Barrier Lockdown, Bloody Slaughter

"Hmm, it looks like these are the ones, sixteen in total. They've actually adopted our Konoha Shinobi Village's style, using four-man squads with each team covering one side. That leaves only these people in the inner city." Through Genjutsu, Uchiha Sakurako transmitted all the information she had gathered.

Uchiha Tenshu pondered for a moment, then secretly sent a message back to Uchiha Sakurako: "To avoid unnecessary trouble and prevent any intelligence leaks, we had best wait until after midnight to act. By then, I will use a barrier technique to seal off the entire inner city. That way, we won't have to worry about information getting out, and with the barrier in place, we can take our time dealing with the Otomo Clan."

"Furthermore, every single member of the Otomo Clan must be rooted out—not a single one can be left alive! As for the others, they are relatively less important. If they are willing to surrender, we can spare them; after all, we still need people to do the work!" In the Genjutsu, Uchiha Tenshu said expressionlessly, a flicker of killing intent surfacing in his eyes.

Regarding the members of the Otomo Clan.

Uchiha Tenshu saw them clearly for what they were. These guys were all ruthless to the core, so there could be no mercy shown to them. Every member of the main bloodline had to be thoroughly eradicated; no future trouble could be left behind.

After all, Uchiha Tenshu did not want to repeat the tragedy of "The Orphan of Zhao," as history was full of such examples.

He knew well that even with his own formidable strength, he could not afford to be careless. If some orphan of the Otomo Clan were to survive by luck, hide away, and secretly propagate their lineage, even if that orphan couldn't take revenge on him, they would surely find countless ways to make his life miserable. Even if he were strong, what about those around him?

Not even a one-in-ten-thousand chance.

Uchiha Tenshu did not intend to grant them that.

Therefore, Uchiha Tenshu made up his mind: he would not let a single main member of the Otomo Clan escape. To cut the weeds and dig up the roots—that was the wisest choice to ensure no future trouble.

As for the others, whether they were hired ninja or servants, it wasn't impossible to let them live; he didn't care about their loyalty anyway. He would just place a control seal on them, and they would do whatever he commanded.

There was no need to consider what they were thinking.

All he needed was a batch of decent consumables.

With these people working for him, he could slowly recruit others, cultivate his own confidants, and gradually build up his manpower.

Once the Uchiha clan members from Konoha and the other small families he had courted arrived, he would have his core of trusted followers.

Combined with the new recruits he would train himself.

One group being his own kin, the other his subordinates, both loyal to him, and with the two new factions balancing each other out, a vibrant new force would be born.

Soon.

Midnight arrived, and all was silent.

In the sky, dark clouds rolled in like ink, as if to swallow everything. They swept across the heavens, driven by some mysterious force. The bright moon, which had hung high, was tightly shrouded by the layers of clouds, as if it had vanished into the endless darkness.

A moonless, windy night—a night for killing.

The entire Harvest City was enveloped in this tranquil atmosphere, without a single sound. On the city walls, the outermost guards stood like statues, vigilantly watching for any movement outside. Yet, the inner city was like a sleeping beast, deathly still.

In this silent moment, a low chant suddenly rang out: "Barrier Technique—Concealment!"

Following the incantation, Uchiha Tenshu and his four Shadow Clones appeared like ghosts in the four corners of the inner city. Their figures flickered in the darkness, as if merging with the night.

Uchiha Tenshu's hands moved in a rapid seal, and in an instant, a transparent barrier like a thin veil covered the entire inner city. This was no ordinary barrier, but a specially modified stealth barrier. Ordinary eyes could not perceive its existence; only those who approached and attempted to pass through would be struck by the transparent defense.

Like a transparent city wall, it completely encased the entire sealed area.

At this moment, the inner city, eight hundred meters in length and width, was tightly locked down; not a single movement could escape.

Under the barrier ninjutsu that Uchiha Tenshu had painstakingly studied, this barrier could not only achieve invisibility but also prevent sound from traveling between the inside and the outside.

And now was the time to use it.

"How did you even come up with this kind of barrier technique? To develop this kind of capability right from the start!" A flash of complexity crossed Uchiha Sakurako's eyes. A genius like herself seemed insignificant compared to Uchiha Tenshu's abilities.

To be able to develop his own ninjutsu at this age.

Even this large-scale barrier technique, a special ninjutsu designed specifically for mass slaughter—had he really reached such a professional level at his age?

There was absolutely none of the naivety of a child!

Uchiha Sakurako shook her head, casting these thoughts from her mind, and drew her ninja blade.

The curtain of slaughter slowly rose at this moment.

The Otomo Clan, a seemingly ordinary family, was in reality the core target of this bloody storm.

Therefore, when the horn of slaughter sounded, the two did not act like ordinary people by first clearing out the hidden sentries; instead, they headed straight for the center of the main city without hesitation.

Their speed was as fast as lightning, moving as lightly as Asuka through the streets and houses without exposing themselves in the slightest.

Under the assault of these two Jonin-level powerhouses, the wandering ninja recruited by the Otomo Clan were utterly useless.

Finally, they arrived before the Otomo residence, that magnificent Tenshukaku. Built with exquisite craftsmanship and made entirely of mountain stone, it was an insurmountable fortress to any ordinary army, enough to drive enemies to despair.

Unfortunately, now.

It was facing ninja.

The fortress before them did not cause the two to hesitate for even a second. Like ghosts, they easily bypassed the so-called wandering ninja lurking in the shadows and charged straight into the heart of the Tenshukaku as if walking through an empty courtyard.

Soon, they entered the center of the Tenshukaku, arriving before a room guarded by ninja. Inside were the head of the Otomo Clan and the leader of the ninja protecting him.

"Let's begin!"

Uchiha Tenshu spoke. At his feet, the figures of two ninja slowly collapsed, their eyes completely vacant, clearly having been severely damaged by Genjutsu.

At this moment, Uchiha Tenshu's voice echoed in the wind, revealing an irrepressible excitement and anticipation.

"Who goes there!"

Following Uchiha Tenshu's voice, the ninja who had been hiding in the shadows finally detected his presence.

A look of shock and disbelief crossed his face as he pondered to himself: How on earth did this person manage to sneak in here without anyone noticing? They were, after all, elite ninjas tasked with guarding this land. He was already a Jonin among rogue ninjas, and with layers of hidden sentries posted all around, not a single person had detected the intruder's trail.

Just how strong was this person, then?

"Hmph, brat, I don't know who sent you, but the Otomo Clan is not someone you can afford to provoke. If you truly wish to make an enemy of the entire Land of Fire, then go ahead and strike! I won't hide it from you: our clan head is a relative of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. If you dare to make a move, Konoha Shinobi Village will not let you off!" The middle-aged ninja leader attempted to intimidate him. Though his inner fear was palpable, he maintained a facade, using the reputations of the Land of Fire and Konoha to threaten his opponent.

If it were an ordinary ninja, they might have retreated in the face of such claims about the Daimyo of the Land of Fire or Konoha.

After all, whether it was the Daimyo of the Land of Fire or Konoha Shinobi Village, crossing either was essentially equivalent to provoking the current God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju.

Unfortunately, for someone as audacious as Uchiha Tenshu, none of this mattered in the slightest.

With ninety-nine pounds of rebellion in his bones, Uchiha Tenshu did not care in the least what kind of trouble killing these people might invite.

As long as all evidence was destroyed.

Who would ever know it was him?