Senju: The Gift Unfolds

She then arrived at the top of the clan's tallest building, activating her Sharingan. Her scarlet eyes cast an eerie red glow in the night, keenly capturing every movement around her.

At that moment, after a long trek, the twenty Death Warriors dispatched by the Senju Clan crept like phantoms, using the cover of darkness to silently approach the Uchiha clan grounds.

They wore specially crafted night garments, black cloth covering their faces, leaving only their murderous eyes exposed.

The leading Death Warrior was a burly man from the Senju Clan. He raised his hand to signal the group to halt, his low voice sounding: "This operation must be swift—burn the grounds, create chaos. If you encounter any Uchiha heading out for reinforcements, let them pass immediately. Let those Uchiha bastards be torn between the front lines and their home front!"

The group nodded in unison, bloodthirst gleaming in their eyes.

However, their movements still stirred a faint disturbance.

The slight crackle of crushed dry leaves drifted into the ears of Aoba, who was crouched high above.

Aoba frowned slightly, alarm bells ringing in her mind.

In an instant, she channeled her chakra, her hands forming seals rapidly.

Snake—Ram—Monkey—Horse—Tiger.

With a burst of white smoke, two figures identical to her appeared at her side.

"One stays here to observe and prepare for support at any moment. The other comes with me."

She retrieved a signal flare and handed it to the Shadow Clone left behind.

The Shadow Clone understood its purpose in an instant.

The slaughter... begins now!

Before the original body could vanish into the western darkness with the right-side clone, the left-side clone immediately aimed the signal flare upward and pulled the cord at its tail.

Whoosh~ A sharp whistle tore through the night sky.

A brief red light split the clouds, followed by a loud bang! as the explosion resounded. The flare's sparks rained down like droplets.

The ten guards patrolling the clan grounds simultaneously looked up, the red light of the flare reflected in their eyes.

"Invaders!!!"

They quickly paired up, their forms leaping swiftly across rooftops, charging toward the western side of the grounds.

At that moment, the ninja and civilians who had just been carried home from the medical station and had not yet fallen asleep were jolted awake.

They forced their weakened bodies upright, calmly instructing their panicked families: "Hide the children in the secret room first, then you all take shelter in the granary."

Those ninja who could still barely form seals, though limited in movement, signaled for sturdy civilians to carry them to higher buildings, where they could lie in ambush and strike the invaders from above.

The ten guards encountered Aoba's scattered clones along the way and immediately reported the invasion to them.

Aoba's clone swiftly issued orders: "Abandon the plan to block the western edge. Split into teams of five, move through the grounds, and use the terrain to assassinate the invaders."

Having received their orders, the guards quickly divided into two teams and vanished into the surrounding buildings.

Aoba's clone dissipated in an instant.

Hearing the sudden commotion from the sky, the twenty Death Warriors from the Senju and Uzumaki clans immediately abandoned any pretense of stealth.

They burst forth, their figures scattering abruptly, charging through the darkness toward the Uchiha clan grounds at full speed.

"Found you!"

When Aoba's scarlet Sharingan reflected the scattered, erupting black figures, the worry in her heart vanished in an instant.

She had feared a covert strike from this group, especially since she was the only Elite Jonin in the clan at the moment. Even as strong as she was, she couldn't fully protect all her clansmen while surrounded by twenty enemies.

Aoba took a deep breath, her fingertips flashing through seals at her chest.

Snake—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Tiger.

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!

A massive fireball erupted from her mouth, illuminating the pitch-black night with crimson flames. The twenty Death Warriors were exposed in the firelight.

Boom!

In the flash of light, a sharp crack shattered the silence.

Aoba's form shot into the crowd. In the blink of an eye, blades flashed, and the dull sound of steel slicing through throats echoed. Two ninja clutched their spurting necks and collapsed, gurgling their dying breaths.

The Senju Clan's leading ninja's pupils contracted sharply. He made a snap decision, waving his hand and barking: "Six of you stay and hold her off!"

The rest, including the red-haired Uzumaki Death Warriors, swept around the battlefield like a black tide, continuing their advance.

In an instant, the western sky above the clan grounds erupted with ninjutsu like fireworks.

Earth Release walls crumbled with a roar, water bullets and fireballs collided midair, sending up steam, and the clang of metal rang through the streets.

Sensing the chakra fluctuations, Aoba's clone lightly touched the ground and vanished into smoke, reappearing on a rooftop not far from the original.

Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!

The clone spat out multiple fireballs in succession, scattering them like a downpour onto the advancing ninja.

"Spread out! Otsu 76, Hei 23, Tei 54, stay with me to fight this Uchiha! Kou 742, lead the rest forward—complete the mission no matter what!"

The Senju Captain shouted, his hands forming seals so fast that, under the firelight, they left a blur of afterimages.

"Earth Style!"

Earth Style: Earth Wall Technique!!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Four earthen barriers burst from the ground, attempting to block the incoming fireballs.

A series of muffled explosions rang out.

The fireballs detonated the instant they made contact with the earthen walls.

From the rising dust, several kunai with Exploding Tags attached broke through the haze, their tails flickering white like viper tongues.

Boom!

A kunai exploded right beside the clone's ear.

The heatwave spread rapidly outward from the epicenter of the blast.

When the smoke cleared, only a charred wooden stump remained, its surface still sizzling with sparks.

Substitution Technique!

At the same time, the Uchiha chunin hidden in the attic fired twelve activated Exploding Tag kunai at the ninjas scattered across the street.

"Scatter!" the red-haired Uzumaki ninja shouted sharply, but it was too late.

The blast wave from the explosion instantly knocked over two of his companions.

On the smoldering street, four black figures leaped out from the dark alley, using the explosion smoke as cover.

The moonlight gleamed even colder on their long blades as they pierced through the haze, driving precisely into the hearts of the fallen ninjas.

Before the blood could spill, the four Uchiha guards fanned out, and four crimson flames erupted from their throats, racing toward the invaders.

Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!

Water Style: Water Colliding Wave!

The three red-haired ninjas opened their mouths wide, and three water dragons as thick as water vats burst forth, their heads raised high as they collided with the four flames!

In an instant, water and fire clashed, churning up a vast mist that swept across the entire street.

Amid the roaring explosions, the water flow forcibly scattered the four fireballs.

Before the Uchiha guards could react, the water suddenly transformed into sharp water spikes, piercing straight through their chests!

Blood blossoms bloomed in the mist, and the guards grunted as they were sent flying backward, crashing into the dark alley they had just emerged from.

"Retreat!"

Seeing this, Uchiha Kan immediately signaled his team, using the water mist to slip back into the alley. He hoisted up a still-breathing comrade and quickly fled, relying on his familiarity with the clan grounds' alleyways to vanish into the shadows of the street corner within a few breaths.