With the dense forest obstructing the view, Hibari couldn't see anything, but he had already released his chakra, bringing the surrounding environment into his perception.
This allowed him to control the Wood Release power, making the entire forest come alive, continuously attacking Eizumi and obstructing his movements.
As for the bone spike, there was no need for much explanation. It was the power of another Kekkei Genkai that Hibari possessed: the Shikotsumyaku.
While the Wood Release had a plausible reason for its existence, as Hibari was a Senju clan member who had inherited the Wood Release power, it was surprising but not entirely incomprehensible, Eizumi was currently in a state of shock, but not outright disbelief.
However, the manifestation of the Shikotsumyaku power on Hibari was completely mind-boggling. No one would have expected it. Kinkaku had died on this very account, as it was a great way to kill someone and steal their belongings; it was completely unexpected.
Eizumi still couldn't figure out what the bone spike was. He hadn't even thought about the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai, since he hadn't seen a bone spike burst out of Hibari's body before. He simply thought it was some kind of trap.
Just as the bone spike shot out, a smile appeared on Hibari's face. "Got him," he murmured.
In his opinion, this attack was unavoidable. He would either be pierced or be captured. No matter what Eizumi chose, the winner would be him.
Of course, Hibari wasn't going for the kill. The bone spike was fast, but it didn't have much killing power. It was very thin and would, at most, give Eizumi a piercing chill in his lower back. It was possible to be seriously injured, but not killed.
The fight between the two had gone on for a while, but neither side had truly tried to kill the other. Didn't Eizumi, when he thought he had 'won,' give Hibari an opportunity to 'beg for mercy'?
Fighting was one thing, but if no one had to die, it was better that way. Especially since Eizumi had a special status as the current Uchiha clan head. If Hibari had killed him on the spot, it might have escalated the conflict and made things even more uncontrollable.
Hibari was here to solve a problem, not to create a bigger one, so he naturally wasn't going for the kill.
Hibari now believed he had defeated Eizumi. Although it took a bit of effort, overall, it wasn't too much trouble.
He felt a bit smug; his strength had grown a lot compared to before, and this was only the beginning. Once he mastered Senjutsu, he would truly enter the ranks of the powerful. Only then would he be qualified to join the battles that could instantly destroy heaven, earth, and air.
But just as Hibari was about to brush his hands together, planning to dispel the jutsu and humble Eizumi , his eyebrows under the bird mask furrowed. It seemed... something unexpected had happened?
Another powerful surge of chakra had appeared where Eizumi was? It seemed to have blocked his sure-fire attack?
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Rampart!" Just then, Eizumi's voice came from the dense forest again, which confirmed to Hibari that he had not truly won.
In the next second, a prismatic earthen wall rose from the ground, breaking through the height of the dense forest and allowing Hibari to see Eizumi, who now appeared to be in a higher position.
Since Hibari had stopped using the Wood Release chakra, the surrounding forest had returned to normal and didn't dismantle the Earth-Style Rampart.
For the first time, an expression of disbelief appeared in Hibari's eyes under the bird mask. He wasn't surprised that Eizumi could use the Earth-Style Rampart or why he had missed his attack. Instead, he was genuinely shocked by the great change that had once again occurred in Eizumi's eyes.
What did he see? He saw a pair of Sharingan that were no longer Three-Tomoe, but a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan!
Uchiha Eizumi, the current Uchiha clan head, had quietly evolved his eyes to the Mangekyō level?
What did the Mangekyō Sharingan mean? It represented Eizumi's true power, which was not to be underestimated in the current shinobi world, where the power level had not yet spiraled out of control.
"Impossible... Mangekyō... You actually awakened the Mangekyō?!" Hibari said in shock. At the same time, a smooth tree trunk grew from the ground beneath him, raising him to the same height as Eizumi's earthen wall.
Although Eizumi had escaped the predicament, he seemed to have used up a lot of energy. His eyes had become Mangekyō Sharingan, but his overall condition didn't look very good. He was breathing heavily, as if he had expended a lot of physical energy.
Eizumi caught his breath, then looked at Hibari. "Hmph, the Mangekyō Sharingan is one of the highest powers of our Uchiha clan. Others have awakened it before, so why can't I?"
"No wonder you're so confident, daring to go against the Hokage Residence. Is it because you've mastered this level of power? I truly underestimated you," Hibari said.
Before, he had always felt that Eizumi's confidence was a bit strange. He didn't know what gave him the confidence to contend for the Fourth Hokage position and possibly try to remove Hiruzen from office early.
Also, when he spoke to him, he was not intimidated at all, as if he had the upper hand. So it turned out that he had been hiding the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan?
When Eizumi heard Hibari's words, he didn't feel proud or happy. Instead, he showed a gloomy and somewhat sad expression. He let out a bitter laugh. "You're not from our Uchiha clan, so you don't understand the pain. Every time our power increases, our Kekkei Genkai expands, and the Sharingan evolves, it represents an extreme amount of pain. If I had a choice, I would rather not have these eyes!"
Hibari fell silent after hearing Eizumi's words. His grandfather Tobirama had once said that the Uchiha clan was a cursed clan, and it wasn't without reason. Their Kekkei Genkai was indeed very powerful. The ultimate Rinnegan could even destroy heaven and earth.
But in the face of this ultimate power, what was destroyed first was their own hearts. Madara was destroyed, Obito was also destroyed, and as for Sasuke... luckily, he had a best friend who truly turned him around; otherwise, he would have been destroyed as well.
So Hibari understood the meaning behind Eizumi's words. Although he understood, he couldn't empathize with it because he wasn't from the Uchiha clan.
Hibari sighed and moved his bird mask to the side, hanging it crookedly on his head, revealing his face. He then said in a low voice, "Judging by your appearance, you probably haven't fully mastered this Mangekyō Sharingan, have you? It probably hasn't been long since you obtained these eyes, has it? If I'm not mistaken... was it because of the last war?"
Eizumi had no intention of hiding it. There was a hint of pain in his Mangekyō Sharingan. He gave a self-deprecating laugh. "My son died on the front lines. He was brought back a mangled corpse. Before he died, to prevent his Sharingan from being taken, he used his own hands to stab and gouge out his eyes... It's normal for shinobi to die in war, but how could I, as a father, not feel the despair my son felt before he died? After that, my Three-Tomoe Sharingan evolved into the Mangekyō... But tell me, would you be willing to get a Mangekyō like this, with this kind of power?"
Hibari showed a look of regret after hearing his words. "War is always so cruel. Your son died, and my brother's father died as well..."
"The Third Hokage is a good Hokage, but the problem is that he has a big flaw in his character. If another war breaks out, his character will be his most fatal weakness. At that time, who knows how many more people in Konoha will die because of it? Who knows how many people will experience the pain of losing a son like I did? And who knows how many people will lose their fathers? Do you understand? That's why I want to seize this power and contend for the next Hokage position. Senju Hibari, are you still going to stop me?" Eizumi looked at Hibari and said in a low voice.
Hibari was silent for a moment. It was true that Hiruzen had some flaws in his character, but no one was perfect. Hashirama loved to gamble, and if Tobirama hadn't been interfered with by Hibari, he would have died a soldier's death in the last war. Who didn't have flaws? Who didn't make mistakes?
Just because Hiruzen wasn't perfect in some areas didn't mean he was a bad Hokage. In terms of power, many talented shinobi left the village during his reign. In the future, the Sannin would leave, Sakumo would commit suicide, and the entire Uchiha clan would be wiped out. These were all tragedies.
But Hiruzen also brought many 'comedies' to Konoha. Decades later, Konohagakure was still standing, and he was the one who was most responsible for creating the 'Will of Fire.' Without this will, it would be a miracle if Naruto didn't turn to the dark side after what he went through.
And to be blunt, he was the one who personally trained the Sannin. Sakumo also grew up during his time. There was a mutual understanding. Even if he screwed up and lost these people, no one else had the right to say anything, did they?
In contrast, while Hibari agreed with some of the things Eizumi said, he couldn't fully agree. Compared to Hiruzen, whom he knew and understood, Hibari didn't know much about Eizumi and certainly didn't trust him.
Who knew if he had bigger flaws and defects than Hiruzen? So, no matter how many tragic stories this guy told, it was impossible for him to change Hibari's mind.
At the very least, Hiruzen didn't lead Konoha to ruin. If you, Eizumi, were in charge, who knows what crazy things would happen? If you actually ended up ruining Konoha, wouldn't that be insane?
"You Uchiha clan members are all paranoid. Third Hokage-sama may have some flaws in his character, but that's no reason for you to be so presumptuous. Who doesn't have flaws? When someone has flaws, the people around him should help him overcome them, not try to solve them with such a simple and crude method like you're doing.
"Uchiha Eizumi, this is why your Uchiha clan has always struggled to get into the center of Konoha's power. It's because you worship power too much. You probably only thought about replacing the Third Hokage after you got the Mangekyō Sharingan, right? This is the most direct evidence. You instinctively rely on this power. It would be crazy to hand Konoha over to you. You need to think about what's really important!" Hibari said bluntly, shutting Eizumi down.
Are you kidding me? Today, you, Eizumi, think the Third Hokage has some flaws that might cause something bad to happen in the future, so you want to get rid of him and become the leader yourself.
If this became the norm, would Hitenn, who didn't like you, also find a way to get rid of you and take the Hokage seat for himself?
If they opened this door, Konohagakure would no longer have a spiritual legacy. It would probably split up and disband sooner or later!
"Hmph, you're still stubborn. You say I rely on power? Fine. In that case, I'll let you see the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan!" Eizumi scoffed.
Upon hearing his words, Hibari moved his shoulders, getting into a ready-to-fight stance. "If you had truly mastered the power of the Mangekyō, I might have listened to your opinion. But for now... don't think you're the only one who has a trump card!"
If Eizumi had truly mastered the Mangekyō, Hibari might have considered a strategic retreat and come back to deal with him after he had learned Senjutsu.
But seeing Eizumi's condition, it didn't look like he had fully mastered the abilities of the Mangekyō Sharingan. So Hibari was confident that he could still suppress him.
And to take it a step further, a person had to have confidence in himself. There were people who, with just their mortal bodies, had defeated the Mangekyō Sharingan, weren't there?
In the past, Hibari's grandfather, Tobirama, was such a man. He had no cheats, yet he still managed to kill Uchiha Izuna with his own skills.
They both had the Senju clan's blood. If Tobirama could do it, why couldn't Hibari?
Therefore, Hibari not only felt no fear toward Eizumi's Mangekyō Sharingan, but he was excited for the first time in a while!
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