In a blink, Leon's fist slammed into the green Susanoo's massive knuckles.
BOOM—!!
A thunderous shockwave detonated outward, and the entire village seemed to shiver.
Below, faces went pale.
Terrifying.
Absolutely terrifying.
No one expected Leon to charge Susanoo head-on—much less meet it with a bare fist.
On the already-shattered Hokage Rock, Shisui's Susanoo and Leon held their punching stances—
but the force rolling off that collision kept spreading, cracking the stone beneath them.
Crack… crack…
The Second Hokage's stone face began to fracture, lines spreading like spiderwebs.
Inside Susanoo, Shisui's eyes widened.
That black sheen coating Leon's fist… and the strength behind it—
How could a body that looked so lean contain power this brutal?
This was Susanoo.
And Leon was trading blows with it.
It made no sense.
Leon's lips curved slightly.
"Been a long time since I've felt this excited."
His voice was cold—almost pleased.
"Your Susanoo is strong… but my taijutsu isn't weak either."
Then—
The black coating shifted.
It wasn't just armor anymore.
It flowed.
In the next instant, that force slipped into Susanoo's fist—like a needle piercing a shell.
Not chakra.
Not ninjutsu.
Something else.
Internal Destruction.
BOOM—!!
The invading force rampaged through Susanoo's structure from the inside, tearing at the skeletal framework like a storm trapped in a cage.
Shisui's expression snapped tight.
"Damn it!"
His Mangekyō Sharingan flared—dōjutsu power surging as he forced Susanoo to fight back, purging the foreign force out of its arm.
A moment later—
THUD!
The green giant staggered backward, forced to retreat several steps before stabilizing.
Shisui stared, breathing heavier.
"What… is that?"
He could feel it clearly.
That black power wasn't chakra.
It wasn't a bloodline.
It was something he couldn't name—and that was the most unsettling part.
Then the stone finally gave up.
BOOOOM—!!
The already-damaged Second Hokage face broke apart completely.
Shisui reacted instantly.
"Rise!"
Susanoo lifted him into the air.
And Leon—
"Geppo."
He stepped on air and climbed into the sky, hovering opposite Shisui.
Midair, Shisui's tone turned serious.
" Uchiha Leon… your 'taijutsu' isn't what it looks like."
Leon rolled his wrist lazily, like he was warming up.
"This is the most fun I've had in a while."
And in the back of his mind, another thought flickered—dangerous and thrilling.
If I ever awaken Susanoo…
If a monster like Whitebeard had Susanoo… what would that even look like?
The image alone made his blood stir.
Shisui narrowed his eyes.
"Then… again."
Susanoo blurred forward and slammed a fist down, chakra roaring with it.
Leon didn't retreat.
He punched back.
BOOM—!!
Fist to fist again.
And again.
BAM—! BOOM—! CRACK—!
In full view of the crowd below, Leon traded raw, brutal punches with the towering green giant.
Each collision shook the air.
Some impacts were so violent the atmosphere warped—thin, jagged distortions flashing for a heartbeat before vanishing.
The spectators couldn't even speak properly.
"This… this is Leon's taijutsu?"
"He's exchanging punches with Susanoo…!"
"His physical strength… what kind of monster is he?!"
The truly terrifying part wasn't Shisui.
It was the implication.
Everyone watching understood the same thing:
If that fist hits me, I die.
Ten minutes passed like a nightmare.
Finally—
BOOM—!!
A massive shockwave blasted outward, forcing both fighters apart.
Susanoo skidded back in the air.
Leon drifted back, steady as a feather.
Inside the green giant, Shisui's eyes had begun to bleed.
Thin red lines slid from the corners—strain from keeping Susanoo active this long.
He'd wanted to crush Leon's faith in taijutsu.
Instead, he'd been the one getting crushed.
Leon's Observation Haki read the situation instantly.
Shisui's dōjutsu output was starting to stutter.
The backlash was obvious.
Mangekyō's side effects… already this bad.
And honestly?
It only confirmed what Leon had always believed.
Shinobi bodies hit their limits fast.
Compared to the monsters he'd seen—compared to what he was becoming—this was… short endurance.
Leon exhaled.
Keep unlocking the Whitebeard Template. That's the real road.
Then his Observation Haki caught a shift—subtle, but unmistakable.
Shisui was about to switch tactics.
Genjutsu.
Leon didn't hesitate.
He spoke clearly, so everyone would hear it.
"Uchiha Shisui. I'm done."
Shisui blinked.
"…What?"
He'd been preparing to drag Leon into illusion—because if Susanoo wasn't enough, then he'd use the most terrifying weapon an Uchiha could wield.
And yet Leon just… stopped.
For a second, Shisui looked irritated—
then reality caught up.
His eyes burned.
His vision wavered.
He couldn't maintain this much longer anyway.
"…Fine," Shisui said stiffly.
Stopping here meant the assessment could end without further destruction.
The only thing he regretted—
was that he never got to "correct" Leon.
Never got to force the Will of Fire into him.
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