As the sun was setting, Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Shin gathered everyone of their generation in the hall. The only Special Jonin and three Chunin still in the clan compound also came.
At the same time, Uchiha Madara ordered every woman in the compound to lock themselves indoors. No matter what they heard that night, they were not to show themselves. Finally, he sent out two Genin: one to catch up with the Third Elder, and the other to head for the battlefield and report the situation in the clan.
"Clan Leader, are you sure the information is accurate?" Uchiha Hayate, the clan's only Special Jonin, asked, still clinging to a sliver of hope.
Uchiha Madara nodded solemnly. "Shin brought the news back. There's no doubt about it. Get ready to fight for your lives."
Uchiha Hayate let go of his last shred of hope, gripped the sword on his back, and quietly stood aside, waiting for night to fall. He already knew that tonight would be a bloody battle.
There were also eighty-seven children of Madara's generation in the hall, all Genin between the ages of five and ten. Only Uchiha Izuna had reached Chunin level.
Of course, the Uchiha Clan's younger generation numbered far more than that. But Madara had simply told the children who hadn't even become Genin to hide. They would only get in the way if they came along.
The children, a crowd of Genin, gathered together and chattered nonstop. There was little worry on their faces—instead, they seemed faintly excited. They were the cream of the new generation, and had long yearned to fight enemies once they came of age, make a name for themselves among the clans, and show off their prowess.
Most of them had never seen blood and didn't understand how cruel this world was. In their minds, the enemies they would face tonight were no different from the opponents they had fought during previous trials. They had no idea how different it really was.
"A bunch of idiots. What a mess."
Shin wasn't in the hall. He sat on the roof eaves, watching the night deepen, his gaze growing grave.
Unlike those children who had always been protected inside the clan, he had the mind of an adult and understood the brutality of the Naruto World. He clearly remembered a line from the original story describing the Warring States Period: "The average life expectancy in this era was less than thirty years."
It was a simple sentence, yet it reeked of bloodshed.
Take the Chunin Shin had dealt with today. The man had been no weakling. The main reason he had lost so completely was that every move he made had been calculated by Shin. Add the power of the Sharingan's genjutsu, and Shin had been able to take him down quickly. If they were comparing strength alone, Shin could still have beaten him, but it wouldn't have been so easy.
Hearing the noisy voices inside the hall, Shin's lips curled into the faintest hint of mockery. Uchiha Madara was still too young. He had considered only the children's raw strength, without taking their ages into account. Shin was certain that if they faced ten Chunin fresh from the battlefield, the enemy's killing intent alone would scare the children senseless—never mind their endless array of techniques.
"This battle won't be easy. There'll be plenty of casualties." Shin lay back on the roof and sighed.
But it had little to do with him. He wasn't that attached to the Uchiha. A major reason he had chosen to stay and fight was that, even if they lost, his current strength would let him escape safely.
Come to think of it, had there been a sneak attack like this in the original story? Perhaps when Madara said that all his brothers except Izuna had died, he meant they had died tonight.
The thought suddenly occurred to Shin, and the more he considered it, the more likely it seemed. Uchiha Madara was eight this year, and according to the story, he would meet Senju Hashirama next year at the latest. Yet all of his brothers, including Shin himself, were still alive and well. That didn't fit the story.
Shin idly turned the thought over in his mind without worrying too much. With his current strength, even if he couldn't beat a Jonin, he could still make a clean escape. As long as he didn't foolishly choose to fight head-on, it would be hard for anything to go wrong.
As the night breeze washed over him, Shin felt at ease. He closed his eyes and began to doze. He wasn't too worried about the Hyuga shinobi launching an attack right away. There was a method to a shinobi's work: night had only just fallen, and people were at their most alert. Anyone but a fool would avoid launching a surprise attack now.
Generally speaking, shinobi carried out assassinations around two in the morning, when people were at their most exhausted. That was the ideal time for a killing.
As time passed, it was soon around one in the morning. Uchiha Shin opened his eyes right on time. After resting and conserving his strength all this while, he was now in peak condition.
The new generation of Uchiha gathered in the hall wasn't nearly as alert. After talking through the first half of the night, they were already nodding off. Rather than a group of Genin, they were a group of children with Genin-level strength.
Uchiha Izuna rubbed his sleepy eyes, went over to Madara, and asked softly, "Big brother, it's already one in the morning, and there's still no sign of anyone. Could the information Shin got have been wrong?"
Uchiha Madara was wide awake. He gave Izuna an affectionate look. "Don't let your guard down. From now on, it's the most dangerous time. Remember, when the fighting starts, I won't be able to look after you. Make sure you protect yourself."
As the two spoke, Shin came in through the doorway and walked up to Uchiha Madara. He said simply, "They're here!"
Uchiha Madara's eyes lit up. Fighting spirit blazed through him as he picked up the Tachi beside him and stood. "The enemy is here! All Uchiha, come with me to meet them!"
The children, who had been half asleep, perked up at once and surged toward the hall's entrance. Madara, Shin, and Izuna brought up the rear.
"Shin, this battle depends on the two of us. We have to give it everything we've got." Uchiha Madara's hand trembled slightly as he held his blade—not from fear, but from excitement.
"Don't worry, don't worry. I'll finish the fight within ten minutes." Shin answered with complete seriousness, glanced at Madara's excited right hand, and edged a step away.
So Uchiha Madara really did have a battle maniac streak. How had Shin never noticed before? Better keep his distance. When someone like that went berserk, chances were they'd drag everyone around them into the mess.
A few steps later, everyone had left the hall. The three of them moved to the front and looked up. Under the silver moonlight, thirteen figures raced across the rooftops. The fastest one was no more than a shadow.
Uchiha Madara's eyes narrowed. His whole demeanor shifted, turning grave and solemn. He flicked up the Tachi with his thumb, and its blade reflected a chilling glint in the moonlight.
Uchiha Shin kept his face impassive, but his heart jolted. That presence... Madara had definitely killed before. When had that happened?
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