Chapter 248 – The Power of the Mangekyō
"Looks like you didn't call me out just for a casual stroll, did you, Fugaku?"
On a quiet street in Konoha, Hyūga Hiashi gazed toward the distant blaze, his tone calm but sharp.
He wasn't a fool. Uchiha Fugaku had asked to meet him with no explanation, exchanged no meaningful words along the way… and now, a sudden fire. This wasn't coincidence. Or if it was, it was the kind of coincidence shaped by human hands.
"Both yes and no," Fugaku answered with a small smile.
"You don't need to worry too much. I only know Kei is moving tonight—I don't know who he's targeting, or for what purpose."
Hiashi shot him a look, unimpressed. Lies.
Fugaku claiming ignorance of Kei's plans? Impossible. Trust had limits, even between clan head and subordinate. For Fugaku to give Kei this much freedom… it was both impressive and reckless. If it went wrong, the price wouldn't be borne by one man, but by the entire clan.
And if Ayaka was involved too… Hiashi's brows furrowed. She was branch family, true, but he had pushed against the elders to place her in the Police Force.
Fugaku, sensing Hiashi's silence, smiled. "Shall we go see for ourselves? There might be… interesting discoveries."
"I think not," Hiashi replied blandly, tilting his head toward the sky. "It's late. If it's just a fire, no civilians are at risk. And if it's an enemy attack… it's not for us to handle."
"But what if the 'enemy' is one of our own?" Fugaku's quiet words cut the night.
Hiashi's expression hardened. So it was true—something deeper lay beneath this. He studied Fugaku's face for a hint of deceit. He found only calm. Only that polite smile.
"Who else will be there?" Hiashi finally asked.
"If nothing goes wrong? ANBU. Danzō. Lord Third himself. Likely the other clans too—our people are not blind. And if all that's true, the Fourth will have to come as well." Fugaku's smile lingered.
"So you intend to make a spectacle of it." Hiashi sighed. "Very well. Since we've 'happened' to meet on this road… we'll go together."
"Yes. An 'accidental' meeting." Fugaku's eyes flicked toward the firelight. "How could we not?"
---
Meanwhile, underground—
"Suiton: Heavenly Weeping!"
"Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists!"
The cavern roared with chakra. In Orochimaru's lab, Ayaka and Imai Kenta found themselves swarmed.
They had expected danger. But they hadn't expected this.
The enemies weren't many, but each one was twisted, unnatural. Mindless—mere tools of battle. Their suicidal ferocity forced Kenta and Ayaka onto the defensive.
For Kenta, ninjutsu was the safer option. But in this underground maze, his favored Doton could bury them alive if misused. Reluctantly, he relied on Suiton, though the lack of water drained his chakra faster than he liked.
"These freaks—what are they?" he spat, cutting down another.
"You think I know?" Ayaka's breath came sharp, her Byakugan locked ahead. "Eight left. Let's finish it."
These creatures were difficult—but their mindlessness also made them predictable. To veterans like them, that predictability was exploitable.
Yet Ayaka noticed something more. The source of their corruption… it was familiar. Too familiar.
It was the same strange chakra she had sensed around Kei. Only here, it was amplified, grotesquely so—enough that some bodies had warped, sprouting bark, branches… even budding like trees.
"This power is too dangerous," she thought grimly. "No wonder Kei hides it so carefully."
Still, their mission mattered more. If this is like last time with Orochimaru… we need to move fast. Grab what we can, get out. If possible, take a corpse as evidence.
Her eyes hardened. Azure lions flared around her fists as she surged forward.
"We have to hurry—or we'll be buried alive!"
---
At Root Headquarters—
A masked shinobi crumpled under a sharp hand strike. Out of the shadows, Minato Namikaze emerged, golden hair gleaming faintly in the dark.
He glanced once at the fallen Root operative, then pressed forward without a word. He hadn't killed him. Even as Hokage, it wasn't mercy he expected to receive—but mercy he still couldn't withhold.
Shadow flickered, and Minato vanished in a Shunshin. Spikes erupted where he'd just stood, only to crumble back into dirt as the trap failed.
This place was a fortress. Minato had already neutralized multiple squads, dodged countless seals and snares. Root's defenses were suffocating.
He's not guarding against enemies, Minato thought coldly. He's guarding against his own village.
Worse, many operatives bore tongue-sealing curses. Bound to silence, even in death. The sight steeled Minato's resolve.
The files had to be here. Likely in one of two places: the archive vault, or Danzō's own chambers. And if not destroyed, then sealed. Which meant he was the right man for the job.
Seals were his specialty—thanks to Kushina, thanks to the Uzumaki.
Splitting into clones, he spread Flying Thunder God kunai and began the search. Soon enough, he felt it: the subtle chakra pulse of a powerful seal.
He followed it to an unremarkable room.
Inside, traps littered the walls. In the center, a small locked chest, guarded by two Root shinobi. The seal on the chest radiated complexity that even Minato found daunting.
Before he could act, the ground trembled.
---
At the burning forest—
"Who goes there?!"
"Jiraiya? What are you doing here?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived with Danzō, Koharu, and Homura. His eyes immediately fell on the towering figure outside the flames—broad-shouldered, wild-haired, white like a mane.
Jiraiya.
Hiruzen's jaw tightened. Not at his presence, but at his timing. He hadn't even known his pupil had returned to the village. If Jiraiya had been here for long, his sudden appearance tonight was no coincidence.
"Ah, sensei." Jiraiya turned casually. "You came."
"With a blaze this size, how could I not?" Hiruzen smiled thinly.
"And? What happened here? When did you return?"
"I heard the news of Minato becoming Hokage. Thought I'd stop by. Then I stumbled on… this."
Jiraiya disliked lying. But like any shinobi, he could when needed.
"Is that so?" Hiruzen's eyes narrowed faintly, though his smile remained.
Looking around, he saw the Police Force already controlling the perimeter. And high above, a squad of ANBU watching from the trees. Their leader—Kakashi. Clearly under Minato's command.
Hiruzen's heart sank.
His pupil. His pupil's pupil. The Police Force. All converging here.
So that's how it is.
For the first time, disappointment crept deep into him. But he forced it down, clinging to his faith in Danzō. And in Orochimaru.
Still, when he saw Hiashi and Fugaku approaching from behind, his unease grew. More clans would come soon. Too many eyes. Too many witnesses.
For a fleeting moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen wished the fire would simply consume it all.
---
And deeper within the flames—
Kei's eyes shifted, twisting into the black, triangular tomoe of his Mangekyō. At once, obsidian chakra poured out, wrapping him like a living shroud.
A skeletal giant rose around him, black bones forming armor, a skull with crimson eyes glaring from its crown.
Orochimaru trembled—not with fear, but with hunger. His eyes shone with the ecstasy of discovery.
"Perfect… perfect power," he whispered, tongue darting across his lips.
Kei swung his blade. The azure glow of chakra dimmed, replaced by black fire.
"Ready?" he asked coolly.
"Don't disappoint me, Captain Kei," Orochimaru hissed, his sword flaring with chakra.
"Funny," Kei murmured. His form blurred, appearing before Orochimaru in a heartbeat.
"That's what I should be saying to you!"
His blade came down, faster than before, dark as midnight.
Orochimaru twisted like a serpent, narrowly dodging, thrusting his own blade toward Kei's chest—only to be seized by a massive black hand bursting from Kei's skeletal armor.
"Interesting…" Orochimaru muttered—before unleashing a torrent of snakes in close quarters.
But Kei's Mangekyō flared. The Susanoo's skull sealed around him, its crimson eyes gleaming. Another arm formed, a towering giant rising, snakes shriveling against its aura.
The giant struck. One punch shattered Orochimaru's body, hurling him away.
Kei didn't even flinch. He'd seen it the moment the chakra swelled.
"You're boring, Orochimaru. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"
The ruined corpse convulsed—and from its gaping mouth, a new, slime-drenched Orochimaru crawled free. His face was fevered, greedy.
"The Mangekyō… a treasure beyond the three-tomoe. My technique, seen through so easily…" His golden eyes burned with obsession.
This time, his hunger was plain. Not curiosity. Not admiration. But desire.
Having seemingly reached a decision, Orochimaru's hands blurred into seals.
With a thunderous boom, smoke billowed outward. From the haze, a colossal purple serpent uncoiled, its massive body slithering beneath Orochimaru's feet.
The snake's length stretched well over fifty meters. Though coiled tightly, it still towered above them—an overwhelming presence that dwarfed humans to insignificance.
"Manda?" Kei's gaze remained calm, fixed on Orochimaru. "So this is your trump card?"
"Orochimaru," Manda's voice rumbled, annoyed, "you know the price of summoning me. Don't expect me to—"
He cut himself off, pupils narrowing. "That… Susanoo?"
"Oh, you recognize it?" Kei's lips curved in the faintest smile. "Then you also understand—if this is all you've got, it ends here."
The words fell cold.
At once, the black chakra around him surged violently. The skeletal armor of his Susanoo thickened, veins and sinew knitting across bone. In moments, his body was encased in a shroud of flesh-like chakra, forming not just a skeleton, but the towering figure of a dark warrior.
The aura pouring from Kei was suffocating—so heavy and unnatural that even the forest fire itself seemed to hesitate, flames flickering uncertainly in its presence.
Both Orochimaru and Manda stiffened. For all their experience, this aura was alien, dreadful… something they had never once encountered.
"Are you ready?" Kei's voice was low, resonant, carried on the power of his construct. "We've played long enough. It's time to end this."
The black Susanoo reached behind its back and drew forth an enormous blade. With a single swing, the earth convulsed—ground tearing, air shuddering, the sound of mountains breaking echoing through the night.
"Damn it! What is this power?!" Orochimaru hissed, his golden eyes wide.
---
At that same moment, deep in Root's underground vault—
Minato Namikaze crouched before a small, unassuming chest. Chakra crackled faintly at his fingertips, flickering across the surface of intricate sealing marks.
But no matter how carefully he worked, the seal refused to yield.
Beside him lay two dead Root operatives. He hadn't wanted to kill them, but their skill—and their intent—had left him no choice.
He had tried dozens of approaches, and each attempt told him the same thing: this wasn't a seal that could simply be undone. Force it, and the chest would destroy itself instantly.
"Stay calm… think."
Sweat slid down his cheek, ignored as he muttered to himself. He couldn't afford haste.
And then, before he could move again, the earth itself shook. The tremor was deep, violent, as though something monstrous had struck the world above.
The seal pulsed faintly under his hands.
Minato's eyes narrowed. Whatever was happening on the surface… was reaching even here.