Whoosh!
Powerful ocular power erupted from the mysterious Uchiha's eyes. A massive surge of chakra rapidly coalesced around him, forming a colossal, azure entity.
It was a Susanoo in its first, skeletal form.
Gazing up at the towering Susanoo, Tatsuya's expression turned serious. This mysterious Uchiha had indeed awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.
However, as Tatsuya scrutinized the opposing Susanoo, his eyes gradually took on a peculiar glint.
This first-stage Susanoo was noticeably two sizes smaller than Shisui's. Moreover, Tatsuya keenly observed that the tomoe patterns in the mysterious Uchiha's two Mangekyo Sharingan were dissimilar.
This was a phenomenon Tatsuya had never encountered in the original storyline. Judging from the tomoe shapes, his left eye was a fully evolved straight-tomoe Sharingan, while the right eye's tomoe was incomplete, missing half its pattern.
Seeing the straight-tomoe Sharingan, Tatsuya understood. No wonder he'd been so agile in their previous clashes.
"So, your eyes are just a prototype! Your Susanoo is far inferior to Shisui's," Tatsuya said, his voice calm but laced with mockery.
The mysterious Uchiha's aura grew even colder upon hearing Tatsuya's words. He stared at Tatsuya, demanding, "You've seen this power before?"
"Heh, the battle in the Land of Hot Water – you think we were playing house? In that fight, Shisui's Susanoo could withstand a Tailed Beast Bomb. I'm curious to see how yours fares." Tatsuya's gaze was filled with blatant provocation.
"Hmph! Don't just run your mouth," the mysterious Uchiha retorted with a cold snort, launching the first attack.
With a thunderous rumble, the gigantic azure Susanoo swung its fist towards Tatsuya.
Tatsuya swiftly dodged, his body weaving through the trees with several quick steps. In a single bound, he leaped onto the Susanoo's attacking arm.
Sprinting along the Susanoo's arm, Tatsuya rapidly approached its face.
Partial Multi-Size Technique!
His fist instantly swelled to enormous proportions, and Tatsuya slammed it into the Susanoo's face.
Boom!
The tremendous force impacted the Susanoo's head, producing a deafening crash. Caught off guard, the mysterious Uchiha beneath, along with the Susanoo, staggered slightly.
The power behind that punch was undeniable.
However, despite the force, the skeletal Susanoo remained completely intact, showing no signs of cracking or damage.
Tch! It really is tough!
Shaking his now normal-sized fist, Tatsuya clicked his tongue inwardly and began a swift retreat.
Susanoo was, without a doubt, the third "divine power" unlocked only by awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan in both eyes. Even an incomplete version possessed astonishing defensive capabilities. Knowing he currently lacked the means to breach the Susanoo's defenses, Tatsuya had no intention of engaging it head-on.
Boom!
While Tatsuya was still airborne, the azure Susanoo threw another punch.
Suspended in mid-air, Tatsuya had no leverage to change direction. It was impossible to dodge.
Seeing the Susanoo's fist rapidly approaching, Tatsuya remained unperturbed.
He formed hand seals, a vast amount of wind-natured chakra rapidly concentrating in his hands.
He threw a punch, unleashing a swirling vortex of wind that blasted forward.
The fierce gust collided precisely with the Susanoo's incoming fist, creating an even more intense swirling vortex that rebounded towards Tatsuya at an accelerated speed.
Utilizing the recoil, Tatsuya narrowly avoided the Susanoo's punch.
Having evaded the attack, Tatsuya didn't pause, continuing to flee forward, aiming to widen the distance between himself and the Susanoo.
"Don't run!"
Behind him, the mysterious Uchiha controlled the Susanoo in a relentless pursuit.
Ahead, Tatsuya merely scoffed, ignoring the command. He had no intention of engaging in a foolish clash of brute force against an Uchiha piloting a "Gundam." Against this kind of "true man" who could only maintain the form for a few minutes, the best strategy was to stall and wear him down.
Rumble!
Swaths of trees were continuously uprooted by the Susanoo. Tatsuya darted and weaved in front, while the mysterious Uchiha relentlessly pursued.
"Tatsuya Akimichi, weren't you talking so big earlier? Why are you just running away? Haha!" The mysterious Uchiha mocked him as he chased, trying to provoke Tatsuya.
But this tactic was clearly ineffective.
After a chase spanning several kilometers, the Susanoo finally halted.
Within the azure skeletal structure of the Susanoo, the mysterious Uchiha was breathing slightly heavily. Maintaining the Susanoo for an extended period was placing a significant strain on his body.
Seeing his opponent cease pursuit, Tatsuya also stopped.
Not only that, but he also turned back, approaching slightly, and perched on a tree branch to observe his adversary.
Observing Tatsuya's actions, the mysterious Uchiha's eyes narrowed. He spoke with venom, "Did that traitor Shisui also reveal the secrets of the Mangekyo Sharingan to you?"
"Heh, traitor? Compared to you ignorant and self-deluded Uchiha, Shisui was the one who truly cared for the clan's well-being. Compared to him, you're utterly lacking! Both in strength and in conviction!" Tatsuya looked at the mysterious Uchiha with disdain.
"Don't compare me to that coward! He possessed the power to change the clan's fate, yet he willingly remained the Third Hokage's lapdog! If not for him, Elder Senkai wouldn't have had to resort to that method to awaken my eyes! I hate him! Sooner or later, I'll make him kneel before Elder Senkai's grave and repent!"
Tatsuya's words had clearly enraged the opposing Uchiha to an extreme degree. He raged, his emotions raw, voicing his accusations. It was easy to discern from his words that he harbored a deep-seated hatred for Shisui.
Tatsuya frowned, slightly bewildered. If he remembered correctly, this individual had never appeared in the original storyline.
Who exactly was he?
And how did he awaken his Mangekyo Sharingan?
Tatsuya was completely in the dark. And he had no desire to ask.
"If that's all you've got, then those eyes are mine!" Tatsuya declared, forming hand seals.
This time, he initiated the attack.
Tatsuya exhaled a powerful gale, sending it hurtling towards the opposing Susanoo.
The C-rank wind release technique, Great Breakthrough, when executed by him, possessed the power of the B-rank wind release technique, Pressure Damage.
The hurricane swept past, inflicting not the slightest damage upon the Susanoo.
However, beneath his mask, the face of the mysterious Uchiha, enveloped by the Susanoo, turned grave.
He had realized that Tatsuya's ninjutsu wasn't aimed at injuring him, but rather at forcing him to continuously maintain the Susanoo.
This guy was indeed very knowledgeable about the abilities and drawbacks of the Mangekyo Sharingan. He was clearly trying to exhaust him.
Realizing this, a resolute glint appeared in the mysterious Uchiha's eyes.
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