Chapter 29: Victory Decided
When Yusuke spoke, Shisui didn't take it as a joke. He immediately increased the output of his ocular power, strengthening his Susanoo's abilities.
The skeletal frame of Susanoo was soon wrapped in muscle-like tissue. Its skull face transformed into the visage of a Tengu, with sharp features and a menacing expression.
Once its body had fully formed, armor materialized over Susanoo's outer layer, and two massive Tengu wings unfurled from its back.
At this moment, Shisui's Susanoo had reached its third form!
However, the intense strain on his Mangekyō Sharingan was taking a toll—blood began to stream from Shisui's eyes, now bloodshot and trembling. It was clear he had pushed his ocular power to the limit.
His chest heaved as he gasped for breath. After this relentless high-intensity battle, his chakra and stamina were nearly depleted.
Outside the arena, Uchiha Fugaku's heart was in his throat. He was torn—not only distressed by the reckless overuse of Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan but deeply worried about the senseless duel between two of the clan's brightest prodigies. A single misstep could have disastrous consequences.
"As expected of someone who can summon Susanoo with just one eye," Yusuke thought, silently impressed. "To manifest a third-stage Susanoo with a regular Mangekyō Sharingan… Shisui's ocular power is truly remarkable."
Now fully prepared, Shisui made his move, opting to strike first.
Before the duel began, he never imagined that Yusuke's strength would push him to such extremes—forcing him to reveal his third-stage Susanoo.
The chest armor of Susanoo slowly opened, revealing a massive, glowing green magatama. Susanoo's left hand reached into its chest cavity and pulled the jewel out.
"Yusuke-senpai," Shisui called out between ragged breaths, "let this next move decide our battle!"
Meanwhile, Yusuke was furiously drawing on the Yin chakra sealed within his Cursed Seal. The reserves he had just replenished were now being consumed again. The Nine-Tails, whose form had recently stabilized, was reduced once more to a juvenile form.
Seeing both fighters poised to unleash their ultimate techniques, the spectators held their breath. The entire arena fell into utter silence.
At that moment, everyone waited with bated breath for the final outcome.
"Yasaka Magatama!"
"Infernal Hellfire!"
Green chakra erupted from Shisui's Susanoo. The magatama in its hand rapidly expanded and began spinning at high speed. With a surge of energy, it hurtled toward Yusuke like a spiraling death storm.
A direct hit would undoubtedly reduce its target to ashes.
Yusuke's usually calm eyes flashed with sharp intent. He swung Ryūjin Jakka with a horizontal slash, unleashing a stream of crimson-gold fire.
As the flame sliced through the air, fireballs erupted along its path—each one transforming instantly into a blazing pillar over a hundred meters tall.
Eight massive columns of golden fire formed and rapidly closed in on Shisui's Susanoo.
Witnessing the sheer destructive scale of both techniques, Uchiha Fugaku immediately ordered the Sealing Corps to reinforce the arena's barriers. He prayed silently, hoping neither of the two would suffer a fatal blow.
As the Yasaka Magatama collided with the fire pillars, Shisui's anticipated breakthrough never came. Instead, the spinning magatama vanished into the flames—utterly consumed.
"What?!"
Shisui's eyes widened in disbelief. "It just… disappeared?!"
But there was no time to process the shock. The eight towering fire pillars were already upon him.
Shisui swiftly formed hand seals, and Susanoo mirrored his movements.
"Ten-Thousand Bone Fortress!"
From Susanoo's body, hundreds upon hundreds of giant bones erupted, rapidly forming six colossal bone walls.
Each wall bore a terrifying Tengu skull at its center. The six walls connected in a hexagonal formation, enclosing both Susanoo and Shisui in a final defense.
Just as the fortress completed, the eight fiery pillars closed in and detonated.
The crimson-gold inferno expanded into a sea of flame. Under the unbearable heat, Shisui's skeletal walls and Susanoo itself began to melt at a visible pace.
"Yusuke, please—have mercy!"
Fugaku's voice rang out from the sidelines. He couldn't bear to watch Shisui, who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, perish like this.
Hearing Fugaku's plea, Yusuke let out a quiet sigh—and decided to spare Shisui.
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At this moment, Yusuke could sense that Shisui's chakra and ocular power were nearly depleted. He was barely holding on, desperately sustaining his Susanoo with what little remained. Even so, Yusuke judged that Shisui wouldn't last more than a few breaths longer.
In a flash, Yusuke appeared above Shisui's Susanoo, preparing to reclaim the flames.
Now standing atop the massive construct, with a blazing katana in hand, the trailing flames of his blade formed a brilliant crimson-gold ring behind him, echoing the inferno that surrounded them. In that moment, he looked like a god of fire descending upon the battlefield.
Everyone in the arena—whether shinobi or civilian—was completely awestruck by the sheer pressure of Yusuke's presence.
Yusuke plunged his flaming sword, Ryūjin Jakka, straight down into Susanoo's head. The Susanoo let out a gut-wrenching roar, like a beast from the depths of hell.
As it howled, its wings, armor, muscle, and bones began to dissolve, disintegrating into nothingness. In the end, the mighty Susanoo vanished entirely from the arena.
At the same time, Ryūjin Jakka absorbed the surrounding crimson-gold flames like a whale sucking in water. The raging sea of fire that moments ago had engulfed the arena vanished within seconds, leaving behind only a massive crater and scorched earth at the center.
Without the protection of his Susanoo, and having exhausted his stamina, chakra, and ocular power, Shisui let out a pained grunt as he fell from the sky. Powerless to resist, he crashed into the center of the crater.
Yusuke descended from above and landed in front of Shisui. His Zanpakutō, now deactivated, slammed into the ground beside Shisui's neck. Looking down at him, Yusuke calmly declared:
"The battle is decided."
Shisui's bloodshot eyes, now reverted from the Sharingan state, met Yusuke's. For Yusuke, this battle held no real meaning. It was a clash without purpose. So instead of joy, he felt only mild relief.
"If I hadn't secured the Yin chakra of the Nine-Tails beforehand," he thought to himself, "this battle might have ended very differently."
Checking the status of his dual-polarity curse mark, Yusuke confirmed that his technique Infernal Hellfire had drained the Yin chakra dry. He had once again completely exhausted the Nine-Tails.
"This was only the beginning of Ryūjin Jakka's power," Yusuke mused. "I haven't even touched on its full potential—or its Bankai. I need to find a way to replenish my Yin chakra reserves as soon as possible."
From the sidelines, Uchiha Fugaku sighed in relief upon seeing that Yusuke had spared Shisui's life. He quickly stepped into the center of the arena to officially declare the result.
The crowd, silent a moment before, now exploded with excitement. This fight had clearly reached Kage-level, shocking all who had witnessed it. The response was electric.
Due to the intense heat of Ryūjin Jakka, the air in the arena was dry and stifling. Many spectators were drenched in sweat, and some had their hair slightly curled as if they had just come out of an oven.
Shisui lay silent, gazing blankly at the sky. Tears, mixed with blood, streamed down his face and dripped onto the scorched earth below.
In his heart, Shisui felt he had failed the Third Hokage's expectations—and lost his chance to gain greater influence within the clan, to push for reform from the inside.
Once Yusuke was declared the winner, Fugaku immediately ordered medical-nin to carry Shisui away for treatment.
Though Yusuke was now the most valued member of the clan, Shisui—with his awakened Mangekyō Sharingan—remained second only to him in Fugaku's eyes.
"Yusuke, thank you for showing mercy," Fugaku said sincerely.
In a shinobi battle, victory often walks hand in hand with death. The fact that Yusuke had held back and spared Shisui was a gesture Fugaku deeply appreciated.
Yusuke merely waved a hand and replied, "I'll say it again—Shisui's position is a serious issue. If you can't win him over to your side, he may become your greatest obstacle."
Fugaku nodded. "Don't worry. I'll talk to him properly."
He then looked Yusuke up and down in surprise—completely uninjured, his clothes still pristine.
"It seems you won with ease," Fugaku said. "Your strength… I can no longer read it."
Yusuke offered a faint smile but didn't explain further. He knew the truth—this victory hadn't come easily. Though he hadn't used his Sharingan, he had exhausted nearly all his resources—including every last drop of the Nine-Tails' Yin chakra stored in his curse mark.
After a brief exchange, Fugaku hurried off to the hospital to check on Shisui, leaving Yusuke to exit the arena under the reverent eyes of everyone present.
The spectators also began to leave, buzzing with excitement. Many of them, still in awe, were animatedly reenacting the battle. Some children had already started swinging bamboo sticks or wooden swords around, pretending to be Yusuke—declaring themselves "The Blazing Blade."
Though Shisui had put on a spectacular display, his loss meant he didn't capture the hearts of the audience. Yusuke's Ryūjin Jakka was simply too dazzling—an unforgettable sight that instantly carved him into the minds of young admirers.
In the VIP stands, the Third Hokage and Danzo remained seated, exchanging a silent glance.
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