Whispers rippled through the line of shinobi who had been leaving the capital with us.
"Uchiha…? Why are they surrounding Amamiya Raizen?"
"What else? He clashed with Uchiha Izuna inside the daimyo's palace. This was bound to happen," one ninja muttered, way too thrilled for someone watching an execution scene warm up.
Another scoffed. "The Uchiha picking a fight with the Konoha Alliance now? You'd think they'd avoid making enemies on every side. The Alliance isn't any weaker these days."
"Whatever their reason, keep your distance unless you want to die because of someone else's drama."
That last line got a round of nervous agreement. The moment the Uchiha appeared in formation, every other clan scattered like pigeons avoiding a hawk.
At the center of the road stood Uchiha Izuna, leading five elite kin. His expression tightened as I walked toward them, slow and deliberate. When I was about fifty meters away, he finally snapped.
"Amamiya Raizen! Tell me the truth about your Mangekyō. If you don't—"
"Or what?"
I cut him off, letting the sarcasm drip. "If I don't talk, what exactly do you think you're going to do? You plan to stop me with that little parade you brought?"
The Uchiha behind him bristled instantly. Izuna had to throw out an arm to stop them from charging.
"You really think beating me once in the daimyo's mansion means anything?" His voice sharpened. "You have no idea what the Mangekyō Sharingan can do."
He drew his blade in a single smooth motion, tip aimed at my chest.
"I'll give you one last chance. Reveal the secret of your Mangekyō, or my clan won't show mercy."
I couldn't help it. A laugh slipped out.
The Uchiha clan really hadn't changed in a thousand years. Madara posturing like a god, Sasuke rolling into the Five Kage Summit solo like it was a school talent show… and Izuna here, acting like he invented arrogance.
I sighed. "Izuna, didn't you want to see my Mangekyō?"
He froze for a heartbeat, then smirked as if he'd already won. "So you finally admit it. Good. Then show me."
I raised my head. "Gladly."
Chakra surged through me. My vision tinted blood-red.
The boomerang-like pattern spun into existence across my eyes.
"Susanoo."
The ground shuddered. Crimson chakra burst outward, swirling into a massive skeletal frame. Ribs thickened into armor. Muscle and sinew knitted across glowing bones. Within seconds, a towering Susanoo stood behind me, dozens of meters tall and radiating heat.
Gasps rippled across the clearing. Even the Uchiha flinched.
"Uchiha Izuna."
My voice echoed through the ribcage of the giant. "You awakened Mangekyō and thought you'd reached the top. Let me show you just how small that peak really is."
I stepped forward. The Susanoo's colossal foot slammed into the earth, sending tremors through the road.
Izuna's eyes widened. He recognized the jutsu instantly—his own Susanoo was still in its bare skeletal stage. Comparing it to mine was like comparing a campfire to a wildfire.
"Attack!" he barked.
Uchiha hands blurred through seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song!"
Flames roared into the night, consuming the road in a curtain of heat. The air warped. Trees crackled. Sparks rained like embers in a bonfire.
None of it reached me.
The flames broke uselessly against Susanoo's armor, cracks of light running harmlessly across the surface.
"You wanted Mangekyō?" I whispered, eyes burning. "Fine. I'll show you Mangekyō."
My chakra spiked. Susanoo's right hand formed a crimson longsword taller than most houses.
It swung.
"Boom!"
The earth split open. The ground caved like a broken shield. Shards of stone blasted outward, shredding everything in range.
Uchiha scattered in panic.
I didn't let them breathe.
"Amaterasu."
Black flames erupted along the blade, hungry and relentless. My eyes throbbed as blood slid down my cheek, but the Mangekyō answered my call.
Amaterasu clung to the sword like a living beast.
"Flame Control."
With a single thought, the black fire twisted into a giant burning serpent. It lunged toward the fleeing Uchiha.
"Get back!"
"Don't let it touch you!"
Too slow.
One ninja failed to dodge. The moment the flame touched him, he screamed—once—before collapsing into a charred husk. Amaterasu didn't even flicker.
I swung the sword again. The road, the forest, the very air turned into a battlefield of black flames and falling debris. Even the bystanders who had been watching from afar ran for their lives, tripping over one another to get away.
The Uchiha were cornered rats scrambling in a burning maze.
Izuna stared at me with a mix of terror and something far more dangerous… awe.
"So this… this is the true power of the Mangekyō Sharingan…"
The awe shifted into obsession.
"This is the power of gods…"