Well, that made sense!
Kaede's genjutsu was certainly bizarre—so subtle that even the Mangekyō couldn't detect it.
But this time, he had cast it on over a hundred people simultaneously!
From any angle, such a genjutsu couldn't possibly be used at will.
After all, Shisui's terrifying Kotoamatsukami had a cooldown of several years.
To control this many people at once… Kaede probably wouldn't be able to use that technique again for a long time!
At the very least, during their battle, they no longer had to worry about attacking illusions!
But... was that truly the case?
Kaede smiled silently—his evolved senses allowed him to clearly hear their conversation.
The real reason he wasn't using Kyōka Suigetsu (Mirror Flower, Water Moon) was to test the extent of his current strength.
After his full-body evolution, he had always relied on the Mangekyō and Kyōka Suigetsu in combat.
Now that he had mastered the Mangekyō, it was time to reacquaint himself with his other abilities.
So… let them keep guessing!
Activating his dōjutsu, Kaede instantly appeared between the two of them.
With a sweep of his sword, he slashed toward Hiruzen, who scrambled to block.
Itachi seized the opportunity to strike at Kaede's back.
But in the next moment, Kaede vanished again—reappearing some distance away.
"Another space-time technique?"
Hiruzen's face twitched in frustration. He was painfully aware—
With such a technique, Kaede could come and go as he pleased.
Even if they won today's battle, they couldn't prevent Kaede's escape, making him Konoha's greatest threat.
But Itachi, who had been closely observing, said:
"Hokage-sama, I've seen through Kaede's space-time technique."
Hiruzen's eyes lit up instantly. "Tell me!"
Itachi explained, "Every time he uses this ability, he doesn't appear from a blind spot."
"This suggests that his technique requires a medium—just like the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God."
"From my observation, each time he activates his ability, he leaves something behind—kunai, shuriken, or even small stones."
Hearing this, Hiruzen's mind raced.
"I see! Minato's technique lets him reappear near marked kunai. Kaede's space-time dōjutsu must involve swapping places with marked objects!"
"And just now… that pebble must have been what he marked during his attack!"
Bit by bit, the two of them swiftly unraveled the mystery of Kaede's ability!
But Kaede wasn't just going to stand by and watch.
Before they could finish their conversation, he was already charging toward them.
"Your analysis is decent. But do you really have what it takes to counter it?"
With a single thrust, over ten sword lights enveloped the pair!
Itachi's face twisted in alarm. "His speed increased again!"
Both of them quickly swung their weapons in defense, silently grateful that Kaede had targeted them both together.
If either had faced him alone, they wouldn't have lasted even this long!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In just a few breaths, Kaede had unleashed countless strikes.
Hiruzen and Itachi were completely suppressed!
At this intensity, Itachi could hold on, but Hiruzen, being older, began to falter quickly.
Within minutes, he was gasping for breath, his attacks slowing dramatically.
Kaede, in contrast, showed no signs of fatigue—his speed remained terrifying.
"I can't keep fighting him in close combat!"
Gritting his teeth, Hiruzen forced his staff to explode outward, enlarging it several times over and blasting Kaede back.
Only then did he quickly stretch out his sore arms.
He shouted to Itachi, "We mustn't let Kaede get close again!"
Itachi had Susanoo to defend himself—but Hiruzen had nothing.
Even with Itachi taking some pressure, Hiruzen couldn't spare the focus to weave hand seals for jutsu.
That meant he couldn't leverage his greatest strength as the 'Professor' of the shinobi world.
Ever since aging, Hiruzen's specialty had been complex and diverse ninjutsu.
After shouting, Hiruzen signaled Itachi and began weaving hand seals.
"Fūton: Daitoppa! (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!"
Itachi immediately understood and formed seals as well.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!"
With full power and the wind feeding the flames, a scorching fireball several dozen meters wide surged toward Kaede.
The intense heat made Kaede narrow his eyes.
"A combined technique? Not bad."
Taking a deep breath, he didn't bother with flashy hand seals.
Instead, he reversed his grip on Kyōka Suigetsu, resting it at his waist.
"Battōjutsu! (Iaido Sword Draw)"
Then—he slashed with all his might!
In an instant, a blinding arc of sword light was unleashed.
Sword aura!
His evolved swordsmanship had now touched the peak of samurai mastery.
With his superior physical body, he could confidently say—no samurai in the shinobi world could match this slash!
Not even Hanzō the Salamander or Mifune of the Land of Iron!
The sword light collided with the fireball—splitting it in two!
The divided fireballs whooshed past Kaede, destroying everything behind him for dozens of meters.
But Kaede's sword aura continued forward—aiming straight at Hiruzen and Itachi.
In that critical moment, Itachi stepped forward!
Susanoo manifested once again, advancing to its second stage.
With a swing of the Totsuka no Tsurugi (Ten Fists Sword), he finally dispelled the sword aura.
"Tch… bringing out your trump card already?"
Kaede shook his head with disinterest.
"Seems that's your limit for now. In that case, I'm done playing."
As he spoke, a deep blue Susanoo enveloped him.
And it wasn't just any stage—it was the third stage!
In its left hand: the Futsu no Mitama no Tsurugi (Sword of Spiritual Purity).
In its right: a spiritual version of Kyōka Suigetsu, surrounded by crackling lightning.
The heavy, tengu-like armor added an overwhelming presence—visibly stronger than Itachi's Susanoo.
Itachi's face darkened—he hadn't expected Kaede's Mangekyō mastery to outstrip his own so completely.
Hiruzen, for his part, was completely dumbfounded.
"This… this is the power that was once called divine decades ago?"
Kaede scoffed.
"Foolish frog at the bottom of a well. This is merely Susanoo's third stage."
"If I entered its ultimate form, I could erase Konoha from the map with a single slash."
Hiruzen's mouth twitched. "This is only the third stage?!"
Itachi nodded solemnly. "I can only manage the second stage right now."
Kaede stared coldly at the two, their fighting spirit visibly waning.
"No more talk. Let this final strike end it."
He crossed Futsu no Mitama and Kyōka Suigetsu, then swung with explosive force.
A massive sword wave, far stronger than before, roared toward Hiruzen and Itachi.
Its speed? Blinding.
Hiruzen's eyes widened in terror.
"There's no way to dodge it!"
Itachi gritted his teeth, pulling out the Yata no Kagami (Eight Span Mirror), stepping forward to meet the sword wave head-on!
BOOM!
The moment of impact shook the heavens!
If not for the Root barriers surrounding the Uchiha compound, the sound alone could have killed nearby civilians!
(End of Chapter)
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