She then climbed to the top of the tallest building in the clan grounds, activated her Sharingan, and used its scarlet eyes to keenly capture every movement in the darkness.
After a long journey, the twenty Death Warriors sent by the Senju Clan approached the Uchiha clan grounds like ghosts beneath the cover of night.
They wore specially made night garb and black cloth masks, revealing only pairs of eyes filled with killing intent.
The leader was a burly man from the Senju Clan. He raised a hand to halt the others, then said in a low voice, "This operation must be swift. Burn the clan grounds and create chaos. If you encounter any Uchiha heading out to seek reinforcements, let them pass immediately. Let those Uchiha bastards struggle to deal with both the front and rear on the battlefield!"
The others nodded, bloodthirsty glints flashing in their eyes.
However, their actions still caused the slightest disturbance.
The faint crunch of several dead leaves beneath their feet drifted on the wind into Aoba's ears as she crouched high above.
Aoba's brows furrowed slightly, alarm bells blaring in her mind.
She instantly circulated the Chakra in her body, her hands rapidly forming seals.
Snake—Ram—Monkey—Horse—Tiger.
The instant white smoke burst forth, two figures identical to Aoba appeared at her side.
"One stays here to observe and be ready to provide support. The other comes with me."
She took out a signal flare and handed it to the Shadow Clone that remained behind.
The Shadow Clone immediately understood her meaning.
The killing... begins now!
Before the original body and the clone on her right vanished into the darkness to the west, the clone on the left immediately raised the signal flare and pulled the cord at its tail.
Whoosh~~~ A shrill whistle tore through the night sky.
A brief red glow ripped through the clouds. With a boom, a deafening explosion rang out, and the flare's sparks fell like raindrops.
The ten guards patrolling the clan grounds looked up at the same time, the flare's red light reflected in their eyes.
"Intruders!!!"
They swiftly formed pairs and leaped across the rooftops at high speed, racing toward the western side of the clan grounds.
At that moment, the ninjas and civilians who had just been carried home from the medical station and had not yet fully fallen asleep jolted awake.
Forcing their weak bodies upright, they calmly instructed their panicked families, "Hide the children in the secret chamber first. Then go hide in the granary."
Meanwhile, the ninjas who could barely still form hand seals despite their restricted movement signaled for sturdy civilians to carry them to higher buildings, where they could hide and ambush the invaders from above.
The ten guards encountered the scattered Aoba clones midway and immediately reported the intrusion.
The Aoba clone swiftly gave them an order: "Abandon the interception at the western edge of the clan grounds. Split into teams of five and move through the clan grounds. Use the terrain to hunt down the invaders."
Having received their orders, they quickly split into two teams and vanished among the surrounding buildings.
The Aoba clone dispersed in an instant.
Upon hearing the sudden commotion in the sky, the twenty Death Warriors from the Senju and Uzumaki Clans immediately stopped concealing themselves.
They suddenly sprang into action, their figures scattering as they charged through the darkness toward the Uchiha clan grounds.
"Found them!"
When the scattered black shadows were reflected in Aoba's Scarlet Sharingan, the worry in her heart instantly vanished.
She had feared this group would launch a surprise attack from the shadows. After all, she was the only Elite Jonin in the clan at the moment. Even as powerful as she was, it would be difficult to protect every clansman while surrounded by twenty enemies.
Aoba took a deep breath, her fingers rapidly forming seals before her chest.
Snake—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger.
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!
A massive fireball shot from her mouth, its crimson flames illuminating the pitch-black night and exposing the twenty Death Warriors beneath the firelight.
Boom!
The instant the fire illuminated the area, an explosive crack shattered the silence.
Aoba's figure instantly charged into the crowd. Amid flashing blade light and the muffled sound of steel slicing through throats, two ninjas clutched their spurting necks and collapsed, dying whimpers spilling from their throats.
The leading Senju ninja's pupils shrank. He immediately waved his hand and shouted, "Six of you stay and hold her back!"
The rest, along with the red-haired Uzumaki Death Warriors, swept around the battlefield like a black tide and continued their advance.
In an instant, ninjutsu exploded like fireworks above the western side of the clan grounds.
Towering walls raised by Earth Release collapsed with thunderous crashes. Water bullets and fireballs collided in midair, sending steam billowing upward as the clash of metal echoed through the streets.
Sensing the Chakra fluctuations, the Aoba clone lightly touched the ground with her toes and turned into blue smoke. When she appeared again, she stood on a rooftop not far from the original body.
Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!
The clone continuously spat out several fireballs, which scattered and rained down upon the ninjas still charging ahead.
"Spread out! Otsu 76, Hei 23, Tei 54, stay with me and fight this Uchiha! Kou 742, lead the team onward! You must complete the mission!"
The Senju Captain shouted urgently, his seal-forming hands leaving afterimages beneath the firelight.
"Earth Release!"
Earth Style: Earth Wall Technique!!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Four earthen-yellow barriers erupted from the ground, attempting to block the incoming fireballs.
A series of explosions rang out.
The fireballs had exploded the instant they touched the earthen walls.
Several Kunai wrapped with Exploding Tags shot from the dust, their tails flashing white like the tongues of venomous snakes.
Boom!
A Kunai exploded as it grazed past the clone's ear.
The heat wave rapidly expanded outward from the center of the blast.
When the smoke cleared, only a charred wooden stump remained, its surface still crackling with sparks.
Substitution Technique!
At the same time, the Uchiha Chunin hiding in the attic fired twelve activated Exploding Tag Kunai at the scattered ninjas in the streets.
"Spread out!" the red-haired Uzumaki ninja shouted, but it was already too late.
The blast wave from the explosion instantly sent two of his companions flying.
Amid the streets lit by scattered embers, four black shadows leaped out from the side alleys under the cover of the explosion's smoke.
The cold gleam of their blades shone even brighter beneath the moonlight. Piercing through the smoke, they accurately plunged into the hearts of the fallen ninjas.
Before blood could spill out, the four Uchiha guards had already spread out in a fan formation. Four streams of crimson flame burst from their throats and sped toward the invaders.
Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!
Water Release: Water Chaos Wave!
The three red-haired ninjas suddenly opened their mouths, and three water dragons as thick as water vats burst from their throats, their heads raised high as they crashed into the four streams of crimson flame!
In an instant, the collision of water and fire stirred up a vast cloud of mist that swept across the entire street.
Amid the explosive roar, the water streams forcibly dispersed the four fireballs.
Before the Uchiha guards could react, the water suddenly transformed into sharp water spikes that pierced straight through their chests!
Blood blossomed amid the mist as the guards groaned and flew backward, crashing into the side alleys they had just emerged from.
"Retreat!"
Seeing this, Uchiha Kan immediately called to his teammates. Using the water mist as cover, they returned to the side alley, lifted their still-breathing companions, and swiftly departed. Relying on their familiarity with the clan grounds' alleys, they vanished into the shadows at the street corner within a few breaths.
Before you continue