Chapter 280: The Battle Begins
"Die!!!"
With a low, hate-filled roar, Dark Owl unleashed the full force of her chakra, her fist slamming toward him with a power even greater than before.
Kyosuke, wanting to test her strength, did not dodge. He raised his Flame Fan to block the attack.
"Thud."
The sound of a heavy impact echoed through the clearing. Kyosuke's face flushed red as he struggled to hold his ground, his entire body sliding back nearly ten meters before he finally managed to dissipate the force of the blow.
The strength of the attack was greater than he had anticipated. Saori had said that this unknown enemy could also use Wood Release. From this brief exchange, he could tell that her Sage Body was on a higher level than his own.
She's not talking... so she's probably not Tobi... but it's hard to say. If Tobi were using some kind of powerful medium, he might be able to achieve this level of strength.
As for the Mangekyo... I'll just assume for now that it's another one of Madara's arrangements.
He shook his head, abandoning any further attempts at a prolonged analysis. A crimson light flickered in his eyes.
Mangekyo, activate!
He had recognized her as a formidable opponent. But he knew that this alone would not be enough. The seal on his neck released, and a surge of pure sage chakra flooded his body.
Sage Mode, activate!
The snake-like shadows writhed around him. He focused his right eye, and the "Ukemochi" ability activated. He clapped his hands together and, with the combined power of his sage chakra and his dōjutsu, unleashed a torrent of white-hot fire.
"Sage Art: Scorch Style: Solar Flare!"
Faced with the deadly attack, Dark Owl stood her ground, her expression a mask of pure, unadulterated hatred, mixed with a strange, unreadable emotion.
She bit her thumb, drawing blood, and slammed her hands on the ground. Three massive, demonic-faced bronze gates erupted from the earth before her.
"Summoning Jutsu: Triple Rashomon!"
The Solar Flare, the most powerful single-target fire jutsu in his arsenal, now amplified by his right eye's ability, pierced through the three gates in an instant and continued on toward its target. But the gates had managed to slightly alter its trajectory, and Dark Owl was able to dodge at the last second. The attack continued on for another hundred meters before striking a small hill.
"BOOM!"
The resulting explosion incinerated the surrounding forest for hundreds of meters, the flames even licking at their own feet.
The massive explosion had not gone unnoticed. A portion of the village's patrol and guard units were dispatched to investigate, while another went to report to the Hokage.
This was exactly what Kyosuke had wanted. He had sensed that Hiruzen was not taking the threat seriously enough. This was his way of giving him a wake-up call. The Nine-Tails, Obito, and this new, unknown enemy... they could not be defeated by numbers alone. But an early response could at least minimize the number of innocent casualties.
And he was right. The explosion had finally conveyed the gravity of the situation to the village's leadership. Hiruzen, no longer waiting for Minato, had taken command and ordered the Anbu to investigate and begin evacuating the villagers.
The great war machine of Konoha was finally beginning to stir.
But for Kyosuke, the battle had just begun.
"Swish!"
He threw a handful of kunai, his own form flickering in and out of existence as he teleported between them. He had been forced to invest all of his experience into the "Flying Thunder God Technique" to counter Obito's mysterious space-time abilities. While he was still no match for Minato, he could now use the technique effectively in combat. It was how he had managed to injure Obito.
But unlike the overconfident Obito, Dark Owl had immediately activated her Susanoo. A direct teleportation attack was no longer an option.
He reappeared a short distance away and looked at the white, Karasu-Tengu-armored Susanoo before him. He let out a sigh, and with a surge of his own dōjutsu power, a massive, violet-red Susanoo of his own materialized around him.
The two colossal, armored giants stood facing each other, their different colors and forms a stark contrast.
White... a type that never appeared in the original story. I have to admit, I'm starting to get curious about this person's identity, he thought, his arms crossed as he studied the strangely pure, white Susanoo.
But Dark Owl was in no mood for a standoff.
"Hah... hah..."
Her chest heaved, her breathing ragged. She forced herself to calm down. She wanted nothing more than to tear this imposter to shreds, but her years of combat experience told her that the more emotional fighter was always the one to make the first mistake.
She took a deep, shuddering breath, and her chaotic emotions finally settled. She looked at the calm, steady eyes within the violet-red light and let out a cold, humorless laugh.
"Finally... the day has come."
"My pain, my hatred, my despair... today, you will feel it all."
"Prepare yourself..."
With a final, massive surge of dōjutsu power, the white Susanoo became even more solidified, and a long, energy-forged spear materialized in its hand.
"Take this... you imposter!!!"
"Susanoo: Spear of the Firmament!"
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