The Hour of Death

A violent wind swept through the entire forest, driving the Fire Release forward in a raging torrent.

Fugaku exhaled the last of the smoke from his mouth and could not help but pant lightly.

There were far more enemies than they had imagined. The moment one was killed, new Stone Ninja rushed forward, never giving him a chance to rest.

Or perhaps there were simply too few comrades at his side. Against such numbers, the enemy seemed endless.

The forest was far too vast. Looking into the distance, Fugaku saw countless Stone Ninja filling his entire field of view. Who knew how many more lay beyond sight?

A voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

"Fugaku, be careful. A Stone Ninja force numbering several hundred is heading toward your position. Don't let the enemy open a breach."

It was Shikaku warning him.

Fugaku's expression immediately tightened.

All kinds of ninjutsu clashed across the battlefield. Shuriken and flying stones streaked through the air, explosions rang out from time to time, and people constantly fell dead.

Before long, Fugaku saw the Stone Ninja force Shikaku had mentioned.

He leaped backward, and several ninjas from his clan moved to stand beside him.

"Fire!"

Fugaku gave a low shout. The people around him instantly scattered and sprang into the air, their hands forming tiger seals as they cast their techniques together.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Several enormous fireballs descended from the sky, blotting out the heavens as they crushed downward. The blazing heat warped the surrounding air, and scorching waves rushed over them. The Stone Ninja below had only just arrived when they met the overwhelming inferno. With nowhere to evade, they were swallowed by the sea of flames.

But soon, many Stone Ninja began casting techniques to resist, raising massive earthen walls or unleashing immense Water Release techniques.

Water and fire collided, turning into thick white vapor that obscured their vision.

The Uchiha Clan ninjas remained completely calm within the mist. Holding kunai or short blades, their crimson eyes open, they began harvesting enemy lives.

"A group of Stone Ninja has broken through the western line. Asuma, lead a team to hold them back."

"Sajin, Todo, Shi, there's an Explosion Release user thirty meters north of you. Go deal with him."

"Shibi, watch the ground! Enemies are infiltrating from underground!"

"Konma, take a team and support Fugaku."

At the rear of the Konoha forces, Shikaku sat beside Inoichi, directing the battlefield with complete focus.

Through the Yamanaka Clan's secret technique, the Chakra positions of every enemy and ally in the forest were all mapped within his mind.

He had used a branch to draw many crude position maps on the ground before him, some of them half-erased.

This battle was far harder than he had expected. There were simply too many enemies. By now, both sides had suffered countless casualties, yet Stone Ninja troops continued pouring into the forest without end.

He had done everything he could to prevent losses among their own forces and distribute troops sensibly across every part of the battlefield.

But the disparity in manpower could not be made up through such measures alone. These Stone Ninja were no ragtag mob either, but elites tempered by war. It was difficult for Konoha ninjas to fight four hands with only two fists.

"Hokage! You've pushed in too deep!"

"Minato, the Hokage is not far from you. Head south and support him."

Shikaku's eyes were bloodshot from remaining mentally taut for so long. Beside him, Inoichi had started bleeding from the nose.

The other members of the Sensor Division were also beginning to show signs of exhaustion.

Shikaku wanted to check on them, but seeing Inoichi gritting his teeth and holding on, along with the chaos of the battlefield before them—

"Fugaku, another two-hundred-man force is heading toward your position! You can't let the front be breached."

They were positioned at the very rear of the battlefield, yet they could still hear the sounds of ninjas fighting fiercely in the distance.

Some Stone Ninja had bypassed the frontal battlefield and chosen to attack from both flanks.

Shikaku glanced at the alarm clock in his hand. More than an hour had passed. Konoha had suffered grievous losses. Although the Stone Ninja losses were greater, the enemy force vastly outnumbered them.

"Hokage, retreat—"

"Fugaku! The enemy's main force is coming! One thousand... no! Two thousand!"

"Hokage, retreat south now!"

"Hyuga Hiashi, lead a team to support Fugaku!"

"Choza! Choza! You go too!"

On the frontal battlefield.

Fugaku gathered with the remnants of his troops. Even including his clansmen, they numbered only a few hundred.

How were they supposed to hold back over two thousand Stone Ninja?

He could feel that more than half the Chakra in his body had already been spent. Both body and mind were utterly exhausted.

The enemy assault came quickly. The distant forest seemed like a broken dam, with Stone Ninja charging forth in an endless stream.

Fugaku gritted his teeth and ordered, "Inaho, Yashiro, fall back!"

He chose to avoid their edge, and the Konoha ninjas began retreating. But how could the Stone Ninja who had just arrived let them have their way?

Shuriken and flying stones filled the sky like a violent storm. The earth beneath their feet turned into a muddy mire under ninjutsu, while trees around them toppled from time to time.

Shikaku's anxious voice rang out in Fugaku's mind again.

"Fugaku, you can't retreat. If you pull back and the front opens up, we're finished!"

Those words left Fugaku caught between advancing and retreating. From the corner of his eye, he saw innumerable Stone Ninja, dark as a tide, rapidly closing in behind them.

"Captain, watch out!"

Fugaku was suddenly yanked aside by a powerful force. Uchiha Yashiro had saved him from the rock spikes thrusting up from below.

But that brief delay let countless Stone Ninja surge forward at once. Their comrades resisted to the death, but there were too many enemies, and soon more people fell.

"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Fugaku felt his mind beginning to drift. Crimson flames filled his vision, and the intense heat made him dizzy after so many life-and-death battles had kept his nerves stretched taut. Fortunately, it was his clansmen's technique. They shielded Fugaku behind them and resisted the Stone Ninja assault.

"Captain, are you all right?" Yashiro asked urgently.

Fugaku panted heavily. A ringing in his ears made his comrades' calls sound indistinct.

"Fire Release: Hiding in Ash and Dust Technique!"

The Uchiha Clan ninjas spewed a great cloud of gray smoke from their mouths. It instantly spread through the area, obscuring everyone's vision.

The ash was unbearably hot. Any particles drifting through the air that touched the skin brought searing pain.

The Stone Ninja were temporarily blocked from advancing, but one of their leaders shouted, "Don't let them escape! They're Uchiha Clan!"

Swish! Swish! Swish!

As his words fell, several hundred figures fearlessly charged into the ash cloud.

A violent wind blew from behind the Stone Ninja, trying to disperse the gray smoke. Yet under that wind, the Stone Ninja within the smoke suffered even more and could not open their eyes.

At last, the smoke was about to be blown away. The Stone Ninja leader rushed forward first, intending to find Fugaku.

But after only a few steps, he suddenly saw a huge black shadow swaying behind the thinning smoke.

What is that? Someone from the Akimichi Clan...?

The thought had barely flashed through the Stone Ninja's mind when his vision blurred, and a black shadow pierced straight through his abdomen!

His eyes widened. Stiffly lowering his head, he saw a massive, twisting blade. Visible black Chakra flickered across it like black flames!

A pair of glowing eyes lit up within the smoke. Then, before the Stone Ninja could react, countless black Chakra tomoe shot out from the ash cloud. Spinning at high speed, they exploded violently the instant they struck anything.

"What is that?!"

"Ah! Ah!"

"Get out of the way!"

"Earth Release—"

The Stone Ninja screamed as they scattered in all directions. Some tried to defend themselves with techniques, but ordinary Earth Release could not withstand the tomoe's explosive power.

That single attack killed more than a hundred Stone Ninja on the spot.

The smoke finally dispersed. Fugaku had temporarily withdrawn elsewhere, supported by Yashiro at his side. With one hand, he wiped away the bloody tears streaming from his eyes and looked toward the Stone Ninja too terrified to pursue. Yet he found his vision blurred, with countless afterimages appearing before him.

"Captain?"

"I'm fine," Fugaku said, breathing heavily.

Sarutobi finally returned at this moment. Alone, staff in hand, he charged into the enemy ranks without the slightest fear. The many Stone Ninja could not even last one exchange against him before being killed.

His arrival greatly eased the pressure on Fugaku's side.

A combatant like the Hokage was immensely useful on the battlefield, capable of turning the tide.

That was why Minato had gone alone to disrupt the Stone Ninja formation, and one reason their forces always attacked in separate waves.

"Fugaku, that move you used just now was very effective. Can you use it again?"

Shikaku's voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

Fugaku gave a bitter smile and replied in his mind, "Why don't you try it?"

He shook his head and focused on the front, but his vision was still full of overlapping images.

Shikaku could only respond, "Go assist the Hokage now!"

Hyuga Hiashi and Choza Akimichi each arrived with their own men, but together they numbered fewer than a hundred.

The battle continued. Death had yet to cease. The enemy continued to press forward, but they could not retreat.

The smell of blood choked the air. Many of the corpses on the ground might have belonged to people they knew well.

The distant sounds of battle had never stopped—screams, roars, enemies and comrades alike.

Fugaku took a deep breath and shouted to those around him, "Gentlemen, are you prepared to die?"

Everyone answered, "We will fight to the death without shame!"