Katon Gokakyu no Jutsu !! 火遁・豪火球の術 (Fire release : Great Fireball Technique!)
Fūton: Toppa 風遁・突破 (Wind release: breakthrough)
A coordinated storm of Fire and Wind Release ninjutsu slammed into Genbu's exposed head and Seiryu's coiling body. The wind fueled the flames, turning the counter-attack into a miniature inferno that fed back into the Uchiha Flame Formation.
'This is bad… even with Genbu's highly compressed Earth Chakra armor, it won't be able to endure this heat indefinitely,' Chikamatsu observed grimly, tracking the damage. 'Not to mention Seiryu's Lightning Chakra frame.'
Through his sensory link, he watched as the armored necks of Genbu and Seiryu began to glow red-hot, the metal structural frames showing signs of warping, melting, and severe degradation under the intense Uchiha heat.
'After this battle… Genbu and Seiryu may require years of repair….'
Chikamatsu gritted his teeth as his fingers danced through the air as if playing a chaotic melody on a piano.
The Genbu puppet lowered its massive maw and clamped down on the fractured edges of the barrier, while Seiryu's serpentine body elongated, weaving through the fissures to forcefully pry the breach wider. Using the brutal durability of their compressed chakra metal hulls, the constructs were actively ripping the formation apart.
Through the expanding tear, two massive figures squeezed out of the fiery containment. Byakko charged out first, immediately followed by Suzaku, which collapsed its wings to scramble over Genbu's thick neck before taking to the sky and unfurling its pinions once more.
Without a moment's hesitation, Byakko lunged directly at the vulnerable Uchiha Jonin holding the Flame Formation.
"STOP IT!!"
A squad of Uchiha Chunin intercepted the beast, but to their horror, their bodies were instantly shredded by the invisible gale of Wind Chakra spiraling violently around the tiger's frame.
Overhead, Suzaku soared into the stratosphere, manifestings a torrential rain of blazing fire arrows from its wings and unleashing them upon the Uchiha forces bombarding Genbu and Seiryu below.
Kuack!
Arrgh!!
In a matter of moments, the First Division began to suffer massive casualties.
Watching the slaughter of his kinsmen, Uchiha Naka instantly vanished from his position using the Shunshin Jutsu.
"Naka-sama!"
Naka's Sharingan spun rapidly, the three tomoe bleeding together to form a sinister, red three-point pinwheel.
"UCHIHA WO NAMERUNA!!!" (Don't underestimate the Uchiha!)
A torrent of malicious, crimson chakra erupted from Naka's body, rapidly solidifying into a massive skeletal ribcage. Giant phantom arms materialized, grasping a colossal chakra blade with both hands.
The first-stage Susanoo swung its right arm downward in a devastating arc, smashing Suzaku out of the air and slamming it into the dirt. Before the avian puppet could even bounce, the Susanoo's left arm materialized another blade, driving it straight through the construct's torso to impale it firmly to the ground. The crimson titan then discarded both swords, wrapped its skeletal hands around Suzaku's wings, and brutally tore them from the chassis. Finally, a demonic skull manifested atop the ribs, letting out a deafening roar saturated with rage, sorrow, and madness.
'Suzaku… DAMN IT!!! Byakko cannot hold them down alone. I need to dispel this flame barrier first!'
'Jujaku… DAMN IT!!! Bakkuho alone cannot hold that down. I need to dispel this flame formation frist!'
Reacting to the threat, Chikamatsu commanded Byakko to hyper-focus on the ninjas sustaining the Uchiha Flame Formation. He could feel the barrier's cohesion loosening and its repair speed dropping drastically without Naka's chakra supporting it. Suzaku was heavily crippled, but it was not entirely offline. Extending his chakra strings, Chikamatsu bypassed the main chassis to hijack the severed wings independently.
The discarded wings snapped open and launched themselves like guided missiles toward Naka's Susanoo.
Clang! Clang!
'!!! Not even a scratch!!!! This…' Chikamatsu's face drained of color. The absolute sturdiness of the Susanoo defied comprehension.
"Hmph! Your puppets are nothing more than a cheap party trick before these eyes!"
Naka crossed his arms, and his Susanoo mirrored the gesture, triggering another terrifying evolution. Dense chakra muscle fibers and glowing meridians wrapped over the bones, molding the phantom into a ten-meter-tall humanoid titan that towered over the battlefield. Twin chakra broadswords materialized in its palms, slicing downward toward the floating wings.
KUANGG!!!!!
The sheer kinetic impact of the Susanoo's twin blades carved deep ravines into the earth and shattered Suzaku's wings into a pile of mangled chakra metal scrap.
As the smoke and dust finally billowed away, Naka rotated his massive Susanoo to face his opponent. With Naka breaking his posture, the Uchiha Flame Formation finally disintegrated entirely, exposing Chikamatsu's three remaining divine beasts. Scorched, deformed, and melted by the extreme heat, the mechanical titans bore no resemblance to their original majesty. Their overwhelming momentum had completely vanished.
Sealed inside Genbu's heavy tortoise shell, Chikamatsu sweated profusely. His elderly body trembled slightly under the pressure before he bit down on his lip so hard that it split, drawing blood.
'Wake up, Chikamatsu! Don't give up! A technique that powerful must have a strict limit and a staggering cost to maintain. Most of the Uchiha forces are already out of commission. As long as I can drag this out and force his chakra network to collapse from exhaustion, victory will be mine! Besides, Suzaku was never meant to fight massive constructs or single, apex entities. It was designed to clear cannon fodder with ease; its defeat against Uchiha Naka is not unexpected.'
Armed with a renewed resolve, Chikamatsu danced his fingers across the air with fluid, desperate elegance once more.
Seiryu unleashed a blinding, catastrophic Lightning Blast directly against Naka's Susanoo before slithering forward, wrapping its massive serpentine body around the titan to constrict its movements.
Capitalizing on the bind, Byakko charged forth, slashing with claws heavily saturated in Wind Chakra. The razor-sharp gale severed the Susanoo's ethereal muscle tissue, shattering its entire right arm.
"Gah! Bakana... Impossible! No, this isn't the end of my Susanoo! I can feel it! Unleash your true might, Susanoo!!!!!!"
Naka clutched his right eye in agony as a thick tear of blood trailed down his cheek. Despite the blinding pain, he did not falter and aggressively funneled even more chakra to force his Mangekyo Sharingan past its limits. The Susanoo's severed limb regenerated instantly. The phantom titan began to bulk up, its humanoid shape becoming heavily clad in thick, overlapping plates of crimson samurai armor.
GUWWOOOOOOOOO!!!
The armored Susanoo let out a low, sinister roar. Reaching out with its massive hands, it grabbed the Seiryu puppet by its neck and tail, physically tearing the constricting serpent away from its body. The internal gears, joints, and mechanisms within Seiryu groaned and ground together as the construct struggled violently to break free. Ultimately, the compressed chakra metal could not endure the sheer kinetic pressure; the legendary serpent snapped, shattering violently into five distinct pieces.
As Seiryu was ripped to shreds, Byakko continued its relentless assault, tearing at the armor with its Wind Chakra claws. However, its strikes now only managed to leave shallow scratch marks on the titan's reinforced crimson plating. Every dent and gouge knit itself back together seamlessly before the next attack could even land.
Without breaking momentum, the Susanoo pivoted toward Byakko, seizing the white tiger by its torso with its left hand and hoisting it high into the air. A massive chakra broadsword manifested in its right hand. Aligning the blade parallel to its outstretched arm, the Susanoo drove the weapon forward, impaling Byakko cleanly through the jaw and down the center of its chassis. Naka flashed a sadistic smile as the Susanoo twisted its wrist, violently rotating the blade inside the tiger to grind its internal core and elemental mechanisms into a pile of useless scrap metal.
Uchiha Naka wasted no more time on words. He could feel his vision blurring and knew he wouldn't be able to maintain this armored, third-stage Susanoo for much longer. With a mighty leap, he propelled his armored avatar toward Genbu—the final remaining puppet—brandishing twin chakra blades high above his head.
Chikamatsu panicked. Forcing his fingers into a sudden command, he caused Genbu to collapse its heavy limbs entirely inside its shell. The colossal tortoise began to spin at a dizzying, high-velocity speed. He placed his absolute faith in Genbu's ultimate defense and rotational momentum to safeguard him from the incoming strike.
The Susanoo's twin blades descended upon the spinning tortoise shell with earth-shattering momentum. However, to Naka's shock, the blades hit the apex of the rotation, lost their purchase, and violently bounced off the armor plating.
"! Tssk! Just give up already!!!!" Naka roared.
The crimson Susanoo discarded its blades, interlocking its massive phantom fingers into a single, heavy hammer, and smashed them down onto the center of the spinning tortoise shell.
KUWAANG!!!!! (BOOOM!!!!!)
Smoke and debris violently erupted across the terrain. The sheer kinetic impact of the Susanoo's interlocking fists drove the massive Genbu puppet deep into the shattered earth, violently arresting its rotation.
Trapped, Genbu's shell began to thrum with a dark, brownish-black aura as jagged stone spikes erupted rapidly from its armor and the surrounding landscape.
Doton: Doryūsō 土遁・土流槍 (Earth release : Earth Flow Spears)
Naka propelled his avatar into the air, instantly manifesting a fresh chakra broadsword to deliver a titanic downward slash, cleaving through the rising stone spears and fracturing the earth below.
The cataclysmic impact kicked up a dense shroud of dust. As it partially cleared, Genbu slowly extended its head, limbs, and tail once more. However, the catastrophic damage had jammed its hind legs within their housing compartments. The automated tortoise surveyed the field, its mechanical eyes tracking the massive dents and deep, webbed fractures splitting its black obsidian shell.
'…Genbu cannot endure another strike. But Uchiha Naka must be at his absolute limit!' Chikamatsu thought desperately.
Woosh!
Ripping cleanly through the dust cloud, a red chakra blade pierced straight through Genbu's head. Continuing its trajectory to drive deep into the crumbling tortoise shell, the blade sunk a full meter into the core before grinding to a halt. Before the construct could adapt, the Susanoo's left fist hammered down like a piston onto the sword's hilt, driving it entirely through Genbu's main chassis and splitting the shell wide open.
Naka's fingers blurred through a rapid sequence of hand seals.
Susanoo: Katon: Gōka Messhitsu 須佐能乎 : 火遁・豪火滅失 (Susanoo : Fire release: majestic demolisher flame)
Channeling his power through the embedded blade, Naka unleashed a torrent of hyper-concentrated Fire Chakra directly inside the hollow hull of the puppet. With a swift, sweeping motion, the Susanoo ripped the blade sideways, cleaving Genbu entirely in half. Just a fraction of a second before the legendary construct detonated and split, Chikamatsu used a desperate Body Flicker Jutsu to vanish from the cockpit, escaping the crimson titan's reach.
"Haaa…. Haaa…. Haa....." Naka exhaled heavily, his breaths ragged and echoing with exhaustion.
The crimson Susanoo began to regress, losing its thick samurai armor and shedding its muscular fibers until it reverted into its skeletal state. Finally, only a faint, flickering ribcage remained around him. Trembling, Naka raised his head, searching the smoke for Chikamatsu's location.
Naka's right eye housed a legendary dōjutsu: Takamimusubi(second of 3 creation gods). It possessed the passive ability to drastically reduce the chakra tax of his Mangekyo Sharingan whenever any technique—including his secondary dōjutsu, the Susanoo, Izanagi, or Izanami—was active. It was the sole reason Naka had successfully maintained a third-stage, armored Susanoo for so long on the very day of its awakening. But even that divine grace had its boundaries.
A lone, hooded figure stepped slowly out of the shadows.
"It seems you have finally reached your limit, Uchiha Naka!"
The voice was hoarse, frail, and ancient.
"Monzaemon… Chikamatsu... so you can speak!" Naka countered with equally strained voice.
"It seems the victory is mine, Uchiha… Though I must commend you for destroying my Cardinal Deities Series," Chikamatsu rasped, his voice trembling with a mixture of grief and simmering fury. "Shamon-sama and I poured decades of blood and effort into their creation... to think they would be reduced to a pile of melting scrap metal! Cough! Cough! Urgh..."
He paused, hacking violently as blood flecked his chin, before straightening his old spine. "But look at you now. You are utterly depleted. And every last one of your clansmen is dead."
"You are also entirely alone, Chikamatsu," Naka spat back, refusing to yield. "Your prized puppets are gone. Without them, what are you? Nothing more than a fragile old man waiting to be slaughtered!"
"Hehehehe. Who said I only carried those four puppets?"
"!"
Chikamatsu whipped a large summon scroll from his wide white sleeve, rolling it open before Naka's widening eyes. He slammed his pale, wrinkled palm directly onto the ink.
Kuchiyose!
Ten distinct plumes of white smoke bloomed simultaneously around the old master. As the vapor billowed away, ten unique puppets draped in pristine white robes emerged, encircling Chikamatsu like a wall of ghosts.
"Behold! My most prized collection! The White Secret Technique: Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu!"
"!"
Naka's eyes widened in genuine shock. Forcing his trembling legs to lock, he stood tall once more, violently forcing his chaotic chakra to mold as his Mangekyo Sharingan spun in desperation. The faint crimson ribcage flared to life, rapidly trying to manifest arms, shoulder blades, and a skull as muscle fibers began to knit across the bone.
"ARRGHHH!!!"
The sudden, agonizing backlash forced Naka right back down to his knees. He clutched his right eye, screaming in pain as the half-formed Susanoo shattered instantly, its ribcage dissolving into a cloud of fading red chakra shards. He had pushed Takamimusubi past the point of total ocular exhaustion.
"Hehehehehehe... AHAHAHA! Cough! Cough! Eugh..." Chikamatsu laughed maniacally, though the strain forced a bloody cough from his throat. "If only I were ten years younger... But no matter. I have defeated an Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan! What can you possibly do now, Uchiha Naka?! Depart for the Pure Land, and carry this name to your grave: Monzaemon Chikamatsu! The name of the greatest Puppet Master, who broke the Uchiha's pride!"
Swift as a gale, a white-robed puppet with red twin hair buns closed the distance, its twin broadswords flashing in the dim light. The blades thrust forward in a violent, criss-cross motion, piercing cleanly through Naka's torso and skewering his heart at the center.
Uchiha Naka's eyes went wide with a final, breathless shock. Coughing a heavy torrent of crimson over the puppet's wooden frame, his vision went dark, and he slowly closed his eyes.