Blood flowed from the cracks in the ruins, pooling into low places and forming dark red puddles that turned the stomach. The rain washed over it, unable to dilute the stench, only spreading the bloodwater until the entire street was stained a glaring red.
Staring at the scene, Shisui Uchiha opened his mouth, only a broken sound escaping his throat as his body trembled. Together with Itachi, he had created the monster born from Fugaku Uchiha's body and the twisted Undead of the Uchiha Clan.
His desire to protect the village had not come true. Instead, he had brought even greater disaster upon it. Once again, he had made the wrong choice.
Just as regret and fear overwhelmed him. Buzz.
A chilling and terrifying presence surged out from deep within the Uchiha Clan Grounds, from the direction he had been thrown from. In an instant, a pale figure appeared silently within the swirling dust.
It was the being formed from Fugaku Uchiha's soul as its base, fused with the resentment of other Uchiha. Behind the eye holes of its mask, crimson Mangekyo Sharingan swayed with hatred as it locked onto Shisui within the Susanoo, killing intent spilling outward.
"What is that thing?" The people of Konoha shuddered under that cold presence.
"Coordinate with Shisui!" Hiruzen Sarutobi roared at once. But it was too late.
Or rather, from the moment it appeared, it had already been too late. The pale figure's Mangekyo Sharingan spun, activating another Dojutsu different from "Yomotsu Hirasaka".
'Ti Ze Nv Ming'.
In myth, "Izanami-no-Mikoto" was burned by her child, the fire god "Kagutsuchi-no-Mikoto", and died during childbirth. Her husband "Izanagi-no-Mikoto" wept in grief, crawling over his wife's body and murmuring, "My beloved wife, did I lose you because of a single child?" His tears of sorrow became a god called "Ti Ze Nv Ming".
After his crying, "Izanagi-no-Mikoto" drew the Totsuka Blade he carried and walked toward his son, the fire god "Kagutsuchi-no-Mikoto". He said, "Even if you are my child, you cannot be forgiven." With that, he swung his blade and killed the fire god.
If "Yomi-tsu" was the shared choice of the Uchiha Clan Undead, then the Dojutsu called "Ti Ze Nv Ming" matched the grief and hatred awakened in Fugaku Uchiha after witnessing Itachi kill his mother. It also matched Fugaku Uchiha's disgust with his own hesitation and his prayer for power that could reach the goal directly.
The effect of "Ti Ze Nv Ming" was simple to state. Based on one's own strength, as long as something was within their ability, the process between cause and result could be shortened or even erased. This Dojutsu could achieve even stranger and more terrifying outcomes.
Under the White-colored figure's awareness, driven almost purely by instinct from anger and resentment, it brutally erased the process between "attack" and "hit". Without giving Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others any chance to help, from everyone else's perspective the act of attacking and Shisui being struck happened almost at the same time.
Kacha. Kacha.
That punch smashed into Shisui Uchiha's body protected by a green skeleton, and the already fragile bones shattered like rotten wood. "Ah!" Shisui Uchiha let out a scream full of pain and regret, as two glaring bloody tears flowed from his crimson Mangekyo Sharingan.
He no longer cared about the cost of the Dojutsu, nor about the outcome of going blind. He squeezed out the last of his Dojutsu Power, wanting only to make up for his mistake. The Mangekyo Sharingan spun wildly, and the dim flames in the eyes of Susanoo burst out with harsh light as broken ribs forced themselves to heal and grow.
Kacha kacha kacha.
Dense and frightening sounds of bone growth crackled like exploding beans. A huge skull roared toward the sky as incomplete arms reformed. The spine extended to outline a fuller torso, while green Chakra like veins and flesh grew and tangled at a visible speed.
That flesh quickly covered the exposed bones and formed a hard, solid outer coat of Chakra. Susanoo: Second Form. At this moment, Shisui Uchiha's Susanoo still had a humanoid upper body, but it was no longer a grim skeleton and instead a towering giant with knotted muscles and a face.
A massive weapon of strange design was gripped in its hand. It was not a normal blade, but a spiral sword with a spear-like sharp tip. A sense of power far denser and more violent than Stage One rushed forward.
"Die!" Shisui Uchiha roared hoarsely as the massive right arm of Susanoo swelled with muscle. He poured all his strength into the spiral sword and thrust it forward.
Chi!
The spiral sword spun at high speed, tearing the air and screaming sharply. Carrying a resolve to die together, it stabbed straight at the miserable White-colored figure ahead.
The size difference between the two was enormous in the eyes of Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others. Yet facing an attack that could pierce a mountain, the miserable White-colored figure still stood unmoving. Beneath the mask, the crimson Mangekyo Sharingan watched the incoming blade.
Just as the spiral sword was about to hit.
Weng!
An indescribably cold Chakra, heavy with blood and resentment, erupted from the White-colored figure. Immediately after, under the shocked eyes of everyone including Shisui Uchiha, kacha, kacha, kacha rang out.
Bone growth sounds far faster than before echoed densely. Crimson Chakra condensed at once into thick, savage giant bones. Dark red muscle fibers grew and wrapped like living things, and the White-colored exoskeleton spread to cover four arms.
There was no initial skeletal outline. There was no Stage One growth process. This monster's Susanoo skipped every step and formed its second stage in an instant.
Dojutsu: Ti Ze Nv Ming.
This crimson colossus also had a humanoid upper body, but its shape was closer to a primitive demon. Four massive arms lifted at once, with two crossing before its chest, palms facing outward. Boom.
A deafening explosion burst out with visible shockwaves. Shisui's spiral sword, filled with all his power, struck the crossed palms. The terrifying force uprooted nearby trees and Konoha Ninja alike.
"Roar!" After only a brief stalemate, the crimson colossus let out a living howl. The other two arms rose, claws tearing the air into red arcs. kacha.
With a crisp shattering sound, the spiral sword was cut into several pieces by the slashing claws. "Puff!" The impact broke through the defense, making Shisui spit blood again as he staggered and dropped to one knee.
The people of Konoha watched the distant scene like monsters from legend fighting each other. A vicious crimson demon giant stood against a green giant barely holding on under its attacks. Feeling the terrifying movements and bone-deep cold aura, most faces showed shock and a fear they had never known.
Was this the true power of the Uchiha Clan? Was this the monster Fugaku Uchiha had become? Could such a thing really be opposed by human hands?
Danzo Shimura's gaze kept sweeping over the two Susanoo, with Greed, fear, and near-mad craving for Wang mixed in his eyes. "Mangekyo Sharingan! This is Mangekyo Sharingan!" His voice sounded like a dream, filled with shock and a twisted excitement.
The crimson demon giant raised both arms again. The red flames in the eye holes of its angry mask locked onto the struggling Shisui. Two massive fists clenched and smashed down.
At that moment.
"Enma!" "Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"