Fugaku has gone mad; he's going to create a new Uchiha clan in Kirigakure.

"Click! Click!"

Within the first layer of the Four Red Sun Formation, the bowl-shaped defensive shell constructed by Mei Terumi and Konan using ninjutsu finally began to crack.

It wasn't due to the pressure from the external barrier's light wall, but rather because of the inherent decomposition characteristics of the Four Red Yang Formation itself.

Just as its name "Red Sun" suggests, this barrier is like a blazing sun hanging overhead, constantly baking, weakening, and decomposing all matter and energy within it.

Even the strongest defenses will slowly melt away like ice and snow under the sun as time passes and the barrier is eroded.

"So, that's how you win?"

On the open ground between the second and third layers of the barrier, Mitokado Homura stood quietly, his hands still in a hand seal position. His gaze swept over the Kirigakure ninja trapped between the second and third layers of the barrier behind him.

Most of them had collapsed to the ground, and the few remaining Jonin who were still holding on were already at their last gasp.

Inside the first layer of the barrier, the enemy's resistance was clearly coming to an end, and all signs indicated that the scales of victory were tipping in Konoha's favor.

However, the more this was the case, the more thoroughly Mitokado made preparations.

He knew it all too well.

Even someone as powerful as Fugaku Uchiha, after experiencing a fierce battle, would never be completely powerless to fight back when facing mortal danger.

The sole purpose of the delay was to buy him time to recover.

Therefore, the real turning point will probably only begin when that man himself appears.

Mitomon Homura lowered his eyes slightly, sensing the immense torrent of chakra continuously gathering from the core of the Four Red Yang Formation deep beneath his feet.

That was the chakra continuously drawn from the Hidden Mist ninja within the third layer of the barrier, as well as the free energy left over from the previous battle and slowly absorbed by the barrier. This chakra was being guided, compressed, and stored according to his will, preparing for a certain ultimate means.

He took a deep breath and pulled out a cigarette.

Perhaps this is the last cigarette of his life.

Mitomon Homura thought to himself, he couldn't say he regretted it, nor could he say it was tragic. It was as if every step of his life's trajectory had been pushed him there.

As a child, he was chosen by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, for his unique talent in sealing techniques. He was carefully trained and later became the Kage's bodyguard. He then became an advisor, protecting Konoha through thick and thin.

He is not like Danzo.

That old guy, because he was a step too slow, failed to become Hokage, and that obsession haunted him for his entire life. Back then, Homura Mitokado didn't have that kind of awareness, and he doesn't really have it now either.

It was simply the ingrained mindset he had developed over the years that led him, as an advisor to Konoha, to make what he considered the "optimal solution" that best served Konoha's interests when facing a powerful enemy.

Anyway, I'm already quite old, with no children and no ties.

When facing two potentially fatal enemies, he will concentrate all his strength to eliminate whoever shows a weakness first!

The cigarette burned out quickly, leaving only a short butt.

Mitokado Yan gently extinguished the last spark with two fingers, his movements calm and composed, as if it were just a short break after a day's work.

At the very moment he stubbed out his cigarette.

Inside the first layer of the barrier, the hemispherical defensive shell, which was already riddled with cracks, finally shattered completely!

Then, an indescribable, immense chakra, so powerful it sent shivers down one's spine, suddenly awakened like a slumbering ancient beast!

The process of chakra expanding, solidifying, and materializing is faster than the naked eye can perceive!

In the blink of an eye, a towering, mountain-like, half-skull-shaped, azure giant rose from the ground!

This is the manifestation of the Uchiha clan's supreme eye power, Susanoo!

"Thump!!!"

As soon as the giant Susanoo appeared, its broad shoulders and back slammed into the shrinking Four Red Sun Array light barrier!

The dull, thunderous sound, like the clashing of giant bells, shook the entire battlefield!

But before anyone could recover from the sudden shock, a cold, extremely refined azure blade of light suddenly appeared in Susanoo's hand!

The longsword struck the barrier, seemingly without severing the Four Red Sun Formation's barrier. However, the tremor of the earth indicated that something was about to happen.

Yes.

Countless sludge particles, like soldiers receiving a command, began to writhe and churn. The supposedly absolute defensive Four Red Sun Formation was devoured and absorbed by the sludge as easily as eating and drinking...

Not only them, but also the ninjas of Kirigakure and Konoha had no chance to resist and were all swallowed up by the mud!

There was only one exception.

At the very instant the barrier was shattered and the mud gushed forth, Mitomon Homura's figure vanished from the spot like a ghost, reappearing tens of meters in the air.

At some point, his body was enveloped in a nearly transparent, shimmering "glass" film, which was the anti-gravity effect of the single application of the Transparent Escape: Glass Bubble Technique!

This thin film briefly defied gravity, and instead of falling, he was like a cannonball fired from an invisible barrel, silently and with astonishing initial velocity, heading towards the towering, azure-blue Susanoo!

"Bang!!"

A dull thud.

Mitomon Yan, his body enveloped in glass bubbles, crashed heavily into the chakra armor on Susanoo's chest and abdomen. He stretched out his withered hand and ripped open his advisor's robe, revealing his lean chest covered with old scars.

With his other hand, he held a seemingly ordinary kunai and, without hesitation, slashed it downwards at his heart!

"laugh!!"

Blood spurted out instantly, not flowing randomly, but guided by some force, like a living red snake, quickly winding and outlining on the surface of Susanoo's azure chakra armor!

In the blink of an eye, a complex, eerie, and ominous blood-red talisman, using Mitokado Homura's blood as ink and Susanoo's armor as paper, was formed!

The center of the talisman was directly facing Mitokado Homura's own blood-soaked chest.

"Secret Technique: Blood Seal - Multiplied Explosive Tags Technique!"

Mitomon Yan murmured the name of the technique in a low voice, hoarse but steady.

As the talisman took shape, Mitokado Homura could feel that it had become connected with the chakra stored in the Four Red Yang Formation. The chakra surged wildly into the talisman, and at the same time, his hot blood and his remaining life force were also drained away.

My body quickly became cold and weak, and my vision began to blur.

But a hint of nostalgia crept onto the corners of his aged lips.

He recalled the excitement he felt many years ago when he used Tobirama's forbidden techniques, the Four Symbols Seal and the Mutual Multiplication Explosive Tags, as a basis to create an ultimate self-destruct technique that didn't require hand seals during battle. After all, to put it bluntly, his talent and Danzo's talent couldn't compare to Hiruzen's.

This also explains why he wanted to study this technique, hoping it could play a role at a crucial moment. At that time, Danzo did not hesitate to engrave the Inner Four Symbols Seal on his body.

Back then, they were all young and harbored relatively pure thoughts of protecting Konoha with the techniques they had developed.

"Slowly, we're no longer the people we used to be..."

Danzo became increasingly paranoid and ruthless, resorting to any means to achieve his goals.

He seems to be getting more and more used to sitting in the high position of an advisor, using seemingly calm and rational, but actually equally ruthless calculations to weigh the pros and cons and make those “optimal” but not necessarily “good” choices.

For example, today, using the lives of a large number of Konoha ninja, including himself, as bait, he launched this high-stakes surprise attack...

Thoughts flashed through my mind like lightning.

The next moment, Mitomon En released his grip, letting his body fall helplessly from tens of meters in the air like a puppet with its strings cut. His gaze finally settled on the blood-red rune on the surface of Susanoo, which had been fully activated and was beginning to emit destructive energy.

"boom!!!!!"

The first explosion was not earth-shattering, but rather somewhat muffled, as if space itself had been forcibly torn open at a certain "point" within the spell's range, from which violent energy burst forth!

Immediately afterwards!

"BOOM ...

The explosions instantly became a continuous series!

Dense, rapid, and completely irregular!

It was as fast as a firecracker going off!

The location of each explosion is completely random, which is the most terrifying aspect of the Multiplicative Explosive Tag Technique. It pre-seals the detonation energy of a massive number of explosive tags in another dimension. Using the seal as a coordinate and guide, it performs irregular, uninterrupted, and unpredictable continuous explosions within the target area in a manner akin to "space jump"!

There's no way to dodge it!

There's no escape!

We have no choice but to tough it out!

...

In the distance, in the shadow of a giant tree's high branches, Kakashi Hatake stood quietly, his right eye, the scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan, clearly and without missing a single frame, recording everything that was happening on the distant battlefield.

Whether it was that Susanoo or the chilling secret technique that Mitokado Homura unleashed at the cost of his life.

His task was to observe, record, and then carry out Mitokado Homura's final orders.

...

"Kakashi, repeat my command."

"If Fugaku Uchiha survives after your death, we will all surrender and continue negotiations."

"Um."

Mitokado Yan nodded slightly.

"Don't think it's impossible. At this stage, the Uchiha clan needs resources. Whether it's those thousand Konoha ninja prisoners or the rest of you, in his eyes, they're nothing more than 'money.' With his cunning, he won't engage in meaningless slaughter after the battle. Is there anything else you want to say?"

"Is there no room for maneuver?"

"The Uchiha problem is like a cup of poison to Konoha; the only difference is whether to drink it now or later."

Mitokado Yan paused for a moment, then continued.

"The Uchiha clan, which originally numbered nearly a thousand, is now reduced to a mere three hundred barely clinging to life. One of his sons became a rogue ninja and the perpetrator of the clan's massacre, while the other is now a hostage in our hands. This is a blood feud that is irreconcilable!"

"Therefore, my probing is necessary and essential. Even if I can't kill him, I can still find out more of his trump cards and gather intelligence for the village."

Mitokado Yan took one last look at Kakashi.

"In short, it's up to you. As a remnant of the old era, this is all I can do."

...

As the ripples of memory faded, Kakashi's Sharingan remained firmly locked on the center of the battlefield.

Previously, Mitokado Homura, through observing the battle between Uchiha Fugaku and Pain, came to a key conclusion: Uchiha Fugaku's ability to devour energy was a "process," not an instantaneous process.

This "process" was perfectly skipped by the "jumping" explosion of the multiplication of explosive tags!

By the time his devouring ability locks onto an explosion point and begins to activate, the energy of the explosion has already been released, and the next explosion point has already been generated at another random location within the spell area. This cycle repeats, making it impossible for his devouring ability to effectively intercept it.

This was brutally confirmed by the scene of the explosion before our eyes.

The continuous, unpredictable explosions forced Susanoo to passively endure them.

However, one has to admit how terrifying Fugaku Uchiha was.

The Triple Red Sun Formation was actually swallowed up by him directly with that strange mud. In other words, any tricky, energy-based attack methods to deal with him are likely to be ineffective, or at least extremely inefficient.

We must engage him head-on, while also restricting his chakra flow and his ability to absorb energy...

Kakashi's mind raced through the strongest individuals and techniques currently in Konoha. Finally, a figure in a green bodysuit, giving a thumbs-up and sporting a bright smile appeared in his mind.

Perhaps, only the Eight Gates, a martial art honed to its peak and relying purely on physical destructive power and speed, could truly threaten this man...

...

The explosions of the Mutual Explosion Tags continued, because the massive amount of chakra accumulated from the long-term operation of the Four Red Yang Formation served as "fuel," and the power and frequency of the explosions showed no signs of weakening!

The azure Susanoo, which had been subjected to continuous bombardment, began to develop fine, spiderweb-like cracks on its thick chakra armor!

And the cracks were slowly but steadily spreading under the shock of the explosion!

"Could it be... that we really will win?"

The thought uncontrollably popped into Kakashi's mind, and even he felt a little absurd about it, yet he was drawn in by the seemingly dominant explosion before him.

However, in the next instant, Susanoo raised the long sword in its hand!

Endless silt seemed to be summoned from the void, flowing like rivers into the sea, frantically converging towards the [Blade of the Yellow Springs]!

Then, the long sword disappeared.

Instead, there was an enormous mouth made entirely of wriggling sludge!

This giant mud maw is several times larger than the one that appeared when fighting the Rinnegan user. And this time, its target is none other than the Susanoo that is enduring endless explosions!

Guji~~

One bite!

The colossal Susanoo, along with the continuous explosions, was swallowed up and slowly sank into the endless silt...

...

The wind blows across the silent battlefield.

"Konoha Jonin, Hatake Kakashi."

Kakashi raised his hands, looking at Fugaku Uchiha not far away.

"By order of Elder Mitokado Homura, I represent the remaining Konoha forces that participated in this operation."

He paused, then knelt on one knee and lowered his head.

"We surrender to the Uchiha clan."

"And requested that negotiations be restarted regarding the ransom of the prisoners."