Countless air currents burst forth from the severed sections of the eight-headed monster, slowly tearing its head and body apart. Perhaps because the air currents were too strong, though it was slow, it vanished as if turning into powder, disappearing without a trace.
The surging air currents didn't just affect the eight-headed monster's body; they also swept up everything else in the surroundings. The air became distorted, and the rocks on the ground and the remains of trees met the same fate.
The area where Fumori Masaki and Uchiha Kagami were located was also affected, but because Fumori Masaki was there, the high-pressure air currents twisted away before reaching them, diverting elsewhere. As a result, everything in front of them looked like it was caught in a storm, appearing turbid and unclear.
Uchiha Kagami, whose eyes had been temporarily blinded from overuse of the Mangekyo Sharingan, now regained his sight. Naturally, he witnessed such a shocking scene and was left dumbfounded, turning his head to glance at Fumori Masaki.
Fumori Masaki was also somewhat surprised. This technique was something he had comprehended only after reaching this realm. It combined his own mastery of the Eight-Trigram Wind Wheel with his daughter Asuna's development and extension of it. The clash of their inspirations ultimately led to this secret technique.
Outwardly, it looked no different from the Eight-Trigram Wind Wheel, but the actual results it produced were astonishing. The Eight-Trigram Wind Wheel was powerful, but it only extremely enhanced cutting ability. This secret technique, however, was different. While possessing formidable cutting power, it also came with effects like explosions and traction. Essentially, it concentrated all the features of the Eight-Trigram Wind Wheel and its extended techniques into this one move.
To be honest, while Fumori Masaki could feel the immense power contained within it and sensed that it might affect nearby people, he sternly warned Shimura Danzo not to let anyone enter the forest. He and Uchiha Kagami would handle everything. If it were just Uchiha Kagami, he would still have the energy to protect him.
However, Fumori Masaki had not expected the destructive power of this secret technique to be so astonishing, and the chakra consumption was also unexpected. Of course, he also hadn't anticipated Uchiha Kazuya being able to transform into this appearance and don Susanoo.
To ensure a one-hit decapitation, Fumori Masaki condensed most of his chakra and natural energy into it, then threw it. Based on his judgment, this should be able to sever the eight-headed monster's head, even with a layer of Susanoo. To put it bluntly, the completeness of this secret technique was so high that he felt it could rival Hashirama's Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands.
And Hashirama's Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands had fought Madara's Tailed Beast Susanoo to a draw. Although Uchiha Kazuya's current form was particularly similar to Tailed Beast Susanoo, neither his Susanoo nor the eight-headed monster was likely to compare to Madara's Susanoo and the Nine-Tails.
The result was exactly as Fumori Masaki had expected.
The eight-headed monster was completely unable to block the light wheel thrown by Fumori Masaki. All eight heads were severed. However, the subsequent after-effects erupting from the severed sections were truly surprising. Fortunately, although the affected area was particularly large, and anything caught within it was doomed, it did not reach the outer perimeter of the forest, thus not affecting Shimura Danzo and the others.
Fumori Masaki thought, 'I haven't named it yet. Since its first achievement was severing eight heads, I'll call it the Head-Severing Blade from now on. Should I add something in front of it...' Just then, Fumori Masaki's gaze narrowed slightly. Seeing Uchiha Kagami about to say something, he told him to wait a moment, then summoned a shadow clone, darted out, and plunged into the chaotic storm world before them.
While Uchiha Kagami was still surprised, the shadow clone had already returned, carrying a bloodied figure in its hand. It threw the figure onto the ground. Taking a closer look, wasn't it Uchiha Kazuya?
"I was worried he might have been swept into the storm and obliterated, but I didn't expect him to still be here," Fumori Masaki said. "It looks like his Sharingan can be recovered."
"One of the Sharingan belongs to Ken-kun, and it absolutely should be returned to him," Uchiha Kagami looked at the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. "However, there's still one more..."
"Let's go back and study it thoroughly. Kagami, your eyes should be failing soon. You can have Tsunade take a look; perhaps you might even merge an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan," Fumori Masaki said calmly.
Uchiha Kagami frowned slightly, then slowly relaxed. He wasn't particularly concerned about his Sharingan losing its light, at least not to the point of becoming deranged—thus, he wouldn't covet those close to him and fall into depravity. But since there was a ready-made Mangekyo Sharingan belonging to an enemy, he might try it. In the future, he could also serve as his own Anbu captain.
Uchiha Kagami believed that the Uchiha clan's Sharingan should be used against the enemies of Konoha Village, not against their own comrades.
Uchiha Kazuya, lying on the ground, suddenly coughed, spitting out blood. He caught his breath, and his chest slowly rose and fell.
"He's still alive?" Uchiha Kagami was somewhat surprised.
"Yes, perhaps the shell of that eight-headed demon protected him, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to bring him back," Fumori Masaki said.
"He's incredibly lucky," Uchiha Kagami shook his head slightly.
"The soul inside this guy isn't Uchiha Kazuya; it's something else, probably the work of that mastermind," Fumori Masaki said, referring to Black Zetsu, confident that Uchiha Kagami would immediately understand. "It should be the lingering trouble I left behind in the Land of Demons."
"The so-called Evil God?" Uchiha Kagami asked.
"Possibly," Fumori Masaki said. "The calamity from many years ago is finally resolved. This time, it will never have a chance to revive."
Seeing Uchiha Kazuya, who was lying on the ground, slowly beginning to wake up, Fumori Masaki didn't hesitate. He directly raised his Wind Cutter and plunged it straight into Uchiha Kazuya's heart, the swirling wind completely destroying his internal organs.
Uchiha Kazuya immediately died, only his Sharingan remaining dimly open. Fumori Masaki slashed with his sword, extracting the Sharingan perfectly intact. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly seemed to remember something else and asked, "Did this guy embed Izanagi in his Sharingan?"
Uchiha Kagami immediately looked up. This operation was all too familiar. Uchiha Madara had done the same back then, only to be accidentally cremated, and even his Mangekyo Sharingan disappeared. Madara's activation conditions did not include such a situation—though even if he had designed it, it would have resulted in immediate revival and then being sent to the Pure Land by Tobirama. Either way, it was death.
If the shell of the eight-headed demon had allowed Uchiha Kazuya to survive for a period, he might indeed have embedded Izanagi in his Sharingan. It's known that the Mangekyo Sharingan can use Transcription Seal to seal a jutsu within itself. As long as the Sharingan remains, once Izanagi activates, it can reverse any situation back to an illusionary state.
Back then, Fumori Masaki felt that even if Madara's body was cremated, as long as the Mangekyo Sharingan was left behind, the Izanagi within it might still activate, reversing everything. As long as the Sharingan, which was the price of Izanagi, wasn't destroyed before activation, Izanagi, once activated, was equivalent to an invincible state in a game.
Uchiha Kazuya knew that Fumori Masaki and the others were present, so he might not immediately use Izanagi but instead design a Transcription Seal. Uchiha Kagami quickly took the Sharingan to examine it. He activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and stared intently at Uchiha Kazuya's Mangekyo Sharingan, attempting to find any clues.
Using the visual prowess of his Sharingan, Uchiha Kagami seemed to indeed find some clues, but he couldn't be certain if this was truly a Transcription Seal and if the sealed jutsu was Izanagi. However, what was certain was that both Mangekyo Sharingan had these traces.
Fumori Masaki felt it was highly probable that Izanagi was indeed embedded in these Mangekyo Sharingan. He immediately expressed some regret, saying, "Kagami, it seems you won't be able to have an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."
"I'm not really concerned," Uchiha Kagami, having adopted the mindset of 'it's good if I get it, but it's fine if I don't' from the start, had no psychological burden after hearing this. He said, "But for Ken-kun, I feel a bit apologetic; one of his Mangekyo Sharingan was lost for nothing."
"Let's just consider it as having been blinded on that day," Fumori Masaki sighed softly. "Since it's very likely Izanagi is embedded, we can't gamble that it isn't. Once it truly activates, Uchiha Kazuya will revive, and the Mangekyo Sharingan will lose its light. Even if the Sharingan is transplanted or evolved, the embedded jutsu will not be dispelled and will eventually activate—and both of these Mangekyo Sharingan have it. Even if we could kill Uchiha Kazuya twice consecutively after his revival, in the end, both Mangekyo Sharingan would have to disappear."
Uchiha Kagami understood that this was indeed the outcome. The Izanagi embedded in the Mangekyo Sharingan could no longer be dispelled. Even if they found a way to undo the Transcription Seal, it would only release Izanagi immediately, with the same result.
"Destroy these Mangekyo Sharingan. For now, I'll bear the responsibility and keep an eye on whether Izanagi activates prematurely," Fumori Masaki said.
"Let's discuss it in front of Ken-kun. I want him to understand the situation and not dwell on this Mangekyo Sharingan," Uchiha Kagami said.
"Alright."
So, after the storm world outside gradually subsided, Fumori Masaki and Uchiha Kagami rushed out towards the outer perimeter of the forest. When Shimura Danzo saw them emerge, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
Upon seeing the eight-headed demon, Shimura Danzo had worried that trouble might arise, but the eight-headed demon immediately lost its heads and was then engulfed in a blast of wind. He instantly knew it was Fumori Masaki's jutsu—only a Wind Release master like Fumori Masaki could unleash such powerful Wind Release.
However, Shimura Danzo hadn't expected Fumori Masaki's Wind Release to be so powerful. This was more astonishing than any of his past techniques. He prided himself on his mastery of Wind Release, yet he was still at the level of a mortal, while Fumori Masaki had already entered the sage realm. This made him somewhat envious.
But thinking about the future popularization of Sage Mode, Shimura Danzo felt that he might one day have the ability to touch upon that realm. Moreover, he heard that the Sage Mode popularized by Fumori Masaki could also prolong life, which made him feel he had time to wait. He was only in his forties, far from reaching old age and infirmity.
Of course, no matter what, Shimura Danzo could never catch up to Fumori Masaki. He didn't harbor any particular jealousy in his heart because Fumori Masaki was truly too strong, so strong that he left him speechless, having far surpassed his peers—if it were Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzo might not have given up, as they had been rivals since childhood and their strength was nearly equal. Even after Hiruzen Sarutobi's potential was fully developed, Shimura Danzo was only slightly inferior. In the original timeline, Shimura Danzo was the second in command in the Second Hokage's peer group.
In this timeline, because of Fumori Masaki's sudden rise, he was ranked third. After Uchiha Kagami obtained the Mangekyo Sharingan, this ranking might drop to fourth. But whether it was Hiruzen Sarutobi or Uchiha Kagami, he felt he still had ways to catch up. Even if he couldn't fully match their strength, he could in other areas!
However, both Fumori Masaki's strength and methods left Shimura Danzo completely convinced. After escaping the dark environment of the original story, Shimura Danzo's mindset also broadened. He understood what his teacher had mentioned about acknowledging one's own weakness, and he felt there was no need to target Fumori Masaki for anything, because he knew he couldn't do better than Fumori Masaki. Perhaps with Hiruzen Sarutobi, he might still be able to contend.
Upon arriving before Shimura Danzo, Shimura Danzo inquired about their situation. Learning that everything was fine, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face.
Fumori Masaki briefly explained the situation. Upon learning of Uchiha Kazuya's death, Shimura Danzo smiled even more happily. But then he heard Uchiha Kagami say that although Uchiha Kazuya's Mangekyo Sharingan had been seized, it was best to destroy it due to the possibility of Izanagi being embedded within it.
Shimura Danzo felt it was a pity, but he also believed they couldn't gamble that Izanagi wasn't sealed inside, and he agreed with the decision to destroy the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Uchiha Kagami called Uchiha Ken over and informed him of the Mangekyo Sharingan's situation. Uchiha Ken had originally thought he could regain his lost Mangekyo Sharingan, but he didn't expect such a result, and he naturally felt reluctant.
However, Uchiha Ken was ultimately a reasonable person. He also used his Mangekyo Sharingan to confirm it himself and felt that the higher-ups' suspicions were perfectly natural. After some internal struggle, he nodded in agreement.
Uchiha Kagami looked at him with some pity and said, "You've truly suffered, Ken-kun, but everything will get better from now on." He then incinerated the Mangekyo Sharingan on the spot.