The sudden appearance of the black flames immediately spread across the entire body of the Yellow Springs Sect leader, engulfing the countless dark purple giant tendrils behind him as well.
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
A piercing scream echoed across the battlefield.
Moryo indeed possessed terrifying regenerative abilities. Feeding on human malice, its limbs could continuously regenerate, without end.
But Amaterasu was no less relentless!
Once its flames clung to something, they would burn without stopping until their target was reduced to ashes.
Moryo also had some sealing capabilities. In one of the future paths Uchiha Shinji had glimpsed using Izanagi-no-Mikoto, the Yellow Springs Sect leader had managed to seal part of the Amaterasu black flames by using Moryo's power.
This time, however, Shinji didn't hold back at all, going all-out from the start and catching both the Yellow Springs Sect leader and Moryo completely off guard. They couldn't react in time and were thoroughly consumed by the Amaterasu flames.
From a distance, the Hidden Leaf shinobi looked on with mixed expressions as they watched the monster struggle in the mysterious black flames and heard its agonized, wailing cries.
Kurenai said grimly, "I've never seen this kind of Fire Release before! Does anyone know what it is?"
"That's definitely no ordinary Fire Release," Asuma muttered, frowning. As a member of the Sarutobi clan, known for their mastery of Fire Release, Asuma was an expert in fire-based techniques. He could tell with just a glance that the black flames burning the monster were no ordinary fire.
Kakashi's expression was grave. He had expected the masked Akatsuki member to win, but he hadn't anticipated the victory to be this overwhelming. It was a complete one-sided beating.
Just moments ago, all the Hidden Leaf shinobi working together hadn't been able to suppress the Yellow Springs Sect leader and Moryo. In other words, the power level of this masked Uchiha was utterly terrifying.
"If this mysterious Uchiha holds any hostility toward the village, he's an enormous threat," Kakashi thought, feeling a chill.
Suddenly, he was grateful. "Thankfully, there was internal conflict within the Akatsuki. Otherwise, it's unimaginable what could have happened."
...
On the other side of the battlefield…
"Are those black flames also a dojutsu of the Sharingan?" Sasuke trembled with excitement. The terror of nearly dying, the frustration of being overwhelmed by the monster, and the pain of his injuries—all of it was forgotten in this moment.
Neji, who had recovered from his initial shock, furrowed his brow. "Shinji, Sasuke… this Uchiha—do you know him?"
Kimimaro also turned his gaze toward Shinji and Sasuke.
Only when Neji asked did Sasuke realize the issue. He looked confusedly at Shinji. In his mind, there were only three Uchiha left in the shinobi world: himself, Shinji, and Uchiha Itachi, the one who slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan. But the person before him clearly wasn't Itachi—Sasuke knew Itachi too well. Even with a mask, Itachi could never fool him.
Seeing everyone looking at him, Shinji's shadow clone quickly shook his head. "Don't look at me. I don't know either."
Meanwhile, Shion, who knew a secret nobody else did, covered her mouth in a smug, mischievous grin.
Drip. Drip, drip.
At some point, the sky had darkened, and a light rain began to fall. The rain grew heavier, but the black flames were unaffected, continuing to burn relentlessly on the Yellow Springs Sect leader and the countless giant tendrils.
Standing under the golden Susanoo, Shinji looked down at the Yellow Springs Sect leader struggling in the flames, his gaze cold and indifferent, like a god watching a sinner defy their will.
Moments later, the Yellow Springs Sect leader's screams weakened. The massive dark purple tendrils that had filled the battlefield turned into piles of smoking black char.
The Yellow Springs Sect leader himself was severely burned, lying motionless in the muddy ground, his fate uncertain.
In contrast, the golden, ethereal figure of Susanoo gradually became shrouded in mist from the rain and evaporating steam, creating an otherworldly, almost unreal atmosphere.
The sight left a deep, lasting impression on all the Hidden Leaf shinobi watching.
Shion couldn't help but glance at Shinji's shadow clone and think to herself, "Wow! Shinji is so powerful! No wonder he was my first friend!"
Sasuke stared at the golden Susanoo through the steam, whispering to himself, "I… I want to have that kind of power!"
Kimimaro, on the other hand, remained much more composed. He turned to Neji and asked, "Is the monster really defeated?"
Neji activated his Byakugan and scanned the Yellow Springs Sect leader, still lying in the mud. He shook his head. "There's still chakra left in him. He's not dead yet."
Hearing this, Asuma asked Kakashi in a low voice, "What do we do now?"
Kakashi shook his head. The situation had long since spiraled out of his control. The terrifying monster that could wreak havoc on the ninja world had just been easily dealt with by a single Akatsuki member.
This made Kakashi even more fearful of the Akatsuki, elevating his concern to a new level.
If before, he thought the Akatsuki were just dangerous, now he realized they were a potential threat to all five great shinobi villages. He couldn't even imagine how terrifying the organization would be without internal conflict.
On the battlefield, Shinji extinguished the Amaterasu and exhaled softly. Using dojutsu continuously, even with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, was still exhausting.
Though the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan could restore its user's vision, it didn't provide infinite chakra, and battles couldn't be dragged on forever.
After catching his breath, Shinji began walking toward the fallen Yellow Springs Sect leader. Despite the terrifying chakra still emanating from him, it was clear from the Izanagi-no-Mikoto vision that Moryo, the dark side of the priestess, couldn't easily be destroyed by physical means.
Swish.
Suddenly, a twisting vortex appeared beside the Yellow Springs Sect leader.
Shinji stopped in his tracks, his face calm, but internally he was shocked. "Obito?! Why is he here?"
At this moment, Shinji possessed five Mangekyo Sharingan abilities: Susanoo Tomoshibi, Jikibi, Wazunagi, Amaterasu, and Izanagi-no-Mikoto. But none of these could counter Obito's "Kamui."
As an eight-year-old, his physical abilities, experience, and endurance were no match for Obito. If a fight broke out, Shinji would surely lose!
However, it seemed that Obito was just as cautious. Perhaps Shinji's earlier display had been too overwhelming, or perhaps the golden Susanoo was too fearsome—either way, Obito was clearly on guard.
Without hesitation, Obito grabbed the unconscious Yellow Springs Sect leader and dragged him into the vortex, vanishing from the battlefield.
Before he disappeared completely, Obito cast a lingering, confused gaze at Shinji, as if trying to figure out who he was.
Realizing Obito had no intention of fighting, Shinji remained composed and calm, acting as though Obito's space-time jutsu didn't surprise him.
"Hmph…"
Obito muttered, vanishing into the vortex.
The entire exchange had taken place within just a few breaths.
Of the Hidden Leaf shinobi watching from afar, only Kakashi, Sasuke, and Neji—with their Sharingan and Byakugan—saw everything clearly. The rest, through the mist and rain, only caught glimpses of a figure in an Akatsuki robe appearing on the battlefield before taking the Yellow Springs Sect leader away.
Crash.
As soon as the Yellow Springs Sect leader was gone, the stone warriors that had surrounded them crumbled into pieces.
Kakashi and the others immediately tensed, their eyes all fixed on Shinji, standing under the golden Susanoo, ready for anything.
But Shinji deactivated his Susanoo, glanced at the Hidden Leaf shinobi, and disappeared in a blur.
As soon as he left, Asuma let out a deep sigh of relief. "Dealing with these Akatsuki members will shorten my life!"
Anko looked puzzled. "He didn't seem hostile toward us."
"Yeah." Kurenai and Yamashiro Aoba nodded, sharing the same sentiment.
Finally speaking up, Torune Aburame added, "My bugs tell me they didn't sense any threat from him."
Kakashi turned to Sasuke and Shinji. "Do either of you know who that was?"
All eyes fell on the two Uchiha. Shinji shook his head, and after thinking for a moment, so did Sasuke.
"Could it have been Uchiha Itachi?" Anko asked.
Sasuke immediately responded with emotion. "It's definitely not him! If it were, I'd recognize him in an instant!"
Kakashi agreed. "That wasn't Uchiha Itachi."
He recalled the battle in the town, where they had seen the same person. Itachi and Zabuza were also present, and Kakashi knew this person wasn't Itachi.
Asuma leaned over and whispered to Kakashi, "Counting the red Susanoo from the battle in the town, it seems there are at least two Uchiha members in Akatsuki aside from Itachi."
Kakashi nodded lightly. "Yes, and they both possess Mangekyo Sharingan."
After the battle in the town, they had researched the red-armored giant and learned it was a Mangekyo Sharingan technique known as Susanoo, a power once wielded by Uchiha Madara during his legendary battle against the First Hokage at the Valley of the End.
Any Uchiha capable of using Susanoo would possess at least one pair of Mangekyo Sharingan.
Asuma felt uneasy. "Where are all these Mangekyo Sharingan users coming from? Could one of them be Shisui, who went missing?"
Kakashi shook his head. "Shisui is dead."
Asuma frowned, unsure why Kakashi was so certain.
But Kakashi didn't explain. It was classified information that the Third Hokage had shared with him.
After Uchiha Itachi had massacred the Uchiha clan, he had reported to the Third Hokage, requesting the protection of his younger brother Sasuke. Itachi had even warned the Third about Danzo, who had obtained one of Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan.
This was one of the reasons why the Third Hokage had immediately disbanded the Root organization and restrained Danzo after the Uchiha massacre.
...
In the Kamui dimension…
Obito threw the Yellow Springs Sect leader to the ground, then sat down on a nearby stone platform with his legs crossed. "Stop pretending!"
The Yellow Springs Sect leader suddenly lifted his head, glaring at Obito with hatred. "What are you really trying to do?"
"I'm saving you," Obito replied coolly. "Didn't you notice?"
Struggling to his feet, the Yellow Springs Sect leader's body was in tatters. If it weren't for the Moryo residing within him, he would've died a hundred times over by now, despite his dark medical ninjutsu modifications.
Panting heavily, he growled, "Why did you stop me from taking the priestess' power? Do you know how long I've waited for this opportunity?"
Obito was silent for a moment before saying, "That's why I recruited you. There's been… a disagreement within the Akatsuki."
"What!?"
The Yellow Springs Sect leader was taken aback. He had considered countless possibilities, countless schemes, but never imagined that it was merely internal conflict within the Akatsuki that had caused him to fail.
Obito stared at him. "That's why I need your power—no, your power and Moryo's."
Obito had already noticed that the Yellow Springs Sect leader and Moryo had completely merged, and he suspected that the one speaking now was actually Wazunagi, not the human leader.
Realizing he had been exposed, Moryo's expression darkened.
If it had been before, he would have killed Obito without hesitation. But after the battle with Shinji and being transported to this mysterious space by Obito's Kamui, Moryo realized that the Akatsuki was far more powerful than he had expected. Starting a conflict now would bring him no benefits.
So, begrudgingly, he said, "I can join you, but you must honor your promise and help me obtain the priestess' power!"
"Agreed," Obito said, satisfied.
The power of this monster exceeded even his expectations. With Moryo on his side, Obito's influence within the Akatsuki would grow significantly.
Moryo added, "Now is the best time. Once the priestess grows stronger, she won't be so easy to deal with."
As the dark side of the priestess, Moryo knew better than anyone else about Shion's potential. The previous miko, Shion's mother, had even sealed her daughter's priestess powers to prevent her from using them recklessly—something that had never happened before.
Moryo was frustrated. He had a strong feeling that if he missed this chance, dealing with the most talented priestess in history would become far more difficult in the future.