Chapter 180: Amaterasu-Grilled Mask Ninja

"Do I really feel nervous fighting an enemy like this?"

Looking at the monster-like Jiaodu before him, Shiliuye had to admit that he actually felt a slight nervousness.

If he had never awakened the Kaleidoscope, he wouldn't have felt this way; it is precisely because he understands the Kaleidoscope's power that he knows the weight of Jiaodu's claim "has fought Madara Uchiha".

He, with only an ordinary Kaleidoscope, already possessed the power that once crushed himself; the legendary ancestor of Madara is an Eternal Kaleidoscope, yet Jiaodu managed to escape from such a person.

"You all stand down."

Shiliuye whispered, and rainwater slid down his forehead.

Itachi's expression froze; he sensed something in Shiliuye's tone, and not only him, Jiu Tiao Menghua, who talks most with Shiliuye, was also startled.

The three remained silent, exchanged a glance, then quickly retreated.

Chakra gathered in his eyes, the three tomoe slowly rotated; since the opponent's strength was so terrifying, Uchiha Shiliuye should also give his all in the fight.

The rotating tomoe formed a spindle pattern etched into his pupils, the red-and-black eyes reflecting a shocked face.

"Kaleidoscope!"

The teal pupils suddenly trembled, and Jiaodu's calm expression showed a slight change.

"Kaleidoscope, I didn't expect you to have these eyes; they're quite nice and valuable, enough as a parting gift."

It was his second time seeing such eyes; recalling past rumors and recent events, Jiaodu's body sank slightly, and he verbally pressured Shiliuye.

"Is this your last words? I will record them."

The two exchanged trash talk; Jiaodu, relying on the two mask monsters inside him, was unafraid of genjutsu when facing Shiliuye.

But in an instant, Jiaodu's eyes dispersed.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Chain Wave!"

A scythe-like breath spat from Shiliuye's mouth, slicing horizontally toward the Jiaodu body controlled by genjutsu.

Boom—The two mask monsters drifting outside Jiaodu's body acted at once; one used the ninjutsu Water Release: Water Curtain Formation, gathering a water cannon that blasted at Shiliuye, while the other grabbed Jiaodu's core and fled to the side.

With the mask monsters' help, Jiaodu immediately broke free of the genjutsu, then, with a shocked face, looked at Shiliuye who dodged the water cannon.

"How could I fall for a mere Copy Wheel Eye genjutsu?"

"No, it was the Kaleidoscope."

Shiliuye was also a bit surprised; Jiaodu stared arrogantly into his eyes. He had thought the genjutsu effect would be minor, since the opponent had instantly broken his genjutsu earlier, but didn't expect the switch to Kaleidoscope to be so effective.

Upon hearing that, Jiaodu chuckled hohoho, but dared not keep his gaze on Shiliuye's eyes any longer.

"Hm?"

Shiliuye let out a cold snort, then leapt up to dodge the mask monster attempting a surprise attack from below.

"Wind Release: Pressure Harm!"

"Fire Release: Head Carving Hard!"

Jiaodu seized the moment; before Shiliuye landed, the masks on his shoulders suddenly opened wide mouths to launch an attack.

The flames, thick as magma, spread outward rapidly under the aid of Wind Release.

"Such a chakra amount..."

Shiliuye was surprised inside, but kept a calm face as he dodged toward a tree; this was the wilderness with ample space, and although the flames spread quickly, they couldn't match Shiliuye's speed.

Rain fell into the flames like stones into the sea, having no effect.

Jiaodu's attacks were relentless: Wind Release, Fire Release, Water Release, Lightning Shield, and even a monster roaming in the earth, ready to strike Shiliuye from behind when he touched the ground.

Shiliuye twisted and turned, constantly evading; ninjutsu roared, large trees were engulfed, dust and water mist rose then were swiftly scattered by the gale.

The three who were hiding at a distance, though not Jiaodu's targets, were still affected by his wide-ranging ninjutsu and could only keep moving farther away.

"What kind of monster can continuously unleash ninjutsu of this scale? What an enormous chakra amount!"

Jiu Tiao Menghua was horrified, her lips turning slightly pale.

"Those two mask monsters each contain massive chakra, and Jiaodu's body also holds three different elemental chakras."

Shangchuan Ming sensed some information; he understood Jiaodu's terrifying nature more clearly than Jiu Tiao Menghua.

"So he alone possesses the chakra of five people; can Teacher Shiliuye win?"

Jiu Tiao Menghua was somewhat worried; if Shiliuye lost, they would have no chance of being opponents.

Itachi's complexion turned slightly pale, not from fear but because he had just used several ninjutsu in a row to save Shangchuan Ming; being young, his chakra wasn't abundant, so he even shut down his Copy Wheel Eye to conserve chakra.

"No need to worry; Uncle Shiliuye is probably testing. Once he gauges Jiaodu's strength, the situation should turn around."

Itachi doesn't know Shiliuye well, but he knows Shisui; since Shisui trusts Shiliuye, he naturally will trust Shiliuye too.

"Hope so."

Watching Shiliuye constantly pursued and attacked, the two prayed silently with uneasy hearts.

The battle in the distance had already far exceeded their imagination.

Meanwhile, the spot where the two fought had been turned into scorched earth by Jiaodu.

"Uchiha people, only know how to hide? Or have you also prepared a detonation talisman hidden in your chest?" Jiaodu mocked, and as he spoke, a mask emerged from beneath his foot back into his body, while a third mask slowly appeared on his chest.

Shiliuye's eyes narrowed slightly; Pan had guessed some information back then. To prevent Jiaodu from taking his heart, he instructed several students before death to blow his corpse apart, and now even his body cannot be found.

They could only replace it with a forehead guard and clothing, bury it, and then place it in the ancestral hall.

"I will bring your corpse back to the clan to honor Pan," Shiliuye said, looking at Jiaodu's body relax slightly.

"Hmph, arrogant!"

Jiaodu clapped his hands, then straightened up, raised his right hand, the three masks shifted onto his right hand, and simultaneously opened their mouths.

Wind, fire, and lightning ninjutsu combined, forming a composite ninjutsu.

Like a particle cannon, a beam of light suddenly shot toward Shiliuye, its speed too fast to evade.

With a boom, a flash of white light passed, wind pressure struck, and Jiaodu's whole body was whirled, making his footing unstable.

But Jiaodu paid no mind; he looked up at the suddenly rising silver giant ahead, his expression astonished.

"Susanoo!"

"Oh? What a surprise; I thought your remark 'having fought Ban's ancestor' was just nonsense, but I didn't expect you actually knew the name of that technique."

A surprised voice came from beyond the smoke; a silver chakra giant nearly ten meters tall, brandishing a long sword, kept Izayoi within its body, and a sense of oppression slammed into them.

Izayoi controlled Susanoo, raised a hand, and a gale no less than a C‑rank ninja technique suddenly rose, scattering the dust and mist.

When the mist cleared, Izayoi's contemptuous expression was revealed; he watched Kakudo become increasingly composed.

After a round of probing, he had confirmed that the guy opposite him was deceiving him.

It's not that Kakudo isn't strong, but this level of power could only take down three of his former selves in succession; if three of himself attacked together, who would win is still uncertain.

"Hm?"

Kakudo seemed overly shocked and did not reply immediately; Izayoi let out a light hum, but then caught sight of a crack ahead, which was even widening, causing Izayoi's eyes to narrow slightly as his tone turned calm.

"Fine, whether you truly fought Ban's ancestor or not, let me, Uchiha Izayoi, go all out; I'll show you the true power of the Uchiha. Remember this moment; it's your honor."

"This is the Uchiha's third power, Susanoo!" Chakra surged into his eyes, and Susanoo instantly donned a layer of armor, his body rising dozens of meters; with Izayoi's full activation, Susanoo sprouted legs, instantly entering the fourth stage.

It hovered over Susanoo's head, and the terrifying chakra made Shangchuan Ming, who sensed it from afar, wince in his chest.

"What is this, what monster!"

Shangchuan Ming breathed heavily, his voice trembling as he stared at the suddenly risen silver chakra giant in the distance.

"Teacher? Is that the teacher?"

Kujou Menghua looked up, the corner of her mouth twitching uncontrollably, cold sweat streaming from her forehead.

"Is this the power of the Kaleidoscope Mangekyou Sharingan?"

Itachi naturally understood what was happening, but it was also his first time seeing such power with his own eyes, far stronger than the ninja techniques he usually studied.

Completely on a different level.

"Is this the power of the Uchiha?"

His eyes flickered; Itachi, for the first time, felt admiration for the Uchiha. He thought of Shisui, who possessed such power yet did not abuse it, instead seeking the villagers' trust to become Hokage.

"No wonder, Shisui‑bro!"

"Ah?"

The two who were about to ask were instantly filled with confusion by that unrelated exclamation.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Kakudo, confronting Susanoo, felt four hearts inside him beating wildly.

Run! Run! Run! His full‑power strike even failed to break the previous stage of Susanoo; now this version, clearly more outrageous, left him with no chance if he forced a head‑on clash.

"This kind of out‑of‑scale ninja, it's only the second time I've met one."

Kakudo suppressed that instinct; the person before him was clearly of a completely different temperament from the one before, and would never let him leave safely.

Izayoi looked down on Kakudo, and the only mask monster that Kakudo had left outside his body suddenly launched an attack.

However, the water cannon struck Susanoo with no effect.

"Your attack is as weak as this rain, feeble and powerless."

Izayoi's voice came from above; the silver katana was raised high and slashed down at the mask monster.

Boom— the earth trembled, gale winds roared, dust rose, the ground peeled back a layer, broken branches and shattered stones and mud spread everywhere.

The slash seemed casual, yet Izayoi had nearly used his full strength; the light blade streaked for hundreds of meters before slowly fading.

"What?!"

The mask monster couldn't dodge and was instantly blown to fragments; Kakudo clearly sensed the link between himself and the water‑bound heart had vanished.

"This strike is definitely beyond what I can withstand; if I'm hit, it'll be trouble."

Rainwater slid off Kakudo's forehead; this unconventional power rendered his past combat experience meaningless, and he couldn't devise any direct breakthrough.

But "a technique of this magnitude must consume a huge amount of energy."

Without any hesitation, three mask monsters immediately crawled out of his body; together with the main one, the four scattered in different directions.

Izayoi saw the situation and immediately understood Kakudo's intent; unfortunately, a smile tugged at his mouth, and Susanoo instantly raised a hand, several jade beads spinning in Susanoo's grasp.

A booming sound rang out, and Kakudo lost another heart, but he paid it no mind.

Izayoi then aimed at the wing‑flapping wind‑type mask monster; Susanoo stepped forward, seized it with a palm, and instantly crushed it.

Next came the fire‑type mask monster, which Izayoi also slashed to death.

Seeing Kakudo with only one heart left, Izayoi felt a sense of emptiness.

"I can't believe I'm nervous because of an enemy like you; it's a disgrace."

Watching Susanoo release and Izayoi instantly block in front of him, Kakudo halted his steps.

"Is this the Uchiha? I never thought I'd be defeated by a brat like you."

This was barely a battle; Susanoo rose from the ground, and with a mere wave of his hand eliminated his four hearts, while his attack on Susanoo failed to even splash a single wave.

Such a gap is despair‑inducing, and it's the first time Kakudo has felt this despair since acquiring the Earth‑Grudge Secret Technique.

"Planning to surrender? Very well, it'll end soon."

A silver skeleton rose again, and a massive hand gathered several jade beads and hurled them at Kakudo.

"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"

Kakudo naturally refused to sit and wait for death, but the speed of the Yatsuzaka jade beads was too fast; he could only raise his jet‑black arms to block.

With a boom, Kakudo was blasted ten meters away, his limbs scattered and only barely linked by black lines.

"It's over."

Izayoi did not approach, remaining where he stood, and gathered jade beads once more.

At that moment, a hand suddenly rested on his shoulder; Izayoi's expression changed instantly, and without hesitation he drew a kunai from his thigh and thrust it backward, while a powerful suction pulled at his body.

When he turned around, the tiger‑skin mask ninja from earlier had silently appeared behind him, and as the kunai was about to strike, the suction vanished, and the hand holding the kunai passed through the opponent's body.

After Izayoi's hand passed through the opponent's body, it was seized by the opponent in turn.

"Damn!"

Without any hesitation, his ocular power activated, and a black flame instantly ignited on the tiger‑skin masked ninja.

"Ah!"

A mournful scream rang out, and the masked ninja immediately let go, slipping through Susano and vanishing into the ground.

Shi Liuye exhaled in relief, yet the brief exchange left him drenched in cold sweat.

"He not only can pass through objects, but also seems able to draw people into his body, and it appears he cannot forever ignore physical attacks; Amaterasu actually burned him—was it because his contact with me nullified the technique?"

Shisui had once relayed the masked ninja's intel to Shi Liuye, and Shi Liuye also knew the opponent was the mastermind who released the Nine-Tails, so he naturally harbored hatred.

"Burn it well; it'd be best to burn it to death outright."

Shi Liuye couldn't help but curse, then glanced at the immobilized Jiaodu he had struck, raised his hand and flung several kunai bearing detonator seals.

"Indeed, every pair of kaleidoscopes should not be underestimated."

A deep voice came, and the masked ninja actually survived Amaterasu's flames.

"So it's you who released the Nine-Tails?"

It sounded like a question, but it was actually a scold.

Shi Liuye didn't wait for a reply; the towering Susano rose from the ground, and a single slash came down.

The masked ninja looked up, grabbed the twisted body of Jiaodu lying on the ground with one hand.

"What a pity, but this person is one I value, and you, who have awakened these eyes, also have the right to see through this false world."

Boom— At the same time, in the Grass Country, three figures arrived at a pile of broken stones.

"Kakashi must have meant this place."

"Go ahead."

(End of chapter)