"What?!"
Staring at the towering silver-white figure exuding an undeniable aura of power, the Seven-Tails' insect-like compound eyes flickered with shock.
For a moment, it completely forgot to evade.
However, Seimei had no intention of letting this opportunity slip by.
Controlling his Susanoo, he reached out with a massive hand and effortlessly grabbed the Seven-Tails mid-flight, much like catching a tiny chick.
Gazing at the struggling beast within his palm, a surge of exhilaration filled Seimei's heart.
At this moment, he finally had a glimpse of what it must have felt like for Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha—two figures revered as gods among men—when they faced tailed beasts.
To ordinary people and even most shinobi, these creatures represented nothing but death and terror. But to those two legends, the tailed beasts were little more than powerful playthings.
Whether it was Madara's Susanoo or Hashirama's Wood Golem Jutsu, both techniques could easily subdue these creatures.
And now, there was another name to add to that list: Seimei.
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It was well known that Susanoo had four distinct stages:
1. First Stage – The skeletal form envelops the user, providing decent defense, though it remains vulnerable to sufficiently powerful attacks. At this stage, Susanoo can wield basic weapons such as swords and other melee armaments, relying solely on physical attacks.
2. Second Stage – The skeletal structure gains muscles and flesh, covered by a layer of chakra armor. This is when Susanoo reaches optimal balance and gains access to its standard ranged attack—the Yasaka Magatama.
3. Third Stage – A set of crow-demon armor further reinforces Susanoo's defenses, significantly enhancing durability. However, the chakra drain increases drastically, making it difficult to sustain for extended periods. Ordinary Mangekyō Sharingan users struggle to maintain this form for long.
4. Fourth Stage – Susanoo gains a lower body, growing to an immense size. The user can hide within the head, receiving full protection while also enjoying greatly improved mobility. At this point, Susanoo has no apparent defensive weaknesses.
Reaching the fourth stage marked the limit of what a Mangekyō Sharingan could achieve. However, prolonged use would inevitably lead to blindness.
Additionally, most shinobi lacked the chakra reserves and mental fortitude required to sustain this form for long periods.
But Seimei was different.
Not only did he possess chakra reserves far exceeding that of an average shinobi, but his Mangekyō Sharingan had evolved into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, eliminating the risk of blindness.
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So, what could someone like him accomplish?
To answer that, one had to understand that Susanoo had two additional forms beyond its conventional four stages.
The first was the initial manifestation, which appeared when a Mangekyō Sharingan was first awakened. At this stage, the user could only summon a skeletal arm or partial ribs, offering limited protection. The gaps in the ribcage left the user vulnerable, making this form impractical.
However, no Uchiha stayed in this form for long.
After all, anyone capable of awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan was undoubtedly a genius, and they quickly surpassed this phase.
The second form was the Complete Body Susanoo.
Unlike the incomplete initial form, the Complete Body Susanoo was the pinnacle of power—a true embodiment of destruction.
It was far more massive, remarkably stable, and possessed overwhelming offensive and defensive capabilities. It could effortlessly cleave mountains, tear through the earth, and even fly.
With sufficient mastery, the user could even weave hand seals through Susanoo to cast their own jutsu, significantly amplifying their effects.
This was the true power of Susanoo, the form Seimei had now achieved—his ultimate limit.
And only those who had awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan could wield this power.
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How strong was it?
The answer lay in the scene before him.
Bathed in the golden hues of the setting sun, Seimei's Complete Body Susanoo radiated a dazzling silver light. Clutched within its massive hand, the once-mighty Seven-Tails now appeared utterly insignificant—a mere insect trapped in an unbreakable grasp.
"No wonder Susanoo is called the Power of the Gods... With this form, who could possibly deny it?"
Muttering to himself, Seimei wasted no more time. His Sharingan locked onto the struggling Seven-Tails, and in the instant their eyes met, the beast was drawn into a powerful illusion.
With that done, Seimei dismissed Susanoo and returned to the ground. Holding a metallic sphere between his palms, he formed a series of hand seals, activating his latest sealing technique: Universal Myriad Seal.
A surge of chakra illuminated the sphere, intricate sealing patterns rapidly covering its entire surface. From within, the Seven-Tails was pulled deeper into the unbreakable prison, much like an insect ensnared in a spider's web—utterly powerless to resist.
Even after completing the seal, Seimei extended his mental energy into the sphere, confirming that the Seven-Tails remained trapped in the illusion.
As expected, his enhanced genjutsu had worked flawlessly.
This precaution ensured that when he later infused chakra into the sphere, the Seven-Tails wouldn't absorb it for itself. Though he could always reclaim his chakra through absorption techniques, avoiding unnecessary loss was a habit he had cultivated over years of meticulous energy management.
After all, even with his immense reserves, wastefulness had never been his style.
Clearing his mind, Seimei activated the seal on his forehead, drawing out stored chakra and channeling it into the metallic sphere.
Since the sealing space functioned on the same principles as an alternate dimension, there was no risk of overflow.
In moments, over two million units of chakra had been transferred.
This sudden depletion left Seimei feeling oddly hollow inside.
Without hesitation, he formed another set of hand seals, deactivating the old seal on his forehead before immediately crafting a new space in its place.
With that complete, he grabbed the metallic sphere once more, activating his Chakra Absorption Technique to reclaim the energy he had just stored.
Thus, the cycle of power continued...
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