Chapter 366 – The Clash of Eternal Eyes (Part Three)
"Don't worry. It's me."
Minato Namikaze appeared soundlessly behind Ayaka and Kenta.
Both of his hands rested lightly on their shoulders, yet his gaze never left the valley ahead—
a valley that now resembled hell itself.
Shock rippled through Minato's heart.
Is this… really something humans can do?
Just moments earlier, he had been in his office, processing documents, when violent tremors shook Konoha itself.
Along with the tremors came unmistakable chakra fluctuations.
This was no earthquake.
Minato reacted instantly.
Across Konoha's most remote and concealed corners, he had long since placed Flying Thunder God kunai—precisely so he could respond to extraordinary situations without drawing attention.
The devastation caused by the Nine-Tails was still fresh in his mind.
That disaster marked the first time Konoha had truly been engulfed by war.
Minato refused to let such a tragedy repeat itself during his tenure.
Yet when he arrived via Flying Thunder God, his expression froze.
Two chakra signatures filled the area—
completely different in nature, yet unmistakably familiar.
The moment he sensed them, the Nine-Tails within him stirred violently.
Minato understood why.
These were the same two people who had once overpowered and humiliated the Nine-Tails itself.
His eyes also caught Ayaka Hyūga, Kenta Imai, and two members of the Uchiha clan.
One was Fugaku's son.
The other—an Uchiha who had once served in ANBU and assisted Kakashi—seemingly Fugaku's most loyal retainer.
"Fourth Hokage-sama—"
Kenta reacted immediately. "My apologies, Lord Hokage. They were testing newly acquired abilities, so they—"
"Testing new abilities?" Minato stared into the blazing valley and let out a weary sigh.
"Preparing for what lies ahead?"
"Yes," Ayaka answered smoothly, her reasoning flawless.
"The Land of Lightning has been far too active lately. And Clan Head Fugaku has made significant progress. He needed a suitable opponent—and Kei has grown stronger as well."
The Land of Lightning was becoming increasingly aggressive.
This wasn't public knowledge—but to someone like Kei, who had access to ANBU intelligence, it was obvious.
Ayaka and Kenta, as his closest partners, naturally knew more than most.
And Kei's power couldn't be revealed carelessly.
Choosing such a desolate location made perfect sense.
It also allowed Fugaku to fully adapt to his new abilities.
Still…
The scale of destruction was excessive—even by elite standards.
Fortunately, Ayaka's Byakugan allowed her to detect anyone approaching the area well in advance.
Yet a concern lingered—
What if someone from the Hyūga clan entered the field of vision?
Minato's gaze shifted subtly toward Kenta.
According to reports, Kenta wasn't particularly skilled in sealing techniques.
But recently, he had begun studying them.
Perhaps this was the final gap they intended to fill.
Minato shook his head.
There was no need to ask further.
His eyes returned to the valley—
to the black flames still raging within it.
And for the first time in a long while,
the Fourth Hokage felt a quiet unease settle in his chest.
He really was curious—
just how far had the strength of these two partners of his truly reached?
Of course, the stronger they were, the happier Minato would be.
Not only for political reasons—on the battlefield, such strength meant even greater contributions to Konoha.
Especially now, when the Land of Lightning was anything but quiet.
At that moment, the pitch-black flames that had turned the valley into an inferno suddenly dispersed, revealing two colossal Susanoo figures beneath the lingering Amaterasu fire.
Neither Susanoo showed the slightest sign of damage.
Even the two men within them appeared completely unscathed.
Kei's gaze fixed on Uchiha Fugaku in the distance, a realization forming in his mind.
Or rather—he was beginning to understand the true nature of Fugaku's Susanoo.
Having once possessed Eternal Mangekyō eyes himself, Kei knew that even transplanted Eternal Eyes would still manifest the user's own Susanoo, complete with its inherent traits.
Kei's Susanoo carried his unique characteristics—distinct weaponry and overwhelming offensive power.
Fugaku's Susanoo, however, followed a different path.
It wasn't that it lacked weapons.
Rather, its arms themselves were the weapons.
Its massive size was also a direct manifestation of chakra—
a physical amplification of technique through sheer scale.
Through his Susanoo, Fugaku could elevate ninjutsu to a terrifying extreme.
Seeing this, Kei couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
If that's the case… then Uchiha Madara truly was monstrous beyond reason.
Madara's Susanoo was effectively the fusion of both approaches—
absolute amplification of ninjutsu and unparalleled physical destruction.
No wonder his Susanoo had been so enormous, capable of cleaving entire mountain ranges with a single swing.
But Kei quickly pushed those thoughts aside.
He might not be able to slice through mountain chains yet—
but a single mountain ridge?
That was well within reach.
And besides—
this is only the beginning.
"Honestly, Clan Head, you've surprised me," Kei said calmly.
"Even I can feel my blood heating up. So…"
His Susanoo lifted its blade, gazing down at Fugaku from above.
"Take this!"
The jet-black Susanoo exploded forward at an unimaginable speed.
In the blink of an eye, it was already before Fugaku.
A blade wreathed in Amaterasu descended instantly—
its killing intent so absolute that everyone present knew:
a direct hit meant death.
Cold sweat appeared on Fugaku's forehead, but he did not panic.
Almost the moment Kei moved, Fugaku had already begun forming hand seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Rampart!"
All four arms of the golden Susanoo formed seals in unison.
In an instant, massive earth surged upward before him—
No.
Calling it a wall would be an insult.
What rose was an entire mountain of stone.
The sight left the observers stunned once more.
But as always—
the real shock came in the next instant.
The stone mountain didn't even last a second.
Kei's blade split it cleanly in two.
And at that very moment, Fugaku completed another set of hand seals.
He knew one thing with absolute certainty—
If he engaged Kei in close combat, he would lose.
At present, he was nothing more than an immobile fortress.
And so, he would fight using his greatest strength.
Through Susanoo, he could multiply the power of his techniques exponentially.
Combined with the sheer quality of Susanoo chakra—
this was his strongest possible state.
And I've mastered quite a bit of this eye's power too, Fugaku thought grimly.
Though my chakra is nearing its limit… still.
"Flame Release: Amaterasu — Great Fire Extinction!"
The golden Susanoo raised its head.
From the helmeted giant's mouth, a torrent of pitch-black flames erupted toward Kei.
Though Kei himself wielded Amaterasu—and had previously shown resistance to its flames—
Fugaku had noticed something critical.
Kei's control over Amaterasu was not yet absolute.
That made this an opening.
Black flames exploded across Kei's Susanoo, surging violently.
Fugaku's eyes narrowed.
For the briefest moment—
the black Susanoo's movements seemed to stall.
So my guess was right.
That towering hundred-meter giant was terrifying—
but not invincible.
Fugaku's Mangekyō spun violently, blood streaming from the corners of his eyes.
"Now—!"
"Kagutsuchi!"
The already terrifying black flames erupted with even greater ferocity under his control.
Amaterasu spread endlessly across Kei's Susanoo, racing toward the far end of the valley.
Everything was consumed.
Even the ground itself ignited, sinking as it burned.
The sheer devastation left the five observers speechless.
They couldn't even find words.
There was worry too—
fear that such power might truly harm Kei.
But among them, at least three possessed exceptional perception.
After a brief moment of observation, they exhaled in relief.
Kei was completely fine.
More than that—
his Susanoo was unleashing even greater power than before.
Power far beyond what it had shown earlier.
"…What?" Fugaku's heart clenched.
As Kei's direct opponent, he sensed the danger instantly.
He began forming seals—
but froze.
Either his body locked up—
or Kei had become even faster.
The black flames were cleaved apart.
A darker, colder, more ominous Susanoo appeared before him in an instant.
Unscathed.
Those blood-red eyes were chilling beyond words.
Then—
BOOM.
A quake more violent than before shook the earth.
The Amaterasu flames were split cleanly in two.
One of the golden Susanoo's arms was severed instantly.
Kei's Mangekyō spun slowly, eerily.
The Susanoo blade twisted at an impossible angle—
and then came the second strike.
The third.
The fourth.
The fifth.
Despite its colossal size, Kei's Susanoo moved with terrifying speed.
Its destructive power—
unmatched in the current era—
was unleashed without restraint.
The land trembled endlessly.
The terrain suffered catastrophic damage once more.
Fugaku's Susanoo shattered completely.
Its seemingly indestructible armor proved meaningless.
All four arms—
and its massive head—
were cleanly severed.