"I heard that Tsuchikage-sama once competed with Uchiha Madara. In Tsuchikage-sama's opinion, how does my Susanoo compare to Uchiha Madara's?"
Standing in the diamond-shaped crystal above Susanoo's head, Yagami held his hands in front of him and looked down at Ōnoki floating in the air.
As early as when Yagami released Susanoo, Ōnoki had already been affected by the shadow in his memory. Now, seeing Susanoo of this scale, the old man felt a deep unease in his heart.
Is this a power that a shinobi can truly master? What a joke!
With such a massive body, even if it just stood there and let his attacks land, it would take considerable effort to make a dent.
"How could... how could such a power exist..."
"Is this kind of enemy really something we can resist? Stop joking!"
"Is this the power of the strongest clan in the ninja world? There was Uchiha Madara, and now..."
The surrounding Iwagakure shinobi, seeing the armoured warrior form of Susanoo, lost all will fight. If Ōnoki could stand tall and challenge Yagami at this moment, the others might find the courage to resist.
But could Ōnoki muster such strength now?
Clearly, he could not.
In the original events, the Five Kage fought against Uchiha Madara, and when they were on the verge of collapse, it was Ōnoki's unyielding resolve that reignited their fighting spirit. It allowed them to confront Madara with renewed courage.
But the current situation was entirely different.
In the original events, even though they faced Uchiha Madara, the Kage were all-powerful leaders of their respective villages, and their combined efforts could deal some degree of damage to Madara.
Although he was surrounded by many now, Ōnoki was acutely aware of the capabilities of his own forces.
Similarly, he fully understood the sheer power of Susanoo. Among those present, only he could use Dust Release to potentially harm Yagami. The only other person who might have contributed was Kurotsuchi.
However, Yagami seemed to possess a way to nullify Dust Release before it could even be activated. In other words, none of the Iwagakure shinobi present could inflict any substantial damage on Yagami.
Under such circumstances, how could he find the strength of belief? How could he inspire the others to fight alongside him?
Would he let his comrades die knowing their efforts were futile?
At the same time, Shisui, who was heading toward the scene, caught sight of Yagami's Susanoo, and a wave of shock rippled through him.
Yagami rarely took direct action, preferring to outwit his opponents. As a result, even the Uchiha clan had only a vague understanding of his true strength.
It was known that he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and was a proper Kage-level shinobi. However, no one could gauge the full extent of his power.
Shisui, having survived one instance of Yagami's ocular techniques, knew a bit more than most but still had limited insight into his abilities.
Now, seeing Yagami's fully manifested Susanoo, Shisui realized the vast gap between them. Yagami's strength was leagues above that of both himself and Itachi.
Although all three possessed Mangekyō Sharingan, the disparity in power was stark. For one, Shisui could not summon a Susanoo of this magnitude.
"Is that the Uchiha's Susanoo? Truly extraordinary. Even from this distance, I can feel its overwhelming oppression. It's fortunate I never stood against the Uchiha."
The Fourth Raikage, observing the distant colossus, wore a grim expression. His battle instincts screamed that such an opponent was beyond dangerous—catastrophically dangerous.
This ominous sense of foreboding exceeded anything he had felt from even the Eight-Tails or Two-Tails.
Noticing the fervent admiration in the eyes of the surrounding Uchiha clansmen, the Fourth Raikage resolved one thing firmly: the Uchiha must never be provoked unless absolutely necessary.
At the very least, while Yagami remained with the Uchiha, Kumogakure would steer clear of conflict with them.
Sharingan might be a treasure worth coveting, but it required one's life to wield. And with the strength Yagami had demonstrated, who would dare claim he was not another Uchiha Madara?
"Ōnoki, famed as the Fence-Sitter, has already lost his will to fight? I truly overestimated you!"
As Ōnoki and Yagami faced off, a deep voice broke the tense silence. Suddenly, white mist began to rise, and an immense tailed beast chakra boiled in the air.
A snow-white, four-legged creature with five tails appeared before Susanoo. Without saying a word, it charged directly at Yagami.
"Five-Tails Jinchūriki?"
Yagami glanced at it briefly and formed a Summoning seal with his hands. The colossal Susanoo mimicked his movements, also forming a Summoning seal.
The nine orbs floating behind Susanoo detached themselves from its back and intertwined, transforming into the image of a woman with fox ears and nine tails flowing gracefully behind her.
Nine-Tails Heavenly Fox: Tamamo-no-Mae—this was one of the exclusive abilities of Yagami's Susanoo, a unique summoning technique belonging solely to his ultimate Susanoo form.
Facing the charging Five-Tails, Tamamo-no-Mae waved a hand. The gesture unleashed a terrifying hypnotic effect, confusing the Five-Tails instantly. The perfectly transformed Tailed Beast went berserk, rampaging indiscriminately, trampling friend and foe alike.
The surrounding Iwagakure shinobi, who had been relatively safe moments earlier, was suddenly dragged into chaos, their lives hanging by a thread in the path of destruction.
"This idiot!"
Ōnoki cursed under his breath. In his frustration, he saw no redeeming qualities in the Jinchūriki's intervention. Instead of aiding their cause, it only worsened the situation, dragging even more people into danger.
At the same time, Ōnoki's wariness of Yagami deepened. To neutralize a Tailed Beast so effortlessly—this level of power has only ever been seen in two men: Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.
"Stop it! Uchiha Yagami, what exactly are you after?"
Looking at the devastation unfolding, Ōnoki sighed, hunched over, and descended to the ground in defeat. He knew further resistance was futile.
"Tsuchikage-sama, you must be joking. It's not what I want, but what the Fourth Raikage wants. After all, we were merely hired by Kumogakure to help end this war. Decisions like these aren't mine to make," Yagami replied with a casual shake of his head.
Judging that the Fourth Raikage would arrive soon, Yagami signaled Tamamo-no-Mae to take control of the Five-Tails. Then, he deactivated Susanoo entirely, conserving his energy.
Even with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, maintaining Susanoo consumed a considerable amount of chakra.
"Hired? Isn't this Konoha's doing?"
Ōnoki was taken aback. He had always assumed that Uchiha Yagami's actions were aligned with Konoha's interests. But Yagami's demeanour suggested otherwise.
If this were Konoha's plan, then with the overwhelming advantage Uchiha Yagami had already secured, he should have begun making demands by now. Instead, Yagami seemed entirely uninterested in pushing any agenda beyond aiding Kumogakure.
"Konoha? We don't have the resources to deal with them at the moment. However..." Yagami's tone shifted to one of amusement.
"If Tsuchikage-sama is interested in our security services, you're more than welcome to place a commission with us.
Of course, you're also welcome to explore the other services offered by our Uchiha Group. Rest assured, we provide only the finest quality to all our clients."
Yagami smirked inwardly. It's fortunate the Uchiha have me. Without my leadership, how could this business have grown? Damn Fugaku, that hopeless CEO who can't make a single worthwhile decision. At least I've managed to expand our customer base.
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