Asuna and the others sprinted towards the capital gates, and before the nearby Chakra Samurai could gather, Asuna used her Vacuum Spheres to pierce through their bodies.
Amplified by Sage Mode, the power of the Vacuum Spheres was astonishing, and there were many of them. Although the Chakra Samurai wore armor and could use chakra to reduce damage, their bodies were still pierced, and they fell to the ground, incapacitated.
Some of the Chakra Samurai could still move, despite having several holes in their bodies and bleeding profusely. Yet, there was no sign of pain on their faces as they staggered towards the group.
Seeing such Chakra Samurai, everyone felt a chill. Tobi, no, Uchiha Kuya's secret medicine was truly terrifying, capable of transforming human bodies into such a state.
Asuna clenched her fists. Although these people were enemies blocking their path, she still felt a pang of pity for them. If they hadn't used Uchiha Kuya's secret medicine and were still conscious, would they be like this?
"Sage Art: Wind Release: Whirlwind Fist!" Asuna roared, and a spiral hurricane swept away all the Chakra Samurai in front of them, clearing their path.
"Hurry!" Hyuga Hiashi called out to the others, dealing with the enemies chasing from behind. Asuna cleared the way in front, but by the time they reached the capital gates, Asuna's Sage Mode had reached its time limit.
The sudden weakening of power made Asuna's body sway. Fortunately, the Sage Chakra she used was drawn from Chakra Storage Blocks, not condensed from her own chakra on the spot, so she didn't collapse from exhaustion.
Fujimura Yuuki slammed his hands onto the ground, and the earth rippled like waves, crashing heavily against the city gate. The gate slowly collapsed, causing the ground to shake.
"Good, we'll wait for reinforcements here." Seeing the city gate down, Hyuga Hiashi's spirits lifted. They were essentially safe. Although Chakra Samurai were still pursuing them from behind, they could always escape into the forest. With a ninja's mobility, the Chakra Samurai couldn't possibly catch up in such complex terrain.
Fujimura Yuuki looked back and saw giant purple-black and orange chakra entities clashing. Even from this distance, they could feel the immense power erupting from there, and the air seemed to ripple faintly.
"Ken…" Fujimura Yuuki watched anxiously. He and Uchiha Ken had fought side-by-side in the past, and their bond was very deep.
"We've already notified Sakumo's camp. They should be here soon. As long as Ken can hold on, it will be fine," Hyuga Hiashi reassured.
Asuna, at this moment, took out another Chakra Storage Block, her last reserve. Sage Chakra, being too powerful, had limited materials that could contain it, so only two could be made. She quickly absorbed the Sage Chakra within, staring at the pursuing Chakra Samurai, and said, "He can definitely hold on. They both have Mangekyo Sharingan; even if he's not as strong, he won't lose so quickly."
"I really didn't expect that guy to be Uchiha Kuya, and he even has the Mangekyo Sharingan." Mizuki took a deep breath, feeling very unwilling. If Asuna hadn't helped earlier, she would have probably died from Susanoo's attack.
Her best friend, Asuna, possessed Sage Mode, which could contend with the Mangekyo Sharingan, while she had no equivalent power. She felt like a burden now, which somewhat frustrated Mizuki.
—If only I also had the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Mizuki reached out and lightly touched her eyelids, feeling the outline of her eyeballs underneath. Against such powerful opponents, ordinary Sharingan were simply not very effective.
Everyone was now standing at the city gate, making it very easy to leave and no longer worrying about their safety. The only issue was having to go and assist Uchiha Ken.
Of course, they still had to deal with the pursuing Chakra Samurai. As the Chakra Samurai gradually gathered, their threat level began to rise significantly. If it became too dangerous, they would have no choice but to escape into the forest. But then Uchiha Ken would… If Hatake Sakumo arrived, they wouldn't have to worry. Once Hatake Sakumo arrived, Uchiha Ken should also retreat while fighting.
However, no one expected that the person who would appear next would be even more powerful than Hatake Sakumo, and this person shouldn't have been here at all.
Just as everyone was preparing to face the challenge of the Chakra Samurai, they suddenly heard a loud bang. Hyuga Hiashi was the first to notice it. He let out a small gasp and quickly called out to the others: "Don't be afraid, it's not an attack on us."
As soon as he spoke, everyone felt a strong gust of wind sweep over them, heading towards the Chakra Samurai in front. The air visibly distorted, and the impact directly blew away the Chakra Samurai who had formed a formation, leaving a deep crater on the ground.
As for those Chakra Samurai, they had long since flown off to who knew where. Seeing the attack just now, everyone wondered if the Chakra Samurai had been directly blown to smithereens.
But very quickly, everyone began to wonder who had cast that jutsu. Asuna immediately reacted, recognizing the technique. She couldn't help but turn around and shout, "Father!"
Hearing Asuna's shout, the others were a little surprised. Was the jutsu just used by Asuna's father—that is, the Third Hokage, Fumori Masaki?
Everyone turned their heads and saw a person already standing behind them—it was indeed Fumori Masaki. His appearance was so sudden, without a single sound. Only Hyuga Hiashi saw the entire process clearly, and even then, he felt a chill run down his spine.
Asuna's special state also gave him this feeling, but Fumori Masaki was clearly superior. Fumori Masaki had obviously arrived here using the Body Flicker Technique, yet the commotion he caused was almost nonexistent.
"Father, you actually came yourself," Asuna said, very surprised.
"Many things have already been arranged. I was just worried about your safety. Fortunately, everyone is fine," Fumori Masaki nodded.
"No, Hokage-sama, Ken is still over there!" Fujimura Yuuki pointed at the giant entangled chakra entities, shouting.
"I know. I will bring him out," Fumori Masaki said calmly.
His voice was very calm, yet it conveyed an unshakable power, making people feel that rescuing Uchiha Ken would be a very simple matter.
Everyone felt that this was how it should be. This was the Hokage of Konoha Village, the strongest person in Konoha Village. Even Uchiha Kuya, even the Mangekyo Sharingan, what was there to fear?
At this moment, someone appeared with a Body Flicker. His movements were not as effortless as Fumori Masaki's; a strong chakra fluctuation could be felt. This person also surprised the Konoha shinobi, because it was Uchiha Kagami.
"You ran too fast! I almost couldn't catch up," Uchiha Kagami said with some complaint.
"My apologies. Next time, I'll take you with me," Fumori Masaki said.
Mizuki hadn't expected her father to come as well, showing how much importance they placed on everyone's safe departure. With her father and Fumori Masaki there, Uchiha Ken would surely be able to leave safely too.
Uchiha Kagami nodded to Mizuki. Before he could say anything, he frowned and looked into the distance.
The chakra glow on the tall orange Susanoo weakened, and its form became transparent, as if it could no longer be sustained. The purple-black Susanoo opposite it then struck heavily, and the orange Susanoo suddenly shattered—
"Ah!" Asuna and the others cried out in alarm. To them, it seemed Uchiha Ken had given up and suffered a complete defeat, but Fumori Masaki could sense something else.
From the very beginning, Fumori Masaki had been observing the situation. Besides ensuring the safety of Asuna and the others, his goal was to find the target of this mission—Black Zetsu.
Besides the enormous chakra presence, there was also a faint, almost imperceptible presence. If it weren't for Fumori Masaki, perhaps no one else would have been able to sense it.
Almost instantly, Fumori Masaki felt that this presence was Black Zetsu. He exchanged a glance with Uchiha Kagami, who immediately understood his meaning.
—They had to act with full power!
When Fumori Masaki sensed the other party lunging towards Uchiha Ken, he knew there was no time to spare and took a deep breath.
Fumori Masaki had always been prepared for swift action. In his palm, the chakra given by the Tailed Beasts flickered faintly.
The chakra within his body began to swell, filling every meridian, even starting to overflow and burst out from his pores, then condensing on his body surface, displaying a fiery quality.
At this moment, to others, Fumori Masaki looked like a person radiating light all over, a somewhat dazzling light, and a scorching aura could be felt, as if facing the direct rays of the sun.
Even Asuna had never seen her father in this state. Her eyes widened slightly. Although she didn't quite understand, she could sense some natural energy.
Could this be the higher realm of Sage Art that Father spoke of?
As everyone was stunned, the figure radiating intense light and heat vanished, leaping into the distance like a beam of light, giving a sensation of speed even greater than Asuna's, as if it were truly light.
"Honestly, I still have to go myself," Uchiha Kagami shook his head helplessly, nodded to the others as a signal, and then quickly used the Body Flicker Technique to follow.
*
Half of Uchiha Ken's body was covered in black. A strong numbing sensation spread through his body. After Susanoo disappeared, the burden on his body vanished, allowing him to immediately activate his Mangekyo Sharingan to try and peel off the black substance.
However, due to Uchiha Kuya's mental attack and the previous exhaustion from using Susanoo, Uchiha Ken couldn't recover quickly enough and was unable to get rid of the black substance on his body.
Uchiha Kuya revealed a triumphant expression. Just as he approached the other party, he suddenly felt an immense pressure descend upon him, as if the air had suddenly become solid, and some invisible force was trying to bind him.
This invisible force was still growing stronger. Uchiha Kuya could still resist for now, but his speed slowed. He couldn't help but land on the rooftop, finding it difficult to move.
—What is that?
Uchiha Kuya turned his head and, like Uchiha Ken, saw a light streaking towards him. For some reason, he seemed to recognize who it was.
"Dig out his eyes!" Uchiha Kuya shouted loudly, simultaneously summoning Susanoo again. The immense power broke through the invisible restraints, protecting himself while forcefully striking towards Uchiha Ken.
Uchiha Kuya had no intention of killing Uchiha Ken. If Uchiha Ken died, Indra's chakra would immediately leave Uchiha Ken's body. Although it wouldn't reincarnate, he wouldn't be able to obtain it either.
Uchiha Kuya's goal was merely to prevent the other party from focusing on him. The other party would definitely go to save Uchiha Ken. Since he couldn't defeat Uchiha Ken, he only had one option, and he needed to buy time for it.
Uchiha Ken felt intense pain from the eye covered in black, and he couldn't help but cry out.
And after Black Zetsu gouged out one of Uchiha Ken's eyes, he didn't greedily go for the other, quickly retreating. At the same time, Susanoo's attack arrived, and with it, the figure full of light.
Despite being only human-sized, he unleashed astonishing power. Susanoo's fist was forcefully pushed back. Seeing this, Uchiha Kuya's face showed shock.
Uchiha Ken clutched his bleeding eye, his face contorted in pain. The feeling of having an eye forcibly gouged out was truly terrifying.
The figure stood in front of Uchiha Ken. Uchiha Ken felt as if he was enveloped by a gentle chakra, and the excruciating pain in his wound immediately subsided.
"You are… Hokage-sama?" Uchiha Ken looked at the person standing before him, surprised. Although his entire body shimmered with chakra light, like a fusion of light and fire, he could vaguely make out the other person's face.
"Kazemori… Masaharu!" Uchiha Kuya also recognized the face behind the light. A strong sense of hatred erupted from the depths of his heart, as if it had penetrated his very soul.
"Ken-kun, you've truly worked hard." Fumori Masaki stared at Uchiha Kuya in the distance. He was very surprised to learn that the opponent was from the Uchiha clan, and he didn't know who the person was, but possessing the Mangekyo Sharingan indicated an extraordinary individual.
At this moment, Susanoo launched attack after attack. Fumori Masaki remained expressionless. The air in front of him seemed like an indestructible barrier, blocking Susanoo's blows.
In this state, Fumori Masaki's use of chakra and natural energy reached a whole new level, capable of even blocking Susanoo's attacks.
This state was cultivated step by step by Fumori Masaki after meticulously studying the composition of natural energy within Tailed Beast Chakra. It looked very similar to Uzumaki Naruto's Gold Chakra Mode.
The overflowing power throughout his body made Fumori Masaki believe that he was closer to the legendary Sage of Six Paths' realm.
Now, it was time for the opponent to serve as a test subject for this new realm.