Chapter 257

"What is that?" Itachi asked in confusion. This was his first time seeing Susanoo. Neither Yoichi nor anyone else had ever given him any knowledge of it.

"That's Susanoo," Shisui replied, his expression slightly serious. "It's the ultimate dojutsu that manifests when the Mangekyō Sharingan is awakened. It has absolute offensive and defensive power."

Shisui himself could use Susanoo, but it wasn't nearly as large or complete as Fugaku's. The dark green Susanoo before them was over 30 meters tall, almost touching the Adamantine Sealing Chains. Shisui wasn't sure how strong the chains were, but he knew that the outer Four Violet Flames Formation probably couldn't hold Susanoo back.

Itachi glanced at his mother and the others, worried. "Will they be okay?"

"Don't worry, they'll be fine. I'm watching," Shisui reassured him. He could sense that both Yugito and Kushina's chakra were incredibly powerful—far beyond his own, even with the Hashirama cells he had.

And with three against one, they should be fine. Still, Shisui's Sharingan slowly began to spin, prepared to transform into the Mangekyō if needed.

"All of you deserve to die!" Fugaku shouted on the battlefield, his deep green Susanoo blocking Mikoto's Dragon Flame Song. Though the flames didn't reach him, the intense heat from the jutsu was enough to make Fugaku uncomfortable even within his Susanoo.

The massive commotion made Fugaku realize he wouldn't be able to escape. Before Konoha's ninja arrived, he was determined to take someone down with him, and his hatred for Mikoto burned the strongest.

Boom!

Susanoo's chakra sword swung down with immense force, cleaving the ground and dispersing the sea of flames that had surrounded them.

"Die!"

With the flames no longer in the way, Fugaku's eyes bled as he charged toward Mikoto with murderous intent, looking like a demon from the depths of hell. If he was going to die, he wanted to drag someone with him into the abyss.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of chains filled the air as the golden, flame-like chakra of Kushina's Adamantine Sealing Chains wrapped around Susanoo, immobilizing it.

"Don't underestimate me, you bastard!" Kushina snarled. She could see clearly that Fugaku's murderous intent was aimed squarely at Mikoto. He was determined to kill her first.

What a despicable man, Kushina thought, her face darkening. Mikoto had once begged for Fugaku's life, and now he was trying to repay her by murdering her. Kushina had long considered Mikoto a close friend and wouldn't stand by and watch her be harmed.

"Damn it," Fugaku cursed through gritted teeth, shocked at how strong the chains were. He was using all his strength to pull against them, but his Susanoo couldn't break free.

Even worse, the flow of chakra within his Susanoo was becoming unstable. If he didn't act soon, the chains would cause him to lose control of Susanoo altogether.

With a desperate growl, Fugaku created a Wood Clone inside Susanoo. His real body then used Earth Style to burrow underground, but without Madara's level of ocular power, Susanoo collapsed as soon as Fugaku left it, crushed under the pressure of Kushina's chains.

"Over there, underground," Kushina said, sensing Fugaku's presence after his escape.

"Leave it to me. Matatabi!" Yugito clasped her hands together, calling upon the Two-Tails' chakra. Instantly, her body was enveloped in the blue flames of the Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak.

A powerful aura exploded from Yugito as she entered Tailed Beast Sage Mode, a fusion of her Tailed Beast power and the abilities she had gained from Ryūchi Cave's Perfect Sage Mode.

Her chakra cloak split into dozens of serpent-like tendrils, making her look like a snake woman. A single horn grew from her forehead, combining feline and serpentine traits.

"I've found him!" With her heightened sensory abilities and Observation Haki, Yugito detected Fugaku's exact location underground. In a flash, she appeared above him, her fist cloaked in dark chakra, and smashed it into the ground. "Die, bastard!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground caved in under the force of Yugito's punch, creating a spherical crater over ten meters deep. The pressure underground compressed the earth around Fugaku, who was now trapped.

Thankfully, Fugaku had the aid of White Zetsu and the Hashirama cells he had transplanted into his body. Despite being injured, the cells began healing his wounds immediately.

"Hey, Fugaku, this isn't working. We can't escape," White Zetsu said inside his mind.

"There's no escape," Fugaku agreed bitterly. "The Four Violet Flames Formation extends underground, so I can't dig too deep or I'll hit the barrier. We're trapped."

"Then what's the plan?" White Zetsu asked.

"I'll need you to help me one last time," Fugaku growled, his heart set on dragging someone down with him. Just as another wave of pressure from Yugito's attacks rippled through the ground, he formed hand seals with difficulty.

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"

With White Zetsu's help, Fugaku's control over Wood Style had increased exponentially. Despite having only recently transplanted Hashirama cells, he was already able to summon an enormous forest.

Above ground, Yugito noticed the growing chakra. "Watch out!" she and Kushina shouted at the same time.

The ground exploded as a forest of massive trees burst forth, rapidly spreading in all directions. Yugito smashed through several trees with her fists, but more quickly grew in their place.

Kushina's Adamantine Sealing Chains tore through the wood, easily crushing the trees, but more continued to sprout. Even Mikoto, using Body Flicker, managed to stay ahead of the growing forest. Soon, the entire battlefield had transformed into a dense jungle.

"Wood Style may be impressive, but he's not on Madara's level," Yugito muttered, irritated by the endless trees. "Where is he now?"

Closing her eyes, Yugito focused on her Sage Mode and Observation Haki but couldn't sense Fugaku. She turned to Kushina. "Kushina, where is he?"

"Give me a second," Kushina replied, focusing on her chakra senses. Moments later, she opened her eyes in alarm. "He's heading toward Mikoto!"

"Watch out, Mikoto! Fugaku's behind you!" Kushina shouted, just as Yugito moved, her body blazing with chakra as she sprinted toward Mikoto.

Mikoto turned just in time to see Fugaku, his face twisted in a hateful snarl, emerging from a tree behind her. His arms were raised, ready to strike.

"Die, you b—"

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A flurry of shuriken clashed in mid-air, and four shuriken veered off course, striking Fugaku's arms.

Thud! Thud!

Fugaku recoiled in pain, raising his arms to shield his head. Had he continued his attack, the shuriken would have pierced his throat.

Lowering his arms, Fugaku looked in disbelief at the one who had thrown the shuriken: Itachi.

"Itachi!!"

Before Fugaku could react, a figure appeared in front of him, delivering a crushing punch to his chest. The blow was so powerful that Fugaku's body warped around the impact.

For a brief moment, time seemed to freeze, and then Fugaku was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing through a dozen trees before crashing into the Adamantine Sealing Barrier with a deafening thud.

The force of the impact caused the barrier to ripple outward.

As Fugaku lay motionless against the barrier, Yugito turned to Mikoto. "Are you okay?"

Mikoto, still catching her breath, smiled gratefully. "I'm fine, thanks to you."

Itachi ran to his mother's side, his face full of concern. "Mother, are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Itachi. Thank you for saving me!" Mikoto said, pulling Itachi into a warm hug. She kissed his forehead, ignoring the approaching Kushina and Shisui.

"Mother… there are people watching," Itachi murmured, embarrassed.

Shisui, sensing the tension, quickly spoke up. "I'll go check on Fugaku," he said, disappearing in a flash.

Kushina laughed, releasing her Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. "Looks like we've won," she said, but as soon as she finished, the Four Violet Flames Formation around them began to dissipate.

"They're already taking down the barrier? I guess the barrier team knew we had it under control," she chuckled.

"Aunt Kushina, there were two enemies," Itachi reminded her quietly. "One of them burrowed underground at the beginning, remember?"

The reminder hit Kushina and Yugito like a ton of bricks. "Damn, I forgot about that one!" Kushina cursed, immediately reactivating her Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.

Just as she began scanning the area, she felt a faint trace of malice, but it disappeared before she could pinpoint it. Far above, a shadow clone of Yoichi observed the area where Black Zetsu had escaped, before dispersing.

Back at the hospital, Yoichi received the memory of everything that had transpired. Itachi had sided with him and Mikoto, and Yoichi couldn't help but smile. That boy will become a strong pillar for the village and a good son.

At that moment, Shizune approached Yoichi, her voice filled with concern. "Yoichi-sama, Tsunade-sama's been in there a long time. Shouldn't we have heard something by now?"

"Don't worry. You know how stubborn she is. She wouldn't cry out in pain for anything," Yoichi reassured her with a smile. He had provided Tsunade with plenty of life energy before her labor began, and he was confident she would deliver safely, no matter what.

Meanwhile, the clean-up of the battlefield near Ninja Park was underway.

Thanks to the foresight of closing the park, the ordinary villagers hadn't been caught in the crossfire. The vibrations from the battle had been intense, and the barriers had barely contained the chaos.

Shisui returned with Fugaku in custody, while Uzumaki Mina sealed away the captured White Zetsu. Such a strange creature, she thought, making sure the sealing team would keep a close eye on it.

As for Fugaku, he needed immediate medical attention. Without the protection of White Zetsu, Yugito's punch might have killed him. For now, the information he held was too valuable to lose.

Shisui also received word from the barrier team that the Four Violet Flames Formation had been breached from underground, allowing one of the enemies to escape.

"So, one of them got away," Shisui sighed. Both he and Uzumaki Mina were disappointed that, despite their efforts, the enemy had slipped through their fingers.

What they didn't know was that Yoichi had allowed it. After all, Black Zetsu was the key to awakening Kaguya's consciousness. Without Black Zetsu, Kaguya couldn't be revived. And Yoichi was far more interested in meeting the ancient progenitor of chakra than in dealing with Madara.

As the police force secured the area, Shisui escorted Fugaku back to the village for interrogation.

Itachi, upon hearing that Fugaku had survived, breathed a sigh of relief. Now, all that remained was to figure out how to plead for his father's life in front of Yoichi.

(End of Chapter)

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