Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

The Konoha ninjas who had charged forward abruptly halted, exchanging uncertain glances.

Staring at the two colossal skeletal figures in the center of the battlefield, they were at a loss whether to advance or retreat.

The oppressive aura radiating from the two half-body skeletons was overwhelming; just standing there made it hard to breathe.

Their comrades, who had just been swatted away by a single sweep of the Susanoo's arm, were still groaning in the distance. This was a level of power they simply could not contend with.

Some gripped their kunai tightly but hesitated to step forward.

Others had already quietly taken a half-step back, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.

Mitokado Homura's face darkened.

Uchiha Taiga's earlier words sat poorly with him. The boy had shown absolutely no respect for him as an elder advisor, nor did he care about his fellow village ninjas.

However, he also had to admit that in a battle of this caliber, ordinary ninjas charging in would only be throwing their lives away.

Thus, with a cold expression, he raised his hand and signaled a retreat.

Seeing this, Utatane Koharu also waved her hand in agreement.

The ninjas and ANBU operatives retreated swiftly as if granted amnesty, re-establishing a perimeter around the outskirts of the ruins and leaving the center to the two combatants.

Standing a short distance away, Uchiha Fugaku's eyes were wide with shock.

His three-tomoe Sharingan had activated on its own, locked onto the bright yellow skeletal half-body in the center of the field.

That familiar chakra fluctuation, that oppressive aura, and the skeletal form... it was unmistakably the Susanoo.

'When did he... awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan?'

'To awaken the Mangekyo before even turning fourteen... has there ever been such an existence in the entire history of the Uchiha clan?'

The several Uchiha clansmen behind him were similarly wide-eyed, the three tomoe spinning slowly in their eyes.

Compared to his shock, the men behind him were filled with sheer ecstasy.

"That's the Susanoo!"

"Yes, it's the power of our Uchiha clan!"

"Lord Taiga truly is a genius!"

This was the nature of the Uchiha—they believed in power and worshipped it even more.

As long as you possessed strength, the Uchiha would submit to you.

In a way, they were surprisingly simple-minded.

Uchiha Fugaku remained silent, but his breathing grew heavy.

In the center of the battlefield, the face beneath Uchiha Obito's mask had turned incredibly grim.

The bright yellow Susanoo half-body towered before him, standing in stark opposition to his own pale blue skeletal figure.

The oppressive aura and the skeletal form both confirmed a harsh truth: not only did his opponent's Mangekyo counter his Space-Time Ninjutsu, but their Susanoo was also just as formidable as his own.

'I need to find a way out of here.'

The moment this thought arose, Uchiha Taiga made his move.

The bright yellow skeletal half-body moved in tandem with his steps. Its massive hand slammed into the ground with a deafening boom, sending rubble flying.

Immediately after, the colossal skeletal arm swept outward, howling through the air as it smashed directly toward the pale blue Susanoo.

At the same time, Uchiha Taiga's voice rang out from within.

"Your Susanoo is blue, and mine is gold! Hahaha... My color is superior to yours!"

Bright yellow was essentially gold. While not entirely accurate, it was close enough.

The reason Uchiha Taiga made such a remark was simply because he was getting thrilled.

'How long has it been?'

'How long has it been since I met a decent opponent to properly stretch my limbs?'

'Actually, I don't think I ever have.'

'This Uchiha Obito really came at the perfect time.'

Meanwhile, Uchiha Obito had no time to overthink. He hastily commanded his Susanoo to raise its arms in defense.

Boom!

The arms of the two skeletal half-bodies clashed, erupting in a deafening explosion.

A shockwave rippled outward from the point of impact, kicking up a gale that swept away all the rubble and scorched wood on the ground. The ninjas on the perimeter instinctively raised their arms to shield their faces, yet the fierce wind still forced their eyes shut.

Uchiha Taiga did not pause for even a second. His other skeletal arm came crashing down right after.

"Again, again!"

Uchiha Obito gritted his teeth and blocked. The two skeletons collided once more. The crimson hue in his right eye grew increasingly pronounced, even taking on a bloodshot tinge.

Uchiha Taiga, on the other hand, grinned widely and laughed.

"Not enough, still not enough! Give me pressure! Come on, pressure me!"

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Three consecutive clashes followed, each accompanied by a massive roar and the trembling of the earth.

The ground beneath the pale blue Susanoo began to fracture, cracks spreading outward like a spiderweb.

Uchiha Obito was forced back repeatedly by the sheer force, each step leaving deep footprints in the earth.

He steadied himself and drove his Susanoo to counterattack. The pale blue skeletal arm clenched into a fist and swung at the bright yellow Susanoo.

Uchiha Taiga neither dodged nor evaded, throwing a punch to meet it head-on.

The two fists collided with yet another thunderous boom.

"That's it! Come on! Let's fight to our hearts' content!"

Truth be told, it was a bit unhinged, but Uchiha Taiga was thoroughly enjoying himself.

This time, fine cracks appeared on the fist of the pale blue Susanoo.

Uchiha Obito's heart sank. His chakra consumption was far too high; maintaining the continuous output of the Susanoo was incredibly draining.

Yet his opponent seemed completely unaffected, his onslaught only growing fiercer.

This realization sent a chill down Uchiha Obito's spine.

He realized that his opponent's chakra reserves seemed even vaster than his own.

It had to be noted that he had transplanted Hashirama cells and grafted a White Zetsu body onto himself, giving him an incredibly profound pool of chakra.

But even so, he could feel his own rapid depletion. At this rate, he wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.

The battle raged on. The bright yellow Susanoo charged forward again, its arms hammering down alternately, each strike carrying tremendous weight.

The pale blue Susanoo was forced to parry continuously. More and more cracks webbed across its form, and fragments constantly chipped away from the skeletal surface.

Uchiha Obito retreated step by step, shattering the ground beneath his feet.

The longer he fought, the more alarmed and uneasy he became.

'I can't let this continue.'

Uchiha Obito abruptly leaped back several paces and slammed both hands onto the ground before him.

"Wood Style: Hell's Chaos!"

Countless sharp wooden spikes erupted from the earth beneath Uchiha Taiga. They grew and spread in an instant, coiling around the bright yellow Susanoo and tightly binding its skeletal arms.

Simultaneously, more wooden spikes burst apart in front of the Susanoo, scattering debris that obscured Uchiha Taiga's vision.

'Now's my chance!'

Uchiha Obito's right eye spun rapidly as he activated Kamui.

His figure began to distort, attempting to use this opening to escape into the Kamui dimension.

However, in the very next moment, his pupils shrank violently.

Kamui... had failed again.

"I already told you."

Uchiha Taiga's voice drifted down from above him.

Uchiha Obito jerked his head up, his eyes reflecting a massive silhouette. The bright yellow Susanoo had somehow appeared directly above him, looking down from its towering height.

The surface of the skeletal half-body began to change. Pale yellow chakra condensed between the bones, forming muscles and meridians that enveloped the entire skeleton.

The Susanoo had transitioned from its first stage to its second, evolving from a pure skeleton into a colossal entity of flesh and blood.

In its right hand, a longsword forged from concentrated chakra was slowly taking shape.

Looking back at the area covered by the Wood Style, there was no trace of the Susanoo left behind.

"Here, I control space."

Uchiha Taiga's voice was calm and indifferent.

"If you want to leave, you need my permission."

The chakra sword fully materialized, its blade flowing with a dazzling yellow radiance.

Uchiha Taiga swung his arm down, and the Susanoo followed suit, bringing the massive sword crashing down in a vertical slash.

The pale blue Susanoo raised both arms to block, but against that chakra sword, its bones were effortlessly cleaved apart.

Crack—

The blade sliced through the skeletal half-body, splitting it cleanly down the middle.

Shards of pale blue chakra scattered in all directions, dissolving into motes of light in midair.

The momentum of the strike did not wane. The residual wave surged forward, heading straight for Uchiha Obito's face.

Uchiha Obito only had time to tilt his head slightly.

Slash!

His right arm, along with a small portion of his shoulder, was swept by the sword aura and sent flying. Caught in the blade's aftershock, the severed limb was instantly shredded into dust.

Snap!

The sound of the mask shattering was crisp and loud.

Fragments peeled away from his face, tumbling through the air to reveal the visage beneath.

It was a face tinged with shock, its right half a mass of scarred, mangled flesh.

Looking down from above, the corners of Uchiha Taiga's mouth curled into a slight smirk.