What was he laughing at?
Uchiha Hikazu was baffled.
No matter how he looked at it, he should have held the overwhelming advantage.
"Scared out of your mind?" He frowned in confusion and moved forward to finish him off.
He feared that dragging this out might draw pursuers from the Three Clans.
But after just two steps, he suddenly heard a familiar laugh.
"Hahahaha." The sound was dripping with mockery.
A ninja's senses were incredibly sharp. With Kyosuke making no effort to disguise his voice, how could Uchiha Hikazu fail to recognize it?
"It's you?!" Shock and fury mingled on his face.
Perhaps Hikazu had never imagined that the clansman who had come to intercept and kill him tonight would be the other Deputy Army Commander, Uchiha Kyosuke.
Alongside his disbelief, he even felt a little wronged.
Yes, he had targeted Kyosuke countless times, both openly and in secret.
But that was normal. Everyone played that way when vying for power.
He had kept putting pressure on him, but in all fairness, Hikazu had never once intended to kill him.
Otherwise, with the influence he wielded, he would have had countless opportunities to secretly dispose of Kyosuke.
He had never expected his restraint to earn him this outcome.
Clever as he was, he had already guessed that Kyosuke had struck a deal with the Nara.
That miraculous Space-Time Ninjutsu was enough to let the boy enter and leave the enemy camp unhindered.
"What a treacherous bastard." That was his verdict.
Clutching the wound in his abdomen, Kyosuke struggled into a sitting position. He spat out a mouthful of blood before greeting him with a smile. "Hey, fancy meeting you here."
Fancy meeting me, my ass!
Hikazu had no desire to waste words on him. Since Kyosuke had gone to such lengths to kill him, he could hardly blame Hikazu for being ruthless.
A genius the Uchiha might not see once in a thousand years was about to die by his hand. The thought actually stirred a twisted pleasure within him.
"Remember to be more careful in your next life." With that, he prepared to strike.
"Heh." But Kyosuke sneered again. "Army Commander Hikazu, are those your last words?"
By the time he said "last words," his voice was coming from right beside Hikazu's ear.
Shunk! A kunai plunged deep into his enemy's abdomen, almost exactly where he himself had been wounded.
"Does it hurt?"
Kyosuke flashed away from the counterattack and asked with a sneer.
"How could this..." Hikazu's eyes widened. He had no time to think.
A second later, the same scene played out again.
Blood sprayed, and the mighty Deputy Commander of the Southern Army collapsed into a pool of blood like a beaten stray.
"Can't figure it out?" Meeting his enemy's desperate gaze, Kyosuke smiled and pointed to a spot on his abdomen.
Using the last of his strength to lower his head, Uchiha Hikazu finally understood. A flicker of realization crossed his eyes as he discovered why he had lost.
[System notification: Killed a Jonin of the Uchiha Clan. Gained 3,850 points.] Points: 5,166.
Jonin really do give generous rewards, Kyosuke reflected, casually engulfing the corpse in Fire Release.
His earlier risky approach had not been intended to kill his enemy, but to place Space Coordinates on his body.
Once the mark was successfully applied, he could launch a lethal ambush anytime, anywhere, as long as his opponent was not moving at high speed.
It was essentially an invitation from the Shinigami.
Almost anyone below Clan Leader level would struggle to react effectively in that instant.
The only drawback was that marking coordinates could not become a routine tactic.
If he had time to bypass an enemy's clothing and touch their body directly, he might as well stab them to death with a kunai.
Unless he risked a serious injury to force a lethal exchange, as he had today, opportunities this good were hard to come by.
If word got out, his chances of applying a mark would grow even slimmer. Many would rather take a blade than let him succeed.
After destroying the evidence at the scene and disposing of Uchiha Hikazu's body, he used Flying Thunder God to leave.
About ten minutes later...
"Quick, there are signs of a fight up ahead!" The pursuers arrived.
Mitsuyoshi Akimichi was leading the pursuit. In truth, he had not felt this satisfied in a long time.
It was a shame that the enemy leader had escaped, but wiping out the Uchiha force would be enough to restore their shattered reputation.
"R-reporting, Clan Leader!" The clansman examining the scene soon brought him news.
"What did you say?" Mitsuyoshi Akimichi pushed his subordinate aside and reached the charred corpse in a few quick strides.
After examining it carefully, he was delighted to discover that the unidentified burned body lying there was indeed Uchiha Hikazu.
He had no desire to consider the details. All he wanted now was to take the body back and claim the credit.
With this achievement, his position as Clan Leader of the Akimichi was secure.
As for Uchiha retaliation, he had no interest in worrying about it now.
They were preparing to leave anyway. Who cared whether the Uchiha hated them?
Soon, the news spread far and wide.
Both sides learned what had happened.
The Uchiha camp.
Crash!
Having hurled his teacup to the floor, the Army Commander struggled to suppress his laughter while doing his best to maintain his unconvincing performance.
"Nara Tohiko... pfft, he's just too... too despicable."
He pinched his thigh hard and finally managed to stifle his amusement.
After collecting himself, Rei Uchiha issued his orders in a show of "fury."
"We must have revenge! Uchiha blood must not be shed in vain!"
He ordered the badly injured Kyosuke to remain at camp and personally led the troops out, determined to put an end to the Southern Border Rebellion once and for all.
After today, Rei Uchiha's word would be law throughout the Southern Border.
The thought was truly exciting.
"Hahahaha." Once he was alone, the elder could no longer contain his excitement.
Hearing the laughter from inside the tent, several Unit Commanders exchanged glances, then ignored their leader's laughter as though they were deaf and mute.
As for Kyosuke...
He had not attended this farce at all.
We all know what really happened. I need to recover, so you can put on your little show without me.
With Rei Uchiha holding all the power, Kyosuke's position as second only to him was now firmly secured.
Forget being unsociable-even if he went dancing on Uchiha Hikazu's grave, no one would dare criticize him now.
Rei Uchiha coveted the position of Clan Leader and had to protect his image at all times. Kyosuke had no need for any of that. He could do whatever pleased him.
Soon, half a month flew by.
The three great clans that had once dominated the southern border of the Land of Fire withdrew from the conflict one after another, moving their entire clans to the Land of Lightning, where they found a place to rest and rebuild.
They had effectively withdrawn from the struggle for supremacy.
Meanwhile, the Senju Clan launched a frenzied retaliation, clearly furious over the Uchiha's actions.
Under the combined assault of the Senju of the Forest and the Uzumaki Clan, the Uchiha on the main battlefront suffered defeat after defeat.
At one point, they were even pushed to the brink of destruction.
Only when there was nowhere left to retreat did Clan Leader Tajima finally swallow his pride and ask Rei Uchiha's Southern Army to reinforce the main battlefield.
Knowing how serious the situation was, the Army Commander did not exploit the opportunity to make demands.
With a wave of his hand, he assigned two hundred combat-ready ninja to Deputy Army Commander Kyosuke, sending him into the heart of the Land of Fire for a decisive battle against the Senju.
Including his own personal troops, Kyosuke would command a total of 253 ninja.
"The Senju Clan. At last, I'll get to face you."
Before you continue