NOVEL NEXT Chapter 20: Chapter 20 : Battlefield (5)
Uchiha Shin was not prepared to engage the Allied Shinobi Forces head-on.
They had hundreds of shinobi, and if he were surrounded, he would be forced to use Susanoo to fight back. The outcome could very well be a battle to the death, with little to gain from it.
Moreover, he did not want to reveal too much of his power. If he became a significant threat, the consequences could be more than he wanted to deal with.
While Uchiha Shin hesitated, Tsunade and the remaining Uzumaki clan members used the opportunity to escape the battlefield. Only when they reached a relatively safe distance did they slow down, catching their breath.
Tsunade remained deep in thought, unable to shake the image of the eight-pointed star Mangekyō Sharingan she had seen earlier.
"Who is that Uchiha... Why does he look so familiar?"
Just as she exhaled, preparing to regroup, a sudden presence halted her. A dozen jonin and several dozen chunin materialized in the clearing ahead.
Their numbers alone made up nearly half of the combined force that had pursued them earlier.
Each one wore a mask, their identities hidden, their intent clear.
The air grew tense, every shinobi instinctively preparing for battle.
Through the Yamanaka clan operatives embedded in Root, Danzo received the information immediately via Mind Transmission.
His expression darkened as he processed the situation. "Are the shinobi from the other villages all incompetent?"
His irritation vanished as he gave his next order: "No matter. Eliminate the remaining Uzumaki and Senju. Tsunade is not to be allowed to escape."
The Yamanaka agent transmitted the command instantly.
The masked Root operatives turned their cold, emotionless eyes toward the exhausted Uzumaki survivors. Trained to obey without hesitation, conditioned through brutal psychological reprogramming, and bound by the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, they were perfect killing machines.
Even when faced with the very allies they had once fought beside, they did not falter.
"Enemy attack! Brace for combat!" someone shouted.
The Uzumaki and Senju survivors, despite their exhaustion, pushed themselves to meet the incoming assault.
The prolonged battle had drained their chakra reserves and physical stamina. If not for the Senju's natural vitality and the Uzumaki's formidable endurance, they would have collapsed long ago.
Tsunade, nearly out of chakra from continuous healing, could do little but watch as the tide of battle shifted against them once again. Having escaped one enemy, they had now fallen into an even deadlier ambush.
"Tch. This is getting annoying."
A voice rang out from behind. Uchiha Shin had arrived.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Barrage."
With a flick of his wrist, he shaped the metallic sand around him into razor-sharp projectiles, hurling them toward the Root operatives with deadly speed.
The well-trained Root shinobi immediately reacted, some dodging, others raising barriers or counterattacking.
Two of them vanished underground.
"Earth Style: Hiding Like a Mole Technique!"
From below, they launched a surprise grab for Shin's legs, attempting to immobilize him.
At the same time, three Root operatives wove hand signs in unison.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
Three torrents of fire erupted toward Shin, cutting off his retreat.
The searing flames obliterated the trees in their path, creating an inferno that threatened to engulf him completely.
Before he could react, the Yamanaka clan operatives in Root struck with their own secret technique.
"Mind Body Switch Jutsu!"
A formless spiritual force shot toward Shin, attempting to invade his mind and seize control of his body.
As the energy invaded his consciousness, Shin found himself inside a vast mental space, a void of pure white.
"Now you're mine..."
A smirk crept across Shin's face.
A pair of blood-red Mangekyō Sharingan spun to life in the void.
"Get out of my head."
With an explosion of mental energy, he shattered the Yamanaka's intrusion.
Back in reality, the Root operative who had attempted the possession gasped as his body convulsed. Blood leaked from his eyes, nose, and mouth before he collapsed unconscious.
"H-He has a Mangekyō...?"
His final words were barely a whisper before darkness overtook him.
But Shin had no time to gloat.
His legs were still trapped.
The roaring flames were seconds away from reaching him.
His Mangekyō spun rapidly.
The air trembled as a massive surge of chakra erupted from his body.
Golden, ethereal ribs materialized around him in an instant.
Boom!
The fire struck the skeletal barrier of Susanoo with a deafening impact.
The explosion sent a shockwave through the battlefield, yet the flames were utterly negated. Not a single ember passed through.
All eyes turned toward him.
But it wasn't over.
With a flex of his will, Susanoo materialized golden arms, which immediately slammed into the ground.
Boom!
The earth split apart, revealing the two Root operatives who had hidden underground.
Realizing their failure, they attempted to drag Shin down with them.
But the colossal hands moved faster.
Snap.
The sound was sickening.
The two shinobi were reduced to crushed remains in an instant.
Only their lifeless arms still clung to Shin's legs.
"Disgusting. Get it off."
Shin willed Susanoo to pry the severed limbs from him, discarding them like filth.
His terrifying Mangekyō bore down on the remaining Root operatives.
The chakra surrounding him grew denser, more oppressive.
The golden skeletal form of Susanoo expanded, rising nearly ten meters high.
Now armed with an enormous golden blade, Susanoo raised its weapon and swung downward with earth-shattering force.
Panic rippled through the Root operatives.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"
"Lightning Style: Thunder Dragon!"
"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"
A barrage of high-level ninjutsu shot toward Shin.
Yet he stood motionless, allowing the attacks to collide with Susanoo head-on.
The resulting explosion should have been enough to obliterate an entire squad of jonin.
But as the smoke cleared, Shin remained untouched.
His golden Susanoo stood tall, unshaken.
He cracked his neck, his gaze locked onto his enemies.
"Is that all?"
A chill ran down the spines of the remaining Root shinobi.
Tsunade, still struggling to stand, watched in stunned silence.
"That Susanoo... his Sharingan... Just who the hell is he?"
But there was no time for answers.
Shin tightened his grip on his blade.
"Let's end this."
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Bonus Chapter - 100 Power Stones