Who Gave You The Illusion You Could Surround Me!

War was a common occurrence for the Uchiha and Hatake Sakumo, nothing more than small-scale skirmishes and duels against powerful foes.

However, they had truly never witnessed a war like this, where they collided directly with an army of tens of thousands.

This was a form of combat entirely distinct from that of the Sand Ninja or the Mist Ninja; the Iwagakure style was one of massed formations, emphasizing group coordination.

Without needing any orders from Ōnoki, the tens of thousands of troops had already fanned out to both sides, their movements so synchronized and orderly they seemed like a single entity, advancing with remarkable speed—an instinct forged through long-term training.

The number thirty thousand meant little when merely spoken aloud.

Only when those tens of thousands stood before their eyes could they truly grasp how terrifying such a figure was.

Enemies were everywhere, a dense, endless sea of them; if one had to describe it in a single sentence:

If there are this many people, one's arms would go soft from all the hacking!

Hatake Sakumo and the others quickly formed a circle, back-to-back. The overwhelming numbers of the Iwagakure ninja did not dampen their spirits; instead, it only stoked the fires of their battle intent.

The Uchiha curled their lips into bloodthirsty smiles, their blades glinting with cold light. Their Three-Tomoe Sharingan scanned the surroundings without restraint, and under their gaze, the numerous Iwagakure ninja actually lowered their heads slightly, avoiding eye contact.

Though they were only a few dozen, they eclipsed the Iwagakure in sheer presence.

Uchiha Yuji did not join Hatake Sakumo and the others in their defensive circle; instead, he stood alone on the outside, arms crossed over his chest, his chin tilted slightly upward.

Memories of Uchiha Madara's past disdain surfaced in Ōnoki's mind. His own son had been humiliated by an Uchiha, and now, his massed army was being overshadowed by them as well.

"Uchiha!" The pent-up frustration in his heart erupted with this roar.

Hovering above the army, Ōnoki slowly spread his arms wide. "I acknowledge your courage in venturing into the Land of Earth alone."

"But this reckless bravery will not allow you to defeat our Iwagakure!"

"Twenty-five thousand! There are twenty-five thousand Iwagakure ninja here, and we have completely surrounded you! You have no chance of victory!"

"Surrender! Uchiha!"

I'm the one leading this team, you know.

Hatake Sakumo did not speak, his feet seemingly rooted to the ground, though his grip on the White Fang tightened significantly.

"Uchiha this, Uchiha that—who do you think you're talking to, Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki?"

"My name is Uchiha Yuji, Clan Head of the Uchiha." Uchiha Yuji's posture remained unchanged, his arms still crossed.

With his long, jet-black hair, the Uchiha clan crest, his arms-crossed stance, those Mangekyō Sharingan, and that look of utter contempt for everything—

He looked exactly like Uchiha Madara!

"Uchiha Yuji, surrender! Surrounded by us with nowhere to run, you have no hope of winning!" Ōnoki frowned, looking at the man before him as a strange sensation washed over his heart.

Though he struggled to keep his voice steady, Uchiha Yuji clearly sensed his panic.

"Surrounded by you with nowhere to run? When did you get the illusion that I was the one surrounded?"

Uchiha Yuji slowly unfolded his arms, his smile growing wild and unbridled. "It is you who are surrounded by me, Ōnoki."

Ōnoki felt his heart rate quicken. "Has the Uchiha Clan Head become a fool who cannot read the situation?"

"The one who cannot read the situation is you."

Before the words had even finished traveling, his figure blurred into a remnant image, charging straight toward the Iwagakure command center.

So fast!

The thought had barely formed when the blur crashed into the ranks of the Iwagakure.

The ninja in the front row were all masters of the Hardening Technique, and among them were elites who had mastered the Earth Style: Rock Fist Technique.

The moment Uchiha Yuji charged, those with the fastest reflexes had already manifested their rock fists, hammering them out along the trajectory of his movement.

Solid, heavy rock and immense power—this was the greatest advantage of the Iwagakure.

But the moment the rock fist made contact, the instant the thick stone collided with that small, flesh-and-blood fist, the ninja felt an irresistible force of impact erupt.

The sturdy rock shattered instantly. The violent, massive force surged up his arm and into his shoulder, twisting and snapping the bones in its path. The impact lifted him off his feet, sending him flying backward.

His body spun rapidly in mid-air. Other Iwagakure ninja tried to leap up to intercept, but the moment their hands touched him, they too were sent flying, crashing into and toppling an entire phalanx.

The first ninja flew from the very front of the formation all the way to the back, where he slammed into the ground, reduced to a heap.

In such a state, he was beyond saving.

Having cleared the path, Uchiha Yuji did not pause. He tapped his right foot lightly, and the rocky earth beneath him caved in with a roar.

A sudden, violent gale swept up as his iron fist shattered the air.

The ninja of Iwagakure were all stubborn as stone. Even after seeing the fate of the man before them, those behind remained confident, or perhaps they simply believed they were harder.

One intended to tank the blow, but the moment the heavy fist made contact, his upper body was instantly obliterated.

Splattered blood droplets acted like bullets, wounding a large swath of nearby Iwagakure ninja.

The sudden disappearance of their comrade caused the eyes of the ninja behind him to widen. Their brains, filled with terror, ceased to function, and they too were pulverized by the iron fist.

The stone-headed ninja, reinforced by the Hardening Technique, could dent steel plates, yet they were utterly powerless to resist those flesh-and-blood fists.

Like the blooming of fireworks, amidst the exploding blood, a dark phantom flickered with a somber light.

His speed was immense, his movements agile. His calm expression and casual posture made it seem as if he were not on a battlefield, but at a masquerade ball, leading everyone to dance wildly to his tune.

The earth-spikes protruding from the ground were shattered at will, the walls of Earth Style were easily pulverized, and in hand-to-hand combat, they were no match at all!

The Iwagakure Ninja threw their kunai, weapons they were not particularly skilled with, but even though their formation held, they could no longer afford to care about such things.

Under the gaze of the Mangekyō Sharingan, the black iron kunai flew with agonizing slowness. As a kunai streaked past his side, Uchiha Yuji's right hand suddenly shot out, his index finger hooking into the hole at the end of the handle to spin it around and reverse its direction.

The kunai was gripped tightly, and with a violent swing of his right hand, bolstered by his immense strength, it transformed into a streak of black light that pierced through countless bodies in the blink of an eye.

The Grim Reaper was scattering the scent of death.