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Before him stood an Uchiha ancestor, a man who shared his face. In the name of their clan, he demanded Sasuke reveal his Sharingan.
But the Sharingan he took pride in was suppressed by the White Cursed Seal, sealed away for now.
What an ironic, pitiful state to be in.
However.
The misery of his past life had freed Sasuke from the shackles of the Uchiha name.
In this life, he would wear the name he loathed—Ōtsutsuki.
So… before Izuna, he calmly revealed his Byakugan.
Izuna's expression twisted with shock and fury. "A Senju's body… A Hyūga's Byakugan… Have you forsaken the Uchiha name…?!"
Sasuke's voice was flat. "I haven't forsaken the Uchiha. I'm just no longer bound by the name."
"Ridiculous!" Izuna snarled. "This is betrayal! A betrayal of your blood!"
Zzt! His eyes morphed into the Mangekyō pattern. In the next instant, a sinister violet-red skeletal fist materialized beside him and slammed down toward the traitor in his eyes.
—Susano'o!
THOOM!! A ghostly purple light ignited around Sasuke's form, blocking Izuna's advancing fist.
On Azure Moon Island, those watching the battle through the Telescope Technique gasped.
"What?! Sasuke can use that move even with the Byakugan…!?" Suigetsu exclaimed.
Orochimaru chuckled. "It has nothing to do with the eyes. Susano'o is a unique power. From the moment of awakening, it resides within the 'Awakener.' Using it is their privilege. However, with his Sharingan temporarily dormant, he can only use the initial skeletal form…"
Suigetsu said tactfully, "Uh… just the skeleton? That defense is… questionable. No offense, but I could probably break it if I put my mind to it."
"Not anymore, I'm afraid," Orochimaru said.
"How so?"
"Sasuke-kun is adept at integrating his own abilities with Susano'o. After mastering Earth Grudge Fear, he completed the fusion of Susano'o and Shikotsumyaku."
"He applied Kimimaro's bone manipulation to Susano'o…!?" Jūgo asked, stunned.
Orochimaru didn't hide his excitement and awe. "Precisely. Even I was shocked when I saw it. It reinforced Susano'o's skeletal structure to an unbelievable degree. He can even freely manipulate the growth and transformation of those bones! Sasuke-kun has essentially turned Susano'o into a true iron wall of defense."
Back on the battlefield.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! During the contest of strength, fissures spider-webbed across the fist of Izuna's Susano'o before it disintegrated.
"Hn!?"
He didn't think too deeply. Has my Susano'o grown rusty from disuse?
Clad in his skeletal Susano'o, Sasuke charged.
"It seems the Uchiha power in your bones remains!" Izuna yelled. "But this form is your limit!"
Zzt! His pupils swirled. The complete skeletal frame of his Susano'o burst forth. The shattered arm restored itself, even developing the muscle and sinew of its second stage. The arm drew back, gathering power before swinging with even greater force.
Sasuke met it head-on with a skeletal Susano'o punch of his own.
BOOM!
Izuna's Susano'o arm exploded into fragments.
"What…!?"
In Izuna's moment of shock, the advancing bone fist struck his Susano'o squarely in the chest.
CRUNCH-CRACK! Web-like cracks spread rapidly.
"The same form!" Izuna roared. "Why is it so one-sided!?"
SNAP—!!!
The Susano'o shattered and disintegrated. The passing fist ground half his body into dust.
"Ah… I feel it now. Within his Susano'o… is a power that doesn't belong to the Uchiha…"
Izuna's right eye focused sharply.
—Yachihoko!
Inside his Susano'o, Sasuke's body froze solid.
This feeling… Could it be…
"The dōjutsu of my right eye immobilizes the space I focus my gaze upon!" Izuna's voice echoed as his shattered body reformed amidst swirling dust. "Aside from that annoying man's Flying Thunder God Technique, there's no way to break it! The efficacy of this technique is no joke!"
Sasuke watched with his Byakugan as chakra continuously pulsed through the veins around Izuna's right eye. It was proof the technique was being actively maintained.
I see… He needs to maintain eye contact to sustain the effect. If he were alive, the strain would be unimaginable.
High above, the Second Tsuchikage, Mū, aimed both hands at the stationary purple construct.
"It seems this battle can be declared over…"
Sasuke's Byakugan caught it all. His mind raced. This jutsu can immobilize my body, but not my chakra. Controlling Susano'o doesn't require hand seals!
CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!
Layer upon layer of deep purple bones sprouted from the exterior of his Susano'o, encasing the entire construct.
"!!" Izuna's gaze couldn't penetrate it. The target of the immobilization naturally shifted from Sasuke to the Susano'o itself.
—Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!
FWOOSH!
The beam of energy swept through, reducing Sasuke's Susano'o to motes of dust.
But freed from the immobilization, Sasuke performed a 'Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell' at the last possible moment.
—Magnet Release: Gold Dust Wave!
Rasa stood atop an oblong reef. Timing it perfectly with Sasuke's escape, he manipulated a tidal wave of gold sand to blanket the area.
Sasuke skidded to a halt, his palm gathering power. After a full month of training, his Byakugan-enhanced taijutsu had reached a proficient level.
—Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!
WHUMP—!!!
The high-density block of chakra he launched shattered the gold sand mid-air.
"Not of the Hyūga clan, yet you can use their Gentle Fist," Rasa noted. "The ability to release chakra from tenketsu points has nothing to do with the Byakugan. Orochimaru's modifications to you are truly comprehensive…"
BOOM…!!
At that moment, the Third Raikage, clad in his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, shot through the settling sand with terrifying speed. Lightning coiled around his four fingers.
—Hell Stab: Four-Finger Nukite!
That's the ultimate user of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode. The quality and quantity of the chakra around his body are beyond what the Fourth Raikage could match… I want to test him!
White lightning erupted around Sasuke. As he charged, he ducked beneath the thrusting fingers, aiming straight for the Third Raikage's wide-open abdomen.
—White Chidori!
SCREEEE—!!!
Lightning exploded. The White Chidori, infused with the power of the White Cursed Seal, could easily pierce the Fourth Raikage's lightning-armored body. Yet, it couldn't harm the Third in the slightest.
SWISH!!!
Then, the Raikage's move changed abruptly, his four fingers sweeping sideways in a slash.
BOOM! Sasuke's form blurred, evading the lethal edge as a skeletal Susano'o fist swept past.
WHAM—!!!
The Third Raikage took the hit squarely. He was sent tumbling nearly a hundred meters, but stood up again completely unscathed.
"It seems the title of 'Strongest Raikage' is well-deserved," Sasuke remarked.
CLAP…!!
He brought his palms together before his chest. Stout trees erupted chaotically across the battlefield. Buds sprouted, releasing toxic pollen.
Izuna clenched his fist. The Senju's Deep Forest Emergence… This jutsu gave my brother hell back then…
"Unfortunately, this move is useless against us reincarnated by Edo Tensei!" the Third Raikage declared.
"Let me sweep it all away with Particle Style in one go!" Mū offered.
"Hold on…!"
Gengetsu Hōzuki stopped them.
Mū frowned. "What…?"
While the others wondered what he was up to, Gengetsu formed a two-fingered seal.
—Hidden Mist Technique!
WHOOSH!
A thick mist spread through the forest of trees. Gengetsu lounged on a branch, looking pleased. "Viewing flowers through the mist… truly a unique delight…"
Watching the close-up on the crystal ball, Karin adjusted her glasses and snarked coldly, "That obnoxious personality… it's just like someone else I know!"
Suigetsu put his hands behind his head. "You might not believe this, but he's my great-grandfather."
…
Mū raised his hands. "To think I perished alongside this fool in life… a true disgrace. Vanish…"
—Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!
BOOM…!
The beam of energy swept away all obstructions.
Gengetsu, the Third Raikage, and Rasa regenerated from the dust. Gengetsu jeered, "Don't like me? Honestly, I love the sight of you hating my guts but being unable to do a thing about it!"
Mū coldly lowered his hands. "Hmph! Have your fun with empty boasts."
The Particle Style had swept the battlefield clean, leaving a deep trench in its wake.
On the other side of the trench, Sasuke stood with palms pressed together, an overwhelming tide of chakra surging from him.
"The warm-up… should be about enough now…!"
RUMBLE-RUMBLE…!!
The very earth began to tremble.
"You're joking… Is he really the same age as Gaara!?" Rasa cried out.
"My, my! The younger generation is truly fearsome!" Gengetsu mused. "Makes me want to shave his eyebrows off!"
"No joke," the Third Raikage said gravely. "With this volume of chakra, if he uses Wood Release…!"
"With my infinite Particle Style as an Edo Tensei," Mū countered, "the truly frightening thing isn't him using Wood Release while alive. It's him changing his mind and using a Sealing Jutsu!"
Only Izuna charged forward.
This chakra… He's no different from the Hashirama Senju I knew!
RIP! RIP! RIP! RIP!
After condensing his chakra to its absolute limit, four Wood Clones burst from Sasuke's back, shooting toward the four corners of the battlefield.
Izuna halted. "You deliberately dispersed such a massive amount of chakra. What are you planning?"
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
The four Wood Clones each landed before one of the former Kage.
"To challenge my own limits," Sasuke said.
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