The Battle That Must Be Lost

Northwest Plains Battlefield.

"Everyone, am I right?"

Standing at the forefront of the two-thousand-strong Five Allied Clans Army, Masashige Hagoromo's lips curled into a triumphant smile as he gestured towards the Uchiha ninja army opposite them.

"Chieftain Hagoromo's intelligence network is truly remarkable. We've already won this battle."

No Watanabe, the chieftain of the Watanabe clan, said with a vacant gaze.

The Uchiha were in extremely poor condition at this moment; any discerning eye could see it on their faces.

Chieftain Saito added, "Need I say more? They've been without supplies for days, their combat effectiveness greatly diminished. This battle will finally end this war that's dragged on for over half a year."

The Five Allied Clans Army's combat strength was soaring, their morale high, presenting a stark contrast to the dispirited Uchiha opposite them.

As the drums pounded, the sounds of battle, which had echoed countless times over the past six months, rang out once more.

Izuna's eyes transformed into the Mangekyo state. His left eye's Future Prediction ability allowed him to clearly see the techniques the approaching ninja would use.

He leaped upward, dodging the arms that emerged from the ground beneath his feet.

Earth Style: Decapitation Jutsu?

Izuna's pupils narrowed slightly. He took two Kunai from the ninja pouch at his lower back, coated their blades with Wind Release Chakra, and then threw them downward.

"Ugh!!"

A pained cry came from the soil as the two Kunai, imbued with Wind Release, pinned the attacker's hands to the ground.

"Haaah!!"

A Fuma ninja attacked Izuna with a large Fuma Shuriken, swinging it with wide, powerful strokes – similar to the one Sasuke Uchiha would later use against Zabuza.

Clang!

Izuna suddenly looked up. The demonic, "human"-shaped tomoe within his Mangekyo Sharingan, like a ghost's eye staring at his back in the dead of night, caused the elite Chunin-level Fuma ninja to freeze in place with just a glance.

As he focused his gaze forward again, he found the battlefield before him had dissolved into an ethereal space, his body bound in place by giant golden iron spikes.

Sh-Sharingan Genjutsu!

Whoosh!

The moment he realized it, a blade from behind pierced his heart. His vision went black, and he fell, never to rise again.

"Truly terrifying, the Uchiha's Vice Clan Leader..."

Watching Izuna move freely through the battlefield teeming with thousands, Masashige Hagoromo on the cliff let out a heartfelt sigh.

A tiger with its teeth pulled is still a tiger. If an ordinary person were to face such a tiger, they still wouldn't have the courage.

The Uchiha's morale was indeed low, and it was accurate to observe that their overall condition was poor due to the lack of supplies.

But even so, the Uchiha were not easily defeated.

"Chieftain Fuma, Chieftain Saito, you will accompany me to deal with Izuna Uchiha. Chieftain Onigawa and Chieftain Watanabe, please go deal with Sora Uchiha."

Masashige Hagoromo quickly assigned combat targets for the five clan leaders.

The other four had no objections. The moment his words fell, they each transformed into afterimages and charged towards their targets.

"Uchiha Style: Sword Dance Flame!"

Izuna summoned a katana from a scroll. With his index and middle fingers raised on his sword hand, the blade was engulfed in flames the next second.

Whoosh!

He swung the sword rapidly, the flames forming crescent shapes that swallowed the surrounding enemies with the force of a storm.

"Izuna Uchiha, die!"

Izuna spun around, his sword clashing with Chieftain Saito's.

As the two blades met, the sparks flying from Saito's sword forced him back ten steps. He exclaimed in shock, "What's going on? You blocked my attack without even looking."

"Those eyes are a symbol of ill omen."

Chieftain Fuma and Masashige Hagoromo also appeared to Saito's left and right, respectively.

Masashige Hagoromo shouted, "All units advance! We must capture Stone City today!"

The three clan leaders joined forces to suppress the most troublesome Izuna Uchiha on the battlefield, while the main army pushed forward, determined to breach Stone City today.

"The two of you, attack!"

The instant Masashige Hagoromo finished speaking, he became an afterimage and was the first to charge at Izuna.

"Hagoromo Style: Three Flashes One Strike!"

"In front of the Sharingan, you dare engage in close combat? Who gave you the courage?"

Izuna scoffed. His left Mangekyo activated, utilizing Future Prediction!

--Masashige Hagoromo's A-rank sword technique involved a single-handed hand seal in an instant. Just before the attack, he created two clones to confuse the enemy, making it appear as if three strikes were aimed at different parts of the enemy's body.

In reality, it was a pursuit of a fatal blow.

Not bad, but in front of the Mangekyo Sharingan, especially an observational type like Izuna's, it's practically child's play.

Izuna dodged a sword aimed at his throat, blood tears streaming from his right eye.

"Amaterasu!!!"

However, at the same moment, a massive stone wall suddenly rose from the ground, separating Izuna from Masashige Hagoromo and blocking the flames of Amaterasu.

From a distance, Clan Leader Saito had his hands pressed to the ground. "Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

In mid-air, countless kunai, scythes, and shuriken rained down like a storm.

And above them, the Fuma Clan Leader was continuously releasing weapons from two scrolls.

Is that girl Ten-Ten actually surnamed Fuma?

This scene made Izuna recall a certain weapon-wielding girl with a bun under Might Guy's command.

It looks like a rather wild ninjutsu, but it's too childish!

His pupils contracted, and chakra solidified into a silver-white flame that burned around Izuna's body, eventually forming a silver-white ribcage.

Susanoo Shield!

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The kunai thrown by the Fuma Clan Leader were all blocked by the Susanoo.

"What is that thing!?"

Masashige Hagoromo and the others shifted their expressions. They then saw a giant skeleton arm grow from the left side of the ribcage protecting Izuna's body.

A white magatama, shaped like a Sharingan, spun wildly in the skeleton's palm. It suddenly flew out, drawing an arc in the air, and headed straight for the Fuma Clan Leader.

"Clan Leader Hagoromo, save me!"

Clan Leader Saito shouted urgently while quickly forming hand seals. "Wind Release: Feathered Arrows!"

Masashige Hagoromo frowned slightly. He wished these "traitors" from the four clans would just die along with the Uchiha.

But they were still in a battle with the Uchiha, and he still needed to use their strength.

"Water Release: Violent Water Shatter!"

Wind Release was arguably the most suitable element for ninjutsu fusion, able to merge with almost all other elements except Earth Style.

The arrows formed by Wind Release merged with the Water Release, which had spun into a cylinder resembling a tornado, and collided with the magatama in mid-air.

Can I change the attack trajectory with this move?

BOOM!!!

About ten meters from the Fuma Clan Leader, the ninjutsu of Masashige Hagoromo and Clan Leader Saito collided with the magatama.

The explosive spray of water briefly obscured everyone's vision.

One second later, the incomplete magatama shot out from the water!