Uchiha Patriarch !

On the nameless island, Sougen had used Susanoo, cutting off the wooden giant's head summoned by White Zetsu. Although it appeared only briefly, the colossal presence was undeniable, and many witnessed the deep crimson Susanoo, resembling a demonic god. 

In a letter to Master Yuan, Yagura Karatachi mentioned Susanoo, though he admitted he didn't fully understand it. In his time, Susanoo was already a legend of the Uchiha Clan, and he hadn't deliberately studied such things. Not only Yagura, but Mei Terumi also wrote a letter, mentioning Susanoo as well. However, unlike Yagura, Mei's generation had no idea what Susanoo was, describing it using terms like "deep crimson," "humanoid form," "as massive as a Tailed Beast," and "wielding a gigantic sword" to recount her observations to Master Yuan. 

Receiving the letters awakened Master Yuan's long-forgotten memories. 

It was from a time before the Hidden Mist Village was even established. Alongside the First Mizukage—who wasn't yet the Mizukage—and Bai Lian, they traveled to the newly founded Leaf Village, intending to challenge the world-renowned Hashirama Senju. However, before encountering Hashirama, they met Madara Uchiha. 

Thus, 

In Master Yuan's memory, Bai Lian, who had never known defeat, suffered his first loss. The power of Susanoo left an indelible impression on him. Bai Lian had always seemed unimaginably powerful to him, yet Madara's strength surpassed even that, making him realize that there's always someone stronger. 

After that encounter, Bai Lian, previously known as a 'fearless warrior,' became more tempered and adept at dealing with people. 

"Susanoo? Is this the true power of the Sharingan?" Ao murmured. 

He understood why the Hyuga Clan, despite their powerful Byakugan, remained inferior to the Uchiha. While the Byakugan had strong supportive abilities, it was ultimately just that—supportive. It could see through Sharingan's illusions but was powerless against a colossal force comparable to a Tailed Beast. 

At least, Ao couldn't think of any way to counter Susanoo. 

At the port, 

Susanoo halted at its second form, where muscles and tendons formed over a skeletal frame, wrapped in a cloak of chakra. Under Sougen's control, it attacked the assailants with bare hands, unleashing wave after wave of relentless assaults. 

He could feel the strain on his eyes, though it was manageable, especially after he had gained some advantage against Obito. Strangely enough, he noticed that with each use of Susanoo, while his ocular power was depleted, his control over it became smoother. 

Initially, wielding Susanoo was like donning armor for combat. Now, it felt as though the 'armor' was fusing with his flesh and bones. One day, controlling Susanoo might feel as natural as moving his limbs. 

"Boom!!!" 

Another punch shattered the ground into dust. The overwhelming power of Susanoo crushed the remaining attackers' morale. When their leader was smashed into pulp, the rest, losing their command, crumbled entirely. 

"Run! He's not human, he's a demon from the Leaf!" 

"I don't want to die!!!" 

"Help me! Someone, help! My leg is broken." 

There was no escape. When Sougen unleashed Susanoo, the Leaf ninjas instinctively distanced themselves. Any clan in the Leaf with roots tracing back to the Warring States Period had records of Susanoo. 

Though it hadn't been utilized in a long time, with Susanoo's reappearance, the records left by ancestors were once again brought to the forefront. Clan leaders and elders studied them and realized why the Uchiha were so formidable. 

The scattered Leaf ninjas set up a net, blocking all escape routes. 

The port became Sougen's hunting ground. 

"Clan Leader Uchiha, please show mercy. I assure you that I will give a satisfactory explanation for this assassination attempt. For now, grant me some face." 

Yagura Karatachi, dragging two unconscious Jonin from the Mist, stood before Susanoo. His raspy voice was filled with exhaustion, both physical and mental. 

Despite defeating three Jonin, he had rushed over to plead with Sougen not to massacre the attackers. Most were young, talented Mist ninjas, and he couldn't bear to see them perish here. 

After about five or six seconds, the deep crimson glow receded like ebbing tides, and Susanoo disappeared. Sougen walked toward Yagura, saying, "Mizukage, I'll be expecting Mist Village's explanation." 

"Clan Leader Uchiha, rest assured. Even if Mist Village has to sell everything, we will satisfy you." 

Yagura sighed in relief as Susanoo vanished, then made a solemn promise. 

There was no need for the Mizukage or the Uchiha Clan Leader to intervene further. The attackers, already mentally defeated, surrendered without resistance to the Mist ninjas who arrived from the front lines. 

While the prisoners were being gathered, Shisui Uchiha returned empty-handed and knelt before Sougen. 

"Clan Leader, I failed to capture Mumei. Please punish me." 

"Mumei escaped?" 

Yagura was surprised to hear this. Mumei must have grown stronger to evade Shisui. 

"Escaped?" 

Sougen raised an eyebrow, "Shisui, do you remember my order?" 

"…Regardless of whether alive or dead, bring Mumei back." Shisui paused to recall, then repeated the command. 

"Forget about punishment. What should I do? Cut off your fingers? I'm not that foolish. Since you remember my order, bring Mumei back before we return to the Leaf." 

"Understood, Clan Leader." 

Shisui bowed. 

"Mizukage, could you help prepare travel documents for Shisui to avoid unnecessary conflicts?" 

Granting a Leaf ninja permission to freely travel in the Land of Water would allow him to gather intel openly. Yagura hesitated but ultimately agreed. He had little choice, considering the strength disparity. 

"Clan Leader Uchiha, Mumei will be caught, even if it's at the ends of the earth." Yagura attempted to refuse politely. 

"Yet Zabuza Momochi escaped and even attempted to assassinate the Third Hokage in the Leaf. Your hunter-nin have slacked off in recent years." 

Sougen's rebuttal left Yagura sighing. 

He already knew about Zabuza's assassination attempt, which was one reason behind the Leaf's demands for compensation. 

The Land of Water was isolated overseas. Even if Leaf ninjas gathered intel, Mist Village couldn't compete with them at the moment. As long as the Leaf didn't intend to destroy Mist Village completely, everything was negotiable. 

Yagura had to convince himself of this. 

"Leave it to me." 

Yagura took a deep breath and summoned a guard to prepare the documents, stamping them with his seal as the Mizukage. 

"Thank you, Mizukage." 

With the documents, Shisui's movements in the Land of Water would be much smoother. As long as he didn't attack first, he wouldn't need to worry about encountering Mist ninjas. 

"Move quickly, find the target, and return without delay." 

"I understand. This time, I will find him." 

Shisui carefully stored the documents. The hunt for Mumei was just a cover; his true mission involved a potentially hidden Six Paths tool. 

(End of Chapter)