When Itachi's chakra fluctuations disappeared, Ye Zi was certain he was dead and didn't bother to check the result of that final strike.
The black-rod-forged long blade was buried deep into the ground, while Shisui and Obito's attacks were closing in on him, and Shinra Tensei was still on cooldown.
Ye Zi had no intention of dodging with his Wood Release Susanoo because even if he wanted to, he couldn't.
It didn't matter if the Wood Release Susanoo took the brunt of the green arrows and Kamui shuriken. As long as he himself was unharmed, that was enough.
Clusters of green arrows flew in, exploding violently against the upper body of the Wood Release Susanoo. Brilliant red flames bloomed upon its wooden armor like flowers of fire.
Then, two black shuriken struck precisely at its head. Space twisted for an instant, and in less than a second, the gigantic head of the Susanoo was pulled into another dimension, as if erased from this world by an invisible rubber eraser.
The attack landed perfectly but Shisui and Obito felt no joy, only deep sorrow.
Their Mangekyō Sharingan had seen it clearly: right before the attack hit the head of the Susanoo, Ye Zi had moved downward at extreme speed. The assault destroyed only the Susanoo, not Ye Zi himself.
Thanks to his Mayfly and Inorganic Reincarnation Technique, Ye Zi didn't need to be inside the Susanoo to control it. Even from outside, he could manipulate it freely. Being inside merely allowed him to combine the Rinnegan's power with Wood Release, amplifying its strength.
Before the attacks struck, he had already moved down to the Susanoo's feet, avoiding the area of the Kamui shuriken's effect.
This move left Shisui and Obito utterly disheartened.
Shisui's green arrows were large-scale jutsu, they covered a wide area but lacked concentrated killing power. At most, they could hit the upper body of the Susanoo. Obito's Kamui shuriken, on the other hand, was a near-absolute killing technique, devastatingly powerful but extremely narrow in range, hitting Ye Zi with it was almost impossible.
If Ye Zi could move freely within the Susanoo, and they couldn't strike him precisely, how could they possibly win?
"Itachi…" Shisui's face twisted in grief, sorrow surging like a tidal wave through his heart.
Both he and Obito could no longer sense Itachi's chakra. That meant... Itachi was dead.
Death was common in war. Common in missions. For a ninja, it was an all-too-familiar fate.
Even if one was mentally prepared, when a dear comrade fell before one's eyes, emotion could never be restrained.
Losing someone important carved grief into the heart, hatred into the bones.
That was the essence of plunder, not only the taking of resources or lives but also of intangible things: faith, solace, feelings yet to bloom.
This was war, and the concept of kill or be killed was cruel beyond words.
Obito remained silent. A cold dread clung to his heart like maggots gnawing on bone.
Itachi's death filled him with blazing rage, but also an inexplicable chill. For some reason, in this moment, he began to worry about Rin.
"As long as… as long as I kill Ye Zi… there won't be any more loss…"
Overcome by emotion, Shisui and Obito's hearts boiled with grief and rage but reason still remained. They understood their situation.
"Itachi's death must not be in vain."
Without words or exchanged glances, their resolve synchronized. Suppressing their sorrow, they drove their Susanoo forward toward the heavily damaged Wood Release Susanoo.
They were burning through their ocular power recklessly. The strain on their bodies grew severe, if they kept this up, their Mangekyō would soon reach its limit and shut down.
They had to end it quickly. If even Susanoo couldn't bring Ye Zi down, then once their Mangekyō closed, they wouldn't even have the right to struggle.
At this point, both of them had forgotten their original mission of containment. All they wanted was victory in this fight.
As the two Susanoo charged toward him, Ye Zi inspected his own Wood Release Susanoo. After taking so many explosions from the green arrows, it was in tatters. Repairing it would consume a massive amount of chakra, and there was no need.
He quickly made a decision: he wouldn't waste chakra repairing it, but he would squeeze every last bit of usefulness from it.
"I have to kill them both."
His eyes turned icy. Using the Mayfly Technique, Ye Zi emerged from the Susanoo's body, then controlled the battered construct to charge the enemy Susanoo head-on.
With a thought, the Wood Release Susanoo lifted its arm and hurled the black-rod-forged long blade straight at Obito's Susanoo.
It was one of Ye Zi's favorite tactics. Since he wasn't going to maintain the Susanoo anymore, the black blade it wielded no longer served a purpose.
He chose Obito as his target because Obito's Susanoo had no weapon of its own.
The long blade sliced through the air, roaring like a jet engine as it flew straight toward him.
Seeing it approach, Obito drew a deep breath, his eyes snapping wide open, blood streaming down as veins bulged red.
Shh—!
In his Susanoo's hands, a black energy blade formed, the same color as his Kamui shuriken. With precision, he slashed at Ye Zi's incoming blade.
When the two blades met there was no sound, no explosion, only stillness. Then, the upper half of Obito's Kamui blade warped along with Ye Zi's black sword, and both vanished into thin air.
Holding the remaining half of his blade, Obito joined Shisui in a pincer assault against the now weaponless Wood Release Susanoo.
Without its black rod weapon, the Wood Release Susanoo could only take the blows helplessly. Under their combined assault, it was cleaved into several large fragments.
Because Ye Zi had already abandoned control of it, the two were able to destroy the tattered construct so easily.
Surprised by Obito's newfound ability, Ye Zi's face remained calm as he took advantage of the opening to swiftly form hand seals.
"Seal!"
The ground beneath the Susanoo suddenly surged. Eight massive wooden pillars inscribed with black sealing scripts burst from beneath Shisui's Susanoo, crisscrossing and locking around it like uneven antlers.
Not only Shisui's Susanoo, but Obito's as well was caught, both trapped in an extremely perilous situation.
"There are many ways to kill you. I'll test them one by one. Prepare yourselves."
Ye Zi's expression was ice-cold as he looked upon the two trapped Susanoo.
Since he had decided to eliminate the Mangekyō wielders, he would never allow them to live.
Itachi was already dead by his hand. Shisui and Obito would follow.
The bound Susanoo began to struggle violently, the sealing pillars shaking intensely.
"It seems I can't afford even a moment of carelessness," Ye Zi said coldly, eyes narrowing.
If you want to read more...
Check out the patreon and get 55 chapters in advance -> SaintXI
Currently on Chapter 637 - An Ant Swallowing an Elephant