"Move back! All of you, move back!"
"You little brats—standing this close, are you trying to die?!"
"At least two hundred meters—go!"
"—!"
The Uchiha elders barked orders, driving the crowd away from the center.
Especially the younger generation—
Their curiosity toward the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan burned brightly.
But the older Uchiha—
Those who had lived through the era of Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju—
Retreated without hesitation.
Two hundred meters?
Still dangerous.
If the space allowed—
They would have gone even farther.
Soon, a wide clearing formed.
At its center—
Only two remained.
Uchiha Ren.
Uchiha Raizen.
"Let's begin."
Ren's voice fell.
And in the next instant—
The purple phantom behind him solidified.
First—
Arms.
Then ribs.
Then a towering skeletal frame.
The massive half-body encased him completely.
Power surged.
Flesh formed over bone.
The construct grew—
Fifty meters tall.
"More!"
Ren roared.
He could feel it—
This wasn't the limit.
The Mangekyō still had more to give.
The transformation continued.
Armor spread across the body.
Layer upon layer.
The figure swelled—
Seventy meters tall.
Then—
It stopped.
Ren's eyes throbbed faintly.
So this was the limit.
Not yet the complete form.
Compared to Madara's fully realized Susanoo—
This was still incomplete.
But—
More than enough.
Ren raised his hand.
A blade appeared within the Susanoo's grasp.
Dark yellow.
Forged from molten chakra.
A weapon of Lava Release.
Fully armed.
Fully unleashed.
—
"…To witness such power in my lifetime…"
"Heaven truly favors the Uchiha!"
"Who in Konoha can stop us now?!"
"HAHAHAHA!"
The elders were ecstatic.
The towering Susanoo stood like a god incarnate.
Even from two hundred meters away—
Its chakra pressed down like a mountain.
This—
Was not human power.
This—
Was divine.
The younger Uchiha stared in awe.
Reverence.
Envy.
Desire.
Burned in their eyes.
Who wouldn't want power like that?
Who wouldn't want to stand at the top?
—
Raizen stood below.
Looking up.
And for the first time—
He felt small.
Tiny.
Like an ant.
Regret crept into his mind.
Fight this?
This monster?
Was that even a joke?
He could barely even see Ren's figure above.
Only the overwhelming body of Susanoo filled his vision.
"Ready, Raizen?"
Ren's voice echoed down.
Casual.
Almost amused.
Raizen tightened his grip on his blade.
Sweat gathered in his palms.
"…I'm ready."
He forced the words out.
Then—
He moved.
"AAAHHH!!"
He rushed forward.
Closed the distance.
And struck.
Clang!
The impact rang out sharply.
His blade—
Chipped.
Damaged.
The Susanoo—
Untouched.
Not even a mark.
"…Strong."
Too strong.
Raizen's heart sank.
That blade—
Forged from top-tier materials, infused with chakra-conducting metal—
Had failed to even scratch it.
"Was that supposed to hurt?"
Ren's voice carried a hint of amusement.
"If anything… it tickled."
Raizen's expression tightened.
No hesitation.
Hand seals flashed.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
A sea of flames erupted.
A blazing inferno surged forward, engulfing everything in its path.
This—
Was his strongest technique.
Even several elite shinobi working together would struggle to stop it.
Ren's eyes gleamed.
"Not bad."
He acknowledged it.
But—
Only that.
The Susanoo moved.
The blade swung.
One strike.
The flames—
Split apart.
Dispersed instantly.
The residual force soared skyward—
Ripping through the clouds—
Carving a massive hole in the sky.
At the same time—
Far beyond the battlefield—
Konoha's barrier shattered.
Alarms rang.
"Enemy attack?!"
"Full alert!"
"Evacuate civilians!"
"Notify all clans!"
"I'm going to inform Mito Uzumaki!"
The village descended into chaos.
But—
Ren knew nothing of it.
To him—
This was still just a duel.
—
"…Too strong…"
"I can't win…"
Raizen stared upward in disbelief.
That attack—
That power—
Was beyond reason.
His strongest fire technique—
Erased with a single swing.
Even if Ren stood still—
His attacks would mean nothing.
There was no path to victory.
Unless—
He sacrificed lives.
Endless waves of ninjutsu.
Layered suppression.
Seal after seal.
Maybe—
Just maybe—
He could exhaust Ren.
But at what cost?
"…Uchiha Ren-sama."
Raizen lowered his blade.
"I concede."
Silence fell.
The fight—
Was over.
There was no need to continue.
Ren looked down.
A hint of disappointment flickered in his eyes.
"…Already?"
He hadn't even finished enjoying it.
Still—
He released the Susanoo.
The massive figure faded.
Disappeared.
And in that instant—
His body weakened.
Hollow.
Drained.
This power—
Came at a cost.
Far beyond his current limits.
But it didn't matter.
It was worth it.
Because now—
He stood at the top.
Ren lifted his gaze.
Across the entire clan.
Every Uchiha—
Looked at him the same way.
Reverence.
Awe.
Submission.
From this moment on—
They would revere him—
As they would a god.
And no one—
Would dare stand against him again.
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