It was a carefully planned ambush, a coordinated strike.
In the tight confines of the corridor, wind fueled the flames. The already massive *Daiendan* (Great Fireball) swelled in an instant, ballooning to fill the entire hallway! Accompanying the roaring blaze were countless high-pressure wind spheres, hurtling forward like rocket artillery!
—That technique, *Shinkū Dagyoku* (Vacuum Great Sphere), was none other than Shimura Danzō's signature move!
Faced with the surging inferno, Uchiha Hikari spun around in an instant, raising her sword for a vertical slash!
No…
To be precise, as she smashed through the last two walls, she had already anticipated the situation and begun the motion of turning and swinging her blade. It was only after entering the corridor that the action was completed. Now, she stood face-to-face with Shimura Danzō and his allies, dozens of meters apart!
In that moment, the three *tomoe* in Uchiha Hikari's eyes spun wildly, forming a pinwheel that drove *Susanoo* to manifest layer upon layer of dense, imposing *Karasutengu* armor. Its massive hands, mirroring her own, gripped a deep, blood-red greatsword that seemed to pulse with life. With a mighty swing, she slashed forward!!
"Hundred-Eightfold… Heavy Cannon Slash!!"
This strike was earth-shattering!
The blade hadn't even completed its arc when a howling gust exploded, like a salvo of heavy cannons!
**BOOM—!!!**
A deafening blast, louder than the explosion at the base's entrance, erupted! It nearly shattered the hearing of everyone present!
Then…
Two colossal waves of chakra collided head-on in the dim corridor! The air was torn apart in an instant. Crimson flames and milky-white shockwaves surged outward, while countless wind-pressure spheres slammed into *Susanoo* and the surrounding walls. Even this, the deepest and sturdiest part of the *Root* base, began to show signs of collapse!
Smoke billowed.
In the original timeline, Shimura Danzō had once used *Shinkū Dagyoku* to instantly knock back Sasuke's *Susanoo*.
But now, Danzō was a decade younger, his *Fūton* (Wind Release) even more potent. Combined with the scorching flames that spread thousands of degrees of heat throughout the corridor, even *Susanoo*'s protection shouldn't have allowed anyone to recover their fighting ability so quickly.
—That's how it *should* have been.
Yet…
Before the heat had even begun to cool, a massive, dark-red figure burst through the sea of flames, charging toward the three figures behind it and swinging its sword once more!
This time, it was a horizontal slash!
The greatsword, now a deep black-red, burned with dark flames coursing along its blade!
—*Amaterasu: Kagutsuchi*!
"Hundred-Eightfold… Crimson Flame Slash!!"
"?!"
"…Protect Lord Danzō!!"
In a flash, a simple yet overwhelmingly powerful horizontal slash tore through the air!
Its momentum was unstoppable, like a scythe swung by the Grim Reaper!
The *Root* ninja who had unleashed the *Daiendan* spread his arms, attempting to block the strike, only to be bisected at the waist.
His body was still in midair when *Amaterasu*'s black flames reduced it to ash.
The massive, ten-meter-long sword carved a giant black arc through the air. Its peerless sword aura swept through the space, black flames flowing, tearing everything in its path—and beyond—into two! Then, in an instant, it incinerated it all!!
For a moment, it felt as if the very air itself was shattering!!
"No… impossible!"
The sword aura and black flames expanded!
Two figures retreated frantically, like cannonballs, but were still caught by the black flames. They flew backward like tattered sacks, crashing through the corridor's end into a wide underground platform. They slammed into the hard stone walls, collapsing in a cloud of dust tinged with the heavy scent of blood!
Massive chunks of rubble fell from above, and the entire space trembled once more.
The *Root* jōnin who had unleashed *Senmenkaze* (Thousand-Faced Wind) was already dead.
But the bandaged man, despite being covered in blood, struggled to lift his head. His eyes, wide with disbelief, stared ahead.
"Impossible… Even a *Mangekyō Sharingan*'s *Susanoo* couldn't possibly withstand my *Shinkū Dagyoku* unscathed…"
On the other side, Uchiha Hikari, having just completed her horizontal slash, let out a soft breath and casually twirled her sword.
With the motion, the sleeves on both sides of her outfit shattered, revealing smooth, pale arms. Several blood-streaked wounds on them healed in an instant.
Then, the gaps in *Susanoo*'s armor, shattered by the wind-pressure spheres, were restored under the infusion of her ocular power, returning to their original state.
*Fūton: Shinkū Dagyoku* was indeed a formidable Wind Release technique.
But…
In the face of *Susanoo*'s fourth form, it was nothing more than that!
That's right.
From the moment she received her *Kage Bunshin*'s memories, Uchiha Hikari had been frantically channeling her ocular power, suppressing it within her eyes. The instant she burst through the walls, she unleashed it, activating *Susanoo*'s ultimate fourth form. With this form, she withstood Danzō's *Shinkū Dagyoku*, then cleaved through the flames with a single slash, charging through the smoke!
When she made this decision, Uchiha Hikari had been prepared to take injuries.
To avoid any unexpected mishaps, she had even held a *Senzu Bean* in her mouth, ready to swallow it if necessary.
—After obtaining the *Senzu Beans*, she had tested them. Both her recovery ability granted by Shenron and the *Senzu Beans* could regenerate lost limbs. Moreover, the beans could instantly restore chakra and "ki." With these two layers of protection, as long as she wasn't beheaded or her body wasn't shattered, she could survive.
But now, it seemed…
She had overestimated Danzō.
Well… after all, the current Danzō didn't yet have that arm full of *Sharingan*, nor had he summoned his summoning beast, *Baku*. On top of that, he hadn't anticipated her arrival at all. With these factors combined, his defeat was inevitable.
Still, she couldn't let her guard down.
After all, Danzō at this time should already have Hashirama's cells implanted. And… that right eye, always hidden beneath bandages, was nagging at her.
(*Could it be a Sharingan…?*)
"Phew…"
Uchiha Hikari took a deep breath and descended from midair. Her feet touched the ground, and she steadied herself against her slight fear of heights. Protected by the skeletal frame of her third-form *Susanoo*, she began walking forward.
*Crunch, crunch—*
The sound of her boots on the rubble mingled with the intermittent crashes of collapsing stones around her.
But Uchiha Hikari's cool, clear voice cut through the chaos:
"So, can you keep dancing, Dan-zō, you little ghost?"
"…"
(*End of Chapter*)