The Tide Has Turned, Surrender Unconditionally

"Hmph! To have a ninja protecting you at such close range, your loyalty must be quite high!" Uchiha Tenshu's lips curled into a disdainful smile. "What a pity, that means nothing to me. There is no need to subdue you, and even if I did, I wouldn't dare trust you at all! Since that's the case, I'll just take your life!"

Before his voice had even faded, his eyes snapped open, his scarlet Sharingan flickering with an eerie light in the darkness.

As the saying goes, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit.

Uchiha Tenshu saw no need to hold back; he activated his Sharingan from the start, leaving the enemy no chance to resist.

In an instant, a powerful wave of Genjutsu surged toward the ninja like a raging tide.

The man didn't even have time to react before he was engulfed by the terrifying illusion, his consciousness instantly dragged into an endless nightmare.

Following that, Uchiha Tenshu flickered, appearing behind the ninja like a ghost.

The short blade in his hand traced a cold arc through the air, striking the man's neck with lightning speed.

With a sickening "squelch," blood erupted like a fountain, splashing onto the ground to form a shocking pool of gore. The ninja's head, severed as cleanly as a sliced watermelon, rolled onto the cold floor. His eyes darted around twice, filled with disbelief that the opponent had managed to kill him in a single stroke.

In truth, the man's strength was not weak.

Judging by his Chakra alone, he was at the level of an elite Chunin. Unfortunately, he had encountered a member of the Uchiha clan—a group known for their one-on-one dominance and the lethality of their Sharingan. Not to mention that Uchiha Tenshu, an all-around ninja, was also a master of Genjutsu. Even a Jonin-level existence would struggle to break free from his illusions in a short time, let alone a wandering ninja like this one.

Even if he had reached the Jonin level, he likely hadn't learned many Ninjutsu.

Let alone the ability to dispel Jonin-level Genjutsu.

Naturally, it resulted in a complete crushing.

"Aaaah!" A shrill scream pierced the silence of the night, sounding like the wail of a demon from hell.

As it turned out, this scream did not come from the slain ninja, but from the head of the Otomo Clan and his concubine, who had been awakened by the commotion.

They stared in horror at the bloody scene before them, their bodies trembling uncontrollably, their faces as pale as paper.

The head of the Otomo Clan, in particular, widened his eyes, looking at Uchiha Tenshu with sheer terror. He babbled incoherently, begging for mercy: "Don't kill me... don't kill me... my sister is the... of the Land of Fire's Daimyo..."

"Sharingan!"

Uchiha Tenshu glared at them, and both the Otomo clan head and his concubine were instantly placed under his control.

Under Uchiha Tenshu's command, the clan head began to quickly divulge his personnel arrangements, the location of his assets, his alliances, his contacts with forces behind the scenes, and his cooperation with Konoha.

Once he had finished his rapid confession, the clan head was of no further use.

Squelch!

With a single swing of Uchiha Tenshu's blade, the clan head died instantly.

At the same time, he and Uchiha Sakurako worked like a perfectly synchronized pair. While Uchiha Tenshu was busy, Uchiha Sakurako was frantically slaughtering all the direct descendants of the Otomo Clan, drawing the attention of everyone outside toward her.

Once Uchiha Tenshu had obtained everything he needed, he joined in the ongoing slaughter.

Their figures moved like phantoms, darting across the walls of the Tenshukaku, dodging enemy attacks while delivering fatal blows. They didn't use flashy Ninjutsu; they relied solely on Taijutsu and swordsmanship to cut everything down. This was even more terrifying, striking a deeper sense of dread into the hearts of their enemies than any Ninjutsu could.

Every slash sent blood spraying.

Every figure that fell to the ground stained the earth a deep, vibrant red.

As the direct members of the Otomo Clan were wiped out and their relatives were mostly dead, the entire situation began to collapse.

Soon, all those resisting near the Tenshukaku lost the will to fight. They watched the frenzied slaughter, the grimacing faces and roaring voices of their attackers filling them with fear and despair.

One by one, they dropped their katanas, as if these weapons—once symbols of courage and strength—had become impossibly heavy, impossible to hold. They muttered in disbelief, "We can't do it, we can't do it, we're no match for them at all! Spare us! Spare us! We surrender, we're done fighting!"

"Damn it!" a wandering ninja cursed in frustration. "I said we shouldn't join such a high-ranking noble! Now look, facing an enemy like this is just a death sentence! I don't want to die!"

The other wandering ninjas were also wide-eyed with terror, their faces etched with fear and helplessness. Like a pack of stray dogs, they scrambled to flee in panic, their loyalty to their employer completely forgotten.

However, a transparent barrier suddenly appeared before them, ruthlessly blocking their path.

Several men slammed into it, their heads bloodied on impact, completely unable to comprehend this inexplicable obstruction!

Faced with this sudden obstacle, the panic among the crowd escalated. Some rushed forward desperately, trying to use their last ounce of strength to break the barrier; others collapsed to the ground, having lost all will to resist; still others knelt and begged for mercy, hoping for a shred of pity.

Others searched frantically for places to hide, desperate to escape the clutches of the two killers. But no matter how they struggled, they could not change the cruel reality, left only to await the judgment of fate.

Watching this scene, Uchiha Tenshu shook his head, his lips curling into a satisfied smile. He said casually to Uchiha Sakurako, "You can stop now. Pick out those who are still useful, have them guard each other, and bring them all to the center of the Tenshukaku. Conduct a screening one by one. Those who are irrelevant don't need to die!"

Uchiha Tenshu's words were like the first light of dawn. For this group of people, whose minds were on the verge of collapse like a volcanic eruption, they finally saw a glimmer of hope. Tears gushed out like a broken dam, and they were overcome with ecstatic joy.

Clearly, their connection to the Otomo Clan was as fragile as a spider's web, not enough to warrant a death sentence.

Seeing a chance at survival, they naturally stopped resisting like cornered beasts.

Especially the samurai and ninjas; they had spent their whole lives struggling to find a place for themselves, and they certainly didn't want to throw their lives away for the Otomo Clan for no reason.

"You wandering ninjas, and you samurai, listen up! I intended to kill you all, but since my lord has given you a chance to live, I will give you a chance to pledge your service. From now on, show me your loyalty. Gather everyone inside the Tenshukaku."

Uchiha Sakurako, her face cold and filled with murderous intent, pointed at the group of useless ninjas and samurai and spoke without a hint of politeness.

To them, such cold words sounded like the music of heaven, as if the gentlest of fairies were singing softly in their ears.

This was no Shura assassin; this was a celestial maiden descended from the heavens, a merciful Bodhisattva come to save them!

And so.

Under Uchiha Sakurako's direction, they immediately changed their allegiance one by one, switching banners and even taking the initiative to capture those commoners. Like hungry tigers pouncing on prey, they worked with such fervor that they flushed out everyone hiding in every nook and cranny, as easily as catching turtles in a jar.

As insiders of the Otomo Clan, they were intimately familiar with the layout and personnel of this place.

With these turncoats leading the way.

Every hidden individual was completely rounded up.

Regardless of age or gender.

Not a single person escaped the pursuit of this pack of hyenas.

"Hmm, this has saved me quite a bit of trouble."

At the highest point of the Tenshukaku.

Uchiha Tenshu surveyed every movement throughout the inner city, scrutinizing every action beneath the far-reaching gaze of his Sharingan.

No one dared to make a single suspicious move.