Chapitre 58: Collision of Titans

From his elevated position, Chen observed the Kyubi, his cold eyes behind the mask.

"How disappointing," Chen murmured, his voice resonating through the Susanoo. "Madara exalted you as the pinnacle of power. But look at you now, nothing more than a frightened puppy playing at being a monster."

Chen's words pierced Kurama like daggers. His eyes narrowed dangerously. The ground beneath his paws cracked as he began to accumulate a monstrous amount of chakra.

"Arrogant!" Kurama's voice resonated. "I'll drown you in your filthy blood!"

The Bijudama grew in front of Kurama, a sphere of energy so dense that it seemed to bend the light around it. With a sudden movement, Kurama launched it against Chen.

The projectile crossed the space between them in an instant, leaving ionized air in its wake.

It impacted against the Susanoo with tremendous force, illuminating the night with a blinding glow.

For a critical moment, the Susanoo seemed to stagger, its feet sinking into the earth as it was pushed backwards. The world became a whirlwind of light and destruction.

When the light dimmed and the dust began to settle, the Susanoo remained standing.

Its armor, once immaculate, now showed battle scars, but its integrity had not been compromised.

A cold, cutting laugh broke the post-impact silence, a sound that chilled Kurama's blood. "Impressive display of fireworks," Chen's voice dripped with sarcasm. "But it takes more than a light show to bring me down."

With a simple thought, he directed the flow of chakra through the Susanoo. The cracks in the armor began to seal.

Kurama involuntarily stepped back, a flash of uncertainty crossing his eyes.

Chen took advantage of that moment of doubt. In the blink of an eye, the Susanoo materialized in front of Kurama, moving its hand, it closed around Kurama's muzzle, interrupting the formation of another Bijudama.

"First mistake, beast," Chen hissed. "Never doubt in front of a superior predator."

The interrupted Bijudama exploded, enveloping Kurama in a cloud of his own destructive energy.

"So you're the terror of the shinobi world?" Chen's voice came filled with contempt. "I've faced greater threats in my nightmares."

Still holding Kurama, Chen turned his gaze towards Konoha.

For an instant, images of Mikoto, Kushina, and Tsunade crossed his mind. The village was indifferent to him, but them... they were another story.

"I think we need a more appropriate battlefield," he murmured. With a movement, the Susanoo spun on itself and threw Kurama into the air.

Kurama roared as he soared through the sky like a dark comet, his silhouette cutting against the stars before disappearing into the distance.

The impact of his fall shook the earth like an earthquake, raising a cloud of dust visible even from Konoha.

Without wasting a moment, Chen set the Susanoo in motion. Each stride covered hundreds of meters.

Upon reaching Kurama, Chen didn't stop. With a kick, he sent the beast flying even further.

On the outskirts of Konoha, a group of shinobi observed the titanic battle with amazement and terror.

Hiruzen had a pale face. "In all my years," he murmured, his voice barely audible, "I never imagined witnessing such a demonstration of power. It's... overwhelming."

Beside him, Orochimaru observed the scene with a disturbing intensity. His serpentine eyes shone with a mixture of fascination and unbridled greed.

"The Sharingan..." he whispered, running his tongue over his lips in an unconscious gesture. "What magnificent eyes. With such power, the ninja world would fall to its knees before its bearer."

Danzo, for his part, maintained a facade of calm, but the tension in his jaw and the sweat that beaded his forehead betrayed his internal agitation.

"That power..." he reflected to himself, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "It should be in Konoha's hands, in my hands. With it, we could forge a future where our village reigns supreme."

The patriarch of the Nara clan addressed Hiruzen with a trembling voice:

"Hokage-sama," he began, trying to maintain composure, "that masked man... could he really be an Uchiha? The power he displays is... inconceivable."

All eyes turned to Yi. The man seemed to have aged years in a matter of minutes, his face a mask of disbelief and fear.

"I... I swear on my honor," Yu stammered, his voice barely a hoarse whisper, "that this is beyond our knowledge. Never, in all the history of our clan, have we witnessed a Susanoo of such magnitude."

Hiruzen nodded. His mind worked at full speed, trying to find a logical explanation for the inexplicable.

"I believe you," he replied, his voice laden with gravity. "But this raises more questions than answers. Perhaps... perhaps we're facing a renegade Uchiha, someone who has been hidden, perfecting his abilities far from the village. The question is, for what purpose?"

Jiraiya, who until that moment had remained unusually silent, spoke for the sake of speaking: "The Mangekyo Sharingan is truly terrifying. If there were a few more users of that level, not even the united world could face them."

His words, although spoken without malice, fell like a slab on those present.

A tense silence took over the group, as looks of suspicion and distrust were directed towards the members of the Uchiha clan.

Tsunade, apart from the group, observed the scene with a mixture of contradictory emotions.

As the only one who knew the attacker, her mind was full of questions.

"How is it possible that Chen can use the Susanoo?" she wondered. "First he helps Mikoto with her Mangekyo, and now this... Who are you really?"

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