Chapter 208: Better Practice More
"Heh... hehe..."
The low laughter, initially like muffled thunder suppressed deep underground, leaked intermittently through the gaps of Uchiha Sasuke's fingers as he covered his face.
His shoulders began to shake uncontrollably, not from sadness or fear, but from a violent tremor on the verge of losing control, as if a massive power had suddenly been poured into him.
The laughter grew louder, more insolent, and more... unrestrained.
"Haha... Hahaha... Hahahahaha!"
Finally, the laughter broke free from the constraints of his throat, turning into a mad, long howl.
The wild laughter echoed over the courtyard, which seemed exceptionally empty due to the shattered barrier, drowning out the sound of the wind and even briefly overshadowing the heavy pressure brought by the Susanoo.
Sasuke abruptly lowered the hand covering his eyes and tilted his head back, letting those eerie and magnificent Mangekyo be exposed to everyone's stunned gazes.
His body was still shaking uncontrollably.
But it wasn't weakness; it was the excitement and mania of power overflowing, almost bursting from his body!
Is this... the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan?
Compared to the Mangekyo, the previous three-tomoe Sharingan was like a firefly to the bright moon, a stream to the vast ocean!
Although it wasn't his own... this thought flashed by but didn't bring much loss or hesitation.
The temptation of power was so direct and intense, instantly washing away all doubts about its source.
Right now, filling his entire body was only the intoxication of this crushing power, and an extreme desire to release it, use it, and verify it!
Truly... powerful!
The corners of Sasuke's mouth curled into a nearly grotesque arc, which, combined with those eerie red pupils, added a touch of evil and madness to his originally handsome face.
He slowly clenched his fist.
He no longer looked at Kakashi and the others; his gaze was like a falcon locked onto its prey, once again fixed dead on the red giant in the center of the courtyard and the figure at its core.
"Uchiha... Itachi!"
A purple skeleton emerged around Sasuke's body.
Uchiha Itachi's expression was very grave.
Has Sasuke actually awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan?
It seems he has had a very hard time during his stay in Hidden Leaf Village!
Kakashi looked completely bewildered.
Is that... Sasuke?
Sasuke pushed off with his feet and charged toward Uchiha Itachi.
"Die!"
The heavy, oppressive air was suddenly torn apart.
Deep underground, inside the secret research facility.
Senju Tobirama, who was focused on sensing a complex technique scroll, suddenly furrowed his brows.
Without any hesitation, he vanished instantly.
Almost simultaneously, at the Sarutobi Household.
The Third Hokage hesitantly placed his last card on the table.
He won again.
Opposite him, Hashirama was sitting cross-legged, with various strips of paper stuck to his face and forehead, looking like a human talisman rack.
Uzumaki Mito, beside them, covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes full of gentle mischief.
Hashirama had a bitter look, pondering how to turn the tables in the next round.
Suddenly, his usually airheaded expression became incredibly sharp, and he abruptly looked up in a certain direction, his powerful sensing ability rippling out like water waves.
"This Chakra fluctuation..."
Hashirama stood up abruptly, the paper strips on his face fluttering.
"Is it the Mangekyo Sharingan? And... more than one? The battle is intense!"
Uzumaki Mito and the Third Hokage also stopped smiling, their expressions turning grave.
They glanced at each other and said no more.
Several figures streaked across Hidden Leaf Village's rooftops at incredible speed, appearing at the highest point near Uzumaki Naruto's home in almost an instant.
The scene before them moved even these battle-hardened veterans.
Two Susanoo, only half-formed yet emitting terrifying pressure, stood on opposite rooftops, their crimson and deep purple energy clashing and tearing like physical flames.
The air let out a sharp hiss from the friction of the massive Chakra.
Kushina, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma had also retreated to another rooftop, standing ready with exceptionally grim faces.
Standing within the purple half-body Susanoo, Uchiha Sasuke's red eyes burned with mad hatred as he stared fixedly at the red giant opposite him, his hands trembling slightly from the concentrated power.
While Uchiha Itachi, within the red Susanoo, had shifted his gaze from his brother, coldly scanning the newly arrived Senju Hashirama and the others before finally landing on the Hidden Leaf Village Anbu and Jonin figures cautiously closing in from all directions.
A battle between two Susanoo in the Village would affect many innocent people.
After a moment's hesitation, Uchiha Itachi prepared to activate the Perfect Susanoo to fly away and escape.
"Kisame, let's go."
Itachi's voice came through the Susanoo, cold and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
Before his voice could fade.
Boom!
The already staggering red Chakra surged again!
The bones of the half-body Susanoo let out a tooth-grinding groan as more Chakra flesh, meridians, and armor grew and spread frantically.
In the blink of an eye, a Perfect Susanoo dozens of meters tall, clad in full Great Tengu Armor with massive wings on its back, stood fully in the sky above Hidden Leaf Village like a demon god descended to earth.
A massive shadow loomed over nearly half a block, and its cold aura of destruction made the living people among the onlookers catch their breath.
The Chakra wings on the back of the Perfect Susanoo flapped violently, whipping up a wild gale that sent roof tiles flying below and made trees shake violently.
The red giant's figure, carrying Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki inside, shot into the sky like a red meteor, straight into the clouds.
"Oh?"
On the rooftop, Senju Hashirama, having just wiped the last paper strip from his face, looked up at the red Perfect Susanoo that was flapping its wings and quickly disappearing into the horizon; instead of being nervous, his eyes widened.
"So this thing can actually fly!"
He turned to Tobirama and Uzumaki Mito beside him, his tone full of the novelty of discovering a new continent.
"Madara didn't seem to fly back then? Hmm... I remember his big blue guy also had wings, but he mostly just stood there and traded slashes with me."
Senju Tobirama's face beside him was as black as the bottom of a pot, feeling a sense of powerlessness at his elder brother's misplaced focus at such a time.
Uzumaki Mito shook her head helplessly yet fondly; her own Old Man's airheadedness was nothing new.
The purple giant also slowly grew larger, but just as the wings were about to form, it directly collapsed.
The Susanoo dissipated, and Sasuke fell straight from the sky, landing on one knee on the ground.
Inside the Consciousness Space, Indra shook his head.
'Although you're using my Ocular Power, the Chakra still has to come from you. If I hadn't stopped you, you might have overdrawn your Chakra the moment you took flight.'
'You're still young; you'd better practice more.'
Hearing the undisguised disappointment in the hint of consolation from Indra, Sasuke silently clenched his fist.