Chapter 17: Susanoo Makes Its Debut
Kitsuchi's fist, carrying a sonic boom, smashed toward the ground. Uchiha Sanpō's final shadow clone dispersed into white smoke under the impact of Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique.
From these two exchanges, it was clear: Kitsuchi possessed Kage-level strength.
"His chakra volume is indeed astonishing, and the power of his Earth Release techniques is overwhelming… but he lacks one-hit-kill techniques like Dust Release or Explosion Release…"
"Intelligence gathering complete. Time to withdraw. Coo coo coo… coo coo coo…"
The strange bird calls echoed across the battlefield. Konoha's jōnin moved at the signal—appearing chaotic on the surface, but retreating in orderly fashion toward the interior of the outpost.
Iwagakure's ninjas let out victorious cheers and surged forward in hot pursuit, flooding into the Konoha outpost.
Kitsuchi, at the front of the formation, suddenly felt a twinge of unease. Everything was going too smoothly… almost as if… it was deliberate.
"BOOM BOOM BOOM… BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM… BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM…"
In an instant, the entire outpost was engulfed in continuous, deafening explosions. The ground shook violently; flames shot skyward. Iwagakure ninjas' agonized screams rose one after another.
"Damn it… it's a trap… damn it… we were careless!"
Kitsuchi's eyes nearly split with rage as he watched his subordinates torn apart by the blasts. His hands flashed through seals at lightning speed; chakra surged out like a flood.
"Earth Release: Mountain Earth Technique!"
The earth trembled violently. A small mountain rose abruptly from the ground, providing temporary shelter for the surviving Iwagakure ninjas.
Kitsuchi panted heavily, cold sweat beading on his forehead—this single technique had consumed nearly half his chakra.
"Protect the wounded! Reform the ranks!"
Kitsuchi shouted loudly, only to hear terrified screams from his men.
He looked up—his pupils shrank sharply.
A green giant over seventy meters tall stood before them, wielding a massive Reaper's Scythe that radiated suffocating pressure. Kitsuchi's throat tightened. He had clashed with Uchiha Fugaku several times before, but he never imagined the man had hidden such power.
Uchiha Fugaku, standing atop the third-stage Susanoo, issued the command: "All forces—attack!"
At his order, over 4,000 Konoha ninjas who had lain in wait surged forth like a tidal wave.
Battle cries rang out endlessly: "Kill… kill… KILL!!"
Uchiha Fugaku stood on Susanoo's head like a war god descended.
The sixty-plus-meter-long Reaper's Scythe in Susanoo's hand swept lightly forward. Several Iwagakure ninjas too slow to dodge were instantly bisected—dying in horrific states!
Facing such terrifying attacks, Iwagakure ninjas were caught off guard. But they quickly organized a counterattack—various Earth Release techniques rained toward Susanoo like a storm.
Yet these techniques were like eggs striking stone against Susanoo's unbreakable defense; they couldn't leave even a scratch.
Seeing their attacks completely ineffective, despair began to rise in the Iwagakure ranks. Still, they did not retreat—instead launching even more frenzied assaults, desperately searching for any weakness in Susanoo.
Iwagakure's overall commander Kitsuchi forcibly rallied his chakra and slammed both hands on the ground: "Earth Release: Golem Technique!"
A giant puppet made of hardened earth rose, standing about forty-eight meters tall, gripping a conical hammer in its hand.
The golem charged toward Susanoo; Kitsuchi followed right behind.
"Earth Release: Earth Rock Spikes!"
Behind Susanoo, he summoned a massive earth-rock spike, seemingly intending a pincer attack with the golem.
"Clan Head, watch your back—ninjutsu incoming!"
Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan spun; blood trickled from the corners of his eyes, making his expression even more ferocious.
"Interesting little toy… just a bit too slow!"
Susanoo spun around. The Reaper's Scythe slashed from the golem's waist to its shoulder—instantly cleaving the giant puppet in half.
But it didn't stop there. The scythe swept like a scythe through grass, severing the base of the earth-rock spike. The massive spike toppled sideways and crashed to the ground.
Seeing even his ninjutsu rendered useless, Kitsuchi froze in shock: "How… how can it be this strong?!"
A few minutes earlier they had been ambushed by massive traps and lost over a thousand men. Now they were being hunted by a seventy-meter-tall Susanoo—even their overall commander Kitsuchi was no match.
In moments, Iwagakure morale collapsed completely; ninjas began fleeing in panic.
Dozens of Uchiha elite ninjas had already reached their rear. They formed complex hand seals in unison and slammed their palms to the ground!
"Ninjutsu: Uchiha Flame Array!"
The earth trembled. Two walls of crimson flames erupted from both sides of the valley, racing toward the center at terrifying speed. The scorching blaze formed an airtight barrier, completely enclosing the entire outpost.
Several Iwagakure ninjas who tried to break through touched the fire wall and were instantly reduced to charred corpses amid bloodcurdling screams.
Despair spread like wildfire through the Iwagakure troops.
Kitsuchi looked at the carnage around him, heart twisting like a knife. In just a few minutes over a thousand more had died; now they were completely surrounded by Konoha forces.
He looked up at Fugaku atop Susanoo. The man's gaze was terrifyingly calm.
"Iwagakure ninjas!"
Uchiha Fugaku's voice, amplified through Susanoo, struck every ear like a hammer.
"Tomorrow, Kumogakure will formally declare war on Iwagakure. If you all die here tonight, Iwagakure will have no strength left to resist Kumo's assault. What awaits you is the destruction of your village—and the Land of Earth will be carved up by neighboring nations."
Iwagakure ninjas exchanged horrified glances; fear filled their eyes.
Kitsuchi clenched his fists tightly but could offer no rebuttal.
Uchiha Fugaku's tone softened slightly: "However… if you surrender now, we can guarantee your safety. I swear on the thousand-year honor of the Uchiha clan: as long as Iwagakure announces its defeat and pays three hundred billion ryō in reparations, you will be allowed to leave alive."
A deathly silence fell within the ring of flames—only the crackling of the fire walls could be heard. Every gaze fixed on Kitsuchi.
Kitsuchi closed his eyes. His father Ōnoki's stern face flashed through his mind.
As commander, he had lost over a thousand men in barely over an hour. He could not let another five thousand comrades die in vain.
His voice came out hoarse and heavy: "I accept your terms… we… surrender."
Uchiha Fugaku gave a slight, satisfied nod. Susanoo rapidly dissipated; the Uchiha Flame Array dissolved along with it.
Konoha ninjas swiftly moved in to disarm the Iwagakure survivors.
"Let a few return to deliver the message—make sure Ōnoki knows his son is in our hands."
Iwagakure Village, Tsuchikage's office.
"Bang!"
Ōnoki slammed his palm down, shattering the desk into splinters. His aged face twisted in rage; his small body trembled uncontrollably.
"Six thousand men against four thousand… and it ended like this… I actually raised such a useless son… Aaaah… this infuriates me to death!"
Ōnoki roared inside the Tsuchikage Tower; the surrounding ANBU ninjas stood deathly silent.
"Tsuchikage-sama, time is running out… you must make a decision quickly!" one ANBU reported urgently.
Ōnoki took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm. He walked to the window and gazed at Iwagakure's nightscape.
All these years of effort… was it really going to be destroyed in a single night?
Love this story? Support the translator here – it means the world and keeps chapters coming regularly.
patreon.com/arthursink Thanks for being awesome! 🦇