Izuna swore that this First Mizukage was as ruthless as Tobirama!
Back then, Tobirama had only used the smoke from a clash of water and fire techniques to mask his attack, which couldn't obstruct Izuna's Sharingan at all.
But this First Mizukage constantly maintained Kirigakure no Jutsu, hiding and evading within the mist, showing no intention of fighting him head-on.
He was even more cowardly and despicable than Tobirama!
If Izuna could just pierce through the mist and lock onto his opponent's figure, he was confident he could cut him into eight pieces with a single slash!
Izuna had even pretended to run out of chakra, deliberately deactivating his Susano'o to lure his opponent into attacking him stealthily.
Yet the overly cautious First Mizukage didn't take the bait, seemingly determined to merely stall Izuna without engaging in direct combat.
Izuna grew increasingly anxious.
Compared to his situation here, Tobirama and Naori were undoubtedly under greater pressure facing the First Raikage.
Whether it was Naori or Tobirama, as the second leader of the Uchiha, Izuna couldn't let either of them fall into trouble!
His brother had given him the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, and as the inheritor of this power, he absolutely couldn't lose!
Moreover, this was the first surprise attack he'd encountered since being revived. If he couldn't resolve it quickly, wouldn't Tobirama laugh him to death later?
Speaking of Tobirama, Izuna couldn't help but recall the moment when he was defeated by him in his past life.
Rage suddenly flared within him, and the chakra and eye power in his body surged and roared.
'Damn it, there's only one way!'
How could he boost his eye power on the spot?
Simple—by recalling that unforgettable memory.
To gain greater strength, Izuna ruthlessly dredged up the scene of his death at Tobirama's hands.
Once, he grew angry.
Twice, he boiled with rage.
Thrice, he ascended to the heavens.
*BOOM—!*
Izuna's eye power and chakra erupted fully, like a seething volcano exploding.
With the Mangekyou Sharingan, he had already qualified to activate a complete Susano'o, but having just acquired his eyes, his eye power's growth was still insufficient.
While chakra was hard to increase rapidly, eye power was different.
Eye power was essentially a special type of chakra, requiring only greater spiritual strength. For the Uchiha clan, spiritual outbursts on the battlefield were as natural as drinking water or eating!
Thus, a colossal lake-blue Susano'o towered into the sky, tearing through the mist, majestic like a mountain.
A complete Susano'o was vastly different from the four-phase Susano'o before, like comparing a thirty-story building to a hundred-story skyscraper—on an entirely different level!
Though Izuna's current complete Susano'o was far smaller and less stable than his brother Madara's, its power was undeniable.
"STAY—!"
Izuna shouted with effort, forcibly stabilizing the immense chakra, forming tengu armor around the complete Susano'o and sprouting a massive pair of chakra wings.
*SWOOSH!*
The complete Susano'o fiercely flapped its wings, unleashing a superstorm that spiraled outward with Izuna at its center, forming a circular tornado vortex.
The thick mist around him rapidly dissipated.
No matter how vast the range of Kirigakure no Jutsu or how much chakra the First Mizukage had, it couldn't compare to a complete Susano'o.
With a single wing flap, it could unleash power equivalent to a hundred A-rank wind techniques.
Such an output was something the First Mizukage couldn't match even if he died trying…
It should be noted that he was over fifty years old and no longer at his peak.
Moreover, there was an unbridgeable gap between a peak Kage and a super Kage…
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Izuna controlled the Susano'o, flapping its wings three times in succession, the resulting storm instantly blowing away all the mist.
At the same time, it revealed the figure of the target previously hidden in the thick fog!
"Finally, I've caught you!"
Izuna's rage soared to the heavens. Anyone toyed with for so long would be furious.
But when he clearly saw the First Mizukage, he was slightly taken aback.
The First Mizukage was enveloped in a layer of milky-white striped tissue, like wearing flesh armor, even his face covered as if donning a striped mask.
"Oh no, I've been found out!"
Spiral Zetsu controlling the First Mizukage, realized he'd been exposed and locked onto. He slapped his head and shouted in an annoying tone.
Clearly, the one obstructing Izuna wasn't the First Mizukage.
Rather, it was the First Mizukage controlled by Spiral Zetsu.
No wonder he could sustain a large-scale Kirigakure no Jutsu and infuse abundant chakra to obscure vision while constantly holding back, never fighting Izuna directly.
It turned out he had been possessed and controlled by Spiral Zetsu from the start.
Possession by White Zetsu not only enhanced the First Mizukage's power but also gave him a deeper understanding of the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan's strengths and weaknesses.
That's why he controlled the First Mizukage to employ guerrilla tactics.
And all White Zetsu, with information provided by Black Zetsu, understood Uchiha and Sharingan abilities better than the Uchiha clan itself!
"First Mizukage?"
"Hehehe, not me. But I didn't expect Uchiha Izuna to truly come back to life?"
"Whoever you are, die!"
Furious, Izuna had no interest in investigating Spiral Zetsu's identity. He immediately controlled the complete Susano'o, drawing its sword and slashing straight at White Zetsu.
"Can't win, so I'll run first!"
Spiral Zetsu didn't hesitate, choosing to flee immediately.
He knew full well how terrifying a complete Susano'o was.
Forget possessing the First Mizukage—even if all past Mizukages were combined, they couldn't face Izuna head-on.
*SHUA!*
Spiral Zetsu released his possession, expelling the First Mizukage from within.
He activated Kagerou no Jutsu, swiftly slipping underground and escaping.
With White Zetsu's departure, the First Mizukage awoke from his coma.
But he had no time to analyze where he was or what had happened.
He only saw a brilliant blue sword flash descending from the sky, like extreme moonlight, instantly engulfing everything and annihilating him.
"No—!"
A pitiful wail echoed but was abruptly silenced.
It was drowned out by the massive rumble of the sword's fall and the cracking of the earth.
Simultaneously, a deep, nearly thousand-meter-long sword canyon appeared, showcasing the god-and-demon-like power of the complete Susano'o.
Without the interfering mist, the so-called First Mizukage was no match for the complete Susano'o—not even for a single strike!
"What was that weird thing?"
"It escaped?"
"Its chakra aura vanished too?"
"Damn it!"
Izuna noticed Spiral Zetsu's escape and couldn't help but feel puzzled. He had never seen such a strange creature.
He even questioned whether it was a living being or some special technique…
Of course, if he unleashed his full power without regard for collateral damage, Izuna was confident that even if it fled underground, he could obliterate it along with the surrounding earth!
But compared to hunting a strange monster, Tobirama and Naori were undoubtedly far more important to him.
"Hmph!"
"No matter where you escape, I'll kill you with my own hands one day!"
Izuna snorted and swore, then turned away.
He controlled the complete Susano'o to fly toward Tobirama and Naori.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
But halfway there, the giant wings on the Susano'o's back suddenly vanished.
Clearly, forcibly activating the complete Susano'o, without perfectly forming or controlling its immense power, caused it to temporarily dissipate.
The Susano'o crashed heavily to the ground.
Yet Izuna didn't stop, continuing to control the Susano'o to run toward his target.
Like a majestic moving mountain, each step shook the earth.
Soon after, Izuna, riding the giant Susano'o, arrived where Tobirama and Naori were.
Looking around, the area was littered with battle scars. Naori, blind in both eyes, knelt on the ground, cradling a paralyzed Tobirama. Behind her stood an orange Amber Purifying Pot, surrounded by dozens of shattered White Zetsu corpses.
Clearly, the battle here had ended, with Tobirama and Naori emerging victorious.
Izuna recognized the White Zetsu corpses, strikingly similar to the one that had just escaped from the First Mizukage.
"Naori, how are you both?"
"What about Tobirama?"
Izuna asked anxiously, regretting not arriving sooner to help.
"Tobirama-sama is fine. His injuries are severe, but his life isn't in danger," Naori answered promptly.
"Hmph!"
"Good that he's not dead, that long-lived bastard…"
Izuna snorted, feeling both admiration and irony.
He didn't want Tobirama to die—after all, his revenge was still unfulfilled. But seeing Tobirama in such a pitiful state, he couldn't help but find it ironic.
"Are these corpses the enemy? What are they? And where's that bastard First Raikage?"
"The First Raikage escaped. These corpses are White Zetsu—they're all enemies…"
"That guy actually ran?"
Seeing the battle had ended, Izuna dispelled his Susano'o and quickly approached Naori.
"Naori, your eyes?"
"They're blind from using Izanagi…" Naori replied gloomily.
"Twice? How could you use Izanagi twice? That useless Tobirama—you shouldn't have saved him…"
Hearing that a talented Uchiha ninja went blind to save Tobirama, Izuna grew furious, itching to beat the useless Tobirama to death.
It was bad enough he got caught, but to sacrifice the future of a genius Uchiha? Why didn't you die sooner, useless Tobirama!
But anger aside, since the unexpected had happened, dwelling on reasons was pointless.
"As long as we can thwart the enemy's conspiracy, it's worth it."
"Stop defending that useless guy. When we get back, I'll make Tobirama and the entire Senju clan compensate you properly!"
Izuna vowed firmly. As a senior, he had to protect his junior's interests.
"Thank you, Izuna-sama."
"By the way, why isn't this bastard talking? Is he unconscious?"
Izuna glanced at Tobirama in Naori's arms, puzzled. If Tobirama was conscious, why was he so quiet?
"Uwu, uwu uwu~~~!"
Tobirama struggled and made noises, clearly unable to speak due to a dislocated jaw.
"Tobirama-sama's jaw was dislocated by the Raikage. He can't talk," Naori explained.
"Tch, serves him right! Truly useless. Let me fix it—I want to hear what this useless guy has to say."
Izuna approached Tobirama and Naori, preparing to treat him.
But he noticed Tobirama struggling harder in Naori's arms, making more noises.
"Uwu uwu uwu—!"
He seemed to be warning Izuna about something.
Izuna didn't care. He and Tobirama weren't close enough to understand each other with a glance. He assumed Tobirama was resisting, not wanting to be seen in such an embarrassing state.
"What do you want to say? A useless guy like you has no right to speak!"
"If it weren't for you, Naori wouldn't have lost her eyes!"
"Senju Tobirama, I'll settle this score with you properly!"
Cursing, Izuna reached for Tobirama.
But his hand was suddenly stopped by Naori.
Naori raised her head, her blind, empty eyes staring at Izuna, and she deliberately called out:
"Uchiha Izuna-sama?"
"Hm? What's up?"
Izuna answered instinctively, without any guard or suspicion, causing the paralyzed Tobirama's eyes to widen in despair.
The moment he responded, Izuna suddenly sensed a powerful crisis.
Too late!
The Amber Purifying Pot behind 'Naori' activated, unleashing a strong, targeted suction that locked onto Izuna.
"You—!"
Izuna jolted, finally realizing something was wrong with the Naori before him.
"Tch! Uchiha Izuna, you're still too naive! Too careless!"
'Naori' revealed a sly grin, shifting her posture and expression to something sinister and triumphant, as if becoming another person.
"You're not Naori!"
Furious, Izuna attacked the impostor before him.
"Correct! Too bad it's too late, Uchiha Izuna. Sleep well!"
*WHOOSH!*
The Amber Purifying Pot's suction surged to the extreme, distorting not just Izuna's body but space itself!
Despite resisting with all his might, Izuna couldn't withstand the terrifying pull.
He quickly turned into a stream of chakra and was fully sucked into the Amber Purifying Pot.
The fake Naori didn't hesitate, giving Izuna no chance to escape. She immediately sealed the Amber Purifying Pot's lid, forming a complete seal, locking away any possibility of Izuna breaking free.
"Hahahaha!"
"I did it! I caught Uchiha Izuna!"
The fake Naori laughed loudly, slowly transforming back into White Zetsu.
Clearly, this 'Naori' wasn't her at all but a transformed White Zetsu clone!
Its goal was to deceive Uchiha Izuna, lower his guard, and use the Amber Purifying Pot to seal him in one strike!
It should be noted that the Amber Purifying Pot's usage and power were the most convenient and potent among the Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths.
Simply by calling the target's true name and having them respond, they could be sucked into the gourd and sealed. Even the mighty Hachibi couldn't escape or resist.
This was the only way to defeat Izuna with his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.