521-525

Chapter 521: I Will Bear It, I Will Slaughter, I Will Change! 

"Haha… That’s right. Only by witnessing this omnipresent absurd darkness with your own eyes can you truly understand that we are all merely prisoners of time. No matter how much we struggle, we can never change anything!"  

"Unless—"  

"You kill me before the final battle of this world arrives!"  

When Shinji decided to temporarily spare Uchiha Naga and delve deeper into this lost history, the words of another "Uchiha Naga" from the reverse-flowing river echoed in his mind once again.  

Shinji had no idea what the so-called "final battle" entailed or when it would come. 

Perhaps it was happening right now. 

Perhaps it was the very moment when Uchiha Naga rushed to the battlefield at the heart of Kikyo City, aiming to end the civil war and unify the Uchiha clan.  

Or perhaps— 

By choosing not to kill Uchiha Naga here and now, he might lose the chance to obtain the answers he sought from the other "Uchiha Naga."  

However—  

Abruptly, inexplicably, 

A strong premonition surged within Shinji.  

His decision came from his heart and was verified by his own body. 

His actions were a reflection of his soul.  

And when the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan hidden within his eyes bloomed— 

He would take everything back!  

At that moment—  

Cough… splurt!  

Uchiha Naga staggered as he coughed up blood, barely managing to push himself up from the ground. His face bore a mix of exhaustion and an unrestrained grin.  

Just as he was about to speak—perhaps to explain everything—  

In the distance—  

"BOOM!!!"  

A violent shockwave swept through Kikyo City, sending a raging hurricane in all directions.  

Before their very eyes, wooden towers, palatial halls, and brick-and-wood houses collapsed in a cascade of destruction. Over a dozen colossal Susano'o clashed recklessly, showing no regard for the surroundings.  

A ring of ominous black flames expanded outward, spreading deathly silence—  

"Amaterasu!"  

Countless Uchiha clansmen, clad in garments bearing the Uchiha crest, either scattered in a desperate attempt to escape or transformed into streaks of shadows, leaping from rooftop to rooftop to join the fray.  

Kikyo City descended into greater chaos as more and more Uchiha divided into two opposing factions, engaging in brutal combat.  

Seeing this, Uchiha Naga’s expression shifted drastically.  

"Damn it, there’s no time left!"  

He cast an apologetic glance at Shinji before turning to Uchiha Chi.  

"Sister, you’ll have to tell him everything. After all, we’re the ones who wronged him."  

"He deserves to know the truth!"  

For a brief moment, a flicker of fear appeared deep in Uchiha Naga’s pupils. But he quickly masked it, his face turning grim as he looked toward the battlefield in the distance.  

"I have to go now. If I don't, it will be too late!"  

Uchiha Chi was startled, voicing her concern. "Wait! With your injuries—"  

In response to Uchiha Chi’s worries, Shinji studied Naga closely.  

His Heavenly Constant ability allowed him to record his physical state at the moment of activation and revert to it within thirty minutes. However, there was a limitation—it only recorded the current state.  

In other words, 

Uchiha Naga could no longer revive himself to full health, as he had when Shinji first killed him.  

If he rushed into battle now, the best he could do was revert to his already heavily injured state—the one he was in after Ji stabbed him.  

To enter a battlefield where Susano’o was the baseline combat strength and Mangekyō Sharingan techniques were being unleashed in chaotic, unpredictable waves— 

That was practically suicidal!  

"It’s fine,"  

Uchiha Naga forced a weak smile, clutching his chest.  

The stabbing wound throbbed with agony, and he could feel the damage coursing through his body—his lungs, diaphragm, left triangular ligament, falciform ligament, and the left lobe of his liver—all grievously wounded by Shinji’s seemingly casual strike.  

"But if there’s anyone who can stop this war… 

If there’s anyone who can preserve as much of our clan’s strength as possible to prepare for the Senju’s final assault—  

It’s me!"  

"Then—"  

"I will bear this burden. 

I will become this monster. 

I will—"  

Uchiha Naga’s gaze turned razor-sharp. His expression grew cold.  

"Pick up the butcher’s blade!"  

"I’m counting on you, Sister!"  

With that final, solemn declaration, Uchiha Naga turned without hesitation, clutching his chest as he staggered forward. He leapt onto the rooftop beside the great hall, vanishing into the chaos as he raced toward Kikyo City’s center.  

Shinji did not stop him.  

After all—  

As a member of the future Uchiha clan, Ji was certain that what he was experiencing now was the very moment recorded in the clan’s vague and fragmented history.  

A time long lost. 

A past that could no longer be altered.  

The historical records confirmed that Uchiha Naga had ultimately succeeded in preventing the clan’s civil war. 

They also confirmed that Izanagi had been sealed away as a forbidden technique—its ability to revive the dead hidden from the world.  

In the future, only a handful of Uchiha elites would even be aware of Izanagi’s existence, and even then, only in its Three-Tomoe form.  

This was the true history of the world.  

And yet, through the powers of Heavenly Constant and the forbidden Izanagi, Ji had entered this strange boundary between fantasy and reality.  

His actions here were not truly altering time itself—he had not physically traveled to the past.  

This reverse-flowing river of pure white was a reflection. 

A mirror that cast the past of the shinobi world into view.  

He could not use this fragmented realm to change real history.  

But—  

Since he had come here, since he had seen this world with his own eyes, since he had experienced firsthand the suffering of the Uchiha clan in this era—  

How could he stand by and do nothing?  

Stopping this war was meaningless. 

Uncovering the truth hidden behind history—that was what mattered!  

Only by identifying the root cause of everything could he truly change the future!  

If Uchiha Naga had successfully prevented the civil war, 

Then why, in the future, did the Uchiha Naga who entered the reverse-flowing river become a broken man— 

A hollow shell who had given up on everything?  

Why had he fallen into such despair that he sought to have his past self killed before history even unfolded?  

Who was pulling the strings behind the Uchiha’s downfall?  

What had future Uchiha Naga seen?  

"I will change it!"  

Determination surged through Shinji’s heart.  

And now—  

He needed to know the true cause of this civil war.  

Turning to Uchiha Chi, he demanded:  

"That guy just mentioned the Senju clan’s final offensive. And before that—why did you and Uchiha Claw conspire to kill Uchiha Lei? I need to know everything!"  

Hearing this, Uchiha Chi’s face paled as if recalling something painful.  

She clenched her fists, biting her lip as though struggling to speak— 

Back when they were on their way to the manor, she had deliberately changed the subject when this topic came up.  

It was clear that, to her—to all of them— 

This was a wound too deep to reopen.  

But at that moment—  

Several figures, clad in Uchiha combat attire, suddenly descended from the rooftop of the great hall.  

One of them spotted Shinji standing in the courtyard.  

His eyes widened in shock—then twisted into an expression of cruel delight.  

His lips curled into a sinister grin as he leaped forward, roaring—  

"Shinji—"  

"You traitor!"  

Chapter 522: The Doctrine of Feeding Demons  

Tap. Tap. Tap.  

The sound of several footsteps echoed as a six-man squad landed in the courtyard. Each member wore the standard Uchiha combat attire, long swords strapped to their waists.  

Leading the group were two gaunt-faced men with deep-set eyes and dark circles beneath them. Draped over their shoulders were long scarves adorned with the Uchiha clan emblem. Following closely behind them were Uchiha Yusuke, Uchiha Hayato, and two other Uchiha members—one of whom Shinji had briefly encountered outside the dungeon.  

Ignoring Uchiha Yusuke, who had changed course to intercept them, Shinji fixed his gaze on the two leading figures. More precisely, he focused on the emblem-emblazoned scarves draped over their shoulders.  

Uchiha Nahe also wore the same scarf, suggesting it was a mark of distinction.  

Coupled with the eerie, chilling aura emanating from the two men—an aura starkly different from that of ordinary Uchiha clansmen—  

Could it be…  

These two were the "Captains" Shinji had heard so much about but never met?  

According to Uchiha Ko, "Captain" was not a personal title but a rank, a designation for a specific group—  

A rank reserved for all Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.  

Gazing at the two hollow-eyed men before him, Shinji raised an eyebrow slightly.  

"So, you two are Captains?"  

"You traitor! How dare you speak to the Captains like that!"  

Seeing Shinji not only appear at Uchiha Nahe’s residence but also act as if nothing were amiss, Uchiha Yusuke, standing behind the Captains, erupted in fury.  

"You damn—!"  

"Yusuke!"  

The leading Captain cut him off with a cold reprimand.  

Turning back to Shinji, the Captain fixed him with a piercing gaze, frowned slightly, and spoke.  

"Shinji, is there nothing you wish to explain?"  

"Explain?"  

Shinji was momentarily taken aback by the question. Then, recalling how they had tormented Uchiha Ko, imprisoned him, and even tried to kill him, he let out a cold chuckle.  

"If anything, it’s you who should be explaining to me!"  

The Captain’s face darkened at these words. As if hearing an absurd joke, he let out a mirthless laugh.  

"Shinji," he said, his voice laced with anger.  

"You survived Mount Chii because we sacrificed over a dozen lives to ensure it!"  

"It was our people who risked their lives holding off Senju Sōjin for you!"  

"According to the pre-battle agreement, you were supposed to stay put in the place we arranged for you and, at the clan assembly, denounce Uchiha Sō as planned—so that wretched beast could be removed from power!"  

"But tell me, what the hell are you doing now?!"  

"You injured the dungeon guards, escaped from captivity, and even took our secret weapon—the very thing we needed to defeat the Senju!"  

"On top of that, you turned to Uchiha Nahe, that father-killing bastard!"  

"As expected from a traitor who already betrayed Uchiha Sō. You didn’t even hesitate a second before betraying us too!"  

His fury reached its peak, and his scarlet Sharingan, adorned with intricate patterns, burned with intensity. His face twitched in rage as he glared at Shinji.  

"Because of your reckless actions, the fragile order we fought to maintain has crumbled into chaos!"  

He suddenly pointed toward the heart of Kikyō Castle, where a chaotic battle raged—a scene of utter mayhem. Gritting his teeth, he roared,  

"What, you still think we owe you an explanation!?"  

"Answer me!"  

The furious outburst, combined with his twisted expression, triggered something deep in Uchiha Ko's mind—some buried fear. She shuddered violently and instinctively took several steps back.  

However,  

Shinji remained unfazed by the Captain’s rage. Instead, he furrowed his brows slightly and, with a hint of confusion, replied,  

"You’re saying I’m the one who started this civil war?"  

The Captain did not answer immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  

Behind him, however, Uchiha Yusuke’s face contorted with rage. Glaring at Shinji, he shouted furiously,  

"Isn’t it obvious?!"  

"It’s all because you took the weapon!"  

"Without it, in the next battle, without the doctrine set by our former leader, Uchiha Rei, The Doctrine of Feeding Demons, we’ll have no choice but to send our own Mangekyō Sharingan wielders to the frontlines as sacrifices to win!"  

"You, of all people, should understand what it means to be a sacrifice! To be abandoned by the entire clan! To be isolated and cast aside! Who in their right mind would want that fate? Who would willingly be a sacrifice? What if the next sacrifice is another Uchiha Sō? When will this endless cycle of bloodshed end?!"  

By the time he finished, Uchiha Yusuke seemed utterly drained, his voice sinking into a low murmur.  

"We were bound together by our loneliness…"  

"To protect our loved ones, we created a desperate plan to delay the clan’s inevitable collapse… and because of you, it’s all fallen apart."  

"Now, everything is over."  

Faced with their accusations, Shinji exhaled heavily.  

The Captains’ motives were simple—they just wanted to survive and protect their kin.  

But even knowing their actions were for the greater good, even understanding they persecuted Uchiha Ko to save more clan members—  

Shinji could not accept their methods.  

There was something in their words, a connection, a root cause behind all this madness. Focusing on it, he turned sharply toward Uchiha Chiri and, furrowing his brows, asked,  

"Uchiha Rei’s Doctrine of Feeding Demons—what is it?"  

Hearing the question, Uchiha Chiri finally lowered his head in resignation. Closing his eyes, he let out a weary sigh and answered,  

"It is the only way the Uchiha could keep winning."  

"The only alternative my father found to replace the 'Divine Peach'—the path of feeding demons to keep the Uchiha strong."  

"And…"  

"It is also the root of this clan’s descent into chaos."  

Before Shinji could press for details, Uchiha Chiri, looking defeated, continued his explanation.  

"A month ago, the former clan leader, Uchiha Rei, was on the verge of blindness in his left eye. He could no longer easily revive our people in battle."  

"But the war had escalated beyond control. The entire shinobi world had turned against us. Even with our many Mangekyō Sharingan wielders, we couldn’t secure a decisive victory. The enemy had devised counters to my father’s dōjutsu and forbidden techniques. The battle was at a stalemate."  

"On that fateful day, countless fervent clansmen gathered around my father’s sickbed, pleading for a way to win."  

"Left with no choice, Uchiha Rei lifted the clan’s restrictions on the forbidden technique, Izanagi, and revealed its secrets."  

"On that very day, The Doctrine of Feeding Demons was born."  

"In place of the Divine Peach, the plan was to select Mangekyō Sharingan users as sacrificial candidates to cast Izanagi alongside my father."  

"The plan worked. It resurrected countless fallen Uchiha warriors and led us to unprecedented victories."  

"But there was a cost…"  

As Uchiha Chiri recounted this dark chapter of Uchiha history, the golden dusk faded.  

Amidst the rising embers, thick smoke, and the raging battlefield winds,  

He concluded,  

"And so… the Uchiha stepped into darkness."  

Chapter 523: Are You Lecturing Me? 

After listening to Uchiha Chiri explain the origins of the chaos that engulfed the Uchiha clan, Shinji stood frozen in place, momentarily at a loss, feeling the urge to scratch his head.  

The Uchiha clan’s method of selecting leaders was seriously flawed.  

In the future, Uchiha Fugaku’s appointment as clan head was already questionable due to his soft nature. Even more absurd was that when the Uchiha clan planned their coup, Fugaku chose his own son to act as a double agent. That was already mind-blowing, but what Shinji never expected was that if he traced the lineage back a thousand years, the Uchiha clan had always had this problem.  

Was this some kind of family tradition?  

The second wielder of Izanagi had been directly designated by Uchiha Rai as his own cousin—who was none other than the father of the current clan leader, Uchiha Claw.  

So when the man’s father died, they just picked his son as the next sacrificial pawn?  

How could anyone not find that suspicious?  

After the first victory in the Battle of Chiyama, when the clan needed a Mangekyō Sharingan to resurrect fallen warriors, there had only been a handful of such wars. Yet Uchiha Rai placed his own son fourth in line for the technique, making it seem as though he wanted his son to inherit the clan’s achievements. No wonder Uchiha Claw was dissatisfied enough to stage a coup.  

However, given what Shinji knew about the Uchiha clan, he hesitated for a moment, then turned his head toward Uchiha Chiri and asked hesitantly,  

“Did your father prioritize selecting candidates for forbidden jutsu from within his own family?”  

“How did you know?!” Uchiha Chiri was stunned, staring at Shinji in disbelief.  

This was classified information, something even Nahe wasn’t aware of!  

Shinji’s eye twitched slightly.  

So much for ‘appointing the worthy without favoritism,’ huh?  

His lips twitched as he continued, “Wait a minute... Don’t tell me your family picked candidates by drawing lots?”  

“You know about that too?!”  

Uchiha Chiri was completely dumbfounded, staring at Shinji in shock. “At the time, only my father, my uncle, and I were present. How could you possibly know that?”  

Oh, come on. That’s just too Uchiha.  

Shinji’s expression darkened. In his mind, he couldn’t help but find some justification for the long-dead, never-even-seen Uchiha Rai.  

Sure, it was wartime, but that doesn’t mean you just randomly pick people for something this serious!  

Shinji had already imagined an elaborate family drama.  

Uchiha Claw’s father and Uchiha Rai had been close brothers-in-arms, but they kept their plans hidden from their sons, Uchiha Claw and Uchiha Nahe. Then, without knowing the truth, Claw was chosen as the third sacrifice. When he found out that his cousin Nahe was the one reaping the benefits, his attitude toward Nahe took a drastic turn, filled with mockery and resentment.  

Naïve and kind-hearted, Nahe didn’t understand why his cousin was suddenly treating him this way. Trying to stand up for his brotherly bond, he was instead scolded by his father and cast aside. Still, he wanted to mend the relationship.  

One thing led to another, and in the end, an ignorant, vengeance-filled Uchiha Claw launched his coup. Meanwhile, an equally clueless but suspicious Nahe arrived to confront him—only to accidentally kill his own father in the ensuing chaos, leading to tragedy.  

Did the Uchiha clan have some kind of template they just kept repeating?  

From the Sage of the Six Paths and his rebellious eldest son… 

To Uchiha Rai and Uchiha Nahe… 

To Uchiha Fugaku and his “prodigal” son…  

Just swap a few characters around, and history repeats itself.  

And why the hell didn’t they just tell Claw and Nahe the truth about their selection process? Were they afraid it would be too awkward to explain?  

Shinji fell silent for a moment, then lifted his head, looking toward the center of Kikyo City, where a massive battle between Susano’o warriors was raging.  

For a moment, he was left speechless.  

Right then—  

A squad of six, led by two captains, suddenly approached.  

The ‘captain’ who had spoken earlier unsheathed his sword with a grim expression, coldly glaring at Shinji as he spoke with mocking disdain.  

“So, now that you finally know the whole truth, do you realize how stupid you were?”  

“If it weren’t for your reckless decision to take that weapon behind you—”  

“You stripped us of the only thing we had to offer Uchiha Claw, the only bargaining chip that could stand against the Senju. You forced his hand!”  

“This civil war never had to happen!”  

“You—”  

“Shinji!”  

The captain’s voice thundered. “You are the one who led our clan to ruin and self-destruction!”  

He stepped forward, his face contorted with hatred and fury, nearly pressing up against Shinji’s.  

Then—  

He suddenly swung his hand forward, attempting to grab Shinji!  

“Now, the only way to make amends is—”  

“Come with us!”  

“You will kneel before all the clansmen and beg for forgiveness! Then, with your own blade, you will commit seppuku to atone for your sins!”  

“You will become the glue that binds the shattered clan back together!”  

“If you understand, then act like a man!”  

“Shinji, wake up and take responsibility for your crimes!”  

However—  

Despite the furious shouts ringing in his ears, Shinji remained completely unfazed. He simply ignored the six men before him, lost in thought.  

Then—  

Swoosh!  

A dazzling white blade flashed, forcing the captain’s outstretched hand back.  

The captain stared in disbelief at Uchiha Hikari, who now stood in front of Shinji, gripping a longsword with both hands. Her tattered blue dress fluttered in the wind, and she bit her lip, her face resolute.  

“You bastard! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”  

“That sword technique…?”  

The technique Hikari had just used was none other than Uchiha Flow: Instant Void Slash—the very move Shinji had used earlier to kill Uchiha Nahe.  

This sword style condensed centuries of Uchiha swordsmanship into a single strike. Even a captain possessing the Mangekyō Sharingan was momentarily stunned by its sheer brilliance.  

Meanwhile, Shinji paid no attention to the shouting and threats from these ‘flies’ before him.  

As he pieced together all the information, his suspicions deepened—  

This war, sparked by Uchiha Rai’s Mangekyō abilities and forbidden jutsu, was just too…  

Coincidental!  

Not that Rai’s awakening itself was suspicious—  

But the Senju clan’s reactions were too perfectly timed.  

And the timing of the Uchiha clan’s internal conflict? Also way too coincidental!  

If what the captain said was true…  

If this war had only broken out early because Shinji had taken Hikari away…  

Then there was a major contradiction—  

How did the current clan leader, Uchiha Claw—whom Shinji had never even met—know the exact moment to come to the dungeon and demand Hikari’s return?  

The location of Shinji and Hikari’s imprisonment should have been a secret. The captain’s group had planned to use Shinji’s identity to force Claw’s hand at a clan meeting, meaning Claw shouldn’t have had access to this information.  

And Hikari, their secret trump card—no way her existence was common knowledge.  

In the original timeline, Hikari was supposed to repel the Senju in the next Battle of Chiyama, only to be buried alive by a coalition army in the following war.  

But—  

Before Shinji could finish his thought—  

The captain, enraged by Hikari’s attack, activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, releasing a storm of chakra.  

At the entrance to the hall, spectral black bones began to rise.  

A pair of ghostly, glowing eyes flickered like lanterns in the darkness.  

“The Third Power—Susano’o!”  

The sudden gust of wind whipped Shinji’s hair into his face, snapping his train of thought.  

Like someone deep in existential contemplation, only to have a gang kick open the bathroom door and stare him down mid-dump.  

A vein throbbed on Shinji’s forehead.  

Then—  

Swoosh!  

A murderous glint flashed in his eyes.  

A suffocating wave of bloodlust and fury exploded forth.  

Shinji’s pupils contracted into razor-thin slits.  

His forehead veins bulged as he sneered, voice dark and venomous.  

“…Are you lecturing me?”  

Chapter 524: The Susanoo That Shatters Worlds!  

"Hahahahahaha!"  

The captain, protected within his half-body Susanoo, burst into wild laughter. His voice rose and fell with intensity, filled with contempt and disdain for Shinji.  

"You worthless coward! A deserter who betrayed his own people just to save his miserable life—how could you possibly understand the true power of this strength?!"  

"You call this preaching?!"  

"You have no idea how much we’ve sacrificed for our clan!"  

"You can’t even begin to comprehend the despair of being stranded on a lonely island in the middle of an ocean, where a single raging wave could swallow you whole at any moment!"  

"You don’t understand this solitude! You’ve never stood at the edge between life and death! You lack the resolve to change everything! All you know is how to run away!"  

"You will never, in your lifetime, possess eyes like mine!"  

Inside the pitch-black half-body Susanoo, the captain clutched his face, laughing maniacally. As his ocular power surged, his expression grew more deranged.  

He looked down at Shinji, his mouth stretching into a wide grin. Pointing directly at his nose, he sneered arrogantly:  

"Brat—"  

"When I speak, you listen on your knees!"  

Hearing this, Shinji stared back at him, expressionless.  

"Deserter?"  

He repeated the word, rolling it over in his mouth. Slowly, the corners of his lips curled into a mocking smile.  

Then, in an instant, his expression darkened. Veins bulged on his forehead as fury erupted within him. His voice was cold and thunderous:  

"You worthless trash!"  

"Have you lost even the most basic sense of self-awareness?!"  

"You bark like dogs only when you're leashed by your masters! When the Senju Peach is gone, when you can no longer be resurrected, you cower in fear of losing your pathetic Mangekyō Sharingan! You don’t even dare to step onto the battlefield yourselves!"  

"You force ordinary clansmen to die for you! You send children—children who aren’t even tall enough to reach your chest—into battle to fight and kill in your place!"  

"Tell me—who did this?!"  

"Was it me?!"  

"I didn’t even bother crushing you like insects, and yet you dare to crawl before me and bark? You actually have the audacity to bark in my face?!"  

Shinji bared his teeth.  

His rage surged through his chest, an uncontrollable inferno that no amount of restraint could extinguish.  

His expression twisted into a snarl, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent.  

"It’s time to clean up this useless trash!"  

"Hah! Hahahaha! Such arrogance!"  

By now, both captains, driven mad by the overwhelming, violent emotions flooding their Mangekyō Sharingan, had completely lost control of themselves.  

These eyes—forcefully awakened through the power of the Senju Peach, surpassing the limits of life and death—were nearly impossible for an ordinary Uchiha to master.  

If left unused, they could maintain some semblance of humanity.  

But the moment their power was unleashed—  

They—no, it!  

It would instantly transform into a mindless demon!  

At this moment—  

Not even their Mangekyō Sharingan could perceive the terrifying, blazing chakra waves erupting from Shinji!  

But one person could sense it.  

"This is… the chakra of the Sun Halo Dance that Nahe created?! He learned it just by looking at it once?!"  

Uchiha Chi-li stared at Shinji in shock, her heart pounding as if it were a ship caught in a raging storm.  

A realization struck her—  

With such talent, this child…  

He might have the potential to awaken and fully control a true Mangekyō Sharingan!  

The moment that thought crossed her mind, she took a step forward without hesitation. Ignoring the danger of being caught in the Susanoo attacks from the two captains, she reached out, trying to grab Shinji’s hand to pull him back.  

At the same time, she called out urgently,  

"Shinji! That’s Susanoo—only Mangekyō Sharingan can summon it! It’s both an ultimate offense and defense! Ordinary ninjutsu and taijutsu are useless against it! I know you're furious, but we have to retreat and come up with a strat—"  

Before she could finish the word strategy,  

Beside her, Uchiha Mitsu had already widened his eyes in horror, his entire body trembling as he sensed the terrifying chakra surging from Shinji. He swallowed hard, then, without thinking, grabbed Uchiha Chi-li’s waist and leaped sideways with all his strength!  

"What are you doing?!" she yelled.  

"Run!"  

The next moment—  

"—BOOM!!!"  

A massive shockwave erupted from beneath the ground, as if an unfathomable force had suddenly struck from below!  

The earth trembled violently for miles around,  

As if the very ground beneath Kikyō Castle had jumped!  

As if something vast and monstrous, buried deep beneath the city, had shifted ever so slightly!  

And then—  

It reached out.  

Shinji stood unmoving, his expression cold and indifferent.  

Behind him, the grand palace—an opulent structure that had stood for centuries—suddenly collapsed, crumbling into dust and sinking into the ground!  

Hundreds of meters of earth were blasted into the sky, turning into flaming meteors that rained down like falling stars!  

A massive fissure—over a hundred meters wide—ripped open the land, plunging into a seemingly endless abyss!  

And then—  

Crack!  

At the edge of that bottomless chasm, five colossal pillars—each wreathed in blinding white flames—slammed into the earth like titanic supports from the heavens!  

"—RUMBLE!!!"  

The moment they struck—  

The entire city of Kikyō shook violently!  

The impact was so intense that thousands of Uchiha warriors fighting across the city lost their footing, crashing to the ground.  

The earth itself had become unstable—no longer solid, but elastic, like a massive trampoline. Even channeling chakra into their feet couldn’t keep them balanced!  

The only ones still standing in this apocalyptic shockwave—  

Were the dozen or so warriors locked in battle, wielding towering, seventy-meter-tall Susanoo!  

At that moment—  

Within the ruined battleground—  

Uchiha Nahe, a short sword burning with golden flames clenched between his teeth, staggered out from the dissipating remains of a fallen Susanoo. Standing atop a slain captain’s corpse, he turned his head toward his own mansion, his pupils dilating in shock.  

"What the hell was that?!"  

"Did the Senju clan attack?!"  

"No… no, wait! That guy uses a giant wooden warrior… but these five pillars—what the hell are they?!"  

"Is this some new kind of dōjutsu awakened by one of our clansmen? A technique that summons massive, flaming pillars to crush enemies? Who the hell comes up with these crazy eye powers?!"  

Uchiha Nahe was utterly bewildered.  

But then—  

As he mentally traced the shape of those five burning pillars…  

His eyes widened in horror.  

"Wait a second… that looks like a…"  

"A hand!?"  

The average human hand has a height-to-hand ratio of about 1:9. For a person 170 cm (5'7") tall, their hand is roughly 19 cm (7.5 inches) long.  

And yet—  

That one middle finger…  

Was over 50 meters long!  

Taller than the tallest building in the city—twice its height, even! It was nearly the size of a fourth-stage Susanoo!  

If just a single hand was this enormous…  

Then the thing buried beneath Kikyō Castle—  

How big was it?!  

Chapter 525: Now, Tell Me! Who Should Be Kneeling?  

The moment five massive fingers pierced through the ground from beneath Kikyo Castle and emerged into the world, everything around seemed to revert to its most primitive state.  

It was as if reality itself was being rewoven—an illusion, a dreamlike trance that blurred the lines between truth and fantasy, like waking suddenly from a nightmare.  

At the heart of this upheaval stood Uchiha Yōgo, the captain caught in the very core of this cataclysm.  

In an instant, his ears were filled with an overwhelming roar, a sound so immense it surpassed the limits of human perception. Then, all that remained was a singular, monotonous hum—Riiiiiing—.  

And then—  

Scorching, violent white steam surged forward.  

He had no idea what had just happened. 

He couldn’t comprehend the colossal, terrifying presence lurking beyond the white haze. 

Nor could he understand—  

That what he was facing now was merely the residual shockwave from a single finger of Shinji’s Susanoo piercing through the earth and revealing itself to the world.  

Just the aftershock from that finger breaching the surface had generated a storm rivaling the power of One-Tail Shukaku’s full-force Wind Release: Infinite Sandstorm Breakthrough!  

The immense wind pressure battered against the half-body Susanoo surrounding him. The unbearable force made the Susanoo groan and creak under the strain, its form twisting into a distorted ‘OIZ’ shape. Both hands clamped onto the ground, barely able to hold on, resisting the force that threatened to hurl it away.  

It looked as if it were worshiping—worshiping the true deity of legend, Susanoo-no-Mikoto!  

And so,  

For a long time—an unbearably long time—  

The terrifying turbulence finally began to subside.  

Uchiha Yōgo stood dumbfounded in the sweltering, blinding fog, his pupils trembling violently. The cold and ruthless expression that once dominated his face had vanished in an instant.  

He swallowed hard, his throat dry, and frantically looked around in confusion.  

“W-What just happened?!”  

At that moment—  

The other captain who had stood beside him, the one who had also summoned Susanoo in an attempt to intimidate Shinji—  

Was nowhere to be seen.  

Panicked, Yōgo shifted his gaze, searching desperately for his companion.  

And then—he saw it.  

His comrade—pinned to the ruins by a massive temple pillar, thick enough for a man to wrap his arms around—had been impaled straight through the chest.  

He was still alive, barely.  

His face mirrored Yōgo’s own—confused, dazed, disbelieving. Like a fish gasping for air, he turned his head toward Yōgo in slow, trembling motions, his mouth opening and closing weakly.  

But no words came out. Not a single, coherent sound.  

It was in that moment that Uchiha Yōgo realized—  

It was because he had instinctively dropped to his knees that he had avoided death. 

If he had remained standing, the sheer force of the wind had hurled that pillar like a lightning-fast spear—one that would have impaled him just as easily.  

If he hadn’t knelt… he would be dead.  

And if he was in such a wretched state, what about the others? 

What of Uchiha Yūsuke, Yūto, and the other captains who had stood beside them?  

They were simply—gone.  

As the realization sank in, relief flooded Yōgo’s heart, only to be followed by an icy chill that raced from his feet to the top of his head, freezing him in place.  

In that instant—  

Capturing Shinji, saving their clan, raising the next generation of warriors, replacing Uchiha Sō—  

All of it meant nothing anymore.  

He had only one thought left in his mind:  

Run!  

Yet, just as the impulse to flee took hold—  

The thick, suffocating white mist churned once more.  

Another deafening roar erupted!  

Instinctively, Uchiha Yōgo tried to react. He forced his Susanoo to kneel again, pressing both hands against the ground, bracing for the coming storm.  

But—  

He never got the chance.  

Because—he was already airborne.  

No.  

This wasn’t flying.  

Something had grabbed him.  

His half-body Susanoo was being lifted into the air by two colossal, pitch-black shadows.  

Yōgo lost his balance and tumbled inside the Susanoo, panic twisting his face as he scrambled backward.  

A sickening cracking sound filled the air.  

The pressure was immense. Susanoo—his mighty, supposedly indestructible armor—began to splinter like fragile glass. Countless web-like fractures spread across its form.  

Then—  

The fog abruptly parted.  

And Yōgo saw it.  

The monstrous hand that held him.  

A gigantic hand, wreathed in searing white flames, had emerged from the depths of the earth.  

It was gripping his Susanoo between its thirty-meter-long thumb and its fifty-meter-long index finger, as effortlessly as one might pinch a struggling insect.  

The sheer size of the hand—over a hundred meters across—was unfathomable.  

And far beyond it, beyond the endless abyss from which it emerged—  

Stood its master.  

There, among the ruins, stood the very boy Yōgo had mocked, ridiculed, and dismissed.  

The one he claimed would never awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. 

The one he swore would never grasp the power of Susanoo.  

Yet now—  

Behind that silent, expressionless boy, half-emerged from the abyss, was a titanic figure, its face adorned with the mask of a Tengu.  

It loomed like an obedient guardian, its sun-like eyes burning with a cold, merciless light, gazing down upon him like he was nothing more than an insect.  

At that moment—  

Uchiha Yōgo's mind shattered.  

His breath hitched, his vision blurred—  

He was utterly overwhelmed.  

“This… This… What is this!?”  

Shinji's cold gaze bore into him.  

His voice was calm—scornful.  

“Pathetic. You don't even recognize the power you once took so much pride in?”  

Yōgo’s expression crumbled.  

He trembled violently, staring blankly at the divine, god-like form of Susanoo behind Shinji. Then he looked at his own, pitifully small Susanoo—  

And lost all reason.  

“No! Impossible! This can’t be—”  

Shinji’s lips curled into a smirk.  

His scarlet, triple-tomoe Sharingan eyes gleamed with cold amusement.  

“Oh, but it is. This is the power granted only to those who have awakened both their Mangekyō eyes.”  

“The third power.”  

“Susanoo.”  

His voice grew sharper, colder—each word punctuated like the toll of a bell.  

“That expression suits you well.”  

“Now—tell me—”  

Shinji’s piercing gaze locked onto Yōgo.  

His voice was clear, yet devoid of warmth.  

“Who should be kneeling?”  

The words echoed across the ruins.  

Yōgo gasped for air, his body convulsing, his heart hammering against his ribs.  

His teeth chattered. His lips trembled.  

His hands clutched at his head as he rocked back and forth, tears welling in his eyes.  

Then—he snapped.  

“This—this is an illusion! Hahaha! A GENJUTSU!”  

“NO ONE CAN BE THIS STRONG!”  

But his words were cut short.  

CRACK.  

Shinji sighed, bored.  

The massive fingers squeezed.  

With a sickening pop, Yōgo was reduced to nothing but a red mist.  

Silence.  

Shinji glanced down indifferently.  

As if he had just crushed an insect.  

Then, without hesitation—  

He turned and stepped forward.  

Through the broken temple, past the torii gate—  

Toward the heart of Kikyo Castle.  

Toward the grandest stage in the world.  

As if he had always belonged there.  

“It’s time to end this.” 

(End of chapter)