Carrying the adamantine staff formed from his summoning beast Enma, Sarutobi Hiruzen steadied himself and regained his composure.
"Uchiha Byakuya... I'll deal with you today."
"You'll learn why I was once called the strongest Hokage!"
With a roar, Hiruzen surged forward, brandishing the staff with ferocious speed and precision. Despite its massive size, the staff moved with astonishing agility in Hiruzen's hands, testament to his mastery of Taijutsu and weapon combat. The staff's unique ability to extend and contract at will made his attacks even more difficult to predict and counter.
Faced with the overwhelming barrage, Byakuya narrowed his eyes. "Shinkōgan..."
As the barrage of staff shadows passed through him harmlessly, Hiruzen's eyes widened in shock. "What...!?"
"Sarutobi Hiruzen, is this the power of the Hokage?" Byakuya scoffed, his body phasing through the attacks. "Pathetic. If the First and Second Hokage saw this, they'd die with even more regrets."
"Damn it, you arrogant Uchiha...!"
The old Hokage's fury boiled over. From the other end of the staff, the transformed Enma growled in confusion.
"Hiruzen! I could feel the strikes land. How did he dodge them!?"
Hiruzen clenched his jaw. "It's space-time ninjutsu. Like Tobirama-sensei's Flying Thunder God Technique… But different. This must be a Mangekyō Sharingan ability."
"Hmph. Didn't you ever learn space-time ninjutsu from the Second Hokage?" Enma questioned.
A faint blush touched Hiruzen's aged face. "Ahem… Not the time for that. We need to find a weakness in his technique."
Enma grunted. "Every ninjutsu has a flaw. He can't phase forever."
Indeed, like Obito Uchiha's Shinkōgan, Byakuya's technique had a time limit. He could only remain intangible for about five minutes. But forcing him out of phase was easier said than done.
"Boom… Boom…"
Hiruzen continued his relentless assault, staff slamming down with blinding speed and force. But no matter how hard or fast he struck, Byakuya remained untouched, calmly phasing through each attack. The prolonged exertion began to take its toll; Hiruzen's breathing grew heavier, sweat beading on his brow.
"Huff… Huff…"
"Hey, Sarutobi Hiruzen, are you falling apart already?" Byakuya sneered. "You look like you're about to collapse. That's some serious kidney deficiency…"
Taking advantage of Byakuya's taunt, Hiruzen suddenly shouted, "Enma, extend!"
With a sharp crack, the adamantine staff shot forward, smashing directly toward Byakuya. But just before impact, a ribbed blue skeletal frame materialized in front of him—Susanoo.
"Nice try. But sneak attacks won't work on me." Byakuya's voice was cold, his ethereal armor humming with power.
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. "A Mangekyō Sharingan and Susanoo? You're no ordinary Uchiha…"
"I should be surprised, but it just makes you more shameless," Byakuya said. "Feigning weakness to land a cheap shot? You're not the strongest Hokage—you're the shadiest Hokage."
Hiruzen showed no sign of shame. "You're an enemy of the village. I'll use any means to stop you and reclaim the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki."
Without another word, Byakuya's Susanoo fully formed, its giant frame coalescing with a long spectral sword. With a swing, the blade came crashing down toward Hiruzen.
"Enma, block it!"
With a mighty clang, the adamantine staff intercepted the sword, sparks erupting from the impact. Though staggered, Hiruzen held his ground.
"He actually blocked it...?" Byakuya said, surprised.
"Hmph. Enma's adamantine form is harder than steel. You won't break it so easily," Hiruzen said, panting but resolute.
Sarutobi Hiruzen remained confident in the power of his summoned beast, Enma, the Monkey King. Over the years, they had fought side by side and overcome numerous formidable opponents together.
"Even Uchiha Byakuya will fall before us," Hiruzen murmured, gripping the adamantine staff Enma had transformed into.
"Hmph… Is that so?" Byakuya narrowed his eyes, his Mangekyō Sharingan glowing ominously.
"Pupil Technique: Zōka Myōzō."
Byakuya's Susanoo surged forth once again, this time infused with the power of his unique dojutsu. The spectral warrior raised its sword, glowing with a violent energy, and swung down with tremendous force.
BOOM!
A thunderous impact echoed across the battlefield. Hiruzen's eyes widened as an overwhelming pressure surged toward him. His grip failed, and the adamantine staff was ripped from his hands mid-guard, reverting into Enma's original form with a pained howl.
"Impossible…! You broke Enma's adamantine form?!"
Enma crashed into the ground, blood spraying from his mouth. "Hiruzen… I can't… all my ribs… are shattered… I'm done…"
With a cough and a weary sigh, Enma vanished in a puff of smoke, forcibly dispelled due to his injuries.
"Damn it… This is the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan?" Hiruzen clenched his fists, disbelief tightening in his chest. Despite his vast knowledge of Konoha's jutsu and dojutsu lore, he had gravely underestimated the destructive potential of Byakuya's ocular power.
Now without Enma and facing an enemy with space-time techniques and Susanoo, Hiruzen was at a serious disadvantage.
"Your monkey's gone… now it's your turn," Byakuya said coldly, as his Susanoo stepped forward, blade descending once more.
KRAKOOM!
The impact rocked the battlefield, smoke and debris billowing up in every direction.
"…Is it over?"
As the dust cleared, Byakuya's expression darkened. In the crater, there was no body—only a splintered log. A Substitution Jutsu.
"He ran? Hmph… So much for being the 'Professor of Ninjutsu.'" Byakuya scoffed. "A Hokage who abandons his men and flees—how shameless."
But as he was sneering, a sudden searing pain stabbed through his eyes. He winced, releasing Susanoo and clutching his face as the Mangekyō Sharingan began to fade.
"Tch… I pushed it too far…"
His Mangekyō Sharingan deactivated, leaving his vision blurry and his chakra depleted. Until he awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, the side effects of overuse—eye strain and vision loss—would remain a limiting factor.
A translucent attribute screen flickered into view before him.
Negative Energy: 700,000
He was drawing closer to the threshold needed. At one million negative energy points, the conditions to evolve his eyes would be fulfilled. The Eternal Mangekyō would eliminate the drawbacks entirely.
With his stats nearing their peak and all his main abilities refined to S-rank, Byakuya knew one thing for sure:
He was now firmly within the upper echelons of the Kage-level.
And he had only just begun.
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