should do the trick, right?"
A cold voice echoed through the base.
Shigaraki Tanuki stepped forward slowly, a gas mask covering his face. He stared at Akira with a sneer.
"From the moment you entered, every breath you took carried poison."
"Oh? The air's poisoned?" Akira raised a brow.
"Only noticing now? Too late!" Tanuki laughed wildly. "But since you're about to die, I'll kindly let you see your surroundings."
Click.
Hidden in the shadows, a Root ninja flipped a switch.
The lights flickered on.
The base was revealed in full.
Purple gas hung thick in the air, so dense it was visible to the naked eye.
Clearly, this had all been prepared in advance. If they couldn't break through Akira's outer defenses, they would bypass them and attack his insides directly.
Akira's face twitched slightly. His brows drew together.
In Tanuki's eyes, that was unmistakably the reaction of someone being poisoned.
Joy spread across his face.
"Hahaha! Just as Danzō-sama predicted. Your weakness is internal! No one is without flaws!"
"This toxin was specially developed for you. Odorless. From the moment you stepped inside, every breath filled your body with it."
"How does it feel? Painful? It'll destroy your organs and corrode your blood."
He paused, then added with a vicious grin behind the mask,
"Don't worry. It won't kill you."
"You dared torture Danzō-sama. I can't let you die so easily. Once you lose all combat ability, I'll lock you up and make you beg for death. Hahaha!"
Akira took a deep breath.
Then he sneezed. Loudly.
He rubbed his nose and looked up calmly.
"Sorry. My nose was just a little itchy."
There wasn't the slightest trace of poisoning on his face.
After all, the super-soldier serum hadn't just strengthened his skin. His organs, blood, everything inside him had been enhanced.
Calling him immune to poison wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"Y-You…!"
Tanuki stood frozen, dumbstruck.
He'd inhaled that much toxin and… nothing?
How was that even possible?
Boom.
"..."
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