"To the Peacock!!"
A thunderous roar rang through the village, brimming with energy and unyielding will. It was none other than Might Guy, who had opened the Sixth Gate of the Eight Inner Gates. The burning blue steam gushing from his body enveloped him like a blazing inferno of youth.
In the face of devastation, with so many elite jonin overwhelmed, Might Guy charged forward fearlessly, directly toward the towering blue Susanoo—a monstrous, two-faced, four-armed colossus glowing with spiritual might.
In a blink, he activated his iconic finishing technique:
"Morning Peacock!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
His fists tore through the air, creating shockwaves so intense they ignited the surrounding air, forming fiery red peacock-shaped bursts. These flaming strikes launched like meteors, colliding ferociously against Leo's massive Susanoo.
Inside the third-stage Susanoo, Leo stumbled slightly under the force of the assault, retreating half a step—but that was all.
ZHING—!!
In response, Susanoo's four massive arms swung forward, each gripping a Chakra-forged weapon. With terrifying precision, they cleaved through the incoming fire bursts, extinguishing the Morning Peacock's mighty strikes like swatting away sparks.
Whoosh—!!
Leo's Mangekyō Sharingan flared again. With incredible speed, he conjured the Eight-Plated Magatama, a cluster of deadly Chakra orbs, and hurled them toward Might Guy with explosive force.
However, Guy's Sixth Gate-enhanced reflexes saved him. He barely dodged the Magatama, flipping midair to land safely atop a nearby wall.
Unlike Akamichi Choza earlier—who had his arm blown off by the same attack—Guy had survived unscathed, though the blast created utter chaos.
BOOM—!!
The Eight-Plated Magatama struck the row of houses behind Guy. They exploded into splinters, rubble flying in every direction. Smoke and fire engulfed the streets.
Swish, swish, swish—!!
At that moment, a wave of masked figures descended: the Anbu Black Ops had arrived.
"Kakashi Jonin! What's the situation here?!"
The Anbu team leader, landing with catlike agility, glanced up at the towering Susanoo with sheer disbelief etched behind his mask. The chakra it radiated was immense—monstrous even.
Nearby, medics among the Anbu had already rushed to Akamichi Choza's side, quickly stopping the bleeding from his severed arm. But a reattachment? Only Tsunade, their Fifth Hokage and medical expert, might be able to attempt such a feat.
Hatake Kakashi stood firm and grave. After taking a breath, he addressed the squad leader:
"You may not believe it, but listen carefully… The one we're up against might truly be—Uchiha Madara."
"W-What?!" the Anbu leader stammered in disbelief. Every Anbu around him froze. That name—Madara—was one that shook even hardened shinobi to their core.
"Kakashi's telling the truth," Yuhi Kurenai stepped forward, her expression equally grim. "The man inside that Susanoo… He's awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan—something said to be legendary even within the Uchiha clan."
"The Mangekyō Sharingan?!" gasped another Anbu. All eyes darted upward—toward the head of the giant Susanoo where Leo stood, red eyes glowing.
"Don't look at him directly!" Kakashi barked.
"Anyone who makes eye contact could fall into a powerful illusion!" he warned, recalling how even Yamanaka Haiichi had been rendered completely incapacitated earlier.
Just then—
"Release!!"
An Anbu medic attempted to dispel the genjutsu on Yamanaka Haiichi. Forming hand seals and shouting from beneath his mask, he tried to break the illusion.
But… nothing.
Haiichi remained motionless, eyes lifeless, still caught in the throes of Leo's Mangekyō Sharingan.
"No… that's not possible," the medic whispered. "How can it still be active?"
"The illusions of the Mangekyō Sharingan…" Kakashi's voice was tight, "…aren't something ordinary techniques can undo."
Around him, Anbu members quickly lowered their gazes, not daring to glance at Leo's eyes again.
Meanwhile, inside Susanoo, Leo watched the chaos unfolding below with cold amusement.
"Heh… what use is a mob, no matter how many of them come?"
He raised his arms high within the protective shell of the Susanoo.
"Let me show you all…"
"—What real ninjutsu looks like!"
With a roar, Leo clasped his hands together.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!!"
BOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A wall of blistering flames erupted from Leo's mouth—fierce and endless—like a hellish sea of fire crashing down from the sky. It surged toward Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, Might Guy, and dozens of others below.
"The scale… this range is insane!!" Kurenai cried out.
But she quickly reacted.
"Everyone! Water Style—Water Wall!!"
In unison, the Leaf ninjas skilled in Water Release performed hand seals, combining their jutsu to create a massive wall of water.
SSSHHHH!!!
The fiery sea clashed with the tsunami of water, resulting in a massive explosion of scalding steam that engulfed the entire battlefield.
"Leaf Hurricane!!"
Through the steam, Might Guy reappeared again—delivering a ferocious kick that cleared the dense fog.
But—
SLASH!!
In that moment, from within the dispersing steam, Leo lunged out like a phantom. He had leapt from Susanoo and was wielding a deadly scythe—a curved weapon that looked like something from a Shinigami's arsenal.
The blade arced toward Guy's throat in a deadly flash.
"Guy!!" Kakashi shouted in horror.
CLANG—!!
At the last moment, Guy managed to block the strike with his forearm, twisting to deflect the slash. The Sixth Gate had enhanced his reaction speed to inhuman levels.
Still, the sharp blade sliced across his abdomen, leaving a red gash.
Guy gritted his teeth and delivered a counter-kick to Leo, sending him flying through the air.
WHOOSH—!!
Leo flipped and landed cleanly atop a nearby rooftop, red eyes gleaming. His scythe glinted with blood, and his armor shimmered under the moonlight.
"You're strong," he acknowledged, smiling coldly.
"But that blue steam of yours…"
"…isn't nearly enough to defeat me."
SKREEEEEEEEEEEE!!
Suddenly, a high-pitched, crackling sound filled the air—like the cry of a thousand birds.
From behind Leo, a flash of lightning surged forward.
"Raikiri!!"
It was Kakashi! The previous version was a mere shadow clone—his real body had been hiding in the shadows, preparing his ultimate sneak attack.
Lightning roared through his arm as he thrust the Lightning Cutter toward Leo's heart.
"This is it," Kakashi thought. "One chance—just one!"
As the strike came in—
Leo's expression changed for the first time.
He smirked. "Heh… just like that guy—Tobirama. Always hiding in the shadows…"
At the very last second—
BOOM—!!
Leo exploded in smoke!
It was a clone!!
The real Leo emerged from another rooftop nearby, his expression calm but amused.
"Nice try, Kakashi," he said. "But you'll need more than tricks."
A new pair of Eight-Plated Magatama began to swirl in his hand.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "This is bad."
To Be Continued…