Crimson-gold chakra rapidly condensed around Jie Uchiha, forming a massive, half-bodied skeletal figure that shielded him in its very center.
"What is this thing?" Cold sweat broke out on Shikaichi Nara's forehead the moment the skeletal apparition took shape. "Such terrifying chakra... I can no longer bind him! Attack, quickly!" he yelled.
"Parasitic Destruction Insect: Parasitic Bite!" Tatsuma Aburame instantly formed hand seals.
The dense cloud of parasitic insects emitted a faint blue glow as their speed more than doubled. In mere moments, the swarm spread out and completely engulfed the crimson-gold skeleton.
At the same time, a giant ink lion charged right up to the Susanoo. With a ferocious roar, it clamped its jaws viciously around the skeleton's ribcage. However, compared to the colossal size of the Susanoo, the ink lion looked like nothing more than a feisty kitten acting spoiled in its owner's arms.
"It's useless," Jie said, his arms casually crossed over his chest. "To me, this is merely the first form of Susanoo. But to you... even this first form is the power of a god."
Although it was his first time manifesting the Susanoo, his repeatedly enhanced visual prowess allowed him to effortlessly bypass the initial phase of summoning a single arm or ribcage. Instead, he directly materialized the towering half-body skeleton of the first form.
"This crimson skeleton is bizarre. My parasitic insects can't devour its chakra at all." Feeling the feedback from his swarm, a trace of solemnity and surprise finally cracked Tatsuma's stoic expression.
"My Super Beast Imitation Drawing hasn't dealt any damage to that skeleton either," another Root ninja said with a heavy frown. He held a brush in one hand and cradled a large scroll in the other. His codename was Shin—the older brother of Sai, who would one day join Team 7.
Meanwhile, Jie stood completely still. He didn't dodge or evade, simply allowing his Susanoo to tank the bombardment of ninjutsu from the surrounding Root operatives. The result was exactly as he expected: when the smoke and dust cleared, the Susanoo stood completely intact without a single fracture.
'As expected of the Sharingan's ultimate visual jutsu. Even just the first form is more than powerful enough,' Jie thought.
Taking the jutsu head-on was merely his way of testing the Susanoo's defensive capabilities. He was incredibly satisfied with the results; possessing such formidable power meant his agonizing efforts to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan hadn't been in vain.
With his defense tested, the next logical step was to measure its offensive might.
Seeing the circle of Root ninja treating him like a deadly enemy, a cold sneer tugged at the corner of Jie's mouth. "Is this all you have?" he asked. "Then it's my turn."
The Susanoo raised its colossal right arm and snatched the ink lion clawing at its chest. No matter how wildly the ink beast struggled, the skeletal grip didn't budge an inch.
"Don't bring out a useless house cat to embarrass yourself."
With a heavy swing of its arm, the Susanoo hurled the ink lion like a cannonball, smashing it directly toward the crowd of ninja.
"Super Beast Imitation Drawing: Disperse!" Seeing the incoming projectile, Shin hurriedly formed hand seals. With a sharp shout, the ink lion dissolved into a harmless puddle of black ink, splashing onto the ground.
"Gah!"
A cry of pain echoed as Shikaichi Nara collapsed, his face turning deathly pale. Trying to restrict the Susanoo with his shadows was simply too taxing. Even restraining the simplest swing of the giant's arm demanded more chakra than Shikaichi possessed in his entire body, completely breaking his hold.
The moment the Shadow Imitation Technique was forcibly released, the Kumogakure ninja regained their mobility.
However, running away was the furthest thing from Arui's mind.
"Is this the power of the Sage of Six Paths?" Arui muttered, his legs giving out as he slumped to the earth. He stared up at the towering crimson-gold skeleton with a bloodless face. "Is this really something a normal human can do? Why... why did I ever provoke the Uchiha clan?"
Arui's despair perfectly mirrored the thoughts of the Root operatives. Staring up at the god-like avatar, solemnity filled the faces hidden beneath their porcelain masks. To think the Uchiha clan possessed such apocalyptic power. It was no wonder Danzo was so deeply paranoid of them, going so far as to collude with Kumogakure and dispatch the full force of Root just to capture Sasuke Uchiha.
"Ignore the crimson skeleton! Attack Jie's true body directly!" Shikaichi's weak voice rang out. As a member of the Nara clan, he possessed an incredibly sharp mind and frequently served as Root's frontline tactician.
"Although that skeleton is formidable, the caster himself is its greatest flaw," Shikaichi analyzed calmly, despite his exhaustion. "Attack from the bottom. The chakra color is the faintest there; it should be the weakest point of the entire defense. As long as we pierce it from the ground up, we only have to deal with a ten-year-old kid. No matter how strong Jie is, he can't be a match for all of us combined!"
Jie listened to the analysis and offered an indifferent smile. "As expected of a Nara. You've already deduced the weakness of the first form." His crimson eyes gleamed. "But so what if you found a weakness? Besides... who told you my Susanoo only has this form?"
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