As soon as Hibari said the words "Flying Raijin Technique," a vein bulged on Eizumi's forehead, and his expression turned incredibly grim. He seemed to have figured everything out.
That's right. As soon as Hibari used "Raging Thunder" to forcefully increase his speed, grabbed Eizumi's waist, and hit him with a "Liger Bomb," he had already marked the back of Eizumi's waist with the Flying Raijin jutsu formula.
Hibari had always known that in a shinobi battle, you had to plan three steps ahead. Strategy was king. As long as you planned well, even a weaker shinobi could still defeat a well-known master.
Eizumi had just used Wind Release to plot against him, Hibari, but fortunately, he saw through it and didn't suffer any losses. And how could he, Senju Hibari, not have plotted against Eizumi as well?
Gambling on whether he had Susanoo was one thing, but leaving a mark of the Flying Raijin Technique on him was another. These were two different strategies, two different plans, a plan within a plan. The goal was to secure victory at the right moment!
And at this very moment, Eizumi was completely unable to use Susanoo to defend himself. This brief window of a few seconds was what Hibari had been waiting for all along, which was why he hadn't used the Flying Raijin Technique until now!
At the same time, Eizumi had never expected that Hibari would have learned the "Flying Raijin Technique." Wasn't the barrier to entry for that jutsu incredibly high? Wasn't it a jutsu that even Hashirama, the God of Shinobi, couldn't learn? Wasn't it the Second Hokage's unique jutsu?
But the facts were right in front of him, and he didn't have time to think about all that nonsense.
The Flying Raijin Technique was the fastest jutsu in the shinobi world. Not even Hibari's "Raging Thunder" combined with his Lightning Release Armor was as fast as this jutsu.
Before the words had even faded, Hibari was already behind Eizumi. Just like before, he grabbed both sides of Eizumi's waist, and the power of the Lightning Release Armor naturally attached to Eizumi's body, paralyzing him for a brief moment, making it impossible for him to move.
Hibari then lifted him up, raising him off the ground.
This time, a look of terror appeared on Eizumi's face. Wasn't this the "Liger Bomb" that he had just barely survived with his Susanoo and even then, still coughed up blood? If he took another hit in his current state, he would surely die on the spot!
But everything happened too fast. He couldn't dodge and couldn't even speak...
As expected, the sound that filled him with despair and the sense of death reached his ears...
"Liger Bomb!!!" Hibari roared, and in one swift motion, he slammed Eizumi, who he was holding in mid-air, back down to the ground. This time, there was no stopping it!
In that moment, Eizumi's eyes seemed to see his deceased son. That's right... His son died for Konoha. He must have wanted to see Konohagakure become a better place, right? He must have wanted to win the war, right?
When he thought about it, what was he even doing? He was using the banner of caring for Konoha, but in essence, he just wanted to seize power.
As Hibari said, there was nothing wrong with wanting power, but there had to be a proper way to get it. If he opened the door for a 'coup,' could he ever close it again? With the power of his Mangekyō?
But... even with this Mangekyō, hadn't he still lost to Hibari and was about to die here?
'Worshipping power... but ultimately, being defeated by power... What an irony. Did I choose the wrong path?' Eizumi thought to himself in his final moments, seemingly letting go of something.
Just then, the rushing wind suddenly stopped. The powerful force suddenly came to a halt, which made it unbearable for Eizumi. His internal organs were hit with the impact.
The last time he was hit with the "Liger Bomb," even though his Susanoo protected him, he still suffered some serious internal injuries, which he had to forcefully suppress.
This time, he couldn't hold back the impact of the sudden stop. He coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood, and there were even some bits of internal organs on the corner of his mouth. It looked like he was seriously injured.
But to his surprise, he wasn't dead?
The moment his mind came back to him, he tilted his head and saw that his head was only a few centimeters from the ground. The powerful force from that distance was enough to blow away the small stones on the ground. If he had been slammed down, he would have definitely died.
Instinctively, Eizumi seized the opportunity and activated the power of his Susanoo. However, just as the power began to emerge from his back and before it could even form a hand, he heard Hibari's voice.
"You've already lost, and you've already 'died.' Do you still want to keep fighting?" Hibari said in a low voice.
That's right. He had held onto his bottom line in that final moment. He didn't kill Eizumi for the sake of getting his Sharingan. He didn't want to leave trouble and a hidden danger for Konohagakure and annoy Hiruzen.
So, just as the Liger Bomb was about to land, Hibari stopped his movements, sparing Eizumi's life.
When Eizumi heard Hibari's words, he froze. The Susanoo behind him also stopped expanding. Then, a look of relief appeared on Eizumi's bloody face, and he said openly, "I lost... This world really is that unreasonable... I had the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan... but I still lost to a kid like you."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Susanoo energy behind him instantly dissipated. It seemed that he wasn't going to resist anymore.
Hibari rolled his eyes when he heard Eizumi call him a 'kid.' He loosened his grip and threw Eizumi to the side.
Eizumi fell to the ground and almost coughed up blood again.
"Old man, get rid of that nasty habit of yours. You're acting your age. It's only because I, Senju Hibari, am a generous person who can tolerate the world that I won't hold it against you. Otherwise, just for the way you talk, I should have killed you on the spot." Hibari dusted off his hands and deactivated his Lightning Release Armor, saying in an annoyed tone.
Eizumi didn't get up from the ground. Instead, he lay there, his body spread out like a starfish, staring blankly at the clouds floating in the sky, lost in thought.
At the same time, as the battle between the two came to an end, a group of Uchiha clan shinobi quickly gathered around.
That's right, Hibari and Eizumi had fought so intensely and caused such a huge commotion that the Uchiha clan members weren't blind or deaf. How could they not have seen or heard it?
After they rushed over and saw that it was the Anbu Commander, Senju Hibari, engaged in an intense battle with their clan head, they knew that both were men of status, position, and dignity, unlike regular shinobi. And judging by the looks of it, it was a one-on-one fight, so the other Uchiha clan members didn't interfere.
They felt that they couldn't even help anyway. The two were like monsters; one had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, and the other had an endless supply of tricks. If they went in, they might just hold their clan head back, so it was better for them not to.
So, they were all watching from the sidelines. They witnessed the power and peculiarity of the Mangekyō Sharingan and 'Magatsumikoto,' and they also witnessed the battle of wits between the two. The situation kept changing, but in the end, Senju Hibari was a little better and won against their clan head.
This made the surrounding Uchiha clan members' emotions complicated. As for hatred, Hibari had indeed won fair and square with his impeccable strength and excellent combat intelligence. And he had even held back in the end and didn't kill their clan head. The Uchiha clan was proud, but they weren't sore losers, were they?
So, they couldn't exactly hate Hibari for what he did, but seeing him turn their proud Uchiha clan compound into this desolate mess and pinning their clan head to the ground, it was impossible for them not to feel frustrated.
So, the way they looked at Hibari was very hard to read.
Hibari glanced at the situation, put his bird mask back on, and said bluntly, "What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen an Anbu on a mission? Get out of here!"
When the Uchiha clan members heard Hibari's arrogant words, they hesitated. Some even had annoyed expressions on their faces.
Just then, Eizumi, who was lying on the ground looking at the sky and pretending to be dead, suddenly spoke in a low voice, "Disperse. Don't crowd around here. Hibari and I were just sparring. It's nothing."
As he said this, he got up from the ground, but judging by his movements, he was indeed seriously injured.
When Hibari heard Eizumi's words, a smile appeared on his face. He could tell that Eizumi was convinced!
"Go on, go on. You're always crowding around. You're from the Police Force, so you should be out there catching bad guys. Don't just stand here and stare," Hibari said, waving his hand, shooing them away.
With their clan head speaking, the others hesitated for a moment but eventually dispersed.
After everyone had left, Eizumi sat on a shattered rock, covering one of his eyes with his hand. His eyes had returned to their normal black pupils, and the power of the Sharingan had dissipated.
Seeing his miserable state, Hibari smiled. "Do you need me to call you a doctor? Coincidentally, I know a little bit about everything, but I'm no good at medical ninjutsu..."
"You kill, but you don't bury, huh?" Eizumi said, glancing at Hibari with his other eye. Without waiting for Hibari to speak, he continued, "You don't need to worry about me. I can find a doctor myself."
"No good deed goes unpunished. You're on your own, then..." Hibari said with a laugh.
Eizumi almost coughed up blood from his anger. All these injuries were from you, weren't they? If you had a good heart now, why didn't you go easy on me earlier?
But he didn't say anything and just rubbed his eyes tiredly. He had indeed awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, but he hadn't evolved it into the Eternal Mangekyō, and he didn't have any of old man Hashirama's cells to help him. So, the side effects were still very severe. This battle had also slightly diminished his eyesight.
"The more power I use, the closer I get to darkness? Maybe I should have figured that out a long time ago..." Eizumi murmured in a low voice.
Hibari looked at him and said, "I didn't come here just for a friendly spar. You should be able to tell from my outfit. I came with the will and a mission from the Hokage Residence. The fight's over, so give me a straight answer..."
Eizumi put down the hand covering his eye and looked at Hibari with bloodshot eyes. He was silent for a moment, then said, "Look at my injuries. Do I still have a chance to contend for power at the Hokage Residence anytime soon?"
"Heh, I suppose not. You'll have to lie in bed for at least two or three months." Hibari said with a laugh.
The two were silent for a moment again. Then, Eizumi said, "The house is a mess. I won't keep you for lunch, Commander Hibari..."
Hibari smiled. "It's no trouble. Just eat well yourself. I'll be on my way..."
Although Eizumi didn't say it outright, Hibari knew that his objective had been achieved. There was no need to stay here. It was better to give the Uchiha clan head some face and a way out.
As they say, when you do business, you should always leave a line, and things will be easier to deal with in the future.
He had just walked a few steps when he heard Eizumi's voice again.
"Senju Hibari, as long as you're in Konohagakure, until I die, the Uchiha clan..." Eizumi stopped in the middle of his sentence, seemingly unable to continue.
But Hibari didn't turn his head. He just smiled, waved his hand, and said, "I understand, I understand. I'll be on my way now if there's nothing else."
Hibari knew that this time, he had beaten Eizumi, a 'Mangekyō user,' until he was completely convinced. This way, he had once again perfectly completed a mission and maintained his excellent '100% mission success rate.'
Only after Hibari's figure had completely disappeared from his sight did Eizumi look away. He then looked at the surrounding area. Where was the familiar atmosphere of the Uchiha clan compound?
Looking at the surroundings, Eizumi suddenly smiled and murmured, "He really helped me change the style... Senju Hibari."
Just then, he heard a subtle sound. His expression changed, and he jumped to his feet, chasing after Hibari.
"Senju Hibari! You'd better pick up all your venomous snakes! Are you even a human being? You should at least finish what you started!"
"They're for you to replenish your body! Snake gall is a great tonic!"
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