"Yuki Sora!"
"It's him!"
"The Ice Release Kekkei Genkai User!"
"We're in trouble this time!"
"Quick, notify Fugaku-sama!"
After a brief period of shock and horror, the Konoha's Ninjas present quickly regained their composure.
These twenty-plus Konoha's Ninjas were mostly Uchiha Clan's Jonin, with a few Konoha's Anbu among them.
Each was an elite among elites, their combat power and mindset far surpassing ordinary people.
At the very front of these Konoha's Ninjas stood a youth wearing Konoha's standard Jonin flak jacket. He had neat black short hair and a sword strapped to his back. At this moment, he stood there, his gaze flickering as he stared at Sora not far away.
"Yuki Sora…"
"We meet again!!!!"
The youth's voice was cold as he spoke.
Before his words faded, his eyes were already crimson, the spinning black three tomoes emitting an extremely sinister and powerful aura.
This person was none other than Uchiha Shisui, who had been severely wounded by a single slash from Sora before and had now returned after recovering from his injuries.
At this moment, Shisui's crimson gaze was locked firmly on Sora.
As for Mei, Kurumi, and Yuzuki beside Sora, he didn't even glance at them.
Because…
He knew.
Yuki Sora was strong, unimaginably strong. Even if he used all his trump cards, he might only have a fifty percent chance of victory.
'Fifty percent chance…'
'That's enough!'
The corner of Shisui's mouth lifted in a confident smile.
"Follow me!"
"I'll handle Yuki Sora. You deal with the other miscellaneous people!"
At Shisui's command, the surrounding Uchiha Ninjas acknowledged in unison, then raised their kunai and charged at Sora and the others.
"Damn it!"
"To be looked down on by a Konoha brat!!!"
Mei was so angry she gritted her teeth. She, a dignified dual Kekkei Genkai User of Kirigakure, had actually become a miscellaneous person in the mouth of this arrogant Uchiha brat!!!!!
"Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!"
Mei formed hand seals and spat out a mass of acidic liquid billowing with white smoke. The surging acid swept forward, turning the ground it passed over into a scorched black color.
"It's Kirigakure's Lava Release User, Terumi Mei!"
"Use Earth Release!"
An experienced Konoha's Anbu reacted instantly: "Earth Release: Earth Flow!"
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Projectile!"
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
The next instant, several Elite Jonin used Ninjutsu in unison, employing Earth Release to block the sweeping advance of the Lava Release acid.
Right at that moment, Kurumi and Yuzuki also charged forward, Ninjato in hand, and clashed with the Konoha's Ninjas.
Clang clang clang!
For a time, the dense forest was filled with the sound of clashing metal.
"Yuki Sora…"
The light shone in Shisui's crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan as he slowly walked towards Sora's location, saying leisurely, "The battle between you and me won't take much time. Because the current me already possesses the power sufficient to instantly crush you. It is also the Uchiha's… ultimate power!"
Hearing this, Sora didn't speak, only looking at the slowly approaching Shisui with a seemingly smiling yet not expression.
"Silence…"
"Is it because of fear?"
Shisui spoke while drawing the sword from his back. He looked at Sora with utmost calm, his voice cold: "I think I can understand your feelings. Just like those Konoha's Ninjas who died unjustly at your hands, when facing an opponent filled with mysterious unknowns, the heart will naturally feel timid."
Whoosh!
Before the words faded, Shisui's figure vanished from his spot.
The next moment, when he reappeared, he was already in front of Sora.
Screech!
Screech!
Screech!
In the dense forest, a series of clear sword cries rang out.
It was seven Shisui, emerging from the sunlight and shadows, their slashes each drawing a dazzling arc of blade light, striking towards the motionless Sora.
Seven flashes of cold light, humming and sharp, instantly enveloped Sora.
This was Shisui's sure-kill move. The seemingly illusory blade lights were all killing strikes, with no distinction between real and fake. Every single dazzling blade light was real, and every descending slash was fatal.
"Uchiha Style: Afterimage Body Flicker Technique!!!"
As those blade lights fell, a look of excited smile finally appeared on Shisui's face. Because this was the most perfect slash. The trajectory of each blade light was magnificent like a work of art, full of intoxicating beauty.
Facing the enveloping blade lights, Sora stood rooted to the spot. His expression was indifferent as he allowed those dazzling blade lights to fall upon his body.
Thud!
The scene of blood splattering did not appear. Instead, Shisui's illusions, indistinguishable from reality, were swept away by an invisible force, directly shattering on the spot.
Abruptly, the seven blade lights merged into one. Then, under Shisui's disbelieving gaze, that final flash of cold light was also casually caught by Sora's fingers.
Screech!
The blade's momentum was fierce but stopped abruptly.
Crack!
Then, the blade snapped in response, breaking into two pieces.
"Your mouth is indeed much harder than your blade."
Sora casually threw the broken blade to the ground, looking at Shisui before him with a subtle gaze.
'What?'
'My Afterimage Body Flicker Technique was actually seen through!??'
Shisui's expression finally changed. He never expected that his perfectly artistic slash would be so easily seen through by the man before him.
However, just as Shisui was feeling shocked and incredulous, his crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan saw an extremely powerful energy erupt from Sora's body.
'Not good!!!'
'It's an attack!!!!'
Shisui's heart frantically shook. He tried to flicker backward.
Unfortunately, Sora's slash came faster than imagined.
Screech!
The same sword cry, but different was the speed of the incoming blade light.
Sora made his move. The Zanpakuto left its sheath, transforming into a stream of light that slashed directly at Shisui.
That fearsome speed didn't give the air time to react, instantly tearing out an invisible vacuum area. The slash that followed was so fast it exceeded the limit of perception of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Before the sound even reached his ears, Shisui's left arm flew off in advance.
As blood sprayed madly, he was also sent flying by the violent blast wave stirred up by the slash.
Boom!!!
Finally, the roar exploded.
Shisui only felt an intense pain throughout his body before he was sent flying like a cannonball.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The sent-flying Uchiha Shisui slammed heavily into the ground, creating several large craters, before finally plunging into a muddy swamp, barely stopping his momentum.
"Trash."
"Overestimating your own ability!"
Kurumi, who was intensely battling a Konoha's Jonin in the distance, curled her lips in an expression of disdain, 'That Uchiha brat was too arrogant, daring to challenge Sora-sama's authority. He truly deserved his death.
"Tsk tsk tsk…"
"Are all the brats from your Uchiha Clan delusional late-stage chuunibyou like this!??"
Seeing this, Yuzuki also forced back the Uchiha Jonin before him with a slash, wantonly mocking loudly.
However,
Before Yuzuki's words faded, the one-armed Uchiha Shisui rose from the muddy swamp.
"Yuki Sora, such terrifying power. From the very beginning, I shouldn't have underestimated the enemy. I should have fought with all my might!"
Shisui clutched his severed wound. The intense pain from his missing arm made his face deathly pale, his gaze also showing a trace of bitterness.
'I shouldn't have underestimated the enemy!'
'This arm is the price for my underestimation!'
Shisui tore off a piece of his clothing to use as a hemostatic bandage on his wound.
He raised his head, and the look he directed at Sora no longer held any trace of contempt.
Even, an extremely powerful and sinister Ocular Power also erupted within his crimson eyes.
"This…"
"Is my strongest power!"
"The Uchiha Clan's ultimate Kekkei Genkai…"
"Mangekyo Sharingan!!!"
Shisui's voice grew even colder. The three tomoes in his eyes were also spinning wildly. The continuously spinning three tomoes soon connected to form a black four-pointed windmill pattern.
The next moment, a strange light instantly enveloped Sora.
As the light and shadows flashed continuously, when Sora looked down again, he unexpectedly discovered that the land beneath his feet had turned into an expanse of amber-colored lake water.
In the dim space, a sky-full of crows suddenly flew over the lake.
Looking up, the clear sky had long turned into a dismal gray. Ink-colored raindrops continuously fell from the sky, striking the amber lake surface, stirring up whirlpool-like ripples.
Apathy.
Grief and indignation.
Desolation.
Destruction.
The entire space was filled with endless negative emotions, causing the Ninjas still engaged in battle to involuntarily stop their fights, subconsciously looking up.
Then, they were surprised to discover that the thick rain clouds piled up in the sky were being dissolved by beams of crimson light, gradually revealing the crimson full moon above the clouds.
The circular blood moon, its outline becoming clearer and clearer.
The Ninjas could finally see clearly the concentric black circular patterns on that blood moon, and the sinister nine-tomoe pattern.