Chapter 202: Annihilation of the Ambush Force
Blood dripped from the blade of his sword. Kyosuke stood expressionless, looking down at the bodies of the Second Elder and his clansmen. With a single hand sign, he unleashed a Fire Release jutsu, engulfing their remains in flames.
He glanced down at the wound in his own abdomen, performed a quick seal to staunch the bleeding, and then turned to face the waiting Iwa ninja.
During the delay, the ambushers had managed to regroup, putting a significant distance between themselves and him. Seeing that he was injured, their confidence had returned, and they were eager to press the attack. They seemed to have forgotten the terror that had gripped them only moments before.
Normally, Kyosuke would have mocked them for their cowardice, but he was in no mood for it now.
The powerful fire jutsu quickly reduced the bodies to ash. As the last embers died, the intricate pattern in Kyosuke's eyes flared, shining brighter than before.
In an instant, the Susanoo's form began to expand rapidly. From its second-stage torso, a lower body and legs materialized, with Kyosuke now positioned within the construct's head.
"Susanoo: Fourth Stage."
In this form, the Susanoo was not only significantly larger, but it also retained the balance and stability of its previous stage. More importantly, with the addition of legs, its mobility was vastly improved.
But the greatest advantage of the fourth stage was that it eliminated the defensive gap at the user's feet, creating a truly absolute defense.
From his vantage point thirty meters in the air, Kyosuke looked down at the terrified faces below and smiled, a bloodthirsty grin spreading across his lips.
"Don't be afraid! Just keep your distance and we'll be fine!" an Iwa ninja shouted, trying to rally his comrades.
He had barely finished speaking when a shadow fell over him. Before he could react, a giant foot descended from the sky, crushing him into a paste.
That single, contemptuous stomp plunged the Iwa ninja back into the depths of despair.
Every weakness they had previously identified had vanished. The gap in their combat strength had widened into an insurmountable chasm. A full-blown rout was now inevitable.
But the canyon, the very location they had carefully chosen for their ambush, had now become their tomb. It had been selected to prevent Kyosuke from escaping, but now it served to trap them. Anyone who tried to scale the cliffs or flee through the entrance received Kyosuke's full attention and was immediately cut down.
After several failed attempts, the Iwa ninja realized with dawning horror that even escape was a luxury they could not afford. Left with no other choice, they steeled themselves for a final, desperate counterattack.
Once again, the canyon echoed with the thunderous roar of battle.
Kyosuke stood with his arms crossed, watching the death throes of his enemies. Their fear, their dying screams—it was all a balm to his tormented soul. Driven by this dark satisfaction, the Susanoo's attacks became even more ferocious.
The once-massive ambush force began to shrink at a visible rate. One hundred fifty became one hundred, then fifty. Twenty minutes later, the last Iwa ninja fell to the Susanoo's blade.
Gazing at the hellscape below, Kyosuke slowly descended to the ground, the colossal Susanoo dissolving around him.
The moment his feet touched the earth, an excruciating pain shot through his eyes, forcing a pained grunt from his lips. He clamped his hands over his eyes, waiting for the agony to subside.
If not for the countless times he had experienced this "blindness" in his simulations, he would have thought his sight was gone for good.
After a long while, the pain began to recede. Kyosuke lowered his hands. Though his eyes were still sore, he could open them.
He carefully surveyed the area, a quiet sigh of relief escaping him.
The battle had indeed taken a toll on his Mangekyo's vision, but thanks to his relentless training, he had learned how to conserve his dōjutsu's power. The current level of deterioration was still within an acceptable range.
But the war was far from over, and the deaths of these ninja were not nearly enough to quench his rage. He knew he would have to use his Mangekyo again, and that blindness was an inevitability. He was prepared for it.
In fact, according to his long-term plans, going blind might not be entirely a bad thing. After the war, his loss of sight could actually strengthen the village's trust in him and, by extension, in the Uchiha clan.
As for regaining his vision, there were several options: fusing with Hashirama cells to awaken the Sage Body, attempting to replicate the Mangekyo... as a master of research and forbidden techniques, Kyosuke wasn't overly concerned.
Sometime before the battle in the canyon had concluded, Tobi had already brought the unconscious Uchiha Nagisa back to the cavern.
He gently placed her back on the stone slab and gave Madara a detailed account of what had transpired.
When Madara heard that Nagisa had awakened her Mangekyo Sharingan, his expression remained unchanged. He had known from the moment she began fusing with the Hashirama cells that this was a certainty. It was all within his expectations.
However, when Tobi described the strange sensation he had experienced—the urge to obey her will—Madara's expression finally shifted.
Throughout the Uchiha clan's history, many had awakened the Mangekyo, and abilities like Amaterasu, Kagutsuchi, and Tsukuyomi had appeared before. Based on Tobi's description, Madara began to form a hypothesis about Nagisa's unique Mangekyo ability.
He theorized that her power was something along the lines of "Command" or "Subjugation." While not particularly strong in direct combat, such an ability would be immensely useful for his plans.
This new information caused a subtle but significant shift in his view of her.
The original plan had been to use Uchiha Nagisa to utterly destroy Kyosuke, both physically and mentally. But now, Madara had a different idea.
If used correctly, she could make the Eye of the Moon Plan proceed even more smoothly than he had anticipated.
Of course, any plan he devised depended on one crucial prerequisite: Nagisa had to hate Kyosuke from the very depths of her soul. And what she had witnessed in the canyon was not yet enough to guarantee that.
Through White Zetsu's surveillance, Madara knew of the girl's strong affection for Kyosuke. If that affection wasn't completely extinguished, he suspected she might even find a way to forgive him in the future.
Only by completely destroying that love could he ensure she would be a useful tool. A love twisted into a hatred born from betrayal—that would be enough to shatter the girl's still-maturing mind.
And on this point, the old, calculating Uchiha Madara was supremely confident.
Just then, the young woman on the stone slab began to stir. In the dim light of the cavern, a pair of demonic, crimson eyes suddenly opened.
Tobi, who had been about to approach her, felt a sudden, inexplicable wave of fear. He instantly retreated to Madara's side.
"Why," Nagisa's cold voice echoed in the darkness, "did you stop me?"
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