The silver-haired boy in front of him wasn't even from the Uchiha clan, yet his speed sent a prickle of danger down Uchiha Naraku's spine.
How old is this kid? The thought flashed through Naraku's mind as his sword clashed against Kakashi's.
A sudden chill raced across the back of Naraku's neck. His instincts screamed. He twisted his head just enough to catch a flicker of movement—Shisui had appeared behind him without a sound, his black cloak barely whispering in the humid air of the giant toad's stomach.
The gleaming edge of Shisui's ninja blade reflected a cold, merciless light.
Fast! The glint stung Naraku's eyes a split-second before the blade arced toward his neck in a lethal slash.
"Humph. You never learn, do you?" Naraku's voice was icy calm as if taunting death itself.
The next instant, steel bit through flesh.
The sword sliced cleanly across Naraku's neck. His head separated from his body in a crimson spray. For a heartbeat the world stood still—then blood fountained in a gruesome arc.
But only for a heartbeat.
Before Kakashi could even draw a sharp breath, the gushing blood reversed course. Scarlet droplets swirled backward as if pulled by an unseen current, flowing into the severed stump. Bone reknit. Flesh sealed. Naraku's head snapped back into place, perfectly whole.
Impossible… going back in time? Kakashi's heart gave a hard jolt. His single visible eye narrowed. He understood almost at once.
Not a simple healing jutsu… it's a dōjutsu.
Naraku had recorded the moment before the strike landed, freezing a perfect image of his uninjured body. So long as that ocular technique remained active, every wound would reverse, every death undone.
A chill of realization passed through Kakashi. "Listen carefully," he barked, his tone crisp. "Rin, Shisui, Jiraiya-sensei—his eye technique rewinds time. During the technique's span, any injury will simply restore. He can trade his life for ours without consequence. Be on guard!"
"Understood!" the three answered almost in unison, their expressions tightening.
There was no time for awe at such a fearsome power. The battlefield allowed no pause.
Naraku's thin lips curved upward, amusement flickering in his crimson eyes. "Perceptive, Kakashi," he said, his voice laced with a subtle menace. "I didn't expect you to decipher the ability of the God of Time Guardians so quickly. Impressive. But that only means…" His smile vanished, replaced by a predator's grimace. "…I must kill you first."
The air around him distorted. Yin and yang seemed to invert as a torrent of pupil power erupted from his left eye. Chakra surged like a storm tide. Out of that maelstrom a massive, scarlet skeleton began to form—a Susanoo's skull, jagged and menacing. Its hollow sockets burned with a malevolent red glow.
An icy pressure rolled outward. Kakashi and the others stiffened as the chill scraped down their spines like razor-tipped wind.
But they were all Kage-level shinobi. Instinctively, each flooded their bodies with chakra, repelling the invasive cold before it could seep deeper.
Susanoo… first stage. Kakashi's mind ticked swiftly. The half-formed giant towered more than ten meters high, its violent chakra aura thrumming like a war drum. Even half-complete, it radiated pure intimidation.
Naraku's laughter rang out, sharp and triumphant. "Behold! The power of a god!"
Kakashi's gaze stayed level, unimpressed. "Not bad," he replied flatly, a cool glint in his eye.
Showy little brat, Kakashi thought. You're still green if you think that'll scare me.
Naraku's eyes narrowed at the lack of awe. "Insolent ant," he spat, voice cracking like a whip. "Die!"
With a mental command, the colossal skeleton drove its fist forward. The scarlet giant's punch tore through the air, whipping up a hurricane of violent wind.
Kakashi crouched, preparing to evade. But before the fist struck, emerald chakra flared. In a blur of motion, a second giant skeleton, gleaming a radiant green, surged up to meet the crimson Susanoo. The newcomers' emerald fist met Naraku's scarlet one with a deafening BOOM.
Shisui had arrived in front of Kakashi, his body flickering like a wisp of smoke, Mangekyō blazing. His own Susanoo shimmered, translucent yet formidable.
The clash thundered through the massive stomach of the Rock Toad that had swallowed them. The ground quaked violently. The giant toad gagged, nauseated by the explosive chakra battle raging inside it. From the walls around them, digestive fluids bubbled and hissed, oozing dangerously closer.
Jiraiya slapped his palm to the slick stomach lining, channeling his chakra to soothe his summoning companion. "Easy, old friend," he murmured. "Not yet. Don't swallow us now."
A mistake here could mean being dissolved alive.
Kakashi, watching the scarlet and emerald titans locked in a brutal stalemate, quipped with dry humor, "Tsk tsk… Even the Rock Toad finds your Susanoo foul, Naraku."
He threw a glance at Shisui and hastily added, "Not yours, Shisui. Yours shines like an emerald—can't compare to his creepy skeleton."
Shisui gave a small shake of his head, the corner of his mouth hinting at a smile. "Don't worry, Kakashi-senpai. I'm not offended. Power itself isn't evil. Only the one who wields it decides that."
"Well said," Jiraiya interjected, genuine admiration coloring his tone. A young Uchiha with that perspective… maybe the elders misjudged this clan after all.
Naraku's eyes blazed hotter. "Evil?" he echoed with a derisive laugh. "You mortals chatter of good and evil like children. Ants cannot comprehend godhood."
His gaze locked on Shisui, hunger and fanaticism mixing in his expression. "But you, Shisui—you are different. You've touched the realm of gods. Join me. Abandon that foolish village that betrayed Madara-sama's will. Stand with us, and ascend to true divinity!"
Shisui's eyes narrowed, his voice calm yet resolute. "I refuse. Konoha is my home. My comrades are there—the people I swore to protect. Anyone who threatens them… will fall by my blade."
Naraku's face darkened, lips curling in a snarl. Then he threw his head back and unleashed the classic, manic Uchiha laugh. "Hahahaha… How pitiful! You, with one foot in godhood, still cling to the Senju's pathetic 'Will of Fire.' Fool!"
He dropped his voice to a hiss, sharp with venom. "Then hear the truth! The so-called flame of the Hokage? That fire was Uchiha's first! Konoha's very foundation was Uchiha Madara's dream."
His voice rose, echoing through the toad's cavernous belly. "Those petty clans—Sarutobi, Shimura, Mito, Uzumaki—who bowed to Hashirama, they were nothing but house slaves! Yet the Uchiha were scorned, our birthright stolen. The title of First Hokage ripped from our grasp. And now these lesser clans dare to trample us?"
His chakra flared with his fury, Susanoo's fist hammering the emerald giant again and again. "Tell me, why should such a rotten village exist?"
Scarlet energy crackled with each enraged punch. The giant skeleton's blows came like thunderclaps, shaking the very air.
But Shisui stood firm. His emerald Susanoo countered every strike with measured precision, each clash sparking brilliant flashes of green and red. I will not yield, his resolve burned silently. I fight not for power, but for the bonds I cherish.
Naraku's assaults grew wilder, as if venting decades of bitter rage. Shisui met him blow for blow, neither retreating an inch. The chamber reverberated with their duel—two gods in miniature locked in a storm of fury and will.
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The battle of emerald and crimson raged on, echoing through the stomach of the great Rock Toad, each strike a clash of ideals as much as strength. The outcome would not only decide their fates, but the path of the Uchiha themselves.
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