Blood splashed, scattering across Kiyomi's face.
The force drove him forward, the heat from his own burning chakra hissing against the wounds as they began to knit back together automatically.
Steam poured from his body, the smell of scorched flesh heavy in the air.
To Kiyomi, it looked brutal—too brutal.
Her eyes widened as she saw him standing there, taking the full brunt of the assault for her, bleeding yet unflinching.
Something inside her broke.
A flood of emotions hit her all at once: shame at her own weakness, rage at Danzo's smirk, and a hollow ache in her chest as Ryusei's blood dripped onto the ground before her.
Her Sharingan spun wildly, the three tomoe blurring, distorting, reshaping into a new pattern entirely.
Her pupils twisted into a complex, interlocking design, lines and curves folding over one another until the Mangekyō bloomed in both eyes, black and red chakra flaring violently around her.
The ground cracked under her feet from the sudden surge of power.
Danzo froze for an instant, his expression contorting in disbelief.
"What—Mangekyō?!" he spat, voice sharp with shock and fury.
He'd seen this before—in that masked man recently, perhaps—but never expected it here again, not from her, not from such a young Uchiha standing beside the Senju boy he despised most.
Before he could vanish again, something dark and massive erupted behind Kiyomi.
A skeletal black arm, raw chakra condensed into bone-like density, crashed forward from her still forming Susanoo and slammed into the ground.
The shockwave sent dirt and blood flying, the chakra hand smashing Danzo into the earth with a thunderous impact.
The stunned Danzo barely managed to activate the first of his hidden Izanagi, the eye on his bandaged arm snapping open a split second before the black hand crushed him completely.
The world shimmered as his body was obliterated—only to reappear several meters away, panting, half his wrappings torn loose.
He cursed violently under his breath, his thoughts a spiral of rage. "Another damned Uchiha—another curse born from their arrogance! How many more will that boy corrupt before this ends?! Are even the proud Uchiha now following him like dogs!?"
Ryusei still stood in front of Kiyomi, steam rising off his regenerating wounds, his flesh knitting together with impossible speed, his breathing steadier again.
But, he looked at her with quiet astonishment, though deep down, part of him wasn't surprised at all.
The intensity of her emotions, the timing, the conditions—it all fit perfectly.
He'd predicted since that soul repair surgery months ago that her Sharingan had been subtly altered then.
That process had refined her spiritual pathways, making them more responsive, more fragile in some ways, but also far more prone to awakening the Mangekyō under emotional strain far lighter than what would normally be required.
Still, even knowing that, seeing it actually happen, seeing her awakened, trembling, her new eyes burning with both beauty and fury, struck him harder than he expected.
"Kiyomi…" he murmured, his tone soft but steady.
She was still shaking, her Mangekyō spinning violently. "You—" she began, her voice catching. "You idiot. You didn't even think—what if you'd died?"
Ryusei smiled faintly, wiping the remaining blood off his mouth. "Then you'd have stomped him anyway, just angrier."
Her breath hitched, a mix between anger, disbelief, and something else entirely. "You're impossible."
"Yeah," he said simply, "but I get results."
Behind him, the half-formed chakra skeleton solidified into a clearer outline, flickering with black flame-like energy.
Kiyomi steadied her breathing, forcing herself to rein in the surging chakra despite the pulsing, burning pain radiating from her newly awakened eyes.
With every heartbeat, she could feel more power flooding outward, raw and unrestrained, demanding control.
Danzo, further back, reappeared in a shimmer of chakra, his newly restored form glaring at them with venom.
"You think that changes anything?" he growled, his tone low and livid. "You're just another tool I'll erase. You and that boy both."
Ryusei didn't even turn to face him fully, his eyes tracking the field through his sensory web.
He raised a hand, signaling Kiyomi to steady herself. "Don't waste chakra chasing him," he said. "He'll come again. Just keep that new trick of yours ready."
Kiyomi clenched her fists, the Mangekyō glow flickering like embers. "Fine. But next time, he won't have time to blink."
Ryusei's grin returned, calm and razor-thin. "That's the spirit."
Then his eyes flicked across the battlefield again, his thoughts racing behind the calm surface.
He'd deliberately refrained from creating too many shadow clones earlier, not just to conserve chakra for his real body during these chaotic and dangerous moments, but because they were increasingly useless against high-caliber enemies like these ones.
Against Kage-level opponents, especially high-tier ones, even shadow clones shattered far too quickly.
His slugs, however, were his real army, scattered everywhere, hidden, each one a perfect anchor point for teleportation.
Through them, he could appear anywhere, aid anyone, at any moment, without splitting his chakra thin.
That was his real strategy.
So, he didn't abandon his allies by not dispersing more shadow clones, as seen by how quickly he sensed and came to save Kiyomi; he just did it in the currently better way.
He then took one more calm breath and focused back on Kiyomi.
Her eyes were still red and intense, her expression raw and fierce. "You did well," he said quietly.
She gave him a sharp look, then a faint smile. "You too. Just… don't do that again."
"No promises."
"Figures."
He then glanced at her briefly again, his tone firm but calm. "Don't overuse those eyes. You remember what we talked about. Too much strain will damage them fast. Focus on finesse, not force. Learn how to pull more out of less."
Kiyomi exhaled, her Mangekyō spinning slower now as she tried to balance her chakra. "Tch. You make it sound easy," she muttered, though a faint smirk curved her lips. "Fine. I'll master them before they master me."
Ryusei gave a small nod, satisfied.
Internally, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders.
He still didn't know what her new Mangekyō abilities were, but that hardly mattered; she was now, without question, at Kage level already.
A true equal on the field, and a much-needed counterbalance against Danzo's tricks.
For the first time since this fight began, he felt like the odds weren't stacked entirely against them.
He silently sent a telepathic pulse to a few nearby slug fragments.
In seconds, several small Katsuyu clones slid across the battlefield, reaching Kiyomi's feet.
They attached to her quietly, transferring stored chakra to restore part of her drained reserves while healing the wound Danzo had inflicted earlier.
Kiyomi felt the warmth spread through her body, the fatigue ebbing.
She blinked, her expression softening just slightly. "Heh… even your summons spoil me now?"
Ryusei's mouth twitched into a faint grin as he refocused on the battlefield. "Just making sure you don't die before you get the payback on him next."
She gave a short laugh, low and sharp. "Good. Because I plan to collect interest."
And with that, Ryusei vanished again.
Sakumo had already reappeared, ready to engage him, his blade flashing in the dim light.
Steel met steam as Ryusei countered, the shockwave cracking the ground beneath them.
Across the field, Kiyomi turned back toward Danzo, her eyes still glowing crimson-black.
She no longer felt completely outmatched and helpless, like not even just a minute ago.
Not even close. Her chakra surged as her newly awakened instincts stirred, whispering of two distinct powers sleeping within those eyes, abilities she somehow knew how to use now.
Her lips curved into a cold, confident smile.
Kiyomi looked at Danzo, her Mangekyō burning like twin suns. "You're not hiding again," she said coldly. "Not this time. You die here—where everyone can see it."
Danzo's expression didn't change, but his jaw tightened slightly. "You think those eyes make you a god?" he said, voice low and sharp. "You're still a child playing with power you can't control."
Inwardly, though, he was seething. Her awakening had ruined everything.
He had planned to stay hidden, striking from the shadows, exploiting Ryusei's weakest moments, but now that option was gone.
He couldn't let her roam free; if she turned her new power on anyone else, she could easily shift the entire battle.
"Damn it," he thought, eyes narrowing. "One failed strike—and something as improbable as a Mangekyō awakening happens right in front of me."
It was absurd. How many shinobi had even seen a Mangekyō Sharingan, much less witnessed the exact moment it awakened? The sheer statistical impossibility made his blood boil.
"This is bad luck," he muttered under his breath, teeth clenched. "The worst kind."
But there was no choice left. He would have to face her head-on, and that infuriated him even more.