Black Flash!!

The Earth Flow Wall shattered, and scorching waves of fire dried out the swamp.

The ninjas still trapped in the mire had no time to escape.

Most of them used ninjutsu to protect themselves. A few, overwhelmed by panic, were roasted into charred corpses by the firestorm.

Before the ninjas who had successfully resisted the flames could catch their breath, their painstakingly cultivated Earth Release was shattered by black claws.

Whoosh—

Faced with the Black Wolves pouncing at them, they could only raise their Kunai to block.

But...

The Black Wolves passed straight through their bodies!

Faint blue light could be seen in the fierce Evil Wolves' mouths and along their claws.

It looked like... souls!!

"Bastard! Who the hell are you?! Why are you attacking us?!"

"Damn it! I can't hit this thing at all! What kind of monster is this?!"

The Squad Leader Jonin quickly analyzed the key point of the technique and shouted:

"Don't be afraid! These wolves aren't fast. We can dodge them completely. Don't face them head-on—"

He stopped halfway through.

"I don't want to face them head-on either! Then come save me already!!"

Kagami Uchiha naturally knew the weakness of his technique. This Yin Release possessed an ability similar to Kamui, allowing it to pass through flesh and directly tear at the soul.

Such a terrifying ability naturally had an obvious flaw.

Its movement speed was slow.

An ordinary Chunin could even fight it in hit-and-run fashion, dragging things out until Kagami Uchiha ran out of Chakra to maintain it.

So wasn't the solution obvious? Restrict the enemy's movement first.

He had taken inspiration from the famous cage-and-fire tactic.

Then he had added the Besiege the Point and Strike the Reinforcements tactic.

Kagami Uchiha had deliberately kept seven or eight ninjas alive, surrounding each of them with several Black Wolves and waiting for their Jonin to come rescue them.

There were still deep bonds between ordinary ninjas.

After all, they came from the same village, grew up together, and studied together.

Those who could carry out missions together were basically master-and-disciple pairs or close friends.

The three Jonin had more than enough ability to escape on their own, but faced with companions who seemed like they could still be saved, they could not possibly withdraw.

"Bastard!! What kind of evil technique are you using?!"

Oishi glared furiously at Kagami Uchiha, his eyes seeming to spit fire.

"Can't you come up with anything new? You only know those two insults. They're neither painful nor effective."

Kagami Uchiha kept five Black Wolves circling around himself, making them afraid to act rashly.

"Besides... our clothes and eyes are so obvious, yet you're still asking who I am. You blockhead, is your brain made of stone too?"

Hearing this, Oishi carefully examined the eyes of Kagami Uchiha and his companion.

"No!! Those are the Uchiha's Sharingan! Don't look directly into those eyes!!"

His heart-wrenching warning came too late.

Whoosh—

Oishi stood frozen for an instant. A Black Wolf passed through his body and tore out a pale-blue spirit.

"No!!!"

The female Jonin among the three let out a mournful cry and frantically extracted Chakra.

Earth Release—Earth Splitting Palm!

She slammed her palm into the ground. Amid continuous thunderous roars, a huge fissure spread toward Kagami Uchiha and his companion.

Crack.

Kagami Uchiha bit through his fingertip and rapidly formed Hand Seals.

With a bang, a giant eagle spread its wings and took flight, carrying the two of them as it circled in midair.

Few ninjas in the Ninja World possessed the ability to fly, and at least those below did not.

The distance of nearly a hundred meters was already beyond the range of their techniques. The earth-loving Iwagakure ninjas had no way to deal with the eagle in the sky.

Of course, the Third Tsuchikage was an exception.

Kagami Uchiha looked somewhat listless on the eagle's back.

The two large-scale ninjutsu from earlier had nearly consumed as much Chakra as an adult Kakashi possessed.

The cost of Yin Release—Sun-Chasing Fierce Wolf was roughly four or five Kakashi's worth. That was only the cost of constructing it; maintaining it also consumed Spiritual Energy.

Fortunately, it was Yin Release. Spiritual Energy made up the bulk of the cost. If it had used ordinary elemental Chakra, Kagami Uchiha would not have been able to withstand it now.

This use of Yin Release could only be considered an experiment.

Kagami Uchiha had to familiarize himself with his abilities as quickly as possible while the war had yet to intensify, then put them to practical use on the battlefield.

Training and slaughter were two different things. He knew that what he would have to face included the Third Hokage, the Nine-Tails, Nagato, and even the monsters that would appear later.

This war was extremely important. He had to undergo a transformation through it, awaken the Mangekyo in his best condition, and tame Sukuna.

Only then...

would he have any chance of leading the Uchiha Clan to survive in this chaotic world.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!

The group led by Minato had originally planned to form an encirclement, but after seeing what had happened, they all revealed themselves.

"What kind of technique is this..."

"It resembles our Shadow Secret Technique. It's also Yin Release... but its power is far greater than the Shadow Secret Technique!"

"As expected of the Sharingan... That was Oishi, a Jonin from Iwagakure. I've met him before. I never thought he would be killed by Kagami..."

"Large-scale Earth Release, and such a bizarre Yin Release technique..." Fugaku recalled the battle from last year.

This guy... his true specialty should be that Slashing Secret Technique!

The Uchiha were a clan of geniuses.

For Fugaku to become clan head, he had also been the child other people's parents held up as an example from childhood. His talent had stood at the top among his peers.

Yet, looking at the still-youthful Kagami Uchiha, he felt his own mediocrity.

What he feared was not the power of Kagami Uchiha's techniques. To put it bluntly, if he fought Kagami Uchiha without holding back, it was still uncertain who would win.

What frightened him was the talent Kagami Uchiha had displayed.

He could quickly learn any ninjutsu and had developed several secret techniques of his own.

Once he awakened those legendary eyes...

What right would I have to be the Uchiha Clan's head?

"They're ninjas from Konohagakure..."

"Why is Konohagakure attacking us?!"

"This is the border of the Land of Earth! Are you declaring war by doing this?!"

The leader worked hard to remain calm, his gaze sweeping around the area.

"Some things lose their meaning when you spell them out too clearly."

Kagami Uchiha spoke indifferently. "Don't pretend to be ignorant. That old man Ōnoki sent you to investigate the situation along the border of the Land of Fire, didn't he?"

"How dare you address the Tsuchikage that way!!"

The Squad Leader Jonin instantly flew into a rage, his face twisting. "Shameless Uchiha! The Tsuchikage will certainly learn of your despicable sneak attack!"

"Your entire clan will suffer the Tsuchikage's wrath!"

"Heh."

Kagami Uchiha laughed. "Didn't your Tsuchikage tell you that he and his teacher were both beaten senseless by members of my Uchiha Clan?"

"If Uchiha Madara hadn't been kind-hearted, that old man would have died long ago."

Madara... kind-hearted?

The people of Konohagakure who knew that name struggled to understand those words.

"Argh!! Damn it!! Bastard!!"

The enraged Squad Leader Jonin leaped into the air and charged at Kagami Uchiha.

Like Icarus, reaching for something impossible.

The corners of Kagami Uchiha's mouth curled up in a mocking smile.

He controlled the giant eagle beneath him, sending it diving toward another direction. The two passed each other.

In midair, it was already too late for the Squad Leader Jonin to turn around.

Kagami Uchiha's eyes focused on one spot.

The earth there bulged strangely, like a mole burrowing underground.

The instant the people from Konohagakure appeared, the Squad Leader Jonin realized that he could not save his trapped companions. He signaled the other female Jonin.

I'll hold them off. You escape.

"Good."

Namikaze Minato muttered with a smile.

He had also noticed the fleeing Jonin but did not hurry to act, wanting to see how Kagami Uchiha performed.

Pursuing the fleeing enemy first and leaving the stronger opponent to his seniors was the correct judgment.

Kagami Uchiha leaped from the giant eagle, predicting the route of the Earth Release user's underground escape.

He took a deep breath.

He clenched his fist.

He focused all his attention.

Find the spatial distortion produced within 0.000001 seconds when physical impact and Chakra shock collided.

The tomoe of his Sharingan spun wildly, almost seeming to bleed.

Crack-crack-crack—

A shrill sound rang out.

Kagami Uchiha's right fist extended to its absolute limit, his waist twisting to an angle no normal human could achieve.

The air trembled.

Space... twisted.

Under everyone's horrified gazes, a bolt of Black-Red Lightning exploded brightly across his fist!

Black Flash!!!!