Uchiha Kō led the Uchiha Clan's ninja through Ishida under the cover of night. Just as he'd expected, there wasn't a single Sunagakure soldier in Ishida.
They reached the foot of Mt. Ōyu without trouble. Seeing the mountain rise nearly a thousand meters, Uchiha Kō and the other Uchiha ninja drew in sharp breaths. Even Mt. Tai was only 1,545 meters tall.
The terrain was rugged, with no paths up the mountain. They could only climb. Although the ninja had chakra, even with it, scaling such a height would be difficult.
Uchiha Kō took a deep breath. "Wait here for now. Once I reach the summit, I'll lower nearly twenty ropes. With their help, the climb will be easier."
"Sixth Elder, this is too dangerous. Let me do it instead!" An elite jōnin frowned, his expression sincere.
Uchiha Kō pushed him aside. "You've entrusted me with your lives. Of course I have to take responsibility for you. It's only a small mountain." As he spoke, he looked toward Mt. Ōyu.
Clearly, he didn't think it was a small mountain either. But he understood that a commander had to lead from the front.
The Uchiha ninja were deeply moved. Uchiha Kō waved a hand, turned around, and smiled. "This is nothing but a little wind and frost."
Then he used the Body Flicker Technique, moving up a hundred meters before grabbing a protruding rock with both hands and starting to climb.
He coated his hands in chakra to increase their grip on the rock, climbing slowly. The ninja below watched his movements, their faces full of worry.
Uchiha Kō never stopped climbing. He knew that he carried the lives of a thousand Uchiha ninja on his shoulders, along with the clan's honor and the key to this battle.
He couldn't fail,