The Head Was Finally Snagged

The youthful version of Uchiha Madara was already at Captain-level strength.

When he unlocked the bloodline's hidden power, his chakra instantly surged by a significant margin.

Madara himself had no idea what was happening; he only felt a warmth spreading through his body, as if he had endless strength within him.

"Lucky brat." Yamanaka Koji fumed inwardly, his movements growing sharper and more ruthless.

He couldn't understand—why, when he was just one step away from completion, did so many obstacles keep appearing?

Feeling his body gradually grow sluggish, Yamanaka Koji knew his time was running out.

He had intended to overwhelm his opponent in one go, but after several close-quarters exchanges, the youth's responses remained calm and composed.

Even if the boy was slightly outmatched, he wasn't an opponent that could be taken down quickly.

"I can't drag this out any longer."

Forcefully driving the youth back, Yamanaka Koji turned to charge into the academy, only to find two figures supporting each other as they emerged.

Behind them lay a mess of bodies strewn across the ground.

"Cough, cough, cough. Look at this bastard—his face looks like his mother just died."

"What, he actually has a mother? I thought he crawled out of a cesspool."

Badly wounded Sosuke and Izuna could barely stand, yet they still hurled insults and abuse at the enemy.

Hoping to shake the enemy's resolve.

At that moment, the sound of breaking air echoed around them, signaling that Uchiha's elites were about to arrive.

If they could just hold out a little longer, today's crisis would be resolved. Even Uchiha Madara had no desire to fight to the death under these circumstances.

Staring in disbelief at the scene before him, Yamanaka Koji—whose mental strength was formidable—could even sense the lively chakra signatures of the children inside the academy.

It meant his subordinates had failed to complete their mission.

If the Uchiha's foundation wasn't severed, once they had their hands free, they would launch a relentless wave of revenge.

That old bastard Senju Butsuma talked a big game about protecting the three clans, but who knew what was really going on?

Not to mention, the agreement between them had not been fulfilled.

Realizing this, Yamanaka Koji decided to cast aside all hesitation and prioritize eliminating the brats hiding inside the academy.

The Mind Body Switch Technique was powerful, but using it came with great risk.

When one's spirit invaded another's body, any damage suffered during that time would be inflicted on the caster as well.

If he were killed on the spot, Yamanaka Koji would die too.

He had planned to retreat smoothly after completing the mission, but one disaster after another had forced him into a corner where he had no choice but to go all out.

Sensing the enemy's intent, young Madara's expression shifted. Chakra exploded beneath his feet, and his body moved almost in sync with the enemy.

His long blade rose in a vertical slash, and the enemy's left arm flew into the air. Blood gushed like a geyser, painting the youth's resolute face like an Asura.

"Get lost!" Gritting his teeth against the pain of his severed arm, Yamanaka Koji kicked Madara far away.

But before he could land, a sharp Lightning Battle Spear pierced through his shoulder.

"I'll take your head." The one blocking his path was Uchiha Sosuke, whose body was in terrible condition.

If not for his fierce determination, he would have collapsed long ago.

The Special Ration Pill wasn't a miracle drug; keeping him active this long was already a testament to its effectiveness.

But just thinking about the rewards for killing the enemy filled Sosuke with strength. The pain from his broken ribs, bleeding arm, and shattered knee all vanished.

"This is what they call 'money solves a thousand worries.'"

The enemy's condition was far worse than before, and he couldn't shake off the paralyzing effect of the Chidori Sharp Spear.

Just as Sosuke was figuring out how to finish him off, Izuna stumbled over: "Sosuke, let me help you."

Trying to steal my kill?!

Panicking, Sosuke could only shove his companion hard, delivering the most devastating blow to his teammate.

Of course, he didn't forget to come up with a flimsy excuse: "Watch out for a desperate last stand."

It was just a throwaway line, but it turned out to be prophetic. Izuna, knocked to the ground, looked up just in time to see the enemy's final struggle.

"Watch out!"

As the Lightning Style's power waned, Yamanaka Koji struggled to pull out a stack of Explosive Tags.

Amid the sizzling sound of the tags igniting, he smiled and released the Mind Body Switch secret technique.

"Die, you damn brats."

There were far too many Explosive Tags to neutralize all at once under normal circumstances.

Even if only a third detonated successfully, it would be enough to blow half the Uchiha Academy sky-high.

Fortunately, Sosuke had a special way of dealing with them.

Lightning once again gathered in his palm. The youth activated his Sharingan, and his exceptional dynamic vision locked onto every single Explosive Tag.

His palm flicked lightly, and Chidori instantly transformed into countless Chidori Senbon, precisely striking the burning Explosive Tags and Uchiha Atsushi, who had just regained control of his body.

"Impressive." The man smiled in praise, his eyes devoid of resentment, filled only with gratitude toward the three youths before him.

If the future of the Uchiha had died because of him, even if he survived, the man would have suffered the gnawing torment of his conscience day after day.

Now, though, it might not be a bad ending.

"It's done." Seeing the enemy slowly fall, Sosuke's heart relaxed, and exhaustion instantly overwhelmed him.

To stop the enemy's actions, he had nearly squeezed out every last drop of his remaining Chakra in that final strike.

Now, with his injuries flaring up, Sosuke soon fell into a state of severe unconsciousness.

Before losing consciousness, the last thing he saw was the anxious faces of his two brothers, and Uchiha Tajima rushing over at the front in the distance.

After an unknown amount of time, the Youth lying in bed slowly awoke.

"Hmm, an unfamiliar ceiling."

He tried moving his limbs and immediately felt a piercing pain.

The excessively awful sensation made Sosuke silently sigh, thinking to himself that he absolutely couldn't push himself this hard again in the future.

"Ah, it's all the points' fault."

If he had enough ways to earn points, only a fool would fight to the death against a powerhouse he couldn't match.

Raising his only movable arm, Sosuke knocked on the headboard, summoning the maid waiting outside the door.

"Sorry to trouble you, I'm a bit hungry now."

Seeing the little hero finally awake, the maid nearly jumped for joy.

After carefully asking what delicacies he wanted to eat, she opened the door and rushed out in a flurry.

"...Actually, you could have poured me a glass of water first." Sosuke's arm froze midair, then fell limply.

He could feel the terrible state of his body. In the battle at the academy, he and Izuna had practically risked their lives to stop the enemy.

A seven-year-old body couldn't withstand such abuse from him.

"Forget it, it's over now anyway."

With the system, no matter what injuries he had, they could be easily healed. What concerned him most now was something else entirely.

Just how many points had that extraordinarily powerful enemy provided him?