Chapter 403 – If You Can, Why Can't I?
"Are you ready?"
Uchiha Fugaku ignored the blood streaming from the corners of his eyes. His gaze remained calm as he looked at the Fourth Raikage.
But inwardly, he was not entirely at ease.
He hadn't expected that the Raikage alone would push him to unveil his strongest state.
He wasn't Uchiha Kei—that monster of a boy who had already grasped the Fourth Stage Susanoo.
Fugaku had tried.
And failed.
For now, he could not push his Susanoo any further.
Perhaps… it was because these eyes were not originally his?
The thought flickered through his mind.
Still—
He was satisfied.
He had once possessed only the Mangekyō Sharingan, fully aware of its limitations and the unbearable toll it exacted.
But now?
He stood evenly against the Fourth Raikage—and held the advantage.
Yes, unveiling the Third Stage Susanoo earlier than planned exceeded his expectations.
This form had been reserved to counter both the Raikage and the Eight-Tails jinchūriki together.
But regardless—
His strength had surpassed even his own imagination.
He now stood among the pinnacle of the shinobi world.
Few could hope to reach him.
He glanced at the Raikage, quietly gauging his remaining chakra reserves.
Then his expression hardened.
"Then… let's begin."
His pupils rotated slightly.
In the next instant—
Black flames burst from his eyes.
The Raikage's gaze narrowed.
At a speed so fast that even Sharingan users might see only an afterimage, he evaded the flames.
Amaterasu struck the ground behind him—
And began to spread wildly.
Fugaku paid it no mind.
It was merely a probe.
If it hit, good.
If not, so be it.
This was only the beginning.
"Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi!"
Fugaku roared.
His Eternal Mangekyō erupted with eerie power.
The scattered Amaterasu flames behind the Raikage suddenly surged as if fed with limitless fuel.
In an instant—
They expanded violently, spreading outward.
Within moments, the area was transformed into a sea of black fire.
The air itself seemed to burn.
Across the battlefield, both Konoha and Kumogakure shinobi felt a chill of fear.
Especially the Raikage—
He had once severed his own arm to escape those flames.
"Hmph. Childish."
Just as the inferno engulfed the field—
The Raikage's voice sounded beside Fugaku.
His speed remained monstrous.
As if he had never been injured at all.
Lightning Release: Guillotine Drop gathered into his left hand.
He leapt high—
Then descended like a thunderbolt toward Susanoo.
Fugaku knew that speed.
He had endured countless strikes like this already.
So he chose the simplest response.
Boom!
One of Susanoo's four armored arms swung up to intercept.
Truthfully—
He might not have needed to.
But caution never hurt.
---
The Raikage's lightning blade slammed into the armored limb.
The impact shattered the air itself.
A violent shockwave tore outward, flattening the already ruined terrain.
Susanoo's arm cracked.
Fragments of chakra armor splintered.
Yet—
It held.
The Raikage's eyes hardened.
The monstrous giant before him had only grown more terrifying.
But he did not retreat.
Instead—
He twisted midair.
Lightning exploded outward from his body.
"If you can evolve… do you think I cannot?!"
With a furious roar, his Lightning Release chakra surged to an unprecedented level.
The blue lightning cloak around him deepened—
Turning darker.
Denser.
More violent.
His hair stood upright as if pulled toward the heavens.
The ground beneath him cracked from sheer pressure.
Fugaku's eyes narrowed.
So—
The Raikage was no longer holding back either.
This wasn't merely the standard Lightning Chakra Mode.
This was something closer to overclocking his entire body.
Pushing past limits.
Ignoring damage.
Burning himself alive from within if necessary.
The Raikage vanished.
Even Fugaku's Eternal Mangekyō struggled to track him.
Then—
A thunderous strike exploded against Susanoo's chest.
BOOM!!
This time—
The colossal armored giant staggered.
A deep fissure spread across its torso.
Fugaku's breath caught.
The Raikage had grown stronger.
At the cost of his own body.
Blood seeped from the Raikage's leg and arm fractures—
But he smiled.
Wild.
Defiant.
"If you dare ascend… then I'll climb higher!"
The Fourth Raikage truly shocked him.
That man was using a mortal body to fight against Susanoo itself!
The deafening collision rang out once more, shaking the battlefield—but this time, the Raikage's expression changed slightly.
He hadn't broken through Fugaku's Susanoo.
"I told you," Fugaku said coldly, blood tears streaking down his face like a demon risen from hell, "I'm going all out."
"If this is all you have… then go report to the Pure Land."
With that, Fugaku formed hand seals at high speed.
The Raikage's pupils contracted.
The towering Susanoo moved in sync—forming seals alongside Fugaku!
At the same time, the black flames scattered across the battlefield began converging toward the armored giant.
The Raikage immediately retreated—
But the moment he landed, he sensed an overwhelming surge of chakra.
"Blaze Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive black fireball erupted from Susanoo's mouth.
The Raikage's eyes sharpened instantly.
That color—
Amaterasu.
He leapt frantically, barely evading it.
The fireball shot forward like a meteor until it slammed into a distant hill—
BOOM!
The explosion split the earth open for over a hundred meters.
Beyond it—
A sea of black flames consumed everything.
"Blaze Release: Dragon Flame Technique!"
Fugaku did not pause.
He formed seals again.
The enormous Susanoo mirrored him.
A colossal black dragon roared into existence, surging toward the Raikage.
This was no ordinary flame.
The Raikage did not dare cleave it apart like before.
If this had been fifteen minutes earlier—
Perhaps.
But now?
His chakra reserves were drained.
This dragon far surpassed scattered flames in power.
If he blocked it head-on and then cut away the burning chakra cloak as before—
He might not have enough left to keep fighting.
For the first time—
He admitted something.
He could no longer defeat Uchiha Fugaku.
The man's defense was monstrous.
His offense overwhelming.
At full strength, the Raikage might still have found a way.
But now—
His body was nearing its limit.
For someone as proud as him to acknowledge that Fugaku was at least his equal—
Perhaps even stronger—
Was no small admission.
Still—
He had gained something valuable.
He now understood Fugaku's true strength.
Dodging the blazing dragon, the Raikage abruptly shifted direction—
Rushing toward Konoha's formation.
If Fugaku had no mobility—
And his techniques were that destructive—
Then let's see if you can hit me properly.
"Damn it."
Fugaku instantly understood.
The Raikage couldn't win directly—
So he would redirect the battle toward Konoha's troops.
It was underhanded.
But this was war.
History was written by survivors.
The dead had no say in how they were remembered.
Fugaku's expression turned icy.
If the Raikage dared—
Why couldn't he?
He let out a faint, disdainful laugh.
Without even glancing at the Raikage, he began forming seals again.
The Raikage was riddled with fractures and low on chakra.
Yes, he could threaten Konoha's army.
But Fugaku—
Uninjured and in peak state—
Would be far more than a threat.
Still—
He remained wary of one person.
The Eight-Tails jinchūriki.
That was the only reason he restrained himself.
Against ordinary Kumogakure shinobi, however—
He had no hesitation.
"Are you certain you want to do this?"
Fugaku's voice boomed across the battlefield, amplified by chakra.
"If that's your choice… then I won't hesitate to do what I've been avoiding."
"Hmph."
The Raikage halted and turned—
About to reply—
When suddenly—
A flare shot into the sky.
A signal.
The Raikage's eyes flickered.
So.
The plan was progressing.
He glanced at the Konoha shinobi scattering before his advance and smirked—
Only to wince as pain tore through his body.
Now that tension eased—
The fractures screamed in protest.
He inhaled deeply.
Even wounded—
Fugaku could not catch him.
He would test Fugaku a little longer.
If he learned more—good.
If not—
He would withdraw.
This man could not be defeated in this state.
"And that Uchiha Kei he mentioned… what exactly is he?"
---
Elsewhere—
Killer B blinked in confusion.
"They're retreating?"
They had barely engaged for five minutes—
And the Konoha forces were already pulling back.
He hadn't even warmed up.
Especially the Third Hokage.
Strong, yes.
But not fighting seriously.
This frustrated him immensely.
"Bunch of idiots, bastards!"
He muttered rhythmically, already considering his next move.
He could head to the front lines.
The immense chakra clash there excited him.
But the Third Hokage—
That was tempting too.
Hiruzen had led a raid on their camp.
B had stopped it.
But something felt off.
Still—
His brother hated that "ghost force" lurking behind their lines.
Anyone would.
Having enemies behind you at all times—
Waiting for a fatal strike—
Was unbearable.
Decision made.
He would pursue.
Capture the Third Hokage—
Or kill him.
At minimum, it would secure Kumogakure's rear.
Just then—
A flanking unit sprinted back toward camp.
Ah.
The signal flare.
He dashed toward them.
"I'm going after the Konoha forces! Hold the camp!"
"Lord Killer B!"
But he was already gone.
The camp guard sighed.
"This is trouble…"
The Raikage fought at the front.
Killer B now pursued Hiruzen.
The camp lacked its strongest protectors.
Still—
Reports said Konoha's commanders were only Uchiha Fugaku and the Third Hokage.
Fugaku had risen to fame recently.
Yes, he defeated the Raikage once—
Cost him an arm.
But perhaps it was trickery.
"Still… the bigger concern is Lord Killer B," the guard muttered.
"The Third Hokage isn't called 'Professor' for nothing."
Then again—
They had numbers.
And an Eight-Tails jinchūriki.
If it came to that—
Who could say?
Shaking his head, the guard hurried toward command.
Deep down—
He firmly believed—
Kumogakure would win this war.