A Clan's Will

"Ready to die?"

"Mito-sama, you certainly have a way with words."

"But you seem so angry you want to kill me just because I crushed a few bugs."

"How frightening."

Uchiha Takeyasu patted Tachibana in his arms. The cat hopped down obediently, wagged her tail, and trotted off behind him.

Then the boy brushed aside his bangs. Beneath his uncovered, sharply angled brows, his scarlet, radiant Mangekyo turned slowly, brimming with anticipation.

A fight to the death?

Ever since he had awakened the Sharingan, he had never once feared one.

Those taunting words made veins bulge on Uzumaki Mito's forehead, but her mind remained perfectly calm as she silently gauged the distance between them.

They were at close quarters, facing off in a narrow passage. All she had to do was strike suddenly and take down Uchiha Takeyasu before he could manifest Susanoo, and victory would be assured!

Having made up her mind, Uzumaki Mito left behind a fleeting afterimage.

By the time her true body appeared, she was already swinging her fist. Like an unstoppable warhammer, it shot toward Uchiha Takeyasu's face with deadly precision at supersonic speed—too fast for the other Three Tomoe users to react!

Even a Strong Kage could be killed by a single punch if caught off guard.

But even supersonic speed was clearly visible within the Space Control of [Amenotokotachi]!

"Die!"

"Susanoo!"

As the icy whisper rang in his ear, a colossal skeleton formed around Uchiha Takeyasu, encasing his body. Blood-red Chakra flowed over its bones like blazing flames.

Boom!

Her fair fist slammed into the skeleton, unleashing a thunderous crash.

Cracks spread across the bones, clearly visible to the naked eye, only for them to be restored by Uchiha Takeyasu's Chakra.

(She broke Susanoo with her bare hand. What a terrifying woman!)

"Mito-sama, you're getting on in years. You should try to keep your temper in check!"

Unlike Senju Tobirama's Space-Time Ninjutsu, which could decide life and death in an instant, Uzumaki Mito was a miniature version of Hashirama Senju. But Uchiha Takeyasu didn't believe he was a copy of Madara Uchiha.

The thrill of battle surged through him. With a thought, a gigantic skeletal arm appeared in the air and slammed toward Uzumaki Mito.

Dust billowed in an instant. Uzumaki Mito had already retreated ten meters, her brow furrowed in a dark scowl. She knew all too well what would happen now that she had failed to take Uchiha Takeyasu down at once.

"Takeyasu Young Lord!"

"Fall back."

The power of a Super Kage had become almost inhuman. Ordinary Jonin couldn't stand against one.

Even the wealthy Uchiha Clan would find it hard to accept relying on sheer numbers to win.

Uchiha Takeyasu waved for the people behind him to withdraw. His voice was calm but resolute. "This is the moment when the will of our clans collides!"

"The will of our clans?"

Uzumaki Mito tore the inconvenient hem of her kimono, removed the hairpin from her head, and let her long red hair spill to her waist. The diamond-shaped Yin Seal on her forehead gleamed.

Her phoenix eyes reflected Uchiha Takeyasu in his second form, shrouded by a blood-red giant from the waist up. Her face was solemn.

"It seems the Uchiha Clan is ready."

"Ready?"

Uchiha Takeyasu gave a derisive snort. "Mito-sama, surely you haven't forgotten how Konoha came to be?"

Uzumaki Mito snorted. "Of course I haven't!"

"Good."

Uchiha Takeyasu loosened his muscles as his Dojutsu Power surged. Susanoo's colossal form began to manifest. He spoke without haste.

"'Forest' represents the Senju of the Forest, and 'Leaf' represents the Uchiha Clan. Together, they make the Konoha Hidden Village. The 'Fire' in 'Hokage' also represents the Uchiha Clan's peerless Fire Release."

"Back then, the Senju broke their word. They had Senju Tobirama use a public election to betray the promise Hashirama Senju had made, and our clan head, Madara Uchiha, the Asura of the Shinobi World, was cast aside in the race for the Hokage Position..."

"My Uchiha Clan has been preparing ever since!"

The blood-red warrior, more than seventy meters tall, stood once more upon the earth, its form scattering brilliant colors beneath the sun.

Uchiha Takeyasu looked down at Uzumaki Mito. In all of the vast Konoha Hidden Village, only the dashing princess of the Land of Whirlpools, a woman who could match any man, was truly a worthy opponent.

She might even kill him!

Uzumaki Mito sighed. "It's been more than ten years, and the Uchiha Clan still can't let go of what happened back then."

Uchiha Takeyasu replied firmly, "How could we, their descendants, forget the shame our clan suffered?"

"That sounds noble, as if the Uchiha Clan had never done anything wrong."

"If you truly had everyone's support, why would you be restrained at every turn?"

The turmoil in Uzumaki Mito's heart began to settle. Then, a moment later, her expression darkened, and sinister crimson Chakra billowed from her body like rising smoke.

"Uchiha Takeyasu, understand this: the Hokage is the one who earns everyone's recognition! You don't become Hokage first and only then earn everyone's recognition!"

"Konoha belongs to everyone. It doesn't belong to our two clans!"

"I will not allow you to run rampant in Konoha!"

"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"

One after another, golden chains shaped like dragons made of runes unfurled from behind Uzumaki Mito, locking down the sky and earth.

In Uchiha Takeyasu's eyes, he could also see the Nine-Tails Fox, its entire body bound in chains as its Chakra was forcibly drained!

The two sides' overwhelming Chakra collided and pressed against each other. Even Jonin struggled to stay on their feet, and everyone else kept retreating.

At this critical moment, however, more than a dozen people surged forward against the tide.

The Main Family head and branch-family leader of the Hyuga Clan—Hyuga Ashidana and Ashikaga Hyuga.

The heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans—Akimichi Chohane, Yamato Yamanaka, and Nara Shikamei.

The head of the Aburame Clan—Aburame Mushi.

The head of the Inuzuka Clan—Jin Inuzuka.

The head of the Shimura Clan—Isshin Shimura.

Two Anbu squad captains—Tiger and Elephant.

From the Senju of the Forest: Senju Moriki's wife, Minako Uzumaki, and the clan's elder, Mukai Senju.

The Uchiha Three Elders—Uchiha Shikata, Setsuna Uchiha, and Kaku Uchiha.

And, amid this tumultuous moment when winds rose and waves crashed, Uchiha Naori, who had boldly crossed the threshold into Kage Level!

Seeing the graceful, talented purple-haired girl of their clan, the Uchiha Three Elders nodded in satisfaction. Setsuna Uchiha laughed with particular delight.

At a moment when the clan's very survival hung in the balance, how could they not be overjoyed to see the younger generation striving so bravely?

With the two sides on the verge of a clash, Hyuga Ashidana stepped forward.

"I'm a few years older than all you powerful figures. Forgive me for speaking out of turn."

Hyuga Ashidana looked at the hot-tempered Uzumaki Mito, then at Uchiha Takeyasu, who was just as quick to explode. He knew neither would show weakness in front of the other. They were already in too deep to back down.

If the rest of them didn't step in, the two might actually start fighting in the heart of Konoha!

His Hyuga Clan Compound was less than a thousand meters away, after all!

Hyuga Ashidana felt as if he'd lost several years off his life the moment he saw the Nine-Tails in human form and Susanoo.

"Behind Princess Mito is the Konoha embassy; behind Lord Takeyasu is the Ninja Academy."

"Both your clans are in the nearby central district, and more than a hundred thousand ordinary villagers live in the outer districts."

"Are you really going to fight here without a care, and watch the streets run red with blood and the ground pile high with corpses?"

"Are you really going to destroy Konoha, the village your clans worked so hard to build and bring to its present prosperity?"

His calm, aged words rang out like the morning bell and evening drum, striking at everyone's hearts.

Everyone's gaze turned to Uzumaki Mito and Uchiha Takeyasu, just as they might once have watched Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.

Fortunately, the pressure they gave off wasn't quite as overwhelming. Otherwise, everyone would have fled at once.

"You'll have to ask Mito-sama."

Uchiha Takeyasu looked at the four people standing resolutely behind him, a delighted smile on his lips.

"If the Senju want to fight, the Uchiha will see it through to the end. As for how many people will die..."

A look of contempt appeared on the boy's face. "I'm the Naturally Evil Uchiha Brat the Hokage-sama is always talking about, so why should I care how many people die?"

"What does Konoha's destruction have to do with me?"

His offhand tone chilled everyone to the bone. Hyuga Ashidana glanced at the Uchiha Three Elders, his heart sinking, when a voice rang out from above.

"Besides, the Uchiha didn't strike first. The Senju started this and injured my clansmen!"

At those words, Tiger, one of the Anbu squad captains who had been present from the beginning, shuddered.