c42 – Defeat
Wusheng, now having circled behind the battlefield, spotted Shui Wuyueqing through a thinning veil of mist. Without hesitation, he lunged. The blade of the Kusanagi sword burst forward like a drawn arrow, its piercing arc aimed with deadly precision.
Minazuki Kiyoshi caught the glint of metal through the faint reflection in one of his ice crystal walls. His gaze remained calm. Instead of casting new ninjutsu, he performed a rapid one-handed seal to manipulate his existing Hyōton: Tōketsu Jūheki (Ice Style: Frozen Barrier Technique).
A narrow yet dense two-inch-thick ice wall extended sideways from the primary barrier. Though it appeared thin, the compressed chakra inside had once withstood paper bomb detonations in earlier skirmishes.
But this time was different.
The piercing edge of the Kusanagi a blade rivaling Sasuke's in sharpness and chakra conductivity effortlessly punctured the side barrier. It slipped past the reinforced ice and buried deep into Minazuki Kiyoshi's waist. The cold chakra of the wall shattered around the entry point.
Blood erupted in a sharp arc, and with it, searing pain surged through Kiyoshi's body. His focus shattered. The vast golden sea of fire behind the barrier, previously held at bay by layers of ice, surged forward unchecked.
Shui Wuyueqing's head twisted sideways. His face went pale, his breath shallow. He stared into the distance, his gaze full of confused despair.
There was no clone. No chakra disturbance. So how did the sword get behind me...?
So many techniques... and I never got the chance to use them.
A moment later, Wusheng withdrew the sword in a smooth motion and retreated swiftly, his form merging into the smoke.
Is... the sword alive...?
Realization flickered in Kiyoshi's eyes, but it was too late. Rage flooded his fading consciousness.
The Uchiha are never truly alone. Always someone in the shadows. Treacherous... always treacherous...
Before the thought finished, the surging Katon-enhanced firestorm, bolstered by Zhurong, engulfed Kiyoshi. Golden flames consumed flesh and cloth alike. A scream rang out a blend of defiance and resignation then silence.
Uchiha Gen stood on a scorched branch overlooking the scene. Without emotion, he retrieved a black capsule from his gear pouch an Uchiha Secret Chakra Pill and swallowed it. Though the battle had been brief, it had drained a considerable amount of chakra.
"Zhurong. Absorb the residual flames."
"Yes, Master."
Zhurong's compact flaming form shimmered as it darted into the firestorm. As he spun, the blaze visibly weakened, swirling inward toward him like oxygen into a vacuum.
"Well done," Uchiha Gen said calmly, watching Wusheng return.
The sentient blade gave an excited whirl mid-air before diving into its sheath with practiced grace.
Zhurong, having devoured the remaining fire, zipped back through the smoke and coiled around Gen's left arm.
"You performed admirably too."
Zhurong let out a soft hum and gently rubbed against Gen's palm before shrinking into his dormant seal. Though typically only one foot in size for concealment, Zhurong's true form was far larger concealed by chakra compression for mobility.
Gen looked once more at the charred remains of Shui Wuyueqing, now blackened and cracked, then vanished in a flash, using Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) to relocate.
Moments later, he arrived at another battlefield.
Below him, perched on a tree branch, Gen observed the clash between Yuhi Kurenai and a female ninja of Kirigakure. But there was no need to interfere.
The Kiri kunoichi's movements had slowed, her face slack. She was already trapped in one of Kurenai's genjutsu a vivid and multi-layered illusion, no doubt.
Despite being from one of the smallest clans in Konoha, the Yuhi possessed a unique lineage of genjutsu specialists. Kurenai's father, Yuhi Arata, had once been a renowned genjutsu jōnin of the Third Shinobi World War. Under his tutelage, Kurenai's skills had grown razor-sharp.
Kurenai's hand twitched.
Thunk!
A kunai embedded itself into the Kiri kunoichi's throat.
Her eyes widened. Blood spilled from her mouth as she gripped at her neck, convulsing before slumping to the ground. The genjutsu finally lifted—too late.
"Hah..."
Kurenai exhaled, sweat on her brow, then looked toward Uchiha Gen standing above her.
"Well done. Are you still good to go?" he asked calmly.
"Of course," Kurenai replied without hesitation.
"Then move to support the left flank. I'll handle the right."
"Yes, Captain."
Both vanished almost simultaneously, kicking off into the foliage.
In another sector of the forest, Hyūga Tokuma was locked in a close-combat duel with a member of the Kaguya clan. Both were injured, but Tokuma's wounds were external cuts and bruises while the Kaguya shinobi's internal organs were taking a heavier toll from Tokuma's Jūken (Gentle Fist) strikes.
Tokuma dodged back suddenly an instinctive move. A kunai with a burning explosive tag zipped past him.
The Kaguya shinobi caught the movement in his periphery. His honed instincts kicked in. He raised his hand, and
CRACK—CRACK—CRACK!
Three bone bullets fired from his fingers, part of the Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse) kekkei genkai. They struck the kunai mid-air just before the tag exploded in a fireball and cloud of smoke.
Through that cloud, Uchiha Gen appeared like a phantom.
Their eyes met Gen's were the cold, scarlet tomoe of the Sharingan.
A single glance was all it took.
The Kaguya shinobi froze, his muscles locking. His face lost all expression. Genjutsu: Sharingan Hypnosis.
Uchiha Gen stepped forward and, without wasting a second, sliced the Kusanagi sword in a horizontal arc.
A crimson line formed at the Kaguya shinobi's throat.
The illusion faded.
The shinobi clutched his neck, blood bubbling between his fingers.
"Strong... incredible..." he rasped softly, then collapsed. There was no fear in his eyes only strange serenity, as if death was an expected companion.
Hyūga Tokuma stepped forward, his face a mixture of relief and regret. Though wild and unrestrained, the Kaguya had been a formidable taijutsu rival.
"Thank you, Captain," Tokuma said with a respectful bow.
Uchiha Gen shook his head.
"You might not have lost without me."
He slid the Kusanagi sword back into its silver-white scabbard, the blade singing faintly as it returned to rest.
"But you wouldn't have won, either."
"Haha, he's a ninja who can tell right from wrong. He deserves our full support."
A minute later, two figures dropped down from the treetops it was Yuhi Kurenai and Baiyun Zanzang.
"How is it? Any injuries?" Uchiha Gen glanced at them calmly.
"I can still fight, Captain," Kurenai responded, wiping blood from her cheek.
"Same here," Baiyun Zanzang nodded, though his uniform was tattered from earlier combat.
"In that case, take a military ration pill. We're moving again."
The three of them, understanding the urgency, retrieved standard-issue soldier pills from their gear pouches and swallowed them quickly, allowing the pill to immediately restore a portion of their chakra and energy reserves.
"This time, we're moving to the outer perimeter of the forest. That's where the fighting's most intense. Explosive tags, shuriken, and elemental ninjutsu are flying everywhere."
"When we arrive, we'll engage using a three-point triangle formation. Maintain line-of-sight, cover each other's blind spots, and never stray too far from me."
"Yes, Captain!" the two replied in unison.
In large-scale battles, squads with Hyūga clan members had a distinct tactical advantage. Their Byakugan's 360° vision (minus one blind spot) allowed them to scan the field for chakra signatures and detect incoming attacks from all directions, shielding teammates from ambush.
"Move out!"
With a burst of chakra, Uchiha Gen Body Flickered onto the nearest branch. The others followed, although their leaps lacked the smooth precision of his. They had to push off tree trunks to gain the necessary height and angle.
As they dashed through the trees, they passed the scorched battlefield where Uchiha Gen had fought Minazuki Kiyoshi. The lingering aura of the golden flames, coupled with the blackened ground, made even seasoned ninjas pause in awe.
Half a minute later, they emerged from the tree line and arrived at a muddy open field. All around, Konoha and Kirigakure shinobi clashed in brutal melee. Steel clashed with chakra, and elemental jutsu crisscrossed the battlefield.
At the heart of the chaos stood four unmistakable figures.
Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade stood upon their respective summons Manda, Gamabunta, and Katsuyu. Orochimaru and Jiraiya unleashed large-scale ninjutsu from atop their beasts, while Tsunade both attacked and healed from her position on Katsuyu's back.
Off to the side, Namikaze Minato, in his signature flak jacket, flickered across the battlefield using Flying Thunder God Jutsu (Hiraishin no Jutsu). One instant he was cutting down a Kirigakure chūnin, the next he was rescuing a wounded ally. His golden flash was as revered as it was feared some Kirigakure shinobi refused to engage wherever the yellow blur was seen.
From the vantage point of the treetops, Uchiha Gen analyzed the overall battlefield. Konoha had gained the upper hand.
Yet Kirigakure's Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, was now fully engaged. Wielding both his chakra staff and the Three-Tails' power, he rallied his forces. Alongside other Kirigakure elites, they fought ferociously, unwilling to yield.
"Go!" Gen shouted.
Without hesitation, he leapt into the mud below. Chakra surged from the soles of his feet, counteracting the suction of the mud, allowing him to run smoothly atop the slick terrain a skill that required master-level chakra control, on par with Tsunade or Kakashi.
Drawing the Kusanagi sword, he cut through a flurry of kunai and shuriken. Most were standard-issue, no match for his blade. Each swing claimed the life of a Kirigakure genin, dispatched before they even registered his presence.
Behind him, his teammates struggled. Though Hyūga Tokuma used the Byakugan to navigate, the uneven terrain and his less-refined chakra control made it difficult to maintain balance. Still, he managed not to fall like several younger genin flailing in the mud around him.
On a battlefield like this, falling was death. Any shinobi downed in this chaos was likely to be trampled, impaled, or consumed by stray jutsu.
Within minutes, his three companions were coated in mud from head to toe no different from most of the shinobi in the melee. Only the most elite—jōnin or higher, with excellent chakra refinement could move with the elegance and stability Uchiha Gen displayed.
Time slipped by. After nearly thirty minutes of unrelenting combat, Yagura realized the tide could not be turned. With bloodied armor and a narrowed gaze, he raised his hand and fired a red flare into the sky Kirigakure's signal for retreat.
As if responding to a single command, numerous Kirigakure shinobi began forming hand seals. Instantly, dense white mist rose around the battlefield as dozens activated the Hidden Mist Jutsu (Kirigakure no Jutsu). The fog spread fast, enveloping the terrain like a rising tide.
In seconds, visibility was reduced to almost nothing.
Konoha's Wind Release users, scattered across the battlefield, attempted to dispel the mist. But despite the presence of elite jōnin, without coordination or a large-scale combined Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, the fog held fast.
No one dared chase.
To pursue into that mist was to walk into a death trap. Kirigakure had elite Silent Killing users—tracking and assassination specialists waiting to strike from the veil of fog.
Even Uchiha Gen's unit, as seasoned as they were, held their position.
Against hundreds of Kirigakure shinobi hidden in fog, only a shinobi of super Kage level like Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha could even consider pursuit alone and survive.
Still, not all enemy shinobi could withdraw.
Battlefield momentum had isolated clusters of Kirigakure ninja, surrounding them from multiple sides. These unlucky few now fought desperately, hoping to break through before Konoha's tightening noose strangled them completely.
Back in the mist, Yagura stood motionless for a breath, then sighed heavily. His outline blurred behind the fog.
"If only the enemy had given chase... Foolish confidence breeds mistakes," he muttered.
Several Kirigakure jōnin near him shared the same sentiment, shaking their heads in bitter disappointment.
If Konoha's forces had pursued recklessly, Kirigakure could have triggered a trap using the lake's remaining half. A coordinated Water Release barrage could have wiped out an entire wing of Konoha shinobi.
Victory might have turned. Or, at the very least, they would have exacted a terrible price.
But the Konoha command remained cautious.
What a pity...
Without another word, Yagura turned and vanished deeper into the mist. The remaining Kirigakure army followed suit.
As for those still caught within the battlefield's grasp, they could only pray their strength or luck would carry them through the jaws of death. Because every second they lingered meant another step closer to annihilation...
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