"Hmph! You've got shinobi guarding you at close range. Looks like they're very loyal!" Uchiha Tenshu's lips curled into a scornful smile. "Too bad that means nothing to me. There's no need to bring them over to my side. Even if I did, I wouldn't trust them. So, I'll be taking your life!"
Before the words had even left his mouth, his eyes snapped open. His scarlet Sharingan gleamed eerily in the darkness.
As the saying went, even a lion used its full strength to hunt a rabbit.
Uchiha Tenshu had no reason to hold back. He activated his Sharingan at once, giving his enemy no chance to resist.
In an instant, a powerful Genjutsu swept toward the shinobi like a raging tide.
The man barely had time to react before the terrifying Genjutsu engulfed him, dragging his consciousness into an endless nightmare.
Uchiha Tenshu flashed forward, appearing behind the shinobi like a ghost.
The short blade in his hand glinted as it sliced through the air, striking for the man's neck like lightning.
With a wet thwack, blood spurted like a fountain and splattered across the ground, forming a gruesome pool. The shinobi's head tumbled down like a severed watermelon, rolling across the cold ground. His eyes darted twice, disbelief written all over his face. How had his opponent killed him in an instant?
In truth, the man wasn't weak.
Judging by his Chakra alone, he was at the level of an elite Chunin. Unfortunately, he had run into the Sharingan of a member of the Uchiha Clan—a clan whose members were known to flee any one-on-one fight. And Uchiha Tenshu was an all-around shinobi, with expert-level skill in Genjutsu. Even someone at Jonin level couldn't dispel his Genjutsu quickly, let alone a wandering shinobi like this one.
Even if he had reached Jonin level,
he probably hadn't learned many ninjutsu.
And he certainly couldn't dispel a Jonin-level Genjutsu.
Naturally, the result was a complete mismatch.
"AAAAAAH!" A piercing scream shattered the silence of the night, like a demon from hell wailing in agony.
The scream hadn't come from the shinobi who had been killed. It came from the Otomo Clan head and his concubine, who had awoken at the sound of the commotion.
They stared at the bloody scene before them, trembling uncontrollably, their faces pale as paper.
The Otomo Clan head was especially terrified. He stared at Uchiha Tenshu and stammered a desperate plea. "Don't kill me... Don't kill me... My sister is the Land of Fire Daimyo's..."
"Sharingan!"
Uchiha Tenshu glared at them, and the Otomo Clan head and his concubine were both brought under his control.
Under Uchiha Tenshu's control, the Otomo Clan head quickly began revealing the positions of his people, where his assets were kept, his allies, his contacts in the forces behind him, and his dealings with Konoha.
Once he had finished listing everything,
the Otomo Clan head was no longer useful.
Thwack!
Uchiha Tenshu swung his blade, and the Otomo Clan head died instantly.
At the same time, he and Uchiha Sakurako worked together like a perfectly synchronized pair. While Uchiha Tenshu took action, Uchiha Sakurako slaughtered every direct member of the Otomo Clan, drawing the attention of everyone outside.
After obtaining everything he needed, Uchiha Tenshu joined the slaughter.
They raced along the walls of Tenshukaku like phantoms, dodging enemy attacks and striking back with deadly force. They used no conspicuous ninjutsu, relying solely on their Taijutsu and swordsmanship to cut down their foes. It was even more terrifying that way, stirring more fear than any ninjutsu could.
Every swing sent blood flying.
With every fall,
the ground was dyed red.
With the Otomo Clan's direct members wiped out and nearly all their relatives dead as well, the whole situation began to collapse.
Soon, everyone still resisting near Tenshukaku lost the will to fight. They watched helplessly as their opponents slaughtered their way through them. The killers' savage expressions and furious roars filled them with fear and despair.
One after another, people dropped their katanas. Weapons that had once symbolized courage and strength felt impossibly heavy now, too heavy to hold. They muttered in disbelief, "We can't do it. We can't do it. We're no match for them! Spare us, spare us! We won't fight anymore!"
"Damn it!" one wandering shinobi cursed furiously. "I told you not to join some powerful noble family. And now look—we run into enemies like these, and it's our lives on the line! I don't want to die!"
The other wandering shinobi were just as desperate, eyes bloodshot, fear and helplessness written across their faces. Like a pack of strays, they ran for their lives toward the distance, no longer caring about their loyalty to the lord who had hired them.
But a transparent barrier suddenly appeared before them, mercilessly blocking their way.
Several people crashed into it, splitting their heads open, without even realizing what had stopped them.
Faced with this sudden obstacle, their panic only grew. Some charged forward with every last bit of strength they had, trying to overcome the barrier. Others collapsed, utterly broken, while still others knelt and begged for mercy, hoping to earn a shred of pity.
Some searched frantically for somewhere to hide, desperate to escape the two relentless killers. But no matter how they struggled, they couldn't change the cruel reality. All they could do was await their fate.
Watching this, Uchiha Tenshu shook his head and smiled with satisfaction. "You can stop now," he said casually to Uchiha Sakurako. "Pick out a few people who might be useful, and have them guard their own people. Bring everyone to the center of Tenshukaku. We'll investigate them one by one. There's no need to kill those who aren't involved."
Uchiha Tenshu's words were like the first light of dawn. These people, their hearts raging like volcanoes and on the verge of breaking, finally saw a glimmer of hope. Tears poured from their eyes like a burst dam, and they were overcome with joy.
They were clearly the ones whose ties to the Otomo Clan were too tenuous to warrant a death sentence.
Now that they had a chance to live, they no longer fought like cornered beasts.
The samurai and shinobi in particular had struggled all their lives to gain a foothold. They didn't want to lose their lives here for nothing, just for the Otomo Clan.
"You wandering shinobi, and you samurai, listen up! I was going to kill all of you. Since my lord has given you a chance to live, I'll give you a chance to join us. From this moment on, prove your loyalty. Gather everyone in Tenshukaku."
Uchiha Sakurako pointed at the useless shinobi and samurai, her cold face brimming with murderous intent as she spoke without courtesy.
To them, her icy words sounded like heavenly music, as if the gentlest celestial maiden were singing softly.
How could she be some ruthless killer? She was a heavenly maiden sent down to save them, a merciful Bodhisattva!
And so,
at Uchiha Sakurako's command, they immediately switched sides and changed their allegiance. They even took the initiative to capture the ordinary people, throwing themselves into the task like hungry tigers as they searched out everyone hiding in the various buildings.
As members of the Otomo Clan, they knew the layout and personnel of the estate better than anyone.
With one turncoat after another leading the way,
every person in hiding was captured.
Men, women, young and old—
not one escaped the pack of hounds hunting them down.
"Well, that saves me a lot of trouble."
From the highest point of Tenshukaku,
Uchiha Tenshu surveyed every movement in the inner city, using the Sharingan's far-reaching vision to monitor them all.
No one dared make a move.
Before you continue