"What!?"
"Uchiha Sasuke lost?"
"What was with that 'Susanoo' just now? Why was it shattered so easily?"
A battle that everyone expected to be intense and drawn-out ended in such a confusing, anticlimactic way. Many felt a hollow disappointment, as if the fight had started strong but fizzled out.
Kakashi approached the unconscious Sasuke and let out a soft sigh.
He had sensed something off about Sasuke earlier that day, but he never imagined Sasuke had secretly awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.
The Third Hokage instructed Kakashi, "Take Sasuke to the hospital for now."
"Yes!"
Kakashi nodded, hoisted Sasuke over his shoulder, and vanished with a whoosh.
Tsunade and Shizune approached Yakumo.
Patting Yakumo's shoulder, Tsunade smiled, "Well done!"
Uchiha Sasuke's awakening of the Mangekyo Sharingan had indeed caught the village's leadership off guard, leaving many unprepared.
Fortunately, Yakumo had defeated Sasuke in their spar.
This not only gave the village leverage over Sasuke moving forward but also revealed his true current strength.
Shizune remarked, "It's strange. Sasuke clearly awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, but he feels much weaker than the Mangekyo-wielding Uchiha from the Akatsuki."
Yakumo's eyes also shimmered with deep confusion.
When she faced 'B,' she felt utterly outmatched, but against Sasuke just now, the moment she went all out, he crumbled.
The gap between the two was glaring.
Tsunade mused, "Sasuke only just awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan and hasn't fully adapted. Plus, given his age, it's only natural that his strength falls short of the Akatsuki's Mangekyo Uchiha."
"Hm!"
Yakumo nodded, agreeing with Tsunade's analysis.
In truth, beyond the points Tsunade mentioned, several critical factors contributed to Sasuke's swift and crushing defeat today.
First, the previous night, Shinji had drained his chakra for hours, leaving him in an extremely weakened state, unfit for a major battle.
Second, Sasuke mistakenly believed that awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan would allow him to easily summon a massive, hundred-meter-tall complete "Susanoo" like Karin's, misjudging the situation.
This miscalculation was widespread in the Hidden Leaf.
Even the village's leadership knew little about the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. To them, both 'A' and 'B' were merely Mangekyo-wielding Uchiha.
Thus, it was inevitable that they'd compare Sasuke, newly awakened to the Mangekyo Sharingan, directly to Akatsuki's 'A' and 'B.'
Sasuke's crushing defeat today was the result of multiple factors converging. His true strength wasn't as pitiful as his performance suggested.
Yet, the only person in the entire village who fully understood this was likely Shinji alone.
Glancing around, Tsunade said to Yakumo, "Yakumo, head back and rest. I'll handle the rest."
Yakumo gave a polite bow and left.
After Yakumo departed, Tsunade ordered some shinobi to clear the remnants of "Wood Release" from the training field while others dismantled the earth wall surrounding it.
Then, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and others joined the Third Hokage and the advisory elders to discuss how to handle Sasuke's awakening of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Danzo was the first to attack, "Uchiha Sasuke is too arrogant and unruly! He didn't report his Mangekyo Sharingan awakening to the village immediately! Now the news has spread, and we're on the back foot!"
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado nodded in agreement.
If Uchiha Sasuke had reported it right away, the village could have used him as a trump card, potentially turning the tide at a critical moment.
But now, Sasuke's reckless actions had made his awakening public knowledge. Not only was their trump card exposed, but the village also had to guard against ambitious schemers targeting Sasuke for his Mangekyo Sharingan.
The Third Hokage was equally exasperated.
Sasuke's talent was undeniable, but his personality was far less manageable than Shisui's or Itachi's.
Tsunade added, "We also need to figure out when and how Sasuke awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan."
Jiraiya said, "Indeed. Just two days ago, he lost to Kimimaro, and now he's suddenly awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. We need to investigate what happened yesterday."
The Third Hokage ordered, "Tsunade, you're in charge of the investigation."
Tsunade responded, "Understood."
The Third Hokage looked at the group with a grave expression and commanded, "From now on, Uchiha Sasuke's movements are classified. He'll be under 24-hour Anbu protection, and no one is to leak any information."
"Hmph!"
Danzo let out a displeased grunt.
Outside the shinobi academy.
The evacuated students gathered in small groups, buzzing with discussion about the recent clash between "Susanoo" and "Wood Release."
"I can't believe Sasuke not only lost but lost so badly!"
"Yeah, my brother on the earth wall said Yakumo's 'Wood Release' completely crushed Sasuke's 'Susanoo'!"
"What!?"
"No way, that's 'Susanoo' we're talking about!"
The crowd was filled with gasps, sighs, and even hushed murmurs laced with mockery.
As news of Sasuke's defeat spread, the students' attention shifted to Shinji, the only other Uchiha at the academy.
Feeling the gazes around him, Shinji remained calm and composed.
Sasuke, whose Mangekyo Sharingan he had triggered, lost to Yakumo, whom he had also shaped. To him, there was nothing in this outcome worth getting emotional about.
Shion approached Shinji, comforting him, "Shinji, don't lose heart. With your talent, you'll definitely awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan too!"
Seeing Shion's worried expression, Shinji smiled, "Yeah, I know!"
Shion blinked, "Huh? Know what?"
Shinji shrugged, "I know I'll definitely awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan!"
Shion burst into laughter.
Nearby, Haku and Karin, who had been concerned for Shinji, relaxed, realizing he wasn't shaken by Sasuke's awakening.
But two people in the crowd remained silent.
One was Neji, a fellow prodigy from a prominent Hidden Leaf Bloodline Limit clan. Recalling the moment Sasuke unleashed his "Susanoo," Neji's heart was a mix of emotions.
Even though Sasuke lost, he lost to Yakumo. Compared to Neji, Sasuke was already far ahead, leaving him in the dust.
The other dejected figure was Kimimaro.
He sighed softly to himself, "Orochimaru-sama was right. I'm no match for him."