A certain charismatic villain once explained the nature of rules.
He claimed that rules existed to protect the weak.
It's a reasonable sentiment, but ultimately incomplete.
For Bai Ye, however, the laws he established were not solely meant to secure his personal comfort.
That was a minor detail.
His real goal was to uphold order and stability, fulfilling his duty as the Konoha Military Police Force captain with absolute diligence.
Under such a framework, no one could challenge his authority.
---
Konoha – Village Entrance
As Bai Ye's confident and detached words echoed through the crowd, various reactions surfaced.
The Kumo-nin wore heavy expressions, but a flicker of disdain crossed their faces.
They had expected something truly shocking from this man, whose presence commanded such attention.
But in the end, he was just the captain of Konoha's police force.
Did such a minor figure really warrant such a spectacle?
And yet, despite the absurdity, the Third Hokage had yet to make an appearance.
Only the Raikage's expression was different.
At that moment, A's face darkened, shifting between uncertainty and fury.
Nothing else mattered—he had been caught by the ankle, suspended in midair!
It defied logic. The force of his Lightning Release: Lariat should have left devastation in its wake. And yet, the man before him stood utterly unfazed.
Even the ground beneath Bai Ye's feet remained untouched, showing no signs of strain.
Clearly, the force that had leveled mountains meant nothing to him.
Meanwhile, the crackling bolts of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode surged around A's body, still active.
Yet, despite his full-powered state, he found himself immobilized.
A's frustration boiled over.
"Lightning Release Armor! Full Mode!"
The flickering lightning around him intensified, distorting the air with raw energy.
If Killer B were present, he would have recognized the telltale signs—his brother had entered his berserker state.
But Bai Ye merely sighed, utterly unimpressed.
"It's so noisy."
Even as the Raikage's aura flared, Bai Ye's grip on his ankle remained firm.
The electric surges coursing through A's body had no effect whatsoever.
Then—
Crack!
A sickening sound rang out.
Before the stunned eyes of the gathered shinobi, the Raikage's ankle twisted unnaturally.
A clenched his jaw, his expression contorted in pain. He refused to scream, but his attempts to break free were futile—Bai Ye's grip was unyielding, like an iron vice.
The sharp, unmistakable sound of bone snapping sent a shiver through the onlookers.
Bai Ye had crushed the Raikage's ankle with sheer brute force.
"Impossible!"
A Kumo-nin gasped in horror.
No one understood A's strength better than his own men.
Especially when he activated his Lightning Release Armor, turning his body into a near-indestructible fortress.
It was no exaggeration to call him a human-tailed beast.
That this man had endured A's lightning-infused strikes without a scratch had already shaken them.
But now—now he had shattered the Raikage's bone as if it were nothing?
"Even if he can nullify Lightning Release, Raikage-sama's raw physical durability is unmatched! How could his bones be crushed so easily?!"
Disbelief spread among the Kumo-nin.
Their seemingly invincible leader had been bested—by a mere captain of Konoha's Military Police Force?
A police captain?
---
While the Kumo-nin reeled, the Uchiha guards had already moved.
The Third Squad leader, Uchiha Satoshi, stepped forward, his Sharingan glowing ominously.
The Eye of the Soul.
The moment his resolve took form, surpassing the limits of the Three Tomoe Sharingan—
A new Mangekyō was born!
Time and again, he had witnessed his captain's overwhelming power. Time and again, he had been left in the dust.
He was tired of being weak.
He refused to be a mere shadow, groveling for approval.
And so—
As he faced the towering enemy before him, Uchiha Satoshi awakened.
The Uchiha Clan never lacked geniuses.
But unlocking the Mangekyō Sharingan required something more.
A trigger.
A brush with death, an emotional cataclysm.
If near-death alone wasn't enough, then perhaps it meant he was never destined for greatness.
Then—
A low voice escaped his lips.
"Dōjutsu… Kami no Kōrin!" (Divine Descent!)
His Mangekyō spun wildly.
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
Something primal within the Uchiha sensed it—a powerful, undeniable force.
Bai Ye, who had been toying with the Raikage, finally glanced up.
This was…
Uchiha Satoshi's new ocular ability?
Bai Ye's expression twitched.
After a moment of thought, he murmured:
"Shū…" (Null.)
In an instant—
Uchiha Satoshi's Mangekyō halted.
Power, no more than a fraction of Bai Ye's, surged within him.
His hair bristled from the intensity, his body trembling under the sheer might of his awakened dōjutsu.
It was as if he had undergone a sudden transformation—his body pulsed with newfound energy, as if he had unlocked the Eighth Gate of Death.
"Feel the captain's strength!"
"Look upon me, you weaklings!"
His scarlet eyes blazed.
He understood that this state wouldn't last long.
But he didn't care.
Fueled by this overwhelming surge, Uchiha Satoshi lunged forward—
Tearing into the Kumo-nin with merciless precision.
Screams filled the air.
Bai Ye watched, expression unreadable.
"A few percent of my power isn't much," he mused.
But with the right abilities—enhanced taijutsu, amplified strength, and more—
Even this brief Kami no Kōrin was enough for Uchiha Satoshi to devastate the enemy Elite Jōnin.
Yet…
Bai Ye frowned slightly.
There was something off about this ability.
Where were the flames of Amaterasu?
The space-warping power of Kamui?
Tsukuyomi's nightmarish illusions?
What was this dōjutsu?
Uchiha Satoshi's technique didn't conform to any known Mangekyō abilities.
Instead, it… borrowed power.
Bai Ye narrowed his eyes.
So if he denied it, the Mangekyō would awaken… to nothing?
A strange thought crossed his mind.
If used correctly—
This technique might surpass every known dōjutsu in the world.
The most powerful Sharingan, second only to his own.
As expected…
His most loyal subordinate never failed to surprise him.
---
Meanwhile—
Despite his broken ankle, A refused to yield.
This was nothing.
Had he not once severed his own arm to escape Amaterasu?
This pain meant nothing.
The battle continued.
"Lateral Bolt of Pain: Chop!"
A blinding arc of lightning slashed toward Bai Ye's face!
This was A's ultimate single strike, second only to his Lariat with Killer B.
He had once severed one of the Eight-Tails' horns with this very move.
He was certain—even this arrogant Uchiha could not endure such an attack.
Unfortunately—
Bai Ye was still distracted.
But not because A was worthy of his full attention.
His thoughts remained on Uchiha Satoshi.
And so, absentmindedly, he raised a single hand.
Snap!
He caught A's wrist effortlessly—
Then twisted.
Crack! Crack!
With a single movement, Bai Ye shattered A's remaining limbs.
Looking down at the trembling Raikage, he sighed.
Then, he turned toward Uchiha Satoshi and raised a finger.
"Please be quiet."
"Don't distract me while I study the true power of the Uchiha Clan."