"Who the hell is this old geezer who came out of nowhere?"
Looking at the Ninjutsu crashing toward him with terrifying power, Ryota's expression became shocked and solemn.
Where had this man come from?
How could he possess such terrifying power?
However, Ryota could not simply sit there and wait for death. His scarlet eyes, marked with complex patterns, spun rapidly as chakra erupted from his body.
"Roar!"
With a thunderous roar, a deep-blue Complete Body Susanoo emerged. It stood hundreds of meters tall, with black markings across its surface and wings extending from its back.
Powerful chakra fluctuations spread outward.
Ryota stood within its forehead. Under his control, two chakra blades formed in the Complete Body Susanoo's hands.
It swung them upward at the descending sword of chakra.
'Boom!'
The moment they collided, a deafening roar erupted, as though two meteors had crashed together, and brilliant light illuminated the surroundings.
'Crack!'
The ground beneath the Complete Body Susanoo could not withstand the force. It fractured and sank into an enormous crater as jagged rocks rose all around it.
'Boom, boom, boom.'
Destructive shockwaves spread from the point of impact, stirring the surrounding air into violent currents. The nearby lake churned wildly as enormous waves crashed against its shores.
"Damn it!"
As Ryota controlled the Complete Body Susanoo, veins bulged on his forehead, and the shock in his eyes became even more apparent.
Facing this powerful strike, he actually felt unable to withstand it.
'Crack, crack, crack.'
Under the immense pressure, cracks began appearing across the sturdy body of the Complete Body Susanoo.
The chakra blades clashing with the sword of light had already begun to fracture and showed signs of shattering.
'Hum.'
Realizing that he could not block the attack, Ryota's left eye spun rapidly, and he activated the Space-Time Dōjutsu known as Amenotejikara.
The surrounding space seemed to twist and distort.
The warped space altered Excalibur's trajectory slightly, causing the descending blade to slide away from the front and strike the side instead.
'Boom!'
Excalibur slammed into the ground with a deafening roar.
The earth split apart again, and shockwaves swept in every direction.
The Complete Body Susanoo, which had been standing close by, should have been caught in the blast and sent flying.
However, when the shockwaves reached it, they split apart like water flowing around a boulder, causing almost no damage.
"You actually have some skill, youngster, but don't underestimate this old man."
"Excalibur is not a single-use technique. Just like your Susanoo, as long as it is not broken or dismissed, it can continue attacking."
Seiryū was somewhat surprised that Ryota had blocked the strike.
"Again!"
'Boom!'
The sword of light was formed entirely from chakra and possessed very little weight.
Seiryū raised Excalibur above his head before bringing it down fiercely toward Susanoo once more.
This strike was also diverted by the distorted space, and the ground suffered another devastating blow.
The cracks widened, and shockwaves swept across the area.
'Boom! Boom, boom! Boom!'
Each roar came from Excalibur crashing down.
In just over ten seconds, Seiryū had swung it more than a dozen times.
At a rate of nearly one strike per second, it resembled an absurd game of whack-a-mole.
Under Seiryū's relentless attacks, the ground shook continuously as though an earthquake had struck.
The others had already retreated into the distance, watching the exaggerated and almost comical scene with stunned expressions.
"Don't push me too far! Get lost!"
Each time the sword of light descended, Ryota felt immense pressure.
Although he possessed the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, repeatedly using its Dōjutsu still consumed a great deal of power.
No Dōjutsu could be maintained forever.
Every time Ryota redirected an attack, part of his visual power was consumed.
Even the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, said to possess inexhaustible visual power, could not endure such extreme consumption indefinitely.
"Roar!"
Taking advantage of the brief moment when Excalibur was raised for another strike, Susanoo let out another roar.
This time, Ryota did not activate his Space-Time Dōjutsu. Instead, he launched a direct attack to block and destroy the incoming blade.
'Boom!'
Another thunderous explosion erupted.
Powerful shockwaves surged outward through the rolling air currents, but they remained contained within the barrier.
Ryota's explosive strike blocked Excalibur, which had already consumed a considerable amount of chakra.
However, Ryota's Complete Body Susanoo was also sent flying backward.
It hurtled through the air uncontrollably.
Finally, with a loud crash, it slammed heavily into the Four Red Yang Formation.
The powerful impact caused the barrier to tremble slightly.
"Cough."
The violent force shattered part of the Complete Body Susanoo's defense and struck Ryota inside, causing him to cough up a mouthful of blood.
Staring at the calm Seiryū in front of him, Ryota's eyes turned cold.
He gritted his teeth and asked, "Who exactly are you?"
Seiryū rolled his shoulders and sighed theatrically.
"I'm getting old. After moving only a few times, my body already feels uncomfortable. I must not be exercising enough."
"WHO! EXACTLY! ARE! YOU?"
"Are your ears worse than this old man's? I already told you. I am the sixty-sixth head of the Uzumaki Clan, Uzumaki Seiryū, known as Sage Seiryū."
Ryota stared fixedly at Seiryū as though trying to see through him.
"The Uchiha Clan has existed longer than the Uzumaki Clan, yet we have only reached a little over forty generations. How could the Uzumaki Clan possibly have a sixty-sixth Clan Leader?"
Seiryū fell silent.
With a sigh, Seiryū slowly shook his head.
"Your hearing truly is failing. This old man clearly said that he was the sixth Clan Leader of the Uzumaki Clan. How did you hear sixty-sixth?"
"Heh. The sixth Clan Leader? That would have been seven or eight hundred years ago."
Ryota sneered, becoming increasingly convinced that there was something strange about this man.
How could anyone say such ridiculous things with a straight face?
"You don't believe me? That's understandable."
Seiryū sighed and began telling a story.
"If that toad and snake had not conspired against me, how could this old man have been sealed for hundreds of years?"
"I never expected that after several centuries, only a handful of members of the Uzumaki Clan would remain."
"Fortunately, Uzumaki Seiryū appeared. His talent is no weaker than mine. No, he is even more talented than this old man. In time, he will become a Sage standing at the same level as me."
"Uzumaki Seiryū is an unparalleled genius rarely seen throughout history. Even this old man cannot help but marvel that such a perfect person exists. He was born with the qualities of a Sage."
"He can inherit this old man's legacy and lead the Uzumaki Clan back to prosperity."
"Once he escapes the influence of the Dragon Vein's chakra, this old man will teach him the secret technique I created, Yin Seal: Eternal Youth Technique."
"What? You want to know what the Yin Seal: Eternal Youth Technique is?"
Although no one had asked, Seiryū continued speaking to himself.
"This technique was created by this old man after studying the forces of nature and understanding the secrets of life."
"Anyone who masters it can restore their youth and escape the limits of age."
Seiryū stroked his beard and sighed with emotion.
"Do you think the title of Sage is something given lightly? This old man's lifespan rivals the heavens, and I can contend with legendary beings. Youngster, do you understand what kind of person stands before you?"
The corners of the Konoha shinobi's mouths twitched.
He was actually using a false identity to praise himself so shamelessly.
They felt embarrassed just listening to him.
"Enough!"
Ryota's expression darkened as he listened to the endless nonsense.
The reason he had not attacked was because he was recovering. The previous strike had shattered his Susanoo.
Because he had controlled Susanoo directly with his own body, he had suffered some backlash.
Fortunately, his body was unusual, and his recovery speed was fast.
After recovering, he stared coldly at Seiryū.
"I can't be bothered to listen to your nonsense. I only want to kill all of you, then go and kill Uzumaki Seiryū."
"Trapped by the Dragon Vein? Heh, no wonder I couldn't find him. Is he in Rōran? Thank you for revealing that information. Now I will send you to your death."
"Oh my, you are quite clever. You actually found a clue in this old man's words. Although you cannot defeat Seiryū, his talent is something this old man has never."
'Boom!'
The incoming Yasaka Magatama interrupted Seiryū.
His figure flashed away as an explosion erupted where he had been standing, leaving behind an enormous crater.
Ryota's face twisted with fury, and his voice was cold and filled with killing intent.
"I am inferior to him? As long as he dares appear before me, I will kill him in the cruelest way possible!"
Seiryū spoke slowly.
"This old man already told you. You are not Seiryū's opponent. He possesses the qualities of a Sage. Compared to him, you are like a firefly beside the moon."
"You're trying to provoke me and make me lose control? I will not repeat the mistakes of my grandfather and brother."
Ryota took a deep breath, suppressing the anger rising within him because of Seiryū's belittling words.
He said coldly, "The weak lose control because of anger, while the strong become even stronger. I will tear that mouth of yours apart."
Seiryū replied in an elderly tone, "Why would this old man need to provoke you? I am merely stating the truth. Ignore the advice of your elders, and you will suffer for it."
"Roar!"
At that moment, a roar erupted from the lake.
The water trembled as waves surged upward.
The Eight-Tails emerged, its eight tails lashing wildly as violent and sinister Tailed Beast chakra filled the surroundings.
"Have I been resurrected?"
The Eight-Tails, having been awakened, looked down at its own hands.
It then noticed the others nearby and turned its gaze toward them.
Upon seeing several familiar figures, its expression became grim.
"Konoha shinobi."
The Eight-Tails, Gyūki, still vividly remembered what had happened.
When it was sealed, it had been forced to watch helplessly as Killer B was killed.
It had been unable to do anything.
It had been completely restrained.
For the first time, it had experienced such helplessness, and it held intense killing intent toward the people of Konoha.
Killer B had been the first partner willing to live and die alongside it. He had even been prepared to sacrifice his own life for Gyūki's freedom.
Finally, as though sensing something, the Eight-Tails looked at the disguised Seiryū and immediately recognized him.
"You killed me once. Do you intend to kill me a second time, Uzumaki Seiryū?"
Seiryū fell silent.
He had already disguised himself.
Even the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan had failed to see through him, yet the Eight-Tails had exposed his identity with a single sentence.
Seiryū continued pretending.
"Although this old man is also a member of the Uzumaki Clan, I am not the Uzumaki Seiryū you speak of, whose talent surpasses even mine."
The Eight-Tails narrowed its eyes and said coldly, "I don't know what kind of game you're playing by changing your appearance. Chakra signatures can be altered, but the presence of a soul cannot."
"Do you think I would fail to recognize the person who killed me once?"
Seiryū fell silent again.
He had not finished having fun.
How had he been exposed so quickly?
"Very good. I wanted to keep playing with him, but you exposed me immediately."
Seeing Ryota's gaze turn toward him, filled with boundless killing intent, Seiryū knew he could no longer maintain the disguise.
He released the Transformation Technique and returned to the appearance of a handsome young man.
He looked at the Eight-Tails and snorted coldly.
"I'm a little annoyed now. You had better be able to withstand what comes next."
"Haha, hahaha!"
The Eight-Tails said nothing. Instead, Ryota burst into wild laughter.
His scarlet eyes stared fixedly at Seiryū as his increasingly intense killing intent locked onto him.
"You finally appeared, Uzumaki Seiryū. At last, I can avenge my grandfather and brother."
"Do you know how long I have waited for this day?"
The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan in Ryota's eyes spun rapidly.
As his emotions surged, the Zero-Tails' chakra sealed within his body became even more violent and sinister.
His power had already surpassed the Kage level.
"I have thought about killing you every moment of every day. That obsession allowed me to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan and fuse it with my grandfather's Mangekyō Sharingan, granting me the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."
"The true power of these eyes has not yet been revealed. This power exists to kill you."
"Now, witness the strength I possess."
After giving Seiryū a cold glance, Ryota turned toward the Eight-Tails.
"Lend me your power, Eight-Tails."
The Dōjutsu of the Mangekyō Sharingan could easily control a Tailed Beast, let alone that of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Tailed Beasts were natural disasters and monsters in the eyes of most people.
However, before an Uchiha possessing the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, they were no different from helpless prey.
With a single glance and one Genjutsu, the Eight-Tails was placed under Ryota's control.
'Hum.'
The space around the Eight-Tails twisted and distorted.
The original distance of nearly a hundred meters was reduced to less than one, bringing it directly beside Ryota.
Ryota leaped onto the Eight-Tails' head and formed hand seals while his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan spun continuously.
He shouted in a low voice, "Majestic Attire: Susanoo!"
Susanoo emerged once more.
This time, it covered the Eight-Tails' body under Ryota's control, forming armor around the Tailed Beast.
The Eight-Tails had been clad in Susanoo.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)