Uchiha Sasuke stood atop a tall building, his eyes fixed on the monstrous being in the distance—a towering, blue Susanoo with two terrifying faces and four mighty arms. The sheer scale of the entity was staggering. But what truly shocked Sasuke was what—or rather, who—was within it.
"There's someone inside that thing…" he muttered to himself, narrowing his eyes. "Wait… those eyes…"
His heart skipped a beat.
"Sharingan?!!"
Even from this distance, the crimson glow of the Sharingan pierced through the swirling chakra, their presence undeniable. Sasuke's young, twelve-year-old mind reeled as realization dawned on him.
"And… this feeling…"
He clutched his chest involuntarily as a wave of suffocating chakra pressure radiated toward him.
"This... this is even more terrifying than him… No, it's not just stronger—it's darker, heavier, and filled with an overwhelming sense of battle lust... This chakra, this eye power… who is he?!"
Sasuke's expression twisted in disbelief. He had only ever felt such overwhelming ocular force from one person—his older brother, Uchiha Itachi. The coldness, the dominance, the sheer power of the Mangekyō Sharingan…
But now, this stranger—this unknown warrior—possessed an eye power that eclipsed even that.
"Another Uchiha…?" Sasuke thought, feeling his stomach knot. "Is there someone else from my clan… someone this powerful?"
A sliver of hope flickered within him. Was he not the last? Was he not alone?
His gaze remained fixed on the colossal Susanoo, which exuded a vast, nearly demonic chakra. Even the formidable presence of the Tailed Beasts paled in comparison.
"When… when did my Sharingan activate?" Sasuke suddenly realized, his eyes burning as he noticed his Two Tomoe Sharingan spinning.
"Could it be… the resonance of Uchiha blood?" he whispered. "The eye power is resonating… there's no doubt. That man… is definitely one of us."
Just then—
"Huh?"
Within the Susanoo, Leo suddenly twitched, his intense gaze shifting. The overwhelming bloodlust and madness that had taken over him—remnants of Uchiha Madara's memories and emotions—faded instantly.
The mention of "Senju Hashirama" in his mind had nearly sent him spiraling. The urge to fight, to dominate, to obliterate—all had surged from within like a tidal wave. Madara's hatred and obsession had nearly consumed him.
But in that moment of instability, Leo had sensed it—a familiar, gentle wave of ocular power. Not hostile. Not malicious. But curious, cautious… young.
That alone was enough to jolt Leo back to his senses.
Hovering atop his giant Susanoo, Leo slowly turned his Mangekyō Sharingan toward the source.
"That boy… Uchiha Sasuke?"
He could see him clearly now—black hair styled in that unmistakable ducktail fashion, a high-collared shirt bearing the Uchiha clan crest.
There was no mistaking it.
"Of course, Erzhuzi," Leo murmured. "That hairstyle alone…"
Besides, in the entire village, only one other person was known to possess the Sharingan in both eyes—Uchiha Sasuke.
For a brief moment, their eyes met.
Sasuke stared directly into Leo's Mangekyō Sharingan and felt as if a monstrous beast from the ancient world was gazing straight into his soul. Every instinct screamed at him to flee, yet his body refused to move. He was frozen—not by fear, but by the sheer pressure of Leo's presence.
At that exact moment—
"Expansion Jutsu!"
A deep voice boomed from behind.
Akamichi Choza's body suddenly ballooned in size, transforming into a towering human wrecking ball. As the massive form of Choza charged forward, another voice shouted—
"Mind-Body Transmission Technique!"
It was Yamanaka Inoichi, attempting to use his clan's signature jutsu on Leo from a distance, hoping to catch him off guard.
But—
Zhing——!
Leo's eyes narrowed. A single glance.
In an instant, Yamanaka Inoichi was caught in an illusion—a powerful genjutsu born from Leo's Mangekyō Sharingan.
Paralyzed in place.
Meanwhile, Nara Shikaku quickly formed a hand seal, using the Shadow Binding Technique. His shadow latched onto Choza just as he finished transforming into his high-speed meat bomb, and with a surge of chakra, Shikaku redirected him—flinging Choza like a gigantic yo-yo straight toward Susanoo's massive form.
But—
"Out of my sight."
Leo's voice echoed coldly through the village. With a wave of his arm, he commanded Susanoo to move.
BOOM!
The gigantic Susanoo lifted one of its four legs and kicked the rolling Choza into the air like a soccer ball. The sheer force sent shockwaves through the air, cracking nearby rooftops.
In the next instant—
Swoosh!
Leo condensed a glowing magatama in his palm, the "Eight-Board Magatama," and launched it like a missile. It collided with the spinning Choza mid-air.
Slash—!!
Blood burst in all directions as a massive arm separated from Choza's body and spiraled through the sky.
"Argh…!!" Choza's pained cry echoed as he plummeted back to the ground, crashing into the earth and sending up a massive dust cloud.
"Choza!!!" Kakashi, Kurenai, Inoichi, and Shikaku all shouted in unison, expressions filled with disbelief and horror.
Even from his rooftop perch, Uchiha Sasuke was stunned.
"He cut off Choza's arm… with a single strike?!"
This wasn't some casual display of power—it was the kind of decisive, overwhelming might that left no room for counterattack.
Sasuke clenched his fists.
"How is he this strong?"
Even Kakashi-sensei, a man who had faced Akatsuki members and possessed the Sharingan himself, looked like a mere child in front of this foe.
Leo, suspended high atop his Susanoo, surveyed the destruction below. His crimson eyes scanned the broken terrain, the stunned shinobi, the wounded Choza, and the fearful glances.
A quiet system prompt echoed in his mind:
[Defeated and severed Akamichi Choza's arm. Primary Achievement unlocked. Congratulations! You've earned one Primary Achievement Lottery Spin!]
Leo barely reacted. He merely smirked.
"Hmph."
His gaze swept across the battlefield with disdain.
"Is this all you have?"
"Such weak resistance. This doesn't even begin to entertain me."
His voice echoed with cold pride, tinged with the arrogance inherited from Madara. The influence was clear—not just in his power, but in the way he spoke, the way he carried himself.
"Too easy," he muttered, his voice laced with disappointment.
From below, the remaining Konoha Jōnin tried to regroup.
"Kakashi, Asuma, what do we do?" Kurenai said anxiously. "He's just… too strong!"
Even someone as composed as Yamanaka Inoichi was stunned into silence. His technique had failed in an instant. One glance—just one glance—and he'd been caught in a genjutsu.
Mitarashi Anko, who was rushing toward the Hokage building to report, couldn't help but glance back.
"That chakra… It's unreal. Orochimaru's presence would be like that of a Genin compared to this monster…"
She bit her lip in frustration and worry.
Meanwhile, Kakashi stood silently. The blue Susanoo towering above them was not just powerful—it was a symbol of something far worse.
A human-shaped Tailed Beast.
"Leo…" he muttered, not knowing the name, but sensing the intent. "Just who the hell are you?"
Then—
"Don't count Konoha out just yet!!"
A loud voice erupted from the side.
Sprinting into the fray, Might Guy appeared, chakra flaring around him.
"Blue Beast of Konoha… is here!!"
He leapt into the air, releasing the first few gates of the Eight Inner Gates, and shouted—
"Watch closely!! PEACOCK FLAMES!!!"