Night Raid (3)

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan is a vital strategic resource. While Uchiha clansmen possessing these eyes are rare and formidable, they are not immune to death.

Once the eyes of a fallen clansman are recovered, they are exchanged as "battle merit."

After one of his eyes lost its light, Uchiha Niji did not hesitate to gouge it out. He retrieved another eye from a scroll and implanted it. Medical ninjas were scarce during the Warring States period, but the long history of the Uchiha had yielded a specific ninjutsu for eye transplantation, though it required about a week to fully adapt.

To think I would actually envy someone else's eyes...

Niji felt conflicted. As a ninja of the Uchiha Clan, he found himself obsessed with the eyes of a Senju clansman.

That eerie ocular jutsu, those complex patterns, and the faint, palpable sensation of that immense power.

It was magnificent—truly magnificent. That boy had no understanding of this power at all; it should be mine! It belongs to me!

The craving for power gained the upper hand, but he did not rashly return. Regardless, that strange yet familiar ocular power was dangerous, and he needed to prepare.

Hiugo gasped for air. When Uchiha Niji retreated, he had attempted to use the ocular jutsu of his left eye. Compared to the right eye, which caused his vision to blur after a single use, the left eye's ability was more gentle.

However, this gentleness proved to be a disadvantage at this moment; the consumption of his bloodline power ceased, and instead, his chakra began to evaporate directly.

The left eye's ability was akin to analysis. When activated, it enhanced his brain, allowing him to see the target's status, weaknesses, the specific composition of their ninjutsu, and calculate their subsequent movements.

Through the analysis of the left eye, he had also gained a rough understanding of the right eye's ability: it could completely convert the "attributes" of objects before him. Just moments ago, he had converted a portion of his opponent into fire and dust. Beyond the five elemental releases, there were other undeveloped attributes, such as light, metal, and space.

This type of conversion relied on his own familiarity and the target's environment. The Uchiha generally possessed fire affinity, making conversion into flames easy; similarly, being surrounded by earth made conversion into soil simple.

There was one prerequisite for this conversion: one had to perceive the element to convert it, which was why the left and right eyes needed to coordinate.

Currently, the consumption of the right eye was significantly greater than the left. After a single use, his vision through the three-tomoe eye had become completely blurred.

Hiugo wiped the blood from his face, feeling only physical weakness and mental exhaustion.

As the crisis subsided, the Nine-Pointed Star Array transformed back into a black veil, covering his eyes. He closed his blurred right eye, leaving only his left eye—now returned to a black pupil—to observe his surroundings.

"There's an injured Senju here!"

"Hurry, he's mine!"

"Get lost, his head is mine!"

The Fujiwara squad, composed of three Jonin and four Special Jonin, had discovered the lone boy. Given his weakened state, it was clear he had little chakra left.

"Heh..."

Hiugo felt a bit like a tiger fallen to the plains, bullied by dogs. His remaining chakra manifested as a black wooden branch in his hand, and the scarlet light of his left eye swirled.

This was the first time he had faced a predicament due to a lack of chakra. It was no wonder the Warring States period focused on taijutsu; no matter how vast one's chakra, there would always come a time when it ran dry—except for Senju Hashirama, who was a "Chakra-ton."

Seven against one. The only advantage was that the opponents wanted his head as a trophy rather than "kiting" him with long-range ninjutsu.

"I only have one head. Are you seven planning to take a slice each?"

Hiugo said flatly, as if discussing a watermelon rather than his own life.

"We'll see about that once your head hits the ground."

The Fujiwara Jonin, knowing that delays would only lead to trouble, struck immediately.

Taijutsu: Flowing Slash

Subtle blue electric arcs coiled around the blade, increasing its speed by thirty percent.

"I should be grateful you don't have a weapon made of Chakra Metal, otherwise, in my current state, I'd definitely be bleeding."

The three-tomoe beneath the black veil rotated. After side-stepping the blade, he thrust the wooden branch directly into the attacker's abdomen, causing it to explode violently. The chakra within the opponent was absorbed by the black branch and rapidly channeled into Hiugo.

"He still has strength left..."

The remaining Fujiwara ninjas immediately unleashed ninjutsu at Hiugo. Fire, Lightning, and Wind Style techniques rained down one after another.

The unreasonable vitality and chakra of Senju ninjas had left them with deep-seated trauma, causing them to ignore even their own clansmen who might not yet be dead.

After a series of explosions, the six men looked toward the front. Aside from a corpse that was no longer recognizable, there was only a hole dug into the ground.

"Earth Style: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!"

A Special Jonin screamed as he was dragged into the earth, leaving only his head exposed.

"He's underground! Earth Style: Earth-Splitting Shift!"

After finishing his hand seals, the Fujiwara ninja slammed his palms into the ground.

The earth began to crack, forcing Hiugo out of his position. The unlucky fellow who had just been dragged into the ground was also caught in the aftermath.

Hiugo coughed twice. He had intended to use the familiar Wood Substitution to evade, but realized that after absorbing another's chakra, he could not use his own exclusive Wood Style, which was why he had been injured.

This was quite strange. Tsunade and Sakura had both experienced transferring chakra to others during the ninja wars; logically, there shouldn't be any issues. Could it be that the chakra formed by his transmigrated soul and his constantly atavistic bloodline body possessed some unique quality?

"Five against one. Don't call us despicable; you are a Senju ninja, after all."

The Fujiwara ninja spoke up. After the brief skirmish, they could no longer treat him as mere prey.

"Those are familiar words. I suspect that if you don't die today, you'll surely end up in the Land of Water in the future."

Hiugo spoke casually, seizing the time to recover his chakra. As his left eye scanned the surroundings, he caught sight of a figure and suddenly curled his lips into a smile.

The five Fujiwara ninjas were somewhat confused, only to see a flash of white light pass across their necks before five heads fell to the ground.

Dark Seven appeared beside Hiugo, covered in blood:

"How are you?"

"A bit of pain, but otherwise fine."

Hiugo frowned as he spoke; he could feel Dark Seven's life force fading rapidly.

"How is the battlefield?"

"Dark One lost an arm, and Elder Meima sustained some injuries, but the situation has stabilized and the Uchiha have begun to retreat..."

"And you?"

Dark Seven was silent for a moment, then said calmly: "I'm dying. I was heavily wounded while protecting Dark One during an ambush. I took the 'medicine,' so I can hold on for a while longer."

Hiugo fell silent. The "medicine" given to the Dark Ninjas was not for healing, but a type of "poison." This drug stimulated the body's potential, draining life force in exchange for the "power" of one's prime; once the effects wore off, death was inevitable.

There were always sacrifices on the battlefield, but previously, those who had fallen were people he hadn't known very well.

"Before Elder Meima arrives, I will protect your safety. If possible, I want my final moments to be spent meaningfully."

Dark Seven said in a low voice.

Hiugo said no more. After recovering some Chakra, he took Dark Seven and continued toward the battlefield.

Senju Xiangyang was struggling against the Fujiwara Clan Head and had sustained significant injuries, but with the sudden assistance of Dark Seven, he shifted directly from defense to offense. Since Dark Seven was already on a countdown to death, he naturally fought with a style of trading wounds for wounds to end the battle quickly.

After the Fujino Clan Head was killed, Senju Xiangyang and Dark Seven followed Hiugo to other locations to carry out the cleanup.

Not long after, Senju Meima arrived, thoroughly ending the Uchiha's night raid and beginning to tally the casualties, starting with the status of the five major mid-sized clans:

The Mizukumo Clan Head was killed in action, and the First Elder was heavily wounded;

The Hayate Clan Head sustained light injuries, the First Elder was killed in action, and the Young Clan Head was dead;

In the Tekka Clan, both the Clan Head and the First Elder were killed;

In the Xiongli Clan, the Clan Head and the First Elder were wounded, and the Young Clan Head was dead;

The Fujino Clan was wiped out.

The remaining ten small clans each suffered their own casualties, and for a time, the sound of weeping filled the air.

Senju Meima buried the bodies of his clansmen and then began to reorganize the heavily battered Eastern Alliance.