Swords clashed in midair, throwing off dazzling sparks as their metallic clangor echoed through the streets of the central district.
Most of the ninja clans watched developments in silence. Only a handful of clans with deep ties to the Senju had joined the fray, fighting the subordinate clans allied with the Uchiha. Their clashes were fierce, yet carried an undercurrent of tacit understanding.
Both sides knew they were never the main players in this battle. And it was still too early to fight to the death.
The battle between the Anbu and the Uchiha Police Force, however, continued to escalate. Both sides were fighting in earnest: one Uchiha had been wounded, and an Anbu member was bleeding moments later.
Either side could suffer a fatality at any moment, sending the battle spiraling out of control.
Wearing a black, hooded outfit and a patterned mask, the Anbu squad captain codenamed Tiger sidestepped the blade swung at him by a Three-Tomoe Uchiha Jonin. He turned to draw his sword and strike back, but another Three-Tomoe Uchiha cut diagonally across his path and blocked him.
Seeing the Three-Tomoe Uchiha stagger after blocking his strike, Tiger had no intention of overreaching to press his advantage. He shifted sideways, dodging a thrust from Uchiha Naori, the North District Captain, who had attacked from his blind spot.
The Uchiha Clan is far too troublesome!
Faced with three pairs of Three-Tomoe Sharingan and numerous Uchiha all around him, Tiger, though a Kage Level fighter, didn't dare let his guard down for a moment. His eyesight was practically useless, so he kept his head down as he fought.
If he met the gaze of Three-Tomoe Sharingan in the chaos of a group battle, the slightest lapse in caution could leave him caught in a genjutsu. Even if he broke free instantly, it would still leave him motionless for a split second.
The Three-Tomoe Uchiha, with their terrifying perceptiveness, would never pass up such a rare opportunity.
One careless mistake, and he would die!
Knowing this, Tiger suddenly heard a blade slice through a mask, followed by the dull thud of a body hitting the ground. His expression beneath the mask darkened, and the thought of using ninjutsu to escape his predicament began to take shape.
But this was the central district. The residents were either members of ninja clans or Jonin's family. If he used ninjutsu and broke the unspoken agreement between both sides, the Uchiha would certainly follow suit.
The devastation that would follow, and the all-out battle that could sweep the surrounding clans into the fray, gave Tiger serious pause.
"Tiger, we're here!"
The sounds of fighting grew louder and louder. A squad of Anbu who had been keeping watch over the Uchiha Clan Compound hurried to the scene, easing the pressure on Tiger.
"Captain Naori!"
Just then, the Large Four Violet Flames Formation dissipated. Uchiha from the North District Security Department, now free to act, rushed over with their swords and gathered behind Uchiha Naori.
The fighting inside is over?!
Tiger watched the Sealing Barrier fade and the Uchiha begin emerging from the Sarutobi Clan Land.
In particular, seeing Uchiha Baru and Uchiha Naka, the two Uchiha he had crossed paths with countless times, Tiger immediately understood that the Sarutobi Clan was finished.
"Are you going to keep fighting, Tiger?"
Dressed in a black robe with bandages wrapped around her waist and a Gunbai Clan Crest on her back, Uchiha Naori was a Purple-Haired Beautiful Girl with both peerless beauty and skill. She raised her glinting blade and pointed it at the Anbu.
Seeing that a ceasefire might be possible, the others eased up as well. Each side carried off its wounded, and the two groups formed opposing lines.
The Anbu had three captains—Tiger, Blast, and Ox—while the Uchiha Police Force had four District Captains.
The three Anbu captains were seething with killing intent. One of their comrades had already died!
"Keep fighting?"
"You Uchiha attacked a fellow village ninja clan without provocation! We carry out Hokage-sama's duty to keep watch over you, and we're going to arrest every last one of you troublemakers for starting another uprising!"
Blast had arrived in support, uninjured and in full fighting shape. He stared sharply at the Uchiha just below their necks. Even with dozens of pairs of Three-Tomoe and Two-Tomoe Sharingan fixed on him, he showed no sign of backing down.
For their fallen Anbu Comrades, for the Sarutobi Clan, which had suffered for no reason, and for Village Stability, the Uchiha had to pay!
"An order from the Hokage? Do you think Hashirama Senju and Senju Tobirama are still alive?"
"What right do you have to call yourselves Anbu?"
"And the next Hokage will certainly be an Uchiha—Takeyasu Young Lord!"
"Once that happens, you lot will be nothing but lost souls without a Hokage to protect you. Every last one of you will be kicked out!"
Uchiha Rai had a short temper. His Three Tomoe spun as his Dojutsu Power and Yin Release energy nearly spilled out of him. He blurred forward, swinging his blade as he charged.
In the blink of an eye, the two groups collided like raging torrents.
The fighting between them grew even more vicious.
By now, no one cared about the unwritten rule of matching officers against officers and soldiers against soldiers. Whenever they got the chance, they stabbed at their enemies, splattering blood across the streets and houses.
Uchiha Takeyasu emerged at the doorway, his eyes open to reveal a scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan. He cradled Tachibana in one arm and walked slowly toward the battlefield, watching the slaughter with cold indifference.
The Uchiha who had emerged with him continued to fight. But the sudden appearance of Sarutobi Sasuke drew the attention of every Anbu present.
He isn't dead?
The Uchiha only captured them?
The three squad captains drew a sharp breath.
The Sarutobi Clan hadn't been wiped out, and its current clan head was still alive. That meant they couldn't call the Uchiha Police Force's actions a rebellion.
Instead, they were the ones who had picked a fight with the Senju of the Forest—or, no, with the Uchiha Police Force. They were Anbu who had failed in their duties, violating the rules of their office without authorization from the Hokage!
But the battle had already turned into a full-scale slaughter. There was no longer any chance of withdrawing without losses.
Anbu squad captain Ox used Body Flicker to dodge Uchiha Baru's blade, then took out a Signal Flare and fired it straight into the sky.
Brilliant colors bloomed across Konoha's sky.
But even faster was Mito Uzumaki, who had already sensed Uchiha Takeyasu with the Mind's Eye of the Kagura. Dark red, ominous Nine-Tails Chakra enveloped her body as she surged toward the battlefield at supersonic speed, whipping up violent gusts and turbulence.
"Calling for help when you can't win? People like that have no class."
"So, want to die once... and see how it feels?"
The instant Ox heard the whisper drifting into his ear, a sharp pain struck his chest. His body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground. The last thing he saw was a pair of sinister, icy Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Ox!"
The disappearance of a Kage Level fighter's Chakra immediately drove the slaughter to a new extreme. Uchiha Baru stared feverishly at Uchiha Takeyasu. At the young man's nod, he drew his sword and charged at Anbu squad captain Tiger.
With yet another powerful fighter joining the fray, the pressure on the Anbu squads led by Tiger and Blast surged to a suffocating level.
They even began trading ninjutsu.
Winds howled, flames filled the sky, and nearby buildings crumbled one after another. Caught in the crossfire, civilian ninja had no choice but to fight back in self-defense.
The Hyuga scanned the battle with their Byakugan. The Ino-Shika-Cho clans' Sensory Ninjutsu covered the entire area, while insects from the Aburame Clan watched from the shadows. Minamoto Kazuhiko nervously began evacuating Konoha's embassy...
This sudden battle gripped everyone's hearts.
Uchiha Takeyasu casually dispatched several Anbu Chunin and Jonin who had foolishly gotten in his way. His gaze settled on Uchiha Naori, who danced through the swordplay like a purple butterfly, and his eyes flickered.
Then, sensing the Nine-Tails Chakra behind him, vast enough to encompass heaven and earth, he vanished in a flash—like the most elite, most unstoppable assassin in the Ninja World.
Without a sound, he appeared behind Blast, who was fighting Uchiha Naori. As Tachibana gazed at him listlessly from his arms, Uchiha Takeyasu slashed away the man's life.
"Thank you, Captain."
Uchiha Naori had only just thanked him when an immense Chakra crashed down like a mountain, overwhelming and impossible to resist. Every ninja fighting in the area was gripped by fear, as if a grazing animal had come face-to-face with the apex predator.
The ordinary members of the Sarutobi Clan fared even worse. They all collapsed to the ground, though the pressure shattered the genjutsu they were under.
"Uchiha Takeyasu!"
Mito Uzumaki's furious cry rang across the area. Her wrath and killing intent intertwined as she stared at the corpse-strewn, devastated streets, her dignified, beautiful face covered in a layer of unmelting frost.
The Anbu began to retreat, and the nearby ninja clans started to flee. The Uchiha stood behind Uchiha Takeyasu. Mito Uzumaki fixed her phoenix eyes on his Mangekyō, her voice cold.
"You've caused quite a commotion."
"You've killed so many people."
"Are you ready to die, Uchiha Takeyasu?"
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