As Jie Uchiha finished speaking, a powerful crimson-gold Chakra surged forth once again.
With the influx of new Chakra, the crimson-gold skeleton grew even more massive. Numerous energy pathways and layers of flesh continuously materialized, completely enveloping the original skeletal frame.
"You've got to be kidding me! This terrifying thing actually has another form!"
"So that wasn't even his strongest state just now?"
"Is this the so-called power of a god?!"
Seeing the Susanoo's second form, the eyelids of all the Root shinobi twitched violently.
If they were normal shinobi, they probably wouldn't have been able to hold back from cursing out loud. They had just managed to probe out the potential weaknesses of the Susanoo's first form, but who would have thought Jie Uchiha would instantly whip out a second. Wasn't this just playing them for fools?
However, having been thoroughly brainwashed by Danzo, Root shinobi were stripped of their emotions. Aside from a natural reverence for the unknown, they felt nothing else.
Maintaining the Susanoo's second form was no small burden for Jie, who had only just awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan and was using the ability for the very first time.
The moment the second form took shape, Jie felt the consumption of his ocular power sharply intensify. A stinging soreness crept into his eyes. However, nourished by his Intermediate Sage Body, the discomfort quickly dissipated before it could have any lasting impact on his vision.
"I need to end this quickly."
Jie figured that Fugaku Uchiha had likely already surrounded the Root base by now. Even though the base was basically an empty shell at this point, the pressure from the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was constant.
Moreover, Jie could sense that Hinata, who was currently tucked away safely in his shadow clone's arms, had already woken up. She was trembling in fear. Since Hinata was awake, there was no telling when Sasuke might regain consciousness either. The two children had suffered enough fright for one day; Jie didn't want them to remain terrified any longer than necessary.
With a single thought from Jie, the Susanoo's right arm rose slightly.
A massive surge of Chakra extended outward from the construct's hand, rapidly solidifying into a colossal crimson-gold longsword. It was a veritable forty-meter blade.
This wasn't a mythical weapon inherent to his Susanoo; it was simply a standard blade forged entirely from his ocular power and Chakra. Against these Root shinobi, Jie didn't need to use a divine artifact.
Still, seeing that gargantuan crimson-gold blade caused the Root shinobi's eyelids to twitch all over again. The Susanoo was already a cheat ability on its own, but now it was wielding a weapon. Worse yet, Jie Uchiha was already a master of Kenjutsu. Even Shisui Uchiha, a former Root operative himself, had fallen to Jie's blade.
If a giant of this magnitude could utilize Jie's sword techniques, was there any suspense left in this battle?
In truth, there was none.
"Uchiha Style: Sword of the Leaping Flame!"
The Susanoo raised its right arm high, and golden waves of heat began to churn violently around the crimson-gold blade.
"Slash!"
The giant sword cleaved downward. Even before the blade made contact, the sheer force of the shockwave and the oppressive aura it emitted were enough to shatter one's courage.
Faced with a weapon of this scale, no one harbored any thoughts of resistance. They scrambled frantically to dodge out of the way. However, a few unfortunate souls were so paralyzed by the sword's immense pressure that they froze in place.
When the giant sword finally fell, those who weren't instantly incinerated to ash by the trailing heat waves were crushed into bloody paste. The colossal sword aura extended for hundreds of meters, reducing every obstacle in its path to dust while the extreme temperatures cleaved the very air in two.
Facing such a terrifying, insurmountable enemy, even the emotionless and fearless Root shinobi knew that staying behind was suicide. It wouldn't help them complete their mission in the slightest.
Without a moment of hesitation, Ryoma Aburame gave the order.
"Retreat!"
At his command, all the remaining Root shinobi immediately sprinted off in completely different directions. After all Jie was only a single person; he couldn't possibly chase down everyone at once. As for who would manage to escape with their lives, that was up to the will of heaven.
Except, the will of heaven was currently dictated by Jie Uchiha.
"Not a bad idea," Jie sneered. He had no intention of chasing them down.
With a thought, the Susanoo instantly shifted into a sword-drawing stance.
"Hatake Kenjutsu: Susanoo Draw Slash!"
After a brief moment of gathering power, a radiant white light flashed brilliantly across the crimson-gold blade.
With a single horizontal sweep, the entire landscape was transformed in an instant.
Konoha was located in the fertile heartland of the Land of Fire. When the village was first founded, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had used his Wood Release to cultivate countless massive trees, hiding the Hidden Leaf deep within the forest.
But when Hashirama grew those trees, he surely never imagined that one day his beloved forest would be shaved right down the middle, leaving behind a massive bald spot.
Jie's slash extended outward for two kilometers from the Susanoo's position. Every massive tree in that radius vanished, leaving behind nothing but a sky full of sawdust. The fertile land was stripped bare; even the top three meters of topsoil were simply erased, leaving behind a wide, shallow crater.
Within that massive crater, a few corpses—or rather, people who were rapidly becoming corpses—stood out starkly.
As the dust settled, Jie dispersed the Susanoo and rubbed his sore eyes.
Although his Intermediate Sage Body mitigated the strain, utilizing sword techniques with a Susanoo of that size, it still placed immense pressure on him. In the very second he unleashed that world-destroying draw slash, he had nearly drained himself..
But it was over now.
Thanks to the powerful recovery abilities of his Sage Body, the soreness in his eyes quickly faded, and his internal Chakra reserves began to steadily replenish.
'Wait, crap.'
Jie suddenly gasped, as if remembering something crucial. He hurriedly rushed over to the fallen Root shinobi.
He had completely forgotten about the elites of the Uchiha clan who had fallen victim to Root! These Root bastards had gouged out their Sharingan. If the eyes weren't damaged, he could still have them re-implanted so his clansmen could see the light of day again. In the ninja world, medical ninjutsu made swapping eyes as trivial as a game—pop one out, press another in, and you were good to go.
But as he looked over the sheer devastation caused by his Susanoo Draw Slash, Jie didn't hold out much hope.
Human eyes were incredibly fragile; even the slightest trauma could rupture them, let alone an attack that tore the earth asunder.
'If those eyes really are destroyed, I'll just have to issue them larger pensions later,' Jie thought silently. 'I'll arrange civilian desk jobs for them in the Police Force. That should serve as a decent enough compensation.'
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