Naruto evolution system

Chapter 215: Shattered Defense

"This is… Susanoo!?"

Seeing Uchiha Itachi block Baishi's lethal strike, Kakashi let out a long breath of relief.

His gaze then shifted to the towering, crimson humanoid figure surrounding Itachi, eyes narrowing in contemplation.

Even in this dire situation, his mind remained sharp and focused. He considered whether he could coordinate with Itachi to take Baishi down.

However, when his gaze flickered toward another teammate—Code—his heart sank.

Code's lower half had been completely obliterated. Though he was still barely holding on, he was in no condition to fight.

Turning back to analyze the battle, Kakashi recalled everything he knew about the Uchiha clan's Susanoo.

He then looked at Baishi, still hovering in the sky with effortless control over his movements.

Kakashi clenched his fists and shook his head.

"No… it won't work. We're at a severe disadvantage."

Baishi could move freely in the air, while they were grounded and restricted.

Without overwhelming force, defeating him was impossible.

"We need to buy time instead."

His gaze flickered toward the dense jungle behind them, where he had discreetly placed a Flying Thunder God kunai earlier.

With his decision made, he turned to the remaining Konoha ANBU and shouted, "Retreat!"

As he spoke, he threw three kunai.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Each kunai landed precisely next to injured teammates—Code and two others who were still alive but gravely wounded.

The next moment, Kakashi's form blurred.

In an instant, he appeared beside the three, gripping them tightly.

His eyes met Itachi's through the distance, and though no words were exchanged, their thoughts aligned.

"Hold him off for a while, Itachi!"

"I understand, Captain. Leave it to me!"

Without hesitation, Kakashi activated Flying Thunder God, and his body vanished from sight.

At the same time, the remaining capable ANBU turned and fled toward the jungle.

As for those too injured to move, they were left behind to fend for themselves.

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Above them, in the sky…

Baishi watched them retreat and sneered.

"Now you want to run?"

"Too late!"

His hands formed rapid seals.

Taking a deep breath, he gathered a massive amount of Fire Release chakra in his throat.

Then, he exhaled.

A massive sea of crimson flames erupted from his mouth, resembling an apocalyptic inferno, descending from above and engulfing the forest below.

Seeing this, Itachi manipulated Susanoo, raising the Yata Mirror in defense.

As soon as the fire touched the shield, its properties shifted from Wind to Fire, nullifying Baishi's attack.

Baishi's expression twitched slightly.

"This thing is seriously broken."

He already knew that the Yata Mirror could adapt to any attack's nature, effectively making it immune to elemental ninjutsu.

But experiencing it firsthand was another matter entirely.

However…

"Did you think a single artifact would stop me?"

Without hesitation, Baishi pulled a seed from his pouch, swiftly weaving seals before tossing it toward the ground.

The moment the seed made contact, it burrowed deep into the earth, intertwining with the surrounding forest.

Then, the ground erupted.

Countless roots and vines surged upward, forming massive thickets of towering trees.

Atop these trees, vibrant flower buds bloomed.

"Wood Release: Flower Tree World Descends!"

With Baishi's soft incantation, the flowers blossomed, releasing golden pollen into the air.

Within seconds, the entire area—spanning a kilometer—was engulfed in the toxic mist.

All the retreating ANBU and even Itachi within Susanoo were affected.

Cough, cough!

A violent cough escaped Itachi's lips.

Beneath his mask, his face paled.

He could feel his body weakening rapidly due to the potent paralyzing pollen.

Despite the intense pain Susanoo caused his body, Itachi forced himself to look up at Baishi.

His vision locked onto the enemy.

'Amaterasu!'

A streak of blood-red tears slid from his right eye.

In an instant, black flames erupted onto Baishi's body.

But Baishi remained unfazed.

Even though Amaterasu was said to be inescapable, there were many ways to counter it.

One of the simplest was high-speed evasion.

Since Super Vision granted Baishi reflexes on par with the Mangekyō Sharingan, he could have dodged the moment Itachi locked onto him.

But he chose not to move.

Instead, he used another countermeasure.

Like Naruto had done in the past, he used an external chakra layer to absorb the flames—except Baishi wasn't using Nine-Tails' chakra.

His chakra cloak, inspired by Tailed Beast transformations, easily isolated Amaterasu from his body.

With a single wave of his hand, he discarded the flames entirely.

Seeing this, Itachi's pupils contracted.

For the first time, he hesitated.

He could feel another enormous power slumbering in his left eye.

A power called Tsukuyomi.

But he did not dare use it.

Why?

Because Tsukuyomi was a mental attack.

And Baishi had already crushed Tō's mind from hundreds of meters away.

That meant Baishi's spiritual strength was overwhelmingly superior.

Even with the Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi doubted he could defeat Baishi in a battle of the mind.

Not to mention—Baishi had already resisted his Amaterasu effortlessly.

"What should I do…?"

Itachi's mind raced.

He could feel the paralyzing pollen weakening him further.

If this continued, he would completely lose his ability to fight.

At that point, he would be nothing more than prey.

Although he wasn't afraid of dying, he refused to die helplessly.

He still had to fight.

"Heh…"

Baishi smirked, sensing Itachi's faltering resolve.

Without hesitation, he activated his subsonic wave attack once more.

An invisible shockwave of sound pulsed through the air, striking Itachi's brain.

"Ugh!"

Even with Susanoo protecting him, his nose, mouth, ears, and eyes bled instantly.

Itachi barely remained standing, his body trembling.

Had he not partially resisted using his chakra, he would have collapsed on the spot.

But even so, he was on the brink of defeat.

Then, Baishi vanished.

"What?!"

Itachi's fading consciousness sharpened as adrenaline kicked in.

His gaze darted around—

Then he saw it.

Baishi was charging toward him at extreme speed.

Without thinking, Itachi swung Susanoo's Totsuka Blade toward Baishi.

As the ethereal blade cut through the air, Baishi's form was sealed inside the hilt.

Or so Itachi thought.

A second later—

Another Baishi appeared to the side.

This one moved even faster.

Before Itachi could react, Baishi was already in close range.

With Senjutsu-enhanced strength, Baishi unleashed a devastating kick.

CRACK!

The entire Susanoo shattered in an instant.

Though Itachi was a genius, he had just awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

His Susanoo was still incomplete, only in its second form—a skeletal and muscular frame.

Thus, it was unable to withstand Baishi's raw power.

With a single blow, Itachi's ultimate defense was shattered.

(End of Chapter)

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