"Kirigakure is nothing special!"
After sticking a few Explosive Tags onto the fallen ninja, Uchiha Shisui kicked him toward the crowd.
"Are you okay?" His comrades rushed over to check on him, only to be greeted by the Explosive Tags going off.
As blood mist and chunks of flesh flew through the air, the ninjas behind them immediately moved in to fill the gap.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Seeing that close combat was getting them nowhere, the Kirigakure forces began launching ninjutsu attacks together.
As the Kirigakure forces finished forming Hand Seals, more than a dozen water dragons surged up from the smoke-filled battlefield, roaring as they rushed toward one spot.
Faced with a ninjutsu attack on such a scale, Uchiha Shisui had no choice but to put some distance between himself and the enemy.
After dodging the attack, Uchiha Shisui grinned. "You were the ones who used ninjutsu first! Then... Shadow Clone Technique!"
The instant a cloud of white smoke appeared, five identical Shisui clones emerged. They immediately formed the Hand Seals for a second technique.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
As soon as the words left their mouths, all five Shisui clones puffed out their cheeks. Then waves of flame surged toward the Kirigakure forces.
"It's a large-scale technique! Hurry, use Water Formation Wall!"
"Idiot! Are you kidding me? Retreat! What could possibly stop a technique like a natural disaster?"
Only some of the Kirigakure vanguard managed to retreat from the battlefield in time. Some Kirigakure Ninja, however, stubbornly stood their ground. Their weak streams of water evaporated into vapor before even reaching the sea of flames. Their refusal to flee left them to burn alive.
With Kirigakure's defensive line pushed back, the battle was already won.
At Kirigakure's front-line command post, Karatachi Yagura hurled the report in his hand to the ground.
"Have the Seven Ninja Swordsmen come see me! One Uchiha has wiped out a third of our vanguard. I'll make you pay for this."
Just then, two ninjas from other villages arrived at the command post.
"You Kirigakure can't even take full control of Konoha's coastline. You're downright useless."
"Tch. I wonder what Lord Tsuchikage was thinking, sending us to support the Mist Battlefield."
In the face of their taunts, Karatachi Yagura suppressed his anger. He couldn't afford to slight the Kumogakure and Iwa Ninja standing before him.
"Why don't you two head to the central unit for now? I have things to take care of, so I won't entertain you."
At his words, the two ninjas sneered and left the tent in tacit agreement.
Feeling slighted, Karatachi Yagura slammed his hand down on the table. In moments, it had become a chunk of coral.
"Commander! The Seven Ninja Swordsmen received orders from Lord Mizukage to infiltrate the Land of Fire and cut off Konoha's supply line. They haven't returned yet."
After hearing the report, Karatachi Yagura snapped, "What!? Why did Lord Mizukage suddenly interfere in the front-line war?"
The ninja kneeling before Karatachi Yagura trembled under his fury. "Commander... I... I don't know either."
Once Karatachi Yagura had gradually calmed down, he picked up his cane and addressed the ninja before him. "I'll return to the village and see for myself. I've already made all the arrangements for the battlefield. Attack according to the plan."
With that, Karatachi Yagura set off for the village.
On a cliff overlooking the central battlefield, Fugaku Uchiha held Itachi Uchiha's hand and spoke slowly. "Itachi, do you see? This is war."
Itachi Uchiha wiped the grime from his face, pulled free of Fugaku Uchiha's hand, and slowly walked toward the edge of the cliff.
The clash of blades, the brutal brawling, the bloody fighting, the sudden explosions, and the smoke covering the entire battlefield—Itachi Uchiha looked out at the scene and said slowly, "So this is the Great Ninja War..."
The fighting continued all night. It wasn't until sunlight spread over the mountain peaks that the morning mist rolled in, carrying the pungent stench of blood.
"W... water!" An Iwa Ninja lying on the ground reached out desperately.
By chance, Fugaku Uchiha and Itachi, who were patrolling the battlefield, came over.
Itachi Uchiha quickly took out his canteen and poured water into the Iwa Ninja's mouth.
"Sorry."
The Iwa Ninja coughed a few times, then slowly opened his eyes.
When he saw their ninja tools and the Uchiha Clan crest of Konoha, his gaze immediately sharpened. He quickly drew a Kunai, but a moment later, the light faded from his eyes.
"Dad, why did that ninja try to kill me? I didn't do anything."
Holding the Kunai he had used to kill the Iwa Ninja, Itachi slowly stood and looked at Fugaku Uchiha, puzzled.
"Because this is war. It isn't a conflict between individuals, but a conflict between nations. That's why strangers end up killing one another for no reason."
Fugaku Uchiha rested a hand on Itachi Uchiha's shoulder and continued,
"Listen, Itachi. Don't forget what you've seen here. This is the world of shinobi."
Itachi Uchiha lowered his head to look at the ninja who had just fallen and murmured, "I see, Dad. I understand..."
"Shisui! How are you?"
"I'm fine, Elder. I just used a little too much chakra."
Uchiha Mikabi hurriedly supported Uchiha Shisui. Hearing his reply, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"I thought I was going to die here this time. I never expected Shisui to be so powerful! You even remind me of that great man!"
Uchiha Mikabi smiled as he spoke.
"Uchiha... Madara? The one who ruled the Shinobi World. But I'll replace him and surpass him."
Uchiha Shisui clutched his chest and silently thought this after hearing Uchiha Mikabi's praise.
Back at camp, after resting, Uchiha Shisui studied the template before him. Nearly eleven years had passed, and the trials of war had accelerated his progress. He had now unlocked four-tenths of it.
"What I unlocked this time is actually Yin-Yang Release!"
Uchiha Shisui began to sense the attributes within his body. He could now fully control the two special types of chakra he had once been unable to understand.
"So this is what Yin-Yang Release produces?"
Uchiha Shisui murmured as he looked at the Chakra Black Receiver in his palm.
After putting away the receiver, Uchiha Shisui walked out of the tent and looked at the smoke in the distance. He was getting close to unlocking the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. His progress was about five percent, and once he reached that point, he would unlock it. By then, he would have the strength to defect. Konoha was far too comfortable; it couldn't help him grow quickly.
"Shisui, is that you? I'll report your defense against the vanguard to Lord Hokage truthfully."
Fugaku Uchiha approached. As he made his rounds, he had also been comforting clan members who had lost their comrades.
"So it's you, Clan Head. I don't care much about credit. But you seem to have grown closer to the Hokage faction lately. Is this how you're handling the imbalance within the clan?"
In response to Uchiha Shisui's teasing, Fugaku Uchiha pointed toward the tent, indicating they should go inside and talk.
Once inside, Fugaku Uchiha revealed his Mangekyo Sharingan and spoke. "These eyes of mine have seen the future. So, Shisui, you may not understand what I'm doing yet."
Uchiha Shisui looked at Fugaku Uchiha with an impassive gaze, then shook his head. "Do whatever you want. Rather than putting myself under a genjutsu to see some unknowable future, I'd rather have real power in my hands."
With that, Uchiha Shisui left Fugaku Uchiha standing alone and headed toward the front lines. He needed to accelerate his template's progress as quickly as possible. Battle would be an excellent catalyst.