Unbelievable

Arthur more than had to come up with a new strategy; he had to raise his senses to the maximum!

What's more was that Jada hadn't even used her Mangekyō Sharingan's special ability yet. The thought of that wasn't pleasant.

Who knows what she had up her sleeves? Time travel? Some kind of convoluted dōjutsu that could allow her to phase through different dimensions or trap souls somewhere?

There was no telling what this world's makers could have programmed.

Jada took a step forward, causing the Susanoo to follow suit. In a flash, she charged forward.

Arthur found himself under siege due to its relentless and powerful attacks. Each strike from its fist was destroying the very ground. He weaved, barely dodging the Susanoo's radius.

Jada, sensing his growing desperation, intensified her assault. Her attacks became faster, more accurate, each strike designed to finish the fight.

Arthur, however, refused to yield.

Her Susanoo reared back its colossal fist, a massive appendage capable of engulfing his entire frame. With an elusiveness, he leaped to the side, narrowly evading the smash meant for him.

The fist slammed into the ground with explosive force, unleashing a shockwave that rippled through the air and propelled him even further backward.

A thick cloud of dust erupted around him, momentarily obscuring the battlefield.

It was within this swirling haze that the menacing visage of the Susanoo emerged, its roar echoing like thunder as it lunged to ensnare him.

Yet Arthur remained utterly composed, unperturbed by the chaos. With precise control, he quickly formed hand signs.

'Ice style: glacial dome…'

In an instant, a vast sphere of crystalline ice materialized around him.

Without missing a beat, Jada commanded her Susanoo to act. The towering colossus swung its arm, striking the glacial dome with tremendous force.

The impact reverberated through the air as he was sent crashing to the ground, the ice shattering around him like fragile glass.

As he hit the earth, dust and debris settled momentarily, but his demeanour remained unchanged—steady.

Rising from the wreckage, he regained his stance with poise, surveying the battlefield with a calm intensity, ready for the next move.

Arthur knew he had to change tactics. He couldn't defeat her in a straight fight because of how thick her technique's defenses were. He needed to find a way to exploit her weaknesses and turn the tide in his favour.

Genjutsu wouldn't work against a user with the Mangekyō Sharingan. And even if he tried an underground attack, she would have already anticipated it since that was the most common weakness of the Susanoo.

There was one thing he was willing to try—Sage Mode!

He began to focus, drawing in natural energy from the world around him. But Jada was having none of it.

"Fire style: fireball jutsu!"

With a roar, she exhaled flames from her mouth. As the flames twisted and coiled with her Susanoo, they morphed into a vivid, hot pink, creating a brilliant glow that illuminated the battlefield.

Arthur felt the heat radiate toward him. He barely had time to focus before the fire surged forth. It was about to consume him.

Reacting quickly, he dashed to his left to evade the wall of flame. Yet, as he moved, a second fireball was already shot, catching him by surprise.

The impact was immediate and overwhelming; the pink flames enveloped him, overriding his form in a blaze!

Pain lanced through his body, the heat searing into his skin like a brand. He gritted his teeth, clenching his fists as he activated his Regenerative Healing technique.

The recovering effects flowed through him like a torrent, battling against the flames that sought to claim him. He could feel his chakra drain rapidly, but he fought to remain conscious, crossing his arms as the last embers of fire dissipated around him.

When the flames finally receded, he stood still, remnants of fire dancing across his skin like flies.

Because of that last technique, his chakra reserves were significantly low. This was bad. Very bad.

What he should have done was teleport with the flying raijin and then return after gathering natural energy. But he hadn't expected this. Now it was too late to try that tactic.

Jada's voice broke through the haze, sharp and edged with frustration. She screamed, "Just get lost already!"

Her Susanoo's arm then extended to the side, manifesting an ethereal saké jar.

Arthur's heart raced as he caught sight of the Totsuka Blade emerging once more, grasped tightly in the hand of the Susanoo.

For certain, it was on the ground moments ago. Not once had he lost sight of it. Then he understood: The Totsuka Blade was bound to her will, a spectral extension of her character.

Not panicking, his resolve remained unbroken. He had to act, and he had to act fast.

The Totsuka Blade came crashing down, aimed right at him. Arthur's instincts kicked in, and in a swift motion, he sprinted backward while the blade descended.

Just as it was about to connect, he leapt into the air, narrowly evading the devastating blow. The impact released a cyclone of wind that sent debris swirling in every direction, forcing him to somersault through the tumult before landing deftly on his feet.

Jada was relentless.

With a fierce swing of her Susanoo's arm, she attempted to strike again. But amidst her fury, her body betrayed her. She felt a surge of pain radiate through her eyes!

One teardrop of blood emerged on her face as she instinctively pressed a hand to her bleeding eye.

The toll of the Mangekyō Sharingan and the Susanoo was finally taking hold. Each use was like a dagger in her own flesh.

It was at that moment of vulnerability, when she finally looked up, that Arthur's body had changed.

His sclera was darkened to an inky black while tufts of thin hair sprouted along his forearms. He had done it. He had successfully entered his Simian Sage Mode!

"Jada," he said with a voice calmer than the fury of the storm that surrounded them, "you guys never cease to amaze me. But… you forgot what I said earlier. This is real power."

There was silence from her as she recovered from the shock of his transformation. Her chest heaved with exhaustion, breaths coming fast and short.

Arthur could see the astonishment mixed with anger on her face.

It was clear that she had hoped to overpower him before surprises like this, but her lack of experience with her Susanoo became a double-edged sword.

Now a new, uncertain equation was in play.

She furrowed her brow, scanning his form. There was doubt about it. This was indeed a real Sage Mode.

Much like her reluctance to unleash the full extent of her Susanoo, Arthur himself had hoped to keep his own ace hidden.

If either of the two came out of this alive, they would know what to expect should they ever cross paths again.

As far as Arthur knew, Jada had only two other techniques capable of turning the tide—either the Amaterasu or the Tsukuyomi, or whatever her special ability was.

He also knew that she wouldn't waste her opportunity; otherwise, she would have used one of them by now.

If either attack proved ineffective the first time around, it would be determinantal for her. That was because Arthur was not the type to fall for the same trick twice.

"Susanoo versus Sage Mode, huh?" she smiled, panting slightly. "I wonder where I've seen that before."

Arthur narrowed his eyes, knowing that she was referring to Hashirama Senju's fight with Madara Uchiha. But what he was considering was why she still looked so confident.

Now was definitely not the time to be making references. She was hiding something.

The instant her Susanoo's arm swung toward him, he sprang into action.

'Sage art: water dragon jutsu…'

Three powerful water dragons were summoned that spiraled from his being, each one racing toward Jada's colossal guardian!

The dragons collided with the Susanoo, producing a thunderous impact that rocked the battlefield and pushed the giant back a few staggering steps.

In a swift, panicked motion, Jada pivoted, allowing the Susanoo to shield her from total engulfment. Spinning violently, she sealed away the dragons before they could fully unleash their destructive potential.

The momentary diversion allowed Arthur to close the distance. He stood directly before the towering silhouette of the Susanoo, not at all afraid.

With a fierce glare locked onto Jada, he slowly reeled back one fist.

'Sage art: chakra-enhanced strength…'

He struck the Susanoo with a powerful punch, and the force of his blow sent a shockwave reverberating through the air, cracking the armour of her avatar and pushing her back several more paces!

He flexed his fingers, annoyed that she had only moved sixty yards.

Sixty yards? That was incredible, but only minor results for a guy like Arthur!

Determined to up the ante, he withdrew a scroll from his pouch, unfurling it in the air. The Executioner's Blade materialized in his hand, the moon's light glinting ominously on its sharp edges.

He raised it up, causing a surge of his Sage Chakra to erupt from the weapon, spiraling into the sky like a beacon.

Arthur was done messing around.

'Sage art: fracture strike…'

He swung the sword with all his strength, unleashing a wave of Sage Chakra that raced toward Jada's Susanoo.

The attack hit directly where he'd cracked its armour earlier, making the ethereal giant stagger back once more, the earth trembling beneath her feet.

"That was just one," he announced in a steady voice.

With the same strength, he swung the blade again, and what began as one strike quickly became two, then four, and soon evolved into a storm of blinding attacks!

The Susanoo was caught in a relentless barrage of energy, each strike slamming against it with the force of a natural disaster.

Arthur's resolve was clear: he aimed to overwhelm her, to break her spirit as well as her defenses.

Jada's eyes widened in disbelief as the sheer intensity of the assault was bombarding her. Each wave of Sage Chakra struck like a tidal wave, shaking her Susanoo to its core.

There was only one thing going on her head right now: Just how strong is this guy?!

A growing desperation crept up inside her, an instinctive fear whispering that if she didn't act soon, her Susanoo would ultimately falter beneath his relentless onslaught.

Immediately she used the first technique that came to mind: "Water style: super shark bomb jutsu!"

With a thrust of her hands, a colossal shark formed, its maw filled with hundreds of razor-sharp teeth. It surged forth, racing toward Arthur.

He knew of this technique's ability: it could absorb chakra.

Without hesitation, he dematerialized the Executioner's Blade, confident in his next move.

Raising a single palm toward the approaching shark, he stood firm like a mountain against the tide. The gigantic creature collided with his hand, and a cataclysmic explosion erupted, the sound echoing across the grassland like thunder!

Water gushed into the air, creating a torrential downpour that drenched the battlefield. A curtain of rain cascaded around them as the energy of the crashing waves dissipated.

The tumult cleared, and the smoke began to settle.

Jada squinted, her heart racing with both fear and awe when she saw the results. Arthur was standing there, unfazed, his body completely unscathed despite one of her strongest techniques unleashed!

Steam curled from his hand where it had met the shark, and he slowly lowered it, the released heat dissipating into the cool air above him.

"Did the Naruto fan forget?" he mocked with no emotions. "Sage Chakra isn't the same as regular chakra."

Jada stood frozen, unable to form a single word.

She had faced countless opponents, from the weakest Genin to the most powerful Jōnin. Yet nothing had prepared her for the raw power and skill she was witnessing before her.

Arthur, a mere man, was a force of nature, a living legend. His Sage Mode was unlike anything she'd ever encountered, and his combat prowess was unmatched.

She had seen the two legendary Sannins, Jiraiya and Orochimaru, and the Hokage, Hiruzen. But none of them had ever brought out the fear in her like Arthur had done.

This wasn't a ninja, nor was it even a man, so she believed; it was the results of someone who pushed themselves to their absolute limits. He was unprecedented; he was unbelievable; he was Arthur Bennett!