The Bone-Deep Bloodstains After the Battle

Tobirama Senju and his subordinates vanished as abruptly as they had appeared, dissolving into the dense forest shadows and the lingering mist, leaving behind only a ravaged valley and a silence as heavy as death.

Oppressed gasps and pained groans gradually became the dominant sound, mingling with the crackle of flames consuming corpses and the eerie, rhythmic trickling of water to compose a cruel requiem for the aftermath of battle.

Izuna Uchiha stood amidst the mud and water, his chest heaving slightly. The three tomoe in his eyes continued to rotate slowly, locked onto the direction where the enemy had disappeared, his knuckles white from gripping his blade too tightly. A trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth; clearly, he had sustained internal injuries during his frenzied exchange with Tobirama.

Yet, he could not spare a thought for his own wounds. He spun around, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield with urgency before finally settling on Uchiha Sou, who was slumped against a charred boulder, his face as pale as paper.

"Tsang!"

Izuna rushed over in a few strides and knelt, his movements uncharacteristically hurried. When he saw the gruesome, bone-deep wound on Uchiha Sou's chest still oozing blood, his expression turned instantly grim, and killing intent surged uncontrollably once more.

"Medical ninja! Any medical ninja still alive, get over here now!" He turned his head and barked, his voice raspy from a mix of rage and anxiety.

The surviving Uchiha ninjas began to silently clear the battlefield, collecting the bodies of their comrades and tending to the wounded. A medical ninja with an injured arm stumbled over and quickly began examining Uchiha Sou to provide emergency hemostasis.

"Hiss..." The sharp pain caused by the antiseptic powder touching the wound made Uchiha Sou gasp, cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead. Yet, his gaze never left Izuna.

"Uncle Izuna... are you alright?" he asked in a weak voice, noticing the blood at the corner of Izuna's mouth and his slightly disheveled attire.

Izuna did not answer. He only furrowed his brows tightly, watching the medical ninja treat the horrific wound, and only seemed to relax slightly once the initial bleeding was staunched. He raised a hand and wiped the blood from his own mouth with his thumb, his eyes chillingly cold.

"Tobirama Senju... that damn bastard!" He squeezed the words through his teeth, his fury nearly manifesting into something tangible. "He was actually aiming for you!"

It was not just Izuna who noticed this; the surrounding Uchiha elites had realized it as well. They looked at Uchiha Sou with a mix of astonishment and scrutiny. For Tobirama Senju to deliberately divert his attention to kill him under such circumstances, there had to be something special about this youth, or perhaps... he had inadvertently posed some kind of threat?

Uchiha Sou felt a massive jolt in his heart; Izuna's words confirmed his worst suspicion. Tobirama's strike had been precise—it was meant for him!

Why?

Was it because of the "little actions" he had taken during his patrol that drew attention? Or was it because of these Sharingan eyes with their potential for evolution? Or perhaps... some reason he himself had yet to discover?

A profound sense of unease and fog enveloped him.

"I... I don't know..." He lowered his head, his voice trembling with the lingering fear of surviving death, "His speed was too fast..."

Watching the youth's pale face and shaken eyes, Izuna assumed he was simply stunned by the killing intent of a Kage-level powerhouse. The rage in his heart softened slightly, transforming into a cold, lingering fear and an even firmer resolve to kill.

He patted Uchiha Sou's uninjured shoulder, the force still a bit heavy: "It's alright. I was careless this time; I didn't expect that mad dog to suddenly spring out and set his sights on you."

His tone turned frigid: "Uncle will definitely avenge this for you! One day, I will slaughter Tobirama Senju with my own hands!"

At this moment, an Uchiha Jonin came over to report, his expression heavy: "Lord Izuna, the count is complete. We have lost eleven men, seven are severely wounded, and nearly everyone has sustained minor injuries. Most of the supplies at the Hagoromo Outpost have been destroyed, and our spoils are limited. As for the Senju... they left behind five corpses; the status of their wounded is unknown."

What should have been a great victory—a calculated strike against the Hagoromo Outpost—had turned into a tragic trade-off due to Tobirama Senju's sudden intervention. The Uchiha's losses were clearly greater.

Izuna's expression darkened further. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they had returned to their usual cold sharpness: "Understood. Clear the battlefield. Take what can be carried, and destroy what cannot. Prepare to withdraw; this place is not safe to linger."

"Yes!"

Everyone began to busy themselves.

With the help of the medical ninja, Uchiha Sou struggled to his feet, the searing pain in his chest a constant reminder of how close he had just been to death. His gaze swept over the bodies of his clansmen covered in white cloth, watching their familiar clan crests soaked in blood, and an indescribable sorrow and anger welled up within him.

This was war. There were no true victors, only the living and the dead.

He subconsciously touched his eyes. The sensation of his ocular power erupting in a desperate, overdrafted state was still vivid; his vision seemed clearer than before, and his ability to track movement had improved by a notch. The rotation of that single tomoe seemed more fluid and natural, and he could even feel a faint, restless desire for it to split.

Two tomoe... perhaps it really wasn't far off.

But at this moment, he felt little joy in the increase of power. Tobirama Senju's cold, ruthless gaze was branded deep into his mind like a nightmare.

That man was too dangerous. His calculations, his ruthlessness, and his efficiency were all far beyond imagination.

He, this butterfly that had accidentally flapped its wings, seemed to have truly triggered an unforeseen storm and had been swept into its very center.

The order to withdraw was given. The survivors carried the remains of their comrades and supported the wounded, silently leaving the valley stained by blood and fire.

Uchiha Sou walked forward step by step with the help of his clansmen, each stride sending a tearing pain through his chest. He looked back at the chaotic battlefield, where the afterglow of the setting sun cast a desolate and cruel beauty upon it.

Shadows seemed to stretch out behind him, while on the unknown path ahead, an even deeper darkness seemed to be waiting for them.

He knew that some things had already changed. An invisible, murderous thread of causality seemed to have been tied between him and Tobirama Senju.

And the generational blood feud between the Uchiha and the Senju had perhaps gained a new chapter due to tonight's events, becoming even harder to resolve.

His Warring States period had, from this moment on, truly bared its most hideous fangs. And those Sharingan eyes, hungry for evolution, were quietly gathering strength in the tempering of blood and fire, waiting for the next opportunity to break out of their cocoon.