The two-hundred-meter-tall Perfect Susanoo rapidly dissipated into points of glowing light in the air.
Sasuke stumbled back two steps, the blade of his kusanagi sword deeply embedded in the mud, supporting his shaky body.
Cold sweat trickled down his pale cheek, every breath brought with it a tearing pain.
He had just awakened his Mangekyo, yet he had forcefully activated the Perfect Susanoo. Waves of searing pain assaulted his entire body, as if countless fine needles were repeatedly piercing him.
His crimson Mangekyo Sharingan still glowed with a demonic light, but they brought agonizing pain.
He bit down on his lower lip, the metallic taste of blood spreading in his mouth, barely managing to suppress a groan of pain.
For him, having just experienced the Mangekyo Awakening, the Perfect Susanoo was a move far exceeding his capacity. Every extra second he maintained it, his eyeballs felt like they would burst from the massive influx of Chakra.
Fortunately, Yin Kurama was sealed within him, and its Chakra was slowly flowing through his Chakra pathways, like a cool stream nourishing dry land, rapidly repairing his overdrawn body.
Of course, the small portion of Senju and Uzumaki blood he inherited from his father, Shun, was the reason he did not suffer the predicament of ordinary Uchiha whose eyesight constantly deteriorates after activating the Mangekyo. Even so, the intense pain in his eyes remained constant.
"Hoo..."
Sasuke gasped heavily, wiping the tears and sweat from his eyes with the back of his hand, his Mangekyo Sharingan still struggling to scan his surroundings.
The weakness from excessive Chakra depletion made his body tremble, but he dared not relax even slightly.
The battlefield had not yet settled. No one knew if there were still hidden enemies.
Just then, a black shadow suddenly darted out of the dense forest at the edge of the safe zone.
It was a man wearing a black trench coat, his hood covering most of his face, revealing only a sharp jawline and a pair of eyes gleaming with avarice.
His figure was astonishingly fast, transforming into a blurred, inky afterimage as he moved, as if even light was being torn apart by his speed.
Ever since witnessing the earth-shattering battle between Pain and Shun at the border of the Land of Fire, and seeing the terrifying power unleashed by the Mangekyo Sharingan, Hiruko had developed an almost obsessive fixation on those eyes.
He had spent his entire life pursuing powerful Kekkei Genkais, and the allure of the Mangekyo Sharingan made him willing to risk his life infiltrating various battlefields, just to find a suitable "vessel."
When he sensed the intense Chakra fluctuations coming from the border and happened to see Sasuke's Perfect Susanoo—that blue Chakra body and the crimson Mangekyo—it instantly ignited the desire in his heart.
"You're the one, Uchiha brat. Heh heh." Hiruko's voice carried a hint of maniacal excitement.
Activating Swift Release to its maximum, his figure left several overlapping afterimages in the air, making it nearly impossible to track his true path.
His goal was clear: capture Sasuke alive and seize that Mangekyo Sharingan, which had just been awakened and still carried residual heat.
Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan suddenly contracted. Even though his eyes were throbbing and his vision was blurry, the Sharingan's insight remained sharp.
The moment Hiruko moved, he captured the impossibly fast black shadow, and his heart sank.
"Such incredible speed..."
It was almost an instinctive reaction. Sasuke quickly formed hand signs, Yin Kurama's Chakra wildly intertwining with his remaining Chakra. Even though his Chakra pathways were burning and his eyeballs were swelling, he ignored it completely.
Lightning Release: Cell Activation!
Electricity instantly enveloped his entire body. Tiny electrical snakes coursed over his skin, stimulating every cell on the verge of exhaustion.
Lightning Chakra not only enhances offensive power but also temporarily revitalizes all cells, significantly boosting the body's reaction speed and movement speed.
Sasuke's figure suddenly blurred. He charged out to meet Hiruko's assault, moving several times faster than before, barely managing to keep pace with the Swift Release afterimage.
"Oh? You can actually keep up with my speed?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Hiruko's eyes, immediately turning into intense greed.
"As expected of an Uchiha who has awakened the Mangekyo. Eyes like these are worthy of me."
The two figures intertwined on the ground, moving so fast that onlookers couldn't discern their actions, seeing only black and white afterimages constantly colliding and separating.
Relying on the prediction ability of his Mangekyo Sharingan, Sasuke barely managed to evade several of Hiruko's surprise attacks.
The opponent's attacks were tricky and ruthless. Every strike aimed directly at his eyes, his fingertips faintly coated with Chakra, clearly intending to capture him alive and steal the Sharingan.
Clang!
The kusanagi sword collided fiercely with the short blade in Hiruko's hand, generating dazzling sparks. The immense impact made Sasuke's arm go numb, and the backlash from unstable Chakra nearly caused him to spit up blood.
Worse, the vibration from the collision traveled up his arm to his eyes, making his already agonizing eyes feel as if they had been struck by a heavy hammer, and his vision instantly went black.
He used the force of the impact to retreat several meters, putting distance between himself and Hiruko. His lightning-shrouded body trembled slightly, his breathing grew more ragged, and the glow of his Mangekyo Sharingan dimmed somewhat.
"Brat, your Chakra is almost exhausted, isn't it?" Hiruko saw through Sasuke's predicament, a mocking smile on his face.
"Sasuke, your eyes... they hurt, don't they? Using such a massive Susanoo, that feeling must be unbearable, right?"
Sasuke didn't speak, he just gritted his teeth, his crimson Mangekyo Sharingan locked firmly onto his opponent.
He could feel the Chakra rapidly draining from his body. The effects of the cell activation were gradually diminishing, and the pain in his eyes grew increasingly intense.
He subconsciously glanced toward Naruto. Sakura had already been carried to a safe area by a medical ninja. Naruto was rushing toward him, golden Chakra swirling around him. He had clearly noticed the situation, but the distance was still too great for him to provide support in time.
Faced with desperation, Sasuke's gaze became even colder and more resolute.
He tightened his grip on the kusanagi sword. Yin Kurama's Chakra surged again, flowing through his Chakra pathways toward his eyes, temporarily suppressing some of the intense pain.
Pale blue Chakra and purple lightning intertwined around the blade, forming a sharp halo of light. Even with little Chakra left, he absolutely would not surrender.
Sasuke coldly said, "If you want to capture me, you'll have to deal with my kusanagi sword first."
Hiruko sneered, his figure once again turning into an afterimage, activating Swift Release to the extreme. Only a black streak was left in the air as he charged towards Sasuke.
"Stubborn fool! Don't blame me for getting rough!"
Sasuke took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the severe pain in his eyes. His Mangekyo Sharingan operated at full power, predicting Hiruko's movement trajectory.
Clang!
In the distance, Naruto's figure grew closer, his shouts carrying over, "Sasuke... hold on... I'm coming to help!"