"Honestly, I didn't see the other side make a move!"
Uchiha Raimon thought it over for a long time, his mind full of questions, but he still couldn't figure out who his opponent was.
"What? You didn't see them make a move? With your strength, Elder Raimon, you didn't even see what the enemy looked like before you were injured this badly? How is that possible?"
Uchiha Tenshu's eyes widened. His heart was instantly thrown into turmoil. Since when had the Ninja World had such an unknown powerhouse?
After all, Uchiha Raimon was currently one of the strongest members of the Uchiha Clan.
As elders of the Uchiha Clan, those who had risen to power toward the end of the Warring States period could be called the pinnacle of the clan. Otherwise, they would never have become clan elders.
After all, under Madara Uchiha's leadership, the Uchiha Clan had upheld the principle that the strong ruled.
Based on the power rankings in the original Naruto storyline, even if they weren't true all-around Kage Level powerhouses, they were definitely Kage Level in several areas.
They were powerhouses who surpassed Elite Jonin. An ordinary Elite Jonin who faced one of them would almost certainly die.
Only multiple ninja working together as a team could stand a chance of contending with such a powerhouse.
That was before any Beyond Kage Level powerhouses stepped in.
Even if ordinary Kage Level powerhouses came to hunt him down, Uchiha Raimon could still retreat whenever he wanted.
But now.
Elder Uchiha Raimon had actually said that this time he hadn't even seen his opponent before being severely wounded.
It was simply unbelievable.
And if the other side could injure Elder Raimon that badly, why hadn't they just killed him? How had they let him escape?
"Honestly, I don't know what kind of ninjutsu caused that attack, but without a doubt, it was a terrifying forbidden technique."
Uchiha Raimon said this to Uchiha Tenshu with certainty.
"Actually, after I dealt with those elite Water Release ninja who were at Jonin Level, I realized this was a carefully laid ambush, so I started hurrying back. But when I got close to Feiyu City, a flash of white light instantly engulfed everything for several kilometers around me. I didn't even have time to react before that terrifying attack hit me."
"If the attack hadn't struck my body and given me time to react, I might not even have realized what was happening!"
"But even after I realized I was under attack, I couldn't dodge it. I used a special method to nullify the attack, but I lost the ability to fight. If there hadn't been no enemies left after that forbidden technique was used, then even a single Genin could have killed me!"
Uchiha Raimon said, deeply vexed. The thought of that outing filled him with lingering fear.
Meanwhile, as Uchiha Tenshu listened to Uchiha Raimon's account, it sounded more and more familiar, as if he had seen an attack like this in the original storyline.
White light?
A range of several kilometers?
Why did it sound so familiar?
Deidara's explosions?
Super Shinra Tensei?
Or the Tsuchigumo Clan's...
"Wait, the Tsuchigumo Clan?"
"Right! If it was the Tsuchigumo Clan, that would make sense! According to Elder Uchiha Raimon, there were no pursuers after that forbidden technique. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't have made it back. Judging by the Tsuchigumo Clan's forbidden technique, that must have been their Dohatsu-ten, the forbidden technique used in this ambush."
"Based on what I remember from the original story, Dohatsu-ten is different from conventional Five Elements ninjutsu. It uses a special formula hidden within a person's body as an anchor for the technique. It continually absorbs Natural Energy from the world around it, stores it, and then releases it all at once. Unlike ordinary ninjutsu, which can be cast instantly, it takes a long time to build up, but its power is a hundred times greater."
"With this powerful forbidden technique, the clan was able to become an ally of Konoha Shinobi Village despite being only a clan. It even survived beyond the Third Shinobi World War!"
"After all, even the Senju Clan, the Uchiha Clan, and the Uzumaki Clan—powerful clans allied with Konoha—suffered devastating losses through constant sacrifice. The Senju and Uchiha who joined Konoha died in droves on the battlefield, and the Uchiha were driven to rebellion. The Uzumaki Clan was wiped out entirely. Yet the Tsuchigumo Clan, a clan that existed outside Konoha's orbit, managed to survive beyond the Third Shinobi World War. If infighting within the clan hadn't split it apart, they might still have been doing just fine even after the Fourth Shinobi World War!"
"That shows just how terrifying the clan's forbidden technique was. Konoha wouldn't even dare to touch them. Otherwise, how could greedy Konoha High Command members like Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō not have thrown their weight around against an ally? The only explanation is that the Tsuchigumo Clan's forbidden technique really could destroy Konoha."
Uchiha Tenshu marveled inwardly. He had pinpointed the origin of the person who'd made the final move in the ambush.
After all, according to the forbidden technique's description in the original storyline, once activated, it destroyed every living thing within hundreds of kilometers. Even if that was an exaggeration and it only had a tenth of that power, the user could stand outside Konoha and destroy the entire village. No wonder the High Command, led by Hiruzen Sarutobi, left them alone and let them live in seclusion in Katsuragi City.
Their supposed alliance was probably just Konoha trying to win them over, for fear that they might join another Shinobi Village.
"Still, judging by what this forbidden technique can do...
"In theory, if they gathered more Natural Energy and let it build up for longer, they could completely destroy an area of several million square kilometers. Even if the anime toned down its effects quite a bit, just a tenth of its full power would be enough to completely destroy everything within a radius of dozens of kilometers. So why did this attack only destroy everything within a few kilometers? Was it intentional? Was there some reason for it?"
Uchiha Tenshu couldn't help wondering.
He didn't think the Tsuchigumo Clan's forbidden technique was incapable of that kind of power.
After all, they were one of the few clans in the Ninja World capable of using Natural Chakra, a power similar to Senjutsu.
Having it build up for half an hour, or even several hours, before unleashing an attack of that magnitude was entirely consistent with the world of the ninja.
Just look at the Sage of Six Paths, who had casually created the moon. That kind of fantastical power existed in this world.
So it wasn't hard to imagine an attack with the destructive force of a nuclear bomb.
Besides, every time this ninjutsu was used, it required the sacrifice of a ninja's life. The Eight Inner Gates was similar in that it drew power from a ninja's life, and it could even let its user fight Six Paths Level powerhouses. So it made sense that the Tsuchigumo Clan's Dohatsu-ten could cause destruction on such a scale!
"So the Tsuchigumo Clan became an ally of Konoha around this time? But Konoha Shinobi Village hasn't announced anything like that yet. Which means the Tsuchigumo Clan might only be an ally of the Senju right now!"
"But I've never heard the elders in my clan say that the Tsuchigumo Clan was an ally of the Senju."
"So this ambush is their proof of loyalty? And as for the forbidden technique they used, either it's still incomplete and hasn't reached its full potential... or it's already perfected, but they deliberately reduced its power out of caution toward the cunning Tobirama Senju?"
Uchiha Tenshu analyzed the situation in secret.
He had already made up his mind to settle the score with the Tsuchigumo Clan someday.
Before you continue