Without a word, Tobirama intensified the force of his ocular power. The wicked black flames surged to their peak, consuming the so-called 'Darkness of the Shinobi'—body, soul, and all—reducing Danzō to ashes.

Only after Wakatsuki finished burning away every last trace of his chakra did faint, flickering motes of light swirl up and flow back into Tobirama's body.

Uchiha Izuna watched the entire scene carefully.

Summoning Shimura Danzō hadn't merely been to disgust Tobirama—it was a strategic move to destabilize him and gather intel.

And this Mangekyō that Tobirama had manifested from who-knows-where had put Izuna completely on alert.

What kind of dōjutsu would this wicked Senju fiend awaken through Uchiha blood?

Both sides still had their hidden cards…

And now that he had played his Danzō card, Uchiha Izuna had largely figured out Wakatsuki's mechanics.

"This technique… it resembles my Amaterasu," he murmured, narrowing his eyes.

"It harms the soul, absorbs chakra… its effects target not matter, but the spirit itself?"

"I absolutely cannot be hit by this jutsu."

Izuna's own trump card…

The first of Izuna's trump cards was the power of the Senju, refined through the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. The second was Kanrō —a dōjutsu he had never used before, capable of freezing chakra and even space itself.

In his view, Senju Tobirama's trump cards were two unknown ocular abilities.

Now, with Shimura Danzō having already forced Tobirama to reveal one of them, Uchiha Izuna believed the advantage in this battle was now firmly in his hands—

Especially since Tobirama's mental state had clearly taken a hit.

After Danzō's grotesquely off-putting rant…

The Second Tsuchikage, Mū—currently locked in combat with Hiruko—shook his head and muttered, "Judging by his disciple, Tobirama must've died young. If he'd lived longer, he would've ended up just another senile and clueless leader. Such terrible judgment of character!"

"If it hadn't been for that bastard Hōzuki Gengetsu dragging me to hell with him, Iwagakure would've easily risen to the top in this era of chaos! My disciple, Ōnoki, is leagues beyond the likes of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō!"

Hiruko shrugged as he dodged another blast of Dust Release.

They could say whatever they wanted—as long as they weren't insulting Kazuki-sama, he didn't care.

Tobirama? Never met him.

On the other side of the battlefield, the Second Mizukage Hōzuki Gengetsu joined in the trash talk: "Hey, shark-face! Judging by your forehead protector, you're from Kirigakure, aren't you? Sure, I'm pissed off about being controlled by the Uchiha, but why the hell are you fighting alongside Konoha?"

"You see what I mean now? Konoha's nothing but a mess. Not a single competent soul among them…"

Kisame chuckled mockingly.

"Who told you I was fighting for Konoha? Listen up, mustache man—I'm here for the First Mizukage, Kazuki-sama!"

Gengetsu hated being called 'mustache man' more than anything—

But he didn't have time to argue. Puzzled, he asked, "Wasn't the First Mizukage Byakuren-sama? What are you even talking about?!"

"That was old Kirigakure. It's long been dissolved… Now there's only the new one—and only one true First Mizukage: Kazuki-sama!"

Kisame cackled gleefully, the chakra of the Three-Tails cloaking his body as he began forming hand seals.

"Outdated relics of the old era… you can all crawl back into your coffins!"

"Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique!"

"You old relic—!"

Hōzuki Gengetsu roared, "Let's see what your so-called New Kirigakure is really made of!"

The two Kirigakure shinobi clashed in earnest, and their battle atop the sea was so intense it triggered a small tsunami.

Meanwhile—

Senju Tobirama let out a long sigh.

It wasn't just Gengetsu and Mū commenting from the sidelines—even Senju Hashirama, in the middle of battling Uchiha Madara, found the time to shoot him a distant, incredulous glance.

Damn you, Uchiha Izuna!

Why the hell did you have to make Danzō scream his nonsense for the whole world to hear?

This time, Tobirama's once-pristine reputation as a brilliant and fierce tactician had taken a serious hit in the eyes of the entire shinobi world…

"You damn Senju bastard, is that all you've got—" Izuna continued taunting—

But then his pupils contracted sharply.

Senju Tobirama had vanished.

And the spot he reappeared in… was exactly where he'd thrown the Flying Thunder God kunai that blasted Danzō's head earlier!

A location dangerously close to Izuna—and perfect for a sneak attack!

The blade came slicing downward, aimed straight at Izuna's ribs and driving toward his heart!

This was the trap Tobirama had laid all along—

Izuna thought he'd lost his temper?

He had—partly.

But far more than that, Tobirama had simply turned his enemy's plan back on him!

In that split second, Izuna sneered.

His eyes flared with power as his dōjutsu activated!

The space around Tobirama suddenly twisted as if caught by a massive gravitational core—chakra and movement were locked in place, frozen solid.

Tobirama's expression shifted to one of shock. His eyes flashed again, a stream of radiance flowing across his body—

But it was useless. He was frozen mid-attack, unable to move.

This was Uchiha Izuna's dōjutsu.

"Die, Senju Tobirama!"

Uchiha Izuna drew his blade, and black flames of Amaterasu surged to life along its edge. He drove the sword straight toward Tobirama's heart!

As long as the strike landed true, Tobirama would die for sure.

The humiliation and pain Izuna had suffered back then—instantly cut down by Flying Thunder God—he would now repay tenfold!

[Schlkk—]

Just as Izuna expected, his Amaterasu-imbued blade pierced Tobirama's body.

But—

Tobirama's blade had also pierced his body.

In that razor-thin moment, both men had narrowly avoided a fatal strike to the heart—just barely shifting enough to keep the blade from ending their lives outright.

From a distance, it looked as if Tobirama and Izuna had perished together.

Twin black flames—Amaterasu and Wakatsuki—very different in nature but almost like dark twins, crackled and danced across the bodies of these two fated rivals, consuming them in opposing infernos.

And the very next second—

Tobirama and Izuna moved almost in perfect sync.

Both twisted their blades, widening the gashes in each other's flesh, then pulled their swords free at the same time.

With monstrous strength, Tobirama forced his burning body forward—still aflame with Amaterasu—and closed in on Izuna just as he tried to retreat.

[Boom!]

Their fists collided with a thunderous crack. Izuna felt his hand bones fracture under the force, and only by flaring Amaterasu again was he able to force Tobirama back.

But even so—the tide had turned.

"Izuna… I know you the way a grandfather knows his grandson," Tobirama said coldly, a twisted smile on his face.

"You thought you could catch me off guard with your Mangekyō? Let me tell you this—you've already lost!"

"I'll say it again… If I could kill you once, I can kill you again."

"You will never rise again."

Though the black flames of Amaterasu still burned across his body, Tobirama's presence utterly overwhelmed Izuna's.

Izuna's face was dark with fury.

He had been outplayed.

Again.

...

The subtle mind games between Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Izuna left Kaguya, who had been drifting in thought, completely dumbfounded.

It seemed like Uchiha Izuna had set up Tobirama… but then Tobirama turned the tables?

Judging from the outcome, both men had stabbed each other—a draw, more or less.

But why did it feel like Tobirama had already won?

What was the real game behind all this?

Watching the clash between these two fated tacticians, Kaguya felt an itch in her head… as if she was about to grow a brain.

"Kazuki, wh-what exactly just happened?"

Unable to hold back, Kaguya asked, "How did they suddenly start fighting like that? Who won that last round?"

Kazuki smiled gently. "Didn't quite follow it, did you?"

Kaguya lowered her head in embarrassment and mumbled, "Could you explain it to me?"

Kazuki's smile widened as he looked at her teasingly. "My dear student, your sensei will break it down for you nice and slow. No need to rush…"

Kaguya shot him an annoyed glare.

Student, huh…

Even though she found the title oddly endearing, Uchiha Izuna had just used that same word to describe Shimura Danzō…

Even if she wasn't the brightest goddess in the heavens, she could still understand when someone was being cheeky!

Still, her eyes spun playfully as she cleared her throat and said with feigned charm, "Then I leave it to you, my wise and noble Kazuki-sensei…"

Kazuki raised a brow at her unserious tone.

Not working on me, sis.

Nice try, but I'm not falling for it.

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I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. patreon.com/TitoVillar

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