Chapter 14 Battle Amidst Chaos(1) edited

Hundreds of jutsu exploded across the battlefield at once. The massive fireball and earth attacks lit up the whole Uchiha district like it was daytime. The Root ninja had already run to safety after attacking, not wanting to get caught in the blast.

Danzo kept his eye locked on the huge explosion. "That should have killed him," he said, gripping his cane tighter.

Then the air next to Danzo shimmered. Obito appeared suddenly, his cloak torn and still smoking. He was breathing hard, but his Sharingan glowed bright through his broken mask.

Danzo's eyes remained fixed on the devastation before him. The explosion had been immense, devastating enough to erase anyone from existence. Even he had to take a step back from the sheer force of it. Victory should have been certain.

"He should be injured greatly?"

But something was wrong. The air shifted, thick with something unnatural.

Beside Danzo, the space distorted subtly, and suddenly—Obito was there.

"You bastard…" Obito's voice was laced with exhaustion, but his glare cut through Danzo like a blade. His breathing was still ragged, his shoulders rising and falling with each strained inhale. "You planned to take me down with that explosion, didn't you?"

Danzo met his gaze without flinching. "With Izanagi, I knew you wouldn't die." His tone was dismissive, but Obito caught the flicker of calculation behind his eyes. "Besides, I eliminated a formidable enemy for you. You should be thanking me."

Obito exhaled sharply, half a scoff, half an attempt to catch his breath. He could still feel the residual heat of the explosion licking at his skin, his entire body aching from prolonged use of Kamui. He had barely made it out in time. Had Izanagi not been active…

But before he could respond, a voice shattered the illusion of Danzo's victory.

"Hiding for so long… and this is what you came up with?"

Danzo stiffened. A chill ran down his spine as the voice echoed through the field. Slowly, the flames at the center of the explosion began to dim, replaced by an eerie golden glow.

No… It can't be.

The battlefield fell into sudden silence.

Danzo's throat went dry. Root members shifted uneasily, weapons clutched tighter.

A slow, deliberate footstep rang out.

Then another.

And then, the smoke parted.

Kaito stood amidst the rubble, unscathed. His figure was wreathed in golden light, a faint, flickering aura of something ancient and terrifying. A pair of luminous ribs encased his form like a spectral guardian.

A gust of wind swept through the battlefield, fully dispersing the smoke. And there it stood—Susanoo.

Danzo took an involuntary step back, his mind racing. "That… that…"

The golden ribs of the spectral warrior expanded. In a matter of moments, they grew, stretching into form—arms materializing, a head rising from the glowing energy, the entire construct taking shape.

"This is… Susanoo!"

Danzo's eye widened in recognition. As one of the Second Hokage's students, he'd grown up hearing stories from the Warring States era. He knew exactly what that golden skeleton meant - Susanoo, the Uchiha's legendary power.

Memories flashed through his mind - tales of Madara Uchiha carving through battlefields with this same technique. The stories said it could level mountains and change the course of rivers. No wonder they'd called Madara the "Demon of the Shinobi World".

Danzo's voice was barely above a whisper, but the weight of the name sent a shockwave through the battlefield. Root operatives, trained to be emotionless, could not suppress their visible unease.

Obito watched in silence, his previous exhaustion momentarily forgotten.

"Mangekyō Sharingan…"

Obito's expression darkened. He understood the situation better than Danzo ever could.

While the Mangekyo Sharingan granted incredible power, mastering those abilities took time and experimentation.

This bastard must've awakened his Mangekyo before Itachi, Obito realized. To hide it this long...he's more cunning than I thought.

To Be Continued