Ambush

Though they wielded the same Uchiha swordsmanship, the two men displayed entirely different styles.

Uchiha Fufeng's attacks were erratic and elusive; combined with his two-tomoe Sharingan, he could always strike his opponent from the most treacherous angles.

Mo Jingxian's fighting style, however, completely abandoned the traditional Uchiha repertoire.

His swordsmanship was far more concise, possessing a quality of reducing the complex to the simple.

The two clashed in a flurry of speed, becoming a tangled mess of steel in the blink of an eye.

The Root ninja attacked the other two in silence, as if intentionally trying to divide the battlefield.

Fortunately, all three parties exercised restraint, avoiding the use of large-scale destructive ninjutsu.

The onlookers retreated further and further, leaving enough room for the combatants to maneuver.

It was human nature; even in the face of danger, the crowd's thirst for gossip remained unquenched, with some even offering occasional critiques.

"Tsk, tsk! This Police Force is useless; they're only fierce when bullying civilians."

"Exactly. I've never liked them—I hope they get a good beating."

Uchiha Fufeng had miscalculated.

He had expected to easily capture Mo Jingxian, but instead, he found himself bogged down.

His two companions were in a dire situation, having already sustained injuries in a short time, and the situation was beginning to spiral out of control.

He could not let this continue, or he would be unable to salvage the outcome.

The two tomoe in his eyes spun rapidly, and a surge of Yin-natured chakra erupted violently.

"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!"

A mist of activity shrouded the ten-meter space around him—this was the optimal effect Mo Jingxian had tested for his technique.

Relying on high-frequency information exchange, the short sword in his hand gained the capital to contend with the two-tomoe Sharingan.

Suddenly.

A cold, sinister chakra pierced through the mist, following his line of sight to invade his brain.

"Son, you need to study hard. Don't end up like your old man, accomplishing nothing your whole life."

"You brat, how many times have I told you? Stop eating junk food! Are you trying to be the death of your mother?"

"Take care of yourself while you're studying away from home. If you need money, tell Mom. And—make sure to call home when you have time, you hear me? You rascal!"

Scene after scene flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern, reawakening the deepest memories in the sea of his heart.

Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique, a jutsu that awakens the fears hidden within a person's heart.

So, this was what it felt like to be caught in an illusion.

It was laughable; he had once feared his father's expectations and his mother's nagging the most, to the point where they left shadows in his heart.

But now, separated by two worlds, those words still ringing in his ears had become an unreachable luxury.

Mo Jingxian could perceive his surroundings through the floating water elements and could easily break free from the illusion.

But he couldn't bear to.

He wanted to spend a little more time with his parents, even if it was just to say he was sorry.

Konoha, the site of the three-way melee.

Uchiha Fufeng's eyes lit up with joy; his illusion had successfully controlled his opponent.

A single trick can conquer all; this Uchiha specialty had once struck fear into the hearts of countless enemies.

The next moment, Uchiha Fufeng flickered to a position right in front of Mo Jingxian, delivering a palm strike toward his neck—he would capture him first and worry about the rest later.

Just as the palm strike descended, a water python lunged from behind Mo Jingxian, slamming into Uchiha Fufeng's chest like a cannonball.

He had been tricked!

His move was overextended, leaving him completely defenseless.

"Bang!"

He was sent flying backward. He braced his palm against the ground, flipped his body nimbly in mid-air, and slid a distance upon landing.

A trench was plowed into the ground. Uchiha Fufeng stood twenty meters away, kneeling on one knee and staring at Mo Jingxian in shock.

The opponent had dodged the illusion and set a trap?

No!

Uchiha Fufeng stared fixedly at Mo Jingxian's eyes.

They were unfocused, his gaze hollow.

Especially the two water marks beneath his eyes, which were the traces left by flowing tears.

The battle on the periphery had already ended, with four Root ninja escorting two half-dead Uchiha members, watching the show from afar.

As for why they did not surround and attack him, Uchiha Fufeng could no longer be bothered to care.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Mo Jingxian had brought the conflict out into the open.

Even if it meant staking the honor of the Uchiha clan, he could not afford to lose here.

With a few flashes of movement, Uchiha Fufeng surged forward once again.

A water python shielded Mo Jingxian, rising to meet the blade light and preventing him from getting close.

Though it was merely a ninjutsu, the water python acted as if it were a living creature.

Bashing, coiling, constricting, and whipping—it successfully blocked Uchiha Fufeng's attacks for the moment.

As the battle progressed, the surrounding mist grew thicker, and his stamina and chakra were draining rapidly.

The onlookers were all captivated by the miraculous ninjutsu displayed in the arena.

Mo Jingxian opened his eyes with a look of regret.

"You've been attacking for a long time; now it's my turn!"

With those words finished, he appeared behind Uchiha Fufeng, his short blade whistling through the air as he slashed down fiercely.

"Stop!"

The Uchiha Great Elder arrived with his clansmen.

Mo Jingxian did not hesitate in the slightest, his short blade carving a cold arc through the air.

There was no spray of blood; the spot was completely empty.

At the critical moment, the Yellow Flash had saved Uchiha Fufeng.

The crowd only felt a blur before their eyes, and suddenly, another person stood in the arena.

"Take this traitor down for me."

Uchiha Yashiro arrived a step behind, his first words upon arrival defining the nature of the incident.

Minato's previously amicable expression turned cold.

"Uchiha Elder, please mind your language; there are no traitors here."

"Hmph! Jonin Minato, this is a private matter for our Uchiha clan; we do not require your assistance."

"Is that so? But the facts as I understand them are not like that."

Although he stood toe-to-toe with Minato in words, Uchiha Yashiro halted his steps.

One wave had not yet subsided when another rose.

Just as the situation seemed to calm down, a squad of Root ninja suddenly appeared, surrounding the scene.

Then, a sinister and icy voice drifted in from the perimeter.

"Attacking civilians in a mob—is your Uchiha clan planning to revolt?"

The crowd parted as Danzo entered the scene.

No expression could be discerned on the half of his face wrapped in bandages, and that single eye stared viciously at Uchiha Yashiro.

The situation in the arena shifted wave after wave; no one had expected it to evolve into this.

Mo Jingxian sheathed his short blade, stood beside Minato, and silently checked the reputation points he had gained from this wave.

Uchiha Yashiro desperately wanted to stand before Danzo and confront him, but reality was crueler than ideals.

Under the gaze of that single eye, the Uchiha Great Elder obediently averted his eyes.

"Thump!"

A cane struck the ground heavily.

"What? No one answering? Then don't blame this old man."

Danzo had been eyeing the Uchiha clan for more than a day or two; how could he let such an opportunity slip by?

Hiruzen was old and always hesitant when dealing with these people.

It was time to let everyone recognize him, Danzo, once again; only he could lead Konoha toward glory.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The continuous explosions were the sound of explosive tags.

Looking toward the source of the noise, the location of the detonations seemed to be the Hokage Building.

"Not good, Jingxian, you head back first; I'm going to take a look."

With a whoosh, he vanished, and Minato was the first to rush off.

The veins on the back of Danzo's hand, which was gripping his cane, bulged; such a perfect opportunity had been interrupted by those damn explosive tags, leaving a foul, stifled rage trapped in his chest.

With the Hokage Building under attack, as the leader of the Root, he could not escape responsibility no matter what.

Given the current situation, it was no longer appropriate to continue pressuring the Uchiha.

"This matter is not over yet. I expect a satisfactory explanation from you."

Having said that, he stopped pressing the issue.

"Go. I want to know what happened within ten minutes."

"Yes!"

The Root members came quickly and left just as fast.

In the blink of an eye, only Mo Jingxian and the group of Uchiha remained at the scene.

Uchiha Yashiro stared at Mo Jingxian, looking him up and down.

Although he was unwilling to admit it, he had truly misjudged the man. Where was the dead weight? This was clearly a sharp blade.

"Uchiha Xian, as long as you..."

"Stop!"

Mo Jingxian interrupted Yashiro; he knew exactly what was coming next.

What was laughable was that Uchiha Yashiro was foolish without realizing it, always trying to scheme but never managing to do so clearly.

"Uchiha Great Elder, I have returned your people to you. You had better think about how you are going to explain this to the Hokage."

After walking a short distance, he suddenly stopped and turned back.

"By the way, my name is Mo Jingxian. Make sure you don't get it wrong next time we meet."

Watching the figure depart with such nonchalance, Uchiha Yashiro's face sank like water.

Those words were like a heavy slap to his face in front of everyone.

Did this not make him a laughingstock for being blind?

At this moment, he felt a burning pain on his face, and the hatred in his heart for Mo Jingxian even surpassed that for Danzo.

[Reputation points from Uchiha Yashiro +20]

Mo Jingxian was left speechless by the sudden appearance of reputation points.

Is it really that serious? You tried to frame me and I haven't even settled that score with you yet, but just because I threw a few barbs your way, you're already at a point of no return?

Casting the irrelevant person to the back of his mind, he checked his reputation points as he walked.

"972" points—far less than he had anticipated.

A portion of that had been contributed by the onlookers, most of whom had only given one point each.

Through several incidents, he had gradually figured out the pattern of reputation point generation.

Generally speaking, 1 point represented a deep impression; following that logic, reaching 5 points would shift into more intense emotions like admiration or hostility.

Anything from 10 points upward represented recognition, importance, or hatred.

As for the 20 points just now, it was better not to mention it; Yashiro was likely thinking about how to tear him limb from limb.

Plans could never keep up with changes. Originally, Mo Jingxian had intended to cause a massive scene, ideally one that would reach the Hokage.

Having finally caught the enemy's weakness, it would be a disservice to himself not to exploit it properly.

He hadn't expected the sudden explosions to disrupt his plans, causing his reputation point gains to fall short of expectations.

But that was how things went; one never knew what was waiting in the next second.

At least he hadn't lost anything; it was just a matter of getting a few more or a few less points.

During the time it took for Mo Jingxian to hurry back to his residence, explosions rang out from the east and south of Konoha.

The chaos had not subsided; instead, it showed a trend of intensifying.

This was certainly not a good thing. One had to realize that while Konoha might not be at its absolute zenith, it wasn't a place where just anyone dared to pull the tiger's whiskers.

A major event must be unfolding.

Thinking of this, he quickened his pace, sticking to the wide, main roads.

It wasn't cowardice; he was simply clear about his own strength.

Beating up a few second-generation clan members who had never seen a battlefield was no problem, but if he encountered an enemy Jonin, he had no confidence in escaping unscathed.

Looking at the scale of this attack alone, he wouldn't believe it if someone told him no Jonin were involved.

His luck was good; he didn't encounter any danger along the way.

Suddenly, Mo Jingxian stopped in his tracks.

At some point, a thick fog had risen all around him.

The clamor that could be heard from several streets away seemed to be gradually fading into the distance.