The furious blow from the Fourth Raikage, A, was dazzling beyond words. That strike had already brushed against the threshold of the so-called Super Kage realm.
Anger could become power.
Impulsiveness, at times, could force potential to surface.
Even so, this attack only earned A the qualification to face Uchiha Ran—the man who had fused with the legacy of Uchiha Madara, one of Konoha's founders.
The blinding white light and violent Lightning Release caused Ran's Susanoo skeleton to tremble slightly. His expression finally turned serious.
"As expected of the Fourth Raikage. That strike truly carried your resolve to kill me… but—"
Before his words even settled, Ran poured more Chakra into Susanoo.
"Hot blood and brute force alone are never enough to achieve greatness. The reason you will fail today is simple—you have no concept of how vast the gap between us truly is."
Another gigantic Susanoo hand manifested and reached out.
A tried to dodge.
But every movement he made was childish in Ran's eyes. With the Sharingan, Ran needed only to observe the tension in A's muscles to predict his escape route.
"Trying to dive away?"
The massive hand closed in exactly where A intended to flee.
Crack!
The grip tightened.
A's eyes widened in shock. By the time he regained his senses, he had already been dragged in front of Ran by Susanoo.
"Mere gravel," Ran said coldly. "Not even half as good as me."
The giant hand continued to constrict.
A felt his internal organs being crushed and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Lord Raikage!"
"Bastard, let him go!"
"Attacking the Kage directly—do you want to start an all-out war between Kumogakure and Konoha?!"
Though the Hidden Cloud forces had been devastated by the Eight-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball, the Raikage was still their final hope.
They could die.
But the Raikage had to live.
"Tiresome," Ran clicked his tongue.
He was about to tighten his grip again—intending to let everyone watch as the god they revered died before their eyes—
When twenty blue flames slammed into Susanoo's hand.
Ran looked up, eyebrows lifting slightly.
"So it's you."
"Release the Raikage," Yugito Nii said calmly. "And I'll spare your life."
A black-and-red Tailed Beast Ball formed at her fingertips.
Ran casually tossed A aside like a dead dog and turned his gaze to her.
"Interesting. So the little kitten shows herself… Matatabi."
Matatabi trembled violently and warned from within:
"Yugito, run. This man's Chakra is terrifying. His aura feels extremely ominous."
The Raikage had been saved—that was enough.
As for Killer B… Yugito knew she couldn't deal with Ran. That would have to wait.
She flicked her wrist.
The Tailed Beast Ball, packed with violent natural Chakra, shot straight at Ran.
This finally stirred Ran's killing intent.
"An ant daring to shake a tree. Firefly light trying to rival the bright moon."
"Perfect Susanoo—activate."
Skeleton.
Muscle.
Skin.
Armor.
Tachi.
A colossal, three-hundred-meter-tall blue Susanoo rose before Konoha's gates.
Gale-force winds erupted. Dark clouds gathered. Thunder roared as lightning split the sky.
Uchiha Madara's Perfect Susanoo—reborn.
The overwhelming killing intent spread for hundreds of kilometers around Konoha.
Yugito raised her arms, struggling against the storm. She couldn't even open her eyes.
Matatabi spoke urgently.
"Yugito, hand your body to me. I'll take us away. This aura… I remember it."
Without hesitation, Yugito fell into deep sleep.
Matatabi took control.
Yugito instantly entered a half–Tailed Beast state, blue feline pupils gleaming as she retreated while continuously firing Tailed Beast Balls—creating distance was the only way she felt safe.
Uchiha Shisui stared in disbelief.
That towering Perfect Susanoo made his heart shake violently.
Only now did he truly understand how absurd the gap between himself and Ran was.
His own Susanoo—barely one hundred and seventy meters tall—was already enough to block a Tailed Beast Ball and overwhelm Kage-level opponents.
Yet before Ran's Perfect Susanoo, he couldn't stop trembling.
"Ran… is this your true power?" Shisui murmured.
"No wonder… no wonder you and Itachi defeated me so easily."
High-ranking shinobi had gathered on Konoha's observation platform.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood frozen.
He had never imagined the Uchiha Clan could command such power.
Suppressing them—for the village's sake—had once seemed right.
Now, regret filled his chest.
He closed his eyes, a tear sliding down his cheek.
Whether it was regret… or mourning for Danzo, even he didn't know.
"With Uchiha Ran here," someone whispered, "no one will ever dare offend Konoha again."
"So this is why the Uchiha are so confident…"
"Idiot," someone snapped, covering the speaker's mouth. "Are you trying to get killed?"
They glanced around nervously before exhaling.
The Uchiha Clan ignored all of it.
Their eyes burned as they gazed at the blue Perfect Susanoo—their clan head, the one steering the Uchiha's future.
Hokage?
Too small a goal.
Ran raised his twin blades and slashed once.
Sword light surged forth.
The incoming Tailed Beast Ball was split cleanly in two.
It didn't explode.
It simply dispersed—returning to pure natural Chakra in the air.
------
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