Late at night, at the Kikyō Mountain frontlines, the Kumogakure headquarters.
A ghostly figure weaved through the wartime tents as if entering an unguarded realm.
Ignoring the patrolling guards, his movements resembled a soaring wild goose—light and fleeting. Everyone he passed collapsed silently, swiftly kicked into the bushes.
In mere moments, he approached the enemy's main tent.
Uchiha Kagami held his breath, crouching low, his sharp and calm gaze resembling a leopard poised to strike.
Within the Sharingan's field of vision, the brightly lit curtains cast the faint shadow of a figure.
It was a figure with horns on its head, sprawled over the military desk, its burly body rising and falling rhythmically with steady breaths, as if in deep slumber.
Kagami locked onto that figure, pushed off with a foot, and shot forward like an arrow.
He pierced straight through the tent, the Susanoo's skeleton materializing a gleaming golden blade that bisected the silver-haired figure in an instant. The sword's momentum didn't falter, cleaving the entire tent in two!
"Bang."
Kagami's eyes narrowed as Ginkaku's body dissipated into white smoke. At the same moment, countless footsteps echoed outside the tent.
The leader, his aura profound and golden hair cascading, gave a slight wave of his hand. Hundreds of Cloud shinobi dispersed with practiced coordination, surrounding Uchiha Kagami in a tight circle.
Kagami slowly turned his head, the Mangekyō Sharingan blooming with a haunting crimson glow under the moonlight. The skeletal frame around him dissolved into golden light. 'You noticed me long ago?'
'People always overlook my delicate inner self because of my strong physique.'
Kinkaku raised his hand, idly fiddling with the kunai in his grasp and the stone marked with a special technique. 'Taijutsu is my talent, but sensory ninjutsu is also my passion…'
'That's…' Kagami narrowed his eyes slightly. 'My Flying Thunder God mark!'
Kinkaku let out a sinister laugh, rubbing his hands together as the rocks crumbled into dust, and all the Flying Thunder God kunai shattered into iron filings.
Without any further words, the battle erupted in an instant.
"Ssskrrrt!"
Behind Kinkaku, two Cloud ninjas swung their blades simultaneously, the glinting steel entwined with chaotic electric arcs under the moonlight. Yet, their strikes were not aimed at Kagami, but instead slashed in unison across Kinkaku's formidable back muscles.
The blades sank three inches into flesh, sending scalding blood splattering onto two expressionless, vacant faces.
At the same time, chaos erupted within the Cloud ninja ranks as they turned on each other in mindless slaughter. Swords clashed, sparks flew, and the thick stench of blood quickly dyed the earth crimson.
"Fools, I told you not to look into his eyes..." Kinkaku turned leisurely, his massive hand clamping down on the heads of his two subordinates.
"Mai, since you fell for it yourself, you can't blame others."
His fingers tightened, and the heads of his two subordinates burst like watermelons, blood splattering everywhere.
With a sudden movement, he swung a palm as large as a cattail leaf fan toward Uchiha Kagami.
At the start of the palm strike, there was nothing unusual, but as it progressed, a dark red hue spread from the palm, quickly covering the hand and arm. Then, like a beast shedding its fur, six long tails burst from the body, muscles bulging and crimson exposed.
With a dull 'thud,' Kagami stood unmoving, allowing the palm to strike the top of his head. As countless afterimages rippled outward, he grabbed the opponent's arm in return, his entire body erupting in golden light, unleashing a point-blank Yasaka Magatama!
Kinkaku was instantly blasted away. He stood up from the shattered rocks, his abdomen dripping with fresh blood that steamed with billowing heat.
As the Tailed Beast chakra coalesced, his injuries healed completely. With a roar, he charged forward once more.
Kagami remained waiting in place, but when Kinkaku swung his claw down, the six long tails suddenly swayed. Kinkaku's burly figure brushed past Kagami's head like a dragonfly skimming the water, landing atop the tent.
"Heh, noticed it, did you?" Kagami smiled faintly as he pulled out two thick stacks of explosive tags from his waist pouch, the central 'explode' characters igniting in unison. "But unfortunately, it's useless."
In an instant, a massive explosion engulfed him, yet the shockwave did not spread outward. Instead, all flames collapsed inward, condensing into a burning humanoid figure that was completely absorbed by Kagami.
Immediately after, golden light rippled as a colossal golden skeleton projected from his body. Flesh filled the gaps between the bones, and the second stage Susanoo took form in an instant!
"It's not over yet!" Kagami stood amidst the half-bodied giant, suddenly clenching his fingers as the accumulated energy within him surged out in one go.
The shockwave abruptly expanded, the ground torn apart by the fierce wind. Scales rapidly armed the half-bodied giant, solidifying into tangible crow tengu armor. A dense golden light erupted violently, illuminating the entire Hidden Cloud base as bright as day.
"Susanoo: Third Stage!"
At this very moment, Kagami's heart was filled with an intense desire for destruction. Unlike usual, he did not suppress it but instead followed his instincts, allowing it to rage unchecked within him!
Golden streams of light converged as if devouring everything in their path, the faint outline of a long-handled weapon flickering in and out of view, shrouded in a mist-like haze.
It was a slender kusarigama, its blade razor-sharp, wielded in both hands by the Susanoo.
"Divine Artifact: Dark Fang of Yomi!"
Susanoo roared and swung its scythe in a sweeping arc, severing everything in its path. Piles of Cloud shinobi were torn apart by the golden shockwave, blood mist spraying everywhere.
The colossal entity rampaged through the crowd, with none able to withstand even a single strike. Like a golden, gleaming god of death, it swung its scythe, reaping the lives of countless insignificant ants.
Soon, Kagami regained his fleeting rationality—what had just happened was merely a rampage of indiscriminate attacks.
He hadn't forgotten the mission at hand. Destroying the enemy base was secondary; the top priority remained the 'decapitation strike.'
But when he finally caught sight of Kinkaku's figure, he was suddenly dumbfounded.
That dark red figure was now clad in armor-like exoskeleton, its tailed beast chakra erupting without restraint. A pitch-black Tailed Beast Ball, compressed to its limit, tore through the air as it shot toward a certain direction.
A streak of red light traversed a thousand meters in an instant, piercing through layers of sonic booms before detonating and igniting a distant mountain.
"Not good!" Kagami's pupils dilated, veins bulging with alarm. "That direction is... Kikyō Mountain!"
Kinkaku did not cease his chakra eruption, the red and blue hues condensed in the air as a second Tailed Beast Ball gathered in his mouth, then shot forth with a piercing howl.
Kagami could no longer afford to focus on the enemy before him. At this moment, his Susanoo wielded a scythe—one swing toward Kinkaku would sever his head clean off!
But he would also miss the chance to block the Tailed Beast Ball, leaving his comrades at Kikyō Pass with no remains to bury.
He made his decision almost instantly. The Susanoo dissipated inch by inch, and he vanished from the spot, reappearing before the front lines outside Kikyō Pass.
"Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder!"
He struggled to deflect the successive Tailed Beast Balls until exhaustion overtook him, and he slowly collapsed backward.
Fortunately, the first Tailed Beast Ball didn't directly hit the Konoha headquarters, avoiding heavy casualties. But by sheer coincidence, it obliterated the supply depot, reducing countless provisions and equipment to ashes.
Amidst the clamor in his ears, the last thing he saw before closing his eyes were the figures of Hiruzen and Homura hastily lifting him up, Koharu's anxious expression, and... Danzo, clutching his bleeding head with a look of furious frustration.
"How wonderful, everyone is still alive..."
Above the night sky, a young man clad in black stood with his hands behind his back, treading upon rippling waves. His clear, bright eyes gazed distantly at Kikyō Mountain, as if a deity surveying the earth below.
His gaze finally settled upon Uchiha Kagami, a faint smile gracing his finely carved lips before he turned and vanished, blending seamlessly into the darkness of the night.