Chapter 70: The Battle Has Only Just Begun
Night fell, and the Uchiha Clan compound sank into an eerie silence.
Uchiha Fugaku stood at the high point of the clan grounds, overlooking the figures gathered below.
Everyone was dressed in tight-fitting combat gear designed for mobility, their ninja tool pouches were stuffed to the brim, and some had even painted their blades with anti-reflective black lacquer.
No one spoke. Only heavy breathing dissipated into the air, suppressing the excitement and madness that was about to erupt.
"The time has come." The voice of Uchiha Yashiro broke the deathly silence.
The leader of the radical faction had blood-red eyes at this moment: "Clan Leader, why hasn't Uchiha Itachi returned yet? That kid... he wouldn't have deserted, would he?"
"Shut up." Uchiha Fugaku's voice was low, yet resonant. "Uchiha Itachi is the key to this operation."
Before the words faded, footsteps echoed from the entrance.
Uchiha Itachi was still wearing his Anbu vest. The light from the torches reflected on his young face, and there was not a ripple in his deep eyes.
"Everyone is here." There was a hint of suppressed excitement in Uchiha Fugaku's tone. "Uchiha Itachi, how did it go?"
Uchiha Itachi did not answer immediately. He swept his gaze over the Clan Members who were in a state of extreme agitation; they were all core members of the radical faction.
A cold glint flashed in Uchiha Itachi's eyes. These people did not know what they were walking toward.
But he quickly composed himself, lowered his head slightly, and replied in a steady voice without any fluctuation: "The Third Hokage has agreed to negotiate, and the location has been set."
"Negotiate?" Uchiha Yashiro sneered, "As long as we control that Old Man, Konoha... will be ours!"
A low cheer erupted from the crowd. It was the release of long-suppressed ambition finally seeing an outlet.
"Move out." Uchiha Fugaku's command was short and powerful. "According to Plan A, hold the Third Hokage hostage and seize control of the center. After tonight, there will be no more ostracization in Konoha."
"Yes!"
...
The target location was an open space surrounded by several old buildings.
This area was once planned for development by Konoha, but now it was abandoned, and even stray dogs couldn't be bothered to visit.
"It's right ahead."
As Uchiha Itachi, who was leading the team, stopped, Uchiha Fugaku made a gesture.
Everyone instantly dispersed, surrounding the open space in a fan shape, slowly closing in.
The Third Hokage was not in the open space.
Nor was there any Anbu.
There was only a solitary figure sitting on a huge blue stone.
The person was wearing a dark blue robe in the style of the Uchiha, and his face was covered by an orange tiger-striped mask, revealing only his right eye. A ninja sword was tucked into his waist.
"Who are you?" Uchiha Yashiro shouted sternly, "Where is the Third Hokage?"
The masked man slowly raised his head: "That monkey won't be coming. As for you lot... your opponent tonight is me."
"Playing tricks!" Uchiha Tiehuo let out a cold snort, and the long sword in his hand was instantly unsheathed. "Then we'll kill you first, then go find the Third Hokage!"
As elites of the Uchiha, their reaction was extremely fast.
Almost the moment Uchiha Tiehuo's voice fell, three Clan Members skilled in Fire Release had finished their hand signs.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Three huge fireballs whistled out, sealing off all of the masked man's escape routes in a 'pin' formation, the heat waves oppressive.
However, the masked man remained sitting on the blue stone, not moving an inch.
Boom—!
"Did we get him?" someone asked in a low voice.
The smoke and dust cleared.
The blue stone had been scorched black and cracked, but the masked man was still sitting there, unscathed.
"Is that all you've got?" The masked man slowly stood up and patted the non-existent dust on his robe. "The Uchiha of today have truly fallen to a heartbreaking degree."
"Bastard!"
This contemptuous attitude completely infuriated the proud Uchiha.
Uchiha Yashiro roared and used the Body Flicker Technique, turning into a blur as he appeared behind the masked man, his long sword wrapped in lightning-attribute Chakra, slashing at the opponent's neck.
"Die!"
The blade cut through the masked man's neck without any resistance.
There was no gushing blood, no sensation of severing bone and flesh.
Uchiha Yashiro only felt his hand go light, and his whole body lunged forward due to inertia. His sword, along with his body, passed straight through the opponent's body as if passing through a phantom.
"What?!"
Uchiha Yashiro widened his eyes in horror.
The next second, the Shinigami descended.
The moment Uchiha Yashiro passed through his body, a large hand wearing a black glove gripped Uchiha Yashiro's throat from behind.
Crack.
The crisp sound of bone breaking was exceptionally clear in the night.
Before Uchiha Yashiro could even let out a scream, his neck bent at an eerie angle, and he hung limp.
The scene was deathly silent.
This was Uchiha Yashiro! A Jonin who had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan! He was one of the top experts in the Police Force!
"Who the hell are you!" Witnessing his respected senior die before his eyes, Uchiha Tiehuo let out a hysterical scream.
Space distorted, and the corpse in the masked man's hand was sucked into a vortex.
"I am Uchiha Madara."
"Impossible!" Uchiha Tiehuo's voice contained despair, "How is this possible? Uchiha Madara died long ago!"
"It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not..."
A blur before their eyes, as if the frames had been skipped, "Uchiha Madara" appeared in front of Uchiha Tiehuo.
Puchi—
A sharp blade pierced Uchiha Tiehuo's heart.
"...Anyway, you are all going to die soon."
As Uchiha Tiehuo's corpse was also sucked into the vortex, "Uchiha Madara's" figure disappeared from the spot again.
The next moment, screams exploded in the crowd.
"Ah!!"
A Clan Member fell while clutching his chest, a hole that went straight through his heart.
"Over here!"
"No! Over on my side!"
"Help—"
The masked figure was like a ghost, flickering in and out of the crowd.
Every appearance was accompanied by a blade entering flesh, or the sound of chains whistling through the air.
The members of the Uchiha radical faction tried to fight back, but everything seemed so futile.
All attacks were like hitting the air, while the opponent's counterattacks were genuinely lethal.
This was not a battle at all.
This was a one-sided slaughter.
"Don't panic! Maintain formation!" Uchiha Fugaku roared, trying to stabilize the situation.
But panic spread like a plague. Watching their comrades fall one by one for no reason, these self-proclaimed elite Uchiha finally collapsed.
"Monster...!"
Uchiha Inabi had his back to "Uchiha Madara", trying to escape this hell—
Puchi—
However, he only ran three steps before a sharp blade pierced his chest.
"Uchiha Itachi..." Uchiha Inabi looked at the cold youth in disbelief, "You guy... as expected..."
Uchiha Inabi fell to the ground, dead with his eyes wide open.
Ten minutes later, only one person remained standing opposite "Uchiha Madara"—Uchiha Fugaku.
This Clan Leader stood alone in a pile of corpses, and lying all around him were the subordinates who had once followed him, clamoring to change the fate of the clan.
Under Uchiha Itachi's blockade, no one escaped.
"I leave this to you." Uchiha Itachi turned around, his back to his father, "I have more important things to do."
"Don't I need help with the old, weak, women, and children in the clan grounds?"
"Uchiha Madara's" tone carried a hint of contempt.
Uchiha Itachi shook the blood off his ninja sword and sheathed it. "No need."
"Uchiha Itachi! What are you going to do?! Are you going to lay a hand on the people in the clan grounds too?!"
Uchiha Itachi did not answer. He glanced at his father behind him one last time, activated the Body Flicker Technique, and disappeared into the night.
Uchiha Fugaku wanted to chase after him, but was blocked by "Uchiha Madara": "Alright, it's time to send you to reunite with your Clan Members."
"That remains to be seen..."
The Three-Tomoe in Uchiha Fugaku's eyes began to spin, then changed into a new pattern—Mangekyo Sharingan.
"The real battle has only just begun!"
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