The black flames roared violently, crackling loudly, but Shisui remained unaffected.
A cyan-colored skeletal frame materialized around him, encasing his body and shielding him from the fire.
Rasa, who was receiving treatment nearby, noticed the sudden appearance of this skeleton around Shisui and narrowed his eyes.
He had seen Saitama use this technique before—a deadly fusion of attack and defense that far surpassed ordinary ninjutsu.
"Is this one of the Uchiha Clan's Secret Arts?"
Gathering his strength, Rasa half-sat up. Having battled Konoha ninja for so many years, he had fought against Uchiha shinobi before—but this technique, he had only ever seen used by these two.
"Phew! Made it!" Shisui exhaled deeply.
Through [Susanoo], he saw the black flames outside—like a leech fused to bone—clinging fiercely to the cyan frame and devouring it relentlessly.
"This is the jutsu from your eyes?"
Maintaining [Susanoo] while resisting [Amaterasu], Shisui's mind raced with thoughts.
Saitama locked in with his left eye—the Mangekyou gleaming faintly—as a smirk curled across his lips.
Earlier, he had the chance to unleash [Amaterasu] before Shisui activated [Susanoo].
But he didn't think it necessary. He only wanted to use [Amaterasu] to slow Shisui down and escape.
"I hope you enjoy my gift, Shisui!"
Saitama placed his right hand on his sword hilt. The Mangekyou pattern flashed momentarily in his eyes before returning to the normal Three-Tomoe state.
"Tch. Trying to run now, are you?" Shisui narrowed his eyes, preparing to command [Susanoo] to intercept Saitama when he suddenly noticed the black flames growing stronger—they now engulfed the entire frame and showed no sign of stopping.
His ocular chakra continued draining rapidly. Shisui realized that as the black flame burned his [Susanoo], his ocular energy was being sapped faster than expected. Under such circumstances, he wouldn't have time to block Saitama.
"Damn it!" His vision flickered, turning temporarily dark, causing [Susanoo] to briefly lose form before stabilizing again.
After giving Shisui one last intense glance—still locked in battle with [Amaterasu]—Saitama prepared to leave.
A surge of chakra waves entered his sensory range—it had to be Suna's Reinforcement Squad approaching.
Glancing sideways, he caught sight of the fallen Rasa once more, smirking slightly.
"Lucky you survived this time. Next time won't be so kind."
From afar, Saitama formed words silently toward Rasa, expressing his feelings clearly.
"Stop him!"
Two nearby ninja, seeing Shisui occupied by a technique while the enemy attempted to escape, grew anxious and moved to intercept.
"No, Sakan!"
Still using his ocular power to resist [Amaterasu], Shisui looked up and saw Sakan charging forward.
On! Saitama vanished from the spot just as Sakan's foot came crashing down where he'd stood seconds before.
A surge of power vibrated the sand beneath, sending dust swirling into the air.
A Blue-White Surge of Electric Shock flashed—and Saitama reappeared right behind Sakan.
Crack! A hand slammed onto his shoulder as Saitama narrowed his eyes, revealing a dangerous glint.
He had held back against Shisui, but that didn't mean he'd show the same restraint to others. He had already killed countless Konoha ninja — men like Sakan.
"Do you know Liang Jingru?" Saitama's eerie voice emerged beside Sakan, causing his body to stiffen.
As a taijutsu-focused ninja, he had great confidence in his martial arts skills, but the enemy's speed was just too absurd.
Cold sweat broke out suddenly on Sakan's forehead. He tightened his right hand and prepared to counterattack.
Though the enemy was strong, he still couldn't just sit there waiting to die.
Slicing sound! A blade appeared at Sakan's chest, with slight streaks of blood on it.
It was Saitama's sword — a classic 'in white, out red,' piercing through his back and exiting from his front.
"Ugh..." Shock flickered across Sakan's face before he glanced down at the blade protruding from his chest, crackling with arcs of energy.
"Tch!" Saitama snorted coldly, clearly unimpressed.
"Sakan!" Shisui and the other ninja — Hiro — cried out in unison, struggling to believe Sakan had been pierced through in a single strike by Saitama.
"Damn it!" Inhaling sharply, Shisui prepared to unleash power — he'd finally grasped how [Amaterasu] worked.
It seemed to burn whatever it touched — if I deactivate my [Susanoo], the flames should vanish.
"Goodbye!" Saitama pushed Sakan over, pulled out his blade, glanced back at Shisui, noticed he was deactivating his [Susanoo], shook his head slightly, and stepped away.
"Stay right there!" Shisui reached out toward Saitama, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his eyes, his vision blurring. In an instant, everything turned pitch-black — the world was swallowed by darkness.
Plop! His body swayed uncontrollably as he plummeted toward the ground.
"Captain!" The remaining Konoha ninja stared at Shisui, concern flooding his face.
"Has even our captain fallen already?" He stopped his originally intended dash toward Sakan and instead rushed toward Shisui.
Likewise, the ninja tending to Rasa also abandoned his patient and dashed toward Shisui.
Shisui soon regained consciousness, but the Mangekyou pattern in his eyes had vanished, reverting to the Three-Tomoe state.
Moreover, the gleam in his eyes dimmed significantly.
"So my eyes have already reached their limit?" Shisui realized the cause of his current state. Staring at Saitama's retreating figure, his hands clenched tightly in frustration.
"Next time... definitely..." he murmured inwardly. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness struck him, plunging him into unconsciousness again.
Since he first awakened his Mangekyou, this was only the second time he had used it — he had yet to master the balance required.
Had it not been for Saitama holding back during their fight, he probably would've already been overwhelmed and defeated.
But even so, in terms of ocular chakra alone, Saitama had completely outclassed him.
Even after facing techniques derived from the Mangekyou, Saitama showed absolutely no adverse effects — remaining in peak physical condition.
...
"Lord Kazekage!"
Saitama quickly vanished from the scene. Soon after he disappeared, many Suna ninjas arrived searching for him.
They quickly spotted Rasa slumped in the sand and also noticed the four Konoha ninjas.
Protecting Rasa in the center, they surrounded the Konoha ninjas while staying alert.
...
Konoha Village, Hokage Building.
Minato Namikaze tapped his fingers against the desk, feeling uneasy.
Nara sat at the office seat beside him, flipping through some documents.
"Shikaku, I have a really bad feeling about this situation. It's been a long time since I've felt something like this!"
Frowning, Minato looked toward Shikaku.
Shikaku paused, putting down the documents in his hand and lifting his gaze to meet Minato's eyes.
"Once they return, we'll understand what's happening."
Shikaku remained calm and rational. He always planned things carefully based on the intelligence he gathered, never relying solely on instinct.
Knock knock! A knocking sound came from outside the door, followed by a voice from an Anbu ninja.
"Minato-sama, Kakashi's ninja hound has returned with intelligence!"
After reporting thus, the Anbu waited for Minato's permission before opening the door and allowing entry to a gruff-looking dog wearing a forehead protector.
Kakashi originally meant to bring the report himself, but so Minato could get the news faster, he sent it ahead with his ninja hound while he was still on his way back.
The ninja hound Pakkun could only report that "the Jinchuriki of the Seven-Tails has been captured by the enemy." The specific details would still need to be explained in person by Kakashi.
As Minato watched Pakkun approach, a sense of unease washed over him.
"Greetings, Minato-sama, greetings, Shikaku!"
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