The Trump Card

Outside the wooden cabin.

In the distance.

The woods.

The Masked Man stood on a tree branch with his arms folded. Through the holes in his mask, his eyes watched the activity around the wooden cabin as he sighed:

"The Konoha Ninja finally look somewhat capable. Otherwise, they wouldn't even qualify to serve as pawns.

"Then let them test things out for me.

"What other trump cards does Uchiha Ingetsu, who has only two or three tenths of his Mangekyo Chakra left, have?

"But this chanting is truly awful!"

Several torches had been planted in the clearing outside the wooden cabin.

In the night.

The firelight was dim.

Nonō crouched on the ground, releasing Medical Ninjutsu Chakra to treat Tamao's wounds all over his body.

Compared to Doctor Nakku, Nonō was treating him while resisting the mental interference of the Buddhist scripture's Brahma Sound, and she did not need to remove the bandages around his wounds.

Beside the three of them were Izumi and Mikoto.

The other Uchiha were not here.

Originally, no one knew why Ingetsu had suddenly decided to lead the team back.

But now they understood.

Ingetsu had wanted to return and ambush this female Medical Ninja, but unfortunately, they had encountered Konoha's pursuit team as soon as they came back.

After this chance encounter, the Uchiha's fighting spirit surged. Without waiting for Ingetsu to make the decision, they had all resolved to wipe out the Konoha team pursuing them.

"Very few people in the ninja world can master Wind Release of this level..."

Nonō stared at Tamao's wounds with her beautiful eyes, shocked by the strength of the Wind Release that had caused them.

She was also astonished that Tamao could endure the continuous damage from Wind Release without making a sound.

"How long will it take to heal him?"

Uchiha Nanfeng asked impatiently.

Izumi and Mikoto stared at the group of monks on the roof, then looked at Ingetsu alone inside the wooden cabin.

For some reason, as they listened to the solemn Brahma Sound, they felt as though their minds were being tugged at, their thoughts growing restless.

"For wounds caused by Wind Release all over his body, even if I treat him myself, it will take at least half an hour. To heal him within ten minutes, we'd have to invite the legendary Lady Tsunade."

Sweat beaded on Nonō's forehead as she resisted the Brahma Sound while continuously releasing Medical Ninjutsu Chakra.

Her original mission had been to intercept and kill someone here, so she had needed to preserve her condition beforehand.

But at this moment, Nonō knew that this fleeing group was the Uchiha, one of Konoha's great clans. Whether she saved him or not, she would suffer if she refused to act.

Besides.

The Uchiha youth leading the group had promised her something. It was worth trying to save him and resolve the matter peacefully.

She could entrust the person she had to kill to these Uchiha later. No matter how she looked at it, she would not lose out.

As for why Nonō did not side with Konoha's pursuit team, she had felt instinctive resistance and aversion toward them from the moment they met.

Not far away, Kurenai Yuhi stared at the scene inside and outside the wooden cabin with her beautiful eyes. Her heart pounded as she clenched her fists.

If Ingetsu was defeated, she would act decisively and do her best to help him escape.

As for what would happen afterward.

Kurenai Yuhi had not figured it out yet, and she did not dare think about it too much, afraid that her convictions might waver.

Inside the wooden cabin.

"Roar—"

The giant wolf, like a three-headed hellhound, roared furiously. Its claws slammed into the floor, shattering the boards into scraps.

Its powerful limbs exploded with strength. At the same time, it opened three bloody maws and pounced at Ingetsu first, launching a biting ambush.

Ingetsu's Mangekyo had already caught the trajectory of the three-headed wolf's attack. In the blink of an eye, he reached Jaeger's side, grabbed him, and retreated backward.

He dodged the attack.

Ingetsu threw the dazed Jaeger out through a side window, then faced Asuma and the other three alone.

At the same time.

Around the wooden cabin.

Six black shadows shot into the air. Three Tomoe glimmered red in their eyes as they twisted through the air, their tightly gripped ninja blades slashing toward the monks reciting Buddhist scripture on the roof.

They were the Uchiha who had been lying in wait nearby.

As cold flashes rose and fell.

The monks' chanting did not stop.

The abbot of the Fire Temple, the dignified, thick-browed, glaring-eyed Chiriku, rose from among the monks. He raised his right hand and pressed down with his left as he chanted in a low voice:

"Welcoming Approach: Thousand-Hand Killing!"

In an instant, Chiriku's Chakra surged. It transformed into a sky full of Buddha-light that enveloped the surrounding monks and condensed into the form of a bodhisattva with palms pressed together, benevolent brows, and a compassionate expression, as if saving all living beings.

For a moment, the entire area was illuminated by brilliant golden radiance, making everything appear exceptionally sacred.

The next instant.

Before the Uchiha's blades could strike the monks, countless arms suddenly sprouted from the side of the bodhisattva's form. They clenched their fists and smashed them toward the Uchiha.

In the Uchiha's Three Tomoe eyes, the Buddha-light fists filled the air so densely that the Sharingan could not provide a correct route for evasion.

Bang, bang, bang—

The Buddha fists fell like a violent storm. With muffled booms, each of the six men was struck by a hundred fists in an instant and smashed into the ground like kites with severed strings.

"Ptooey—"

One Uchiha landed, using one hand to drive his blade into the ground and the other to clutch his chest. He vomited blood, forced himself to endure the pain, and looked at his companions.

The others were also seriously injured.

All six had numerous fist marks on their bodies. The areas where they had been struck were slightly caved in, their skin cracked, and blood stained their clothes red.

Chiriku descended from the roof.

"Amitabha. Benefactors, lay down your butcher's knives, and we can perform rites for you after your deaths."

He stood before the group of Uchiha, chanting the Buddha's name. His dignified face carried an intimidating authority even without anger, and he had no intention of sparing these remnants of renegades.

The Buddhist scripture's Brahma Sound stopped.

The night sky returned to silence.

The remaining monks descended from the roof one after another and stood behind Chiriku with their heads lowered and palms pressed together.

Apart from Chiriku, none of the monks dared look directly at the Uchiha. They all stared cautiously at the ground as they pressed toward them.

The six Uchiha faced a formidable enemy, having misjudged the strength of the Konoha team's reinforcements.

As the Buddhist scripture's Brahma Sound stopped.

Everyone's minds gradually returned to normal. Before Nonō, Izumi, Nanfeng, and Mikoto could relax, the resounding Buddhist scripture's Brahma Sound rang out around the mountain stronghold once more. It sounded like a great bell, echoing through heaven and earth, as if it intended to purify every sin in the world.

Everyone looked around.

In the dark parts of the forest.

Countless monks emerged one after another, heads lowered as they recited Buddhist scriptures. Burn scars marked their scalps, and they wore the Fire Temple's identical black-and-white robes.

There were as many as one hundred and seventy of them.

The sound of the Buddhist chanting poured from their mouths like a surging river, endless and torrential.

The monks' voices contained Chakra that interfered with the human mind. As the sound multiplied, the chanting became demonic music grating on outsiders' ears, piercing their eardrums.

"This is... every monk in the Fire Temple has been deployed!" Izumi's eyes widened as she looked around at the monks surrounding them. She covered her ears with both hands and shouted.

Mikoto's face was deathly pale. Her head felt as if it were splitting apart. As she listened to the sharp, ear-piercing chanting, the urge to bury her head in the dirt surged wildly within her.

Under the deafening Brahma Sound.

"Ah, can someone help me beat them to death!"

Nonō was finally unable to gather her concentration and release Medical Ninjutsu. Even someone as gentle and kind as her wished she could stuff every monk's mouth with dirt!

Kurenai Yuhi and the mother and son beside her were likewise tormented by the sound waves. Their heads swayed, their feet felt weak, and they were in unbearable pain.

"You bald donkeys!!"

Tamao opened his mouth in agony, trying to use his own shouting to resist the ghostly howls beside his ears, but his voice sank like a stone into the sea.

He swore that if he could move, he would make these bastards taste the ninja shoes beneath his feet—shoes he had not washed in several months!

Despair rose in the Uchiha's hearts.

There were simply too many enemies. The monks of the Fire Temple were renowned throughout the ninja world, and none of them were weaker than ordinary ninja. Their leader, Chiriku, was unquestionably a jonin.

Now that the entire Fire Temple had mobilized, they would probably be buried here tonight.

Inside the wooden cabin.

The candlelight flickered ominously.

The corners of Asuma's mouth curled upward as he looked down on Ingetsu.

This was the greatest reason he had dared attack the Uchiha Renegade Squad.

The four of them looked as calm as ever, unaffected by the Brahma Sound.

They had joined up with the reinforcements on their way here.

Chiriku had implanted Sealing Technique formulas in their bodies that made them immune to the Brahma Sound.

Tap, tap—

Chiriku crossed the threshold and entered the wooden cabin, his expression indifferent as he stared at the handsome Uchiha youth before him.

"Amitabha!"

It was now five against one!

Ingetsu's face was deathly pale. The Brahma Sound outside continuously interfered with his mind, making it impossible for his Yachihoko, with only thirty percent of his Yin Release Chakra remaining, to focus on its release.

If he had a full ten layers of Yin Release Chakra.

The battle would probably have ended long ago.

Gathering his thoughts, the corners of Ingetsu's mouth also lifted slightly as he resisted the Buddhist chanting that tore at his nerves with his willpower.

Ingetsu turned his right hand over and took a Red Pill from his Storage Space. It was the size of a dragon's eye and as red and lustrous as a fiery bead. He stuffed it into his mouth and swallowed it directly.

This was his trump card now!

It was also the trump card that had allowed him to easily wipe out the Uchiha Military Police Force!

There had originally been three. Now, only one remained.

In the distance, in the woods.

The Masked Man likewise endured the ear-piercing chanting. He widened his eyes and clearly saw Ingetsu swallow the pill. His eyes narrowed slightly as he reached a conclusion:

"Is that your final trump card?"

Inside the wooden cabin.

Ingetsu's skin burned like fire as orange-red Curse Mark patterns emerged. The patterns spread across his handsome face, making him look extremely eerie.

The life force within his body rapidly drained away, transforming into pure Chakra energy.

His cells frantically divided and metabolized.

His mental strength rose steadily.

His Mangekyo Yin Release Chakra gradually filled. When his condition had reached the point where he could ignore the Buddhist chanting beside his ears, his gaze returned to calm profundity as he looked down contemptuously at the five people before him.

The person who had given him the pill had warned him.

It was a pill developed by that lord after painstakingly and perfectly fusing the power of the Curse Mark.

It could transform energy through the Curse Mark, increasing the user's Chakra intensity, Chakra recovery speed, mental strength, and physical strength tenfold!

This state would last for ten minutes, and it had only one cost: an overdraft of the user's life.

There were three pills in total.

Each pill consumed required one-third of the user's lifespan.

Once all three pills were eaten, the user would have at most ten years left to live.

Ingetsu did not care.

As long as he escaped the Leaf Village alive, there were plenty of ways in the ninja world to extend his life.

Sensing that something was wrong.

"Roar—"

The three-headed wolf formed by the Inuzuka Clan jonin merging with Yukimaru once again launched the first attack.

Chakra surged violently.

It leaped into the air.

At the same time, it opened three bloody maws filled with fangs and lunged at Ingetsu to tear him apart.

Ingetsu did not dodge. The Curse Mark patterns on the surface of his skin disappeared, merging into his body as one.

He gripped the hilt with one hand, returned the blade to its sheath, and let the blade's radiance recede. Closing his eyes, he stepped forward and lowered his body.

Suddenly—

He drew his blade, concentrating everything into a single point, reaching the pinnacle of mastery!!

A blade flash as bright as moonlight swept out like the Milky Way cascading from the heavens, slicing through the center of the three-headed wolf's massive body. Its three gaping maws suddenly froze.

The other side... had only drawn its blade once!!

The left and right wolf heads watched with their own eyes as their bodies split cleanly down the middle, the cut smooth and even. Their thoughts sank into eternal darkness, their emotions forever frozen in fear.

Boom—

A mist of blood exploded.

P.S. Today's 5,000 words are here. There may be quite a few typos in each update. I'll read through it once and make corrections.

Preview: Tomorrow, he'll slaughter them all. I'm asking all my dear readers to help click through to the latest chapter on Tuesday. Many thanks!