Uchiha Setsuna and Uchiha Honoka—two elders who had survived the bloody final years of the Warring States Era and lived on from the founding of Konoha to the present.
Adhering to Uchiha Anlan's principle of going all out even when hunting a rabbit, they had finally encountered an opponent worthy of their full strength. Now, they unleashed the ultimate form of the killing swordsmanship they had refined over a lifetime.
Their attacks had no fixed pattern. Every strike was vicious, cunning, and lethal—stripped down to pure killing intent through years of experience.
Setsuna's blade was swift as a phantom, targeting joints and lower limbs.
Honoka's strikes were heavy and forceful, each slash carrying immense power, forcing direct defense.
The two worked in perfect sync—one fast, one slow; one precise, one brutal—completely sealing off every possible path of evasion for Genji.
In Genji's hands, two slender swords danced into a seamless web of azure light.
His swordsmanship, derived from Kirigakure's assassination arts, had reached perfection—utterly devoid of excess. At the most critical moments, he deflected or redirected incoming blades with the smallest possible movements.
His footwork was even more refined, allowing him to shift within inches and evade fatal combinations.
But his greatest predicament was not just the flawless coordination of the two elders.
It was the pair of scarlet Sharingan, constantly seeking to lock onto his gaze.
Setsuna and Honoka were far too experienced. They didn't rush to overpower him—instead, they maneuvered skillfully, setting traps that forced Genji into unavoidable confrontations, making it nearly impossible to avoid eye contact.
Every coordinated strike, every feigned move that sealed his retreat, concealed a hidden trap aimed at forcing a gaze lock.
If not for the thick mist of the Hidden Mist Technique obscuring vision, the battle would have ended long ago.
Genji could only rely on his extraordinary perception and battle instincts—twisting his gaze away at the last moment, or even closing his eyes entirely, judging attacks solely by wind and killing intent.
This placed an immense burden on his mind and reaction speed.
"Shk—!"
A streak of blood blossomed across Genji's shoulder. Honoka's powerful diagonal slash had been partially evaded, but the blade still tore through cloth and flesh.
Genji didn't even frown. His sword tip shot toward Setsuna's exposed ribs, forcing him to defend.
But his breathing had already grown heavy, and fine beads of sweat formed on his brow.
Facing two opponents while constantly avoiding the Sharingan's gaze—even as Kirigakure's finest swordsman—he felt pressure like a crushing mountain.
Defeat seemed only a matter of time.
He could sense that the Six-Tails Jinchūriki was still bound within the Scarlet Sun Formation.
He could also perceive the Third Mizukage unleashing abnormal power, clashing against two younger Uchiha.
And he could feel Mei Terumī's aura rapidly weakening—while that overwhelming killing intent rising to the heavens belonged to Uchiha Fugaku.
'There's still one last move!'
Genji's will hardened like iron as he fought with his life on the line.
Seeing victory within reach, Setsuna and Honoka shifted their tempo.
One slowed, the other quickened.
They alternated rhythms, pinning Genji in place like hunters watching their prey bleed out slowly.
If the two of them were injured in a two-on-one fight, they'd lose all face.
Meanwhile—
The last dozen elite Kirigakure guards protecting Mei Terumī fell one by one under the precise and ruthless coordination of the Red Guard.
The illusionary glint of Sharingan flashed repeatedly. Often, a Kirigakure ninja would just raise a kunai—only to freeze mid-motion before being pierced simultaneously by blades from impossible angles.
Blood soaked the scorched earth. The screams quickly faded.
Uchiha Fugaku steadily compressed Mei Terumī's space.
His swordsmanship was heavy, steady, and suffocating—each strike forcing her to push her Lava Release or Boil Release to the absolute limit, draining her chakra like a bursting dam.
"Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!"
Scorching acid surged forward again, forcing Fugaku to retreat half a step. With a sweep of his blade, he dispersed the splashing acid.
His Sharingan locked onto Mei, predicting every hand seal, every fluctuation of chakra.
Her breathing was chaotic. Her hair was matted with dust and sweat. The color had drained from her face, leaving only a pale determination.
The resolve in her green eyes had been replaced by exhaustion and despair.
She could feel it—
The Uchiha offensive growing fiercer.
The arrival of the Mizukage and her teacher felt like a dying illusion.
She was reaching her limit.
"It's over."
Fugaku's cold voice echoed.
Seizing the moment her Lava Release faltered from exhaustion, he burst forward—his speed doubling instantly!
The blade in his hand became a dark-red streak tearing through space, thrusting toward her heart.
Before the blade even arrived—
The condensed killing intent and pressure made her skin ache, her breath nearly stop.
Her pupils shrank.
She wanted to dodge—but her legs felt like lead.
She wanted to form seals—but her chakra was exhausted.
She could only watch as death rapidly closed in.
…Is this the end?
The thought surfaced clearly.
…
Not far away, atop a cliff with a clear view—
A mass of viscous, shapeless black substance clung to the shadow of the rock face.
It "watched" the battle between Kirigakure and Infinity City, noting how events had diverged from the plan.
"Uchiha… truly a troublesome clan."
Black Zetsu clicked its tongue.
Looking at the Third Mizukage—controlled by Uchiha Madara's will—fighting the Uchiha couple, and then at the Uchiha growing stronger through loss and emotion…
It couldn't imagine what kind of monsters they would become if allowed to continue evolving through hatred and grief.
"How hard is it to cultivate a proper pawn?"
Thinking of Uchiha Obito—still training underground, nearing the required strength—Zetsu felt a headache coming on.
The original script had been perfect—
Kidnap Rin during the chaos, orchestrate her death at the hands of her comrades, let Obito witness it, shatter his hope, awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, and turn him into Madara's ideal puppet.
But now?
Infinity City had disrupted everything.
Madara himself had taken interest.
"Madmen… all Uchiha are insane."
But Zetsu didn't dwell on it.
After a thousand years, it excelled at adapting.
From the shadows, it pulled out a sealed clay jar wrapped in old white talismans—
And hurled it into the most chaotic part of the battlefield.
"Kill… slaughter as much as you like!"
"As long as the Rinnegan exists, everything is only a matter of time…"
The jar shattered mid-air.
The next instant—
"ROAR—!!!"
The sky dimmed.
A massive shadow descended—
Three-Tails: Isobu.
A colossal turtle-like beast with jagged armor and countless bone spikes, like a moving mountain of death.
It hovered briefly—
Then fell like a meteor.
"WHAT IS THAT?!"
"A TAILED BEAST—!!!"
"RUN—!!!"
Both sides broke formation instantly.
Fugaku's killing strike shifted at the last moment under the pressure, piercing Mei's shoulder instead.
She retreated desperately.
Fugaku didn't pursue.
Because above—
A catastrophe was descending.
"Three-tomoe Red Guard—counterattack! Everyone else—scatter!"
Flames, lightning, and earth techniques erupted toward the falling beast.
Others fled with everything they had.
But—
It was too late.
The Three-Tails was too close.
Death was inevitable.
A young Uchiha ran—
But the shadow caught up faster.
A sudden push—
He was thrown clear.
Turning back—
He saw an older Uchiha jonin, smiling faintly.
"Kid… tell your sister-in-law… I didn't die for nothing."
The shadow swallowed him.
"DAMN IT—!!!"
At that moment—
A green giant rose.
"NO ONE IS DYING—!!!"
Shisui's blood roared.
Pain burned in his eyes—
Then—
The Mangekyō awakened.
The world changed.
Time slowed.
The Three-Tails was about to crush his clan—
But—
"I WON'T LET YOU DIE."
"Move—!!!"
Space distorted.
Shisui appeared beneath the falling beast.
"Susanoo!!!"
Boom—
Emerald chakra erupted.
A skeletal giant formed—
Ribs, spine, arms—
A towering green Susanoo rose—
And—
With both hands—
It caught the Three-Tails.