Hey, Do You Also Have the Will of Stone?

Hayama Shirakumo did not quite catch the youth's murmur.

Just as he intended to use his authority as captain to order the other to retreat first while he held off the Iwagakure army, Arata Uchiha had already crossed the defensive line he had established, Horizontal Blade in hand, walking toward the sea of enemies.

Only a single sentence remained in his ears: "Don't get in the way. If you really want to help, go find their leader and finish him off."

Such cold and fierce words caused Hayama Shirakumo's mouth to twitch, and even the scar etched across his face suddenly looked much more docile and harmless.

"Who exactly is whose captain here?"

He felt a sense of helplessness.

Moreover, the kid made it sound so easy, but finding an Iwagakure leader skilled in Earth Style amidst an army of thousands, and then killing him, was hardly any simpler than facing four hundred genin head-on, was it?

See, he had said it back on the day they first met: he and this kid were a bad match, and it would inevitably lead to conflict.

However, Hayama Shirakumo still retreated from the fray as instructed, his mind racing frantically. At this moment, he had no choice but to trust, otherwise, his entire squad would be wiped out here!

Although finding an enemy commander in such a chaotic scene seemed like a fool's errand, nothing was absolute; there were still clues to be deduced!

The primary breakthrough was that massive, coordinated ninjutsu!

To have four hundred people appear, weave signs, and channel chakra simultaneously undoubtedly required a commander to oversee the entire operation; otherwise, such uniformity would be impossible.

And that brought them to the key point.

On this flat terrain, there were only two possibilities for coordinating so many ninja at once without exposing one's position: first, a sensory-type ninja similar to the Yamanaka Clan, using mental energy to transmit a unified attack signal to all ninja.

But his own squad had a sensory-type companion, and they even possessed the powerful ocular prowess of the Sharingan. If the enemy were using mental energy as a signal for reconnaissance and coordination, there was no reason they wouldn't have sensed it.

Therefore, only one possibility remained!

Hayama Shirakumo's gaze instantly locked onto the stone cliff standing in his field of vision; it was their original intended destination and the only high ground in this entire region!

The commander must be there!

Having reached this conclusion, he began to maneuver forward. With his elite jonin strength, no Iwagakure ninja could get close to him for the time being.

"The rest is up to you."

"If I can make it back alive, I owe you my life!"

Glancing one last time at Arata Uchiha, who was strolling into the enemy formation and being nearly swallowed by the sea of people, Hayama Shirakumo stopped distracting himself and pushed toward the stone cliff.

"Tch."

Foul-smelling blood splattered onto Arata's face, making him feel inexplicably irritated.

And for some reason, this irritation would descend every time his hands were stained with blood, growing more intense each time, as if some will within him were about to break through its limits and undergo a transformation to another level.

Of course, now was not the time to dwell on this state, because these wastes, crawling like insects, were truly annoying!

If this field hadn't been devastated by the previous Earth Style ninjutsu, he would have loved to burn these bothersome pests to ash with a single Fire Style technique.

Catching a glimpse of Captain Hayama beginning his move out of the corner of his eye, Arata no longer suppressed the violence in his heart.

"Then come! You wastes!!"

"Demon Bind: Hundred-Battle Blood Armor!"

Vigorous, heavy power surged at this moment, and a crimson-black, archaic battle armor quietly condensed over Arata's body, appearing heavy yet light as a feather.

At the same time, a faint, looming phantom of a Terracotta Warrior appeared behind him, like the most loyal battle servant guarding its master!

"Secret Technique: Unbreakable!"

"Roar!"

The phantom guarding Arata's back raised its right hand, gripping a stone sword, while its left fist hammered against the equally archaic armor, letting out a low roar toward the wilderness.

This sound was nothing but a taunt!

In an instant, the rage in the eyes of the inner circle of Iwagakure ninja intensified. Those in the outer circle couldn't wait to displace the comrades in front of them to join the slaughter, and even the Iwagakure ninja who had been pursuing Hayama Shirakumo or hunting Tekuno and Kimura Kai abruptly shifted their focus, turning back toward Arata's position!

Even though they clearly knew in their hearts that the main battlefield was already there and no longer required their participation, they could not suppress the restlessness in their hearts.

"That Uchiha must die!"

Suddenly, an Iwagakure ninja roared in fury.

This will immediately resonated, and their obsessive anger found an outlet for release. Every Iwagakure ninja who entered the fray wanted to tear the youth at the center of the vortex to shreds.

"Then, let us begin."

Having achieved the effect of drawing the enemy's fire, Arata no longer killed indiscriminately.

"Secret Technique: Clear Mirror, Still Water."

"Secret Technique: Kyōka Suigetsu."

His whispered self-talk sounded like a declaration of a demon descending upon the world.

His scarlet eyes bloomed with a cruelty that even he himself could neither perceive nor calm.

"Child, when you hone yourself through slaughter, you will also be dominated by it. Slow down, stop now; the pressure of the clan should not be borne by you alone!"

In a daze, the voice of Uncle Yashiro echoed in his ears.

However, such sounds were quickly buried by the clamoring shouts of "Kill the Uchiha" and "The Uchiha must die."

[Nurarihyon]: The Lord of Pandemonium in the Edo region, the Supreme Commander of the Nura Clan.

Its essence lies in rendering oneself void: if you wish to see him, you can, but if you do not wish to see him, you cannot.

And when absolute fear and absolute power draw near, the weak often choose to ignore such a source of danger.

This is the [Secret Technique: Clear Mirror, Still Water].

In an instant, Arata vanished from the sight of these weak Iwagakure genin, and when he revealed his form once more, it was amidst the frantic, blood-curdling roar of an Iwagakure ninja.

The man was seen clutching his right arm, which had been severed at the root, his eyes filled with despair and agony.

This was his dominant arm.

This effectively ended his prospects of continuing to be a ninja.

The surrounding Iwagakure ninjas instantly attempted to counterattack, yet the living youth had vanished like a phantom once again!

When he reappeared, it was accompanied by another shrill, agonizing scream.

But this time, the man was clutching his eyes.

"Where is he!"

"Where is that bastard?"

The shrill screams shattered the nameless fire burning in the hearts of these Iwagakure ninjas.

They did not fear death!

The so-called Will of Stone made them accept such a spirit of sacrifice.

However.

They feared living a useless existence!

If they could no longer continue to be ninjas, then what was the point of continuing to live?

"Hah, hah, hah."

An Iwagakure ninja who had lost his eyes gasped for air, his ears filled with the shrill screams of his companions.

"A devil, that devil!!"

"Let's die together, you devil!!!"

Suddenly, he pulled a stack of Explosive Tags from his bosom and channeled his own chakra into them.

"Bang."

A violent explosion rang out across the area.

And this was like opening Pandora's box; the sounds of explosions followed one after another!

A mere four hundred.

One must know, Arata's daily sword swings were counted in the tens of thousands!!

I do not know how much time had passed.

There were no longer any explosions or shrill screams on the field.

The Horizontal Blade held in Arata's right hand hung low; even as an expensive chakra weapon, it had become somewhat shattered by this point. In his left hand, he dragged an Iwagakure survivor who was a head taller than him.

"Hey, do you also possess the Will of Stone?"

The youth asked softly, but the depths of his scarlet eyes were a void of dead silence.