"This is… Susanoo!"
Saru recognized it at once. This was already Susanoo stepping into its second form.
Although he had never seen it with his own eyes,
ANBU, as the special operations organization personally established by the Second Hokage, had been continuously monitoring the Uchiha clan ever since the Second Hokage's era. Within the organization, there existed a vast amount of intelligence on the Uchiha clan, most of it left behind by the Second Hokage himself.
Every ANBU assigned to monitor the Uchiha clan was required to thoroughly study those materials. Only by doing so could they avoid being thrown into disarray by the Uchiha's sudden and unpredictable changes.
In the past,
Saru himself had carried out missions involving surveillance of the Uchiha clan.
As such, he had read through the intelligence left behind by the Second Hokage and was familiar with much of the Uchiha clan's classified information.
Among that thick stack of documents, information regarding Susanoo had always been of the utmost importance. Naturally, it had not been overlooked. Still, this was the first time he had ever witnessed it in reality, and it had taken him a moment to connect the purple-black humanoid skeleton before his eyes with the illustrations in the records.
And once he did,
his heart was filled with dread.
Susanoo appearing before them meant one thing.
That pale, ghostlike monster was an Uchiha. And not just any Uchiha, but one who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
But according to his understanding,
there should not have been anyone within the current Uchiha clan who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Was this… a hidden trump card of the Uchiha clan?
But ever since the Second Hokage's era, the Uchiha clan had been under comprehensive surveillance. When had they acquired such a terrifying secret weapon? And more importantly, what exactly was the Uchiha clan planning?
"Saru, what in the world is going on here?"
Aburame Kenshira's shout snapped Saru out of his thoughts. His voice was tense and agitated.
"Why does something like Susanoo even exist?"
As an ANBU who had once participated in surveillance missions targeting the Uchiha clan, Kenshira had also recognized Susanoo. And for that very reason, he had fallen into deep unease.
"If I knew what was going on, that would be great."
Saru gave a bitter smile.
His mind was completely overloaded, as if it had been wrung dry. His brain felt like a rusted machine, utterly unable to turn.
However,
the brutally urgent reality gave them no time to think.
"You should die too!!!"
A furious roar echoed through the forest.
After crushing the two Kumo shinobi to death, the purple-black Susanoo turned its attention toward Saru and the others. The massive palm, carrying overwhelming force, slammed down once more. At this moment, rage, despair, and other negative emotions completely flooded Uchiha Hatoha's heart.
The ones he hated were not only the Kumo shinobi who had directly caused Tsuruha's death.
But Konoha as well.
Konoha, which had failed to protect Tsuruha, was just as much an accomplice.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
"Wind Release: Vacuum Bullets!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Technique!"
The Konoha ANBU reacted instantly.
Having learned from the Kumo shinobi's fate, they dared not hold anything back. Aside from Kenshira, whose abilities were ill-suited for a direct frontal clash, everyone else unleashed their ninjutsu without sparing chakra to resist the descending giant palm.
Even Saru, their leader, was no exception.
"Fire Release: Great Flame Technique!"
Saru spewed forth a violent torrent of fire. With the support of his comrades' Wind Release, it erupted with unprecedented destructive power, forcibly shattering Susanoo's palm.
However,
it was still useless.
Unless Hatoha himself was defeated, destroying Susanoo's palm meant nothing. Purple-black chakra mist surged from the severed wrist, and in the blink of an eye, a brand-new palm formed before everyone's eyes.
"No good. This is already Susanoo's second form. That layer of chakra armor protects the caster completely. My insects can't break through to reach him at all."
Kenshira reported his failure in frustration.
Earlier,
while the others worked together to block Susanoo's attacks, he had not been standing idle. Instead, he had attempted to strike directly at the caster. Unfortunately, the result had been far from ideal.
The Susanoo before them had already evolved to the second form described in the records.
At this stage, the entire body was wrapped in armor-like chakra, leaving no gaps or weaknesses to exploit.
Other than brute force,
there was no way to harm the Uchiha hidden within Susanoo.
"…."
Saru remained silent.
He was locked in an internal struggle.
Standing at the crossroads between battle and retreat, he hesitated.
Right now,
which path should they take?
Should they gather all their strength and attempt to crush this mysterious Uchiha before them? Or should they withdraw first and return to Konoha to report everything that had happened to the Hokage?
The former carried the risk of total annihilation. Even though the Second Hokage's records contained detailed information on Susanoo, intelligence was still just intelligence. It could only serve as reference in battle, not determine its outcome.
The latter option was comparatively safer. Although there would still be losses, it would at least allow them to deliver this information to the Hokage.
...
"It awakened."
"It really awakened."
High in the treetops,
half of a White Zetsu face muttered softly, "Purple-black Susanoo… that's a rare color. If I remember correctly, the Susanoo of previous Mangekyō Sharingan users were mostly red or blue. Purple-black… this might be the first time I've seen one?"
"It is the first time this color has appeared."
Black Zetsu replied calmly.
His eyes were filled with excitement.
At last,
they had found a piece that could be used to advance the Eye of the Moon Plan. That long-stagnant plan was finally about to be put back on the agenda.
"But he hasn't used his Mangekyō Sharingan's dōjutsu yet."
White Zetsu muttered again. "From the looks of it, Hatoha's Mangekyō ability probably isn't a direct physical damage type like Amaterasu or Shinatsuhiko, nor does it seem like a mental attack type like Tsukuyomi or Kotonenomi. Could it be something unusual, like Ashinazuchi?"
"Whatever it is doesn't matter."
Black Zetsu sounded unconcerned. His burning gaze remained fixed on the purple-black Susanoo.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan's dōjutsu is just a bonus. Susanoo is the true pinnacle of the Mangekyō Sharingan's power. As long as he can wield this strength… then Hatoha possesses the power needed to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan."
"That's true, but if he also had an exceptionally powerful Mangekyō dōjutsu, wouldn't the Eye of the Moon Plan be even easier to implement?"
"…Then let us pray."
Black Zetsu murmured softly.
"Pray to Mother that Uchiha Hatoha's Mangekyō Sharingan ability is powerful enough."