"Sharingan suppression!"
At Uchiha Jin's command, pairs of scarlet Sharingan gleamed with an eerie light. One by one, the Tomoe began to spin along strange paths, their surfaces shimmering.
"How dare you!"
The Cat-Masked Man looked utterly horrified. He had never imagined Uchiha Jin would act so decisively, without the slightest regard for the fact that this was the heart of Konoha.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go!
Why wasn't he following the script? They hadn't even truly fallen out yet, so why was Uchiha Jin suddenly set on a fight to the death?
The Cat-Masked Man knew that his plan was to drive the Uchiha Clan away, then take Uchiha Jin, this "loose end," to some secluded spot and kill him.
But none of that had even begun yet, let alone left behind any evidence.
What good would it do to go all in and kill them, other than venting his anger? It would only give Danzo and the Hokage an excuse to unite Konoha's full strength against the Uchiha.
After all!
They were right here inside Konoha Village. Wasn't acting without worrying about the consequences the privilege of Root?
Besides.
They were posing as Anbu now. Their convenient Anbu identities had helped them immensely in carrying out Danzo's dirty work time and time again.
Whenever they faced a Konoha ninja...
They didn't need a reason!
They didn't need a shred of proof!
The other party could only obediently go along with their arrangements. Even if they actually killed someone, they could brush it off with a simple, "You threatened Konoha's security."
But he hadn't expected this today!
The Cat-Masked Man's visible eye filled with terror. He struggled wildly and shouted at Uchiha Jin.
"Uchiha Jin, do you even know what you're doing?"
But in the next instant!
The fear and urgency in the Cat-Masked Man's eye vanished, replaced by blankness devoid of all emotion.
"Who spoiled this brat?!"
Uchiha Jin was speechless. Wasn't it obvious that these people had come here aggressively, with ill intent? Did they really think everyone else was an idiot?
They'd told the Uchiha Clan to leave, leaving Jin alone. After provoking him like that, they still expected him to surrender meekly and let them do whatever they wanted...
It had come to this. Was there any point in asking?
Could anyone really be this stupid?
No way...
No way...
Wait!
The deadpan faces of Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi suddenly appeared in Jin's mind. An indescribable sense of defeat washed over him.
Damn useless teammates!
This was too much...
Whatever!
At least Uchiha Jin had never pinned his hopes on those two screwups. And soon, he'd be rid of the sight of them anyway.
He wouldn't be surprised if they gave him a heart attack one day.
And the people facing him?
Maybe in your next life... Be more careful next time... Don't let anyone brainwash you into becoming an idiot again...
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...
Behind Uchiha Jin, Uchiha Habara and Uchiha Tonan vanished in a blur!
In fact, the instant the Sharingan Genjutsu took hold, the two had already used the Body Flicker Technique to lunge forward, before anyone noticed.
They had just broken through to Kage Level and were desperate to let blood bear witness to their growth. They also needed to relieve the frustration of being suppressed by Uchiha Jin in the arena.
Who could have imagined that just as they'd broken through to Kage Level and were feeling on top of the world, before they'd even had a chance to show off in front of their clansmen, they'd run into Uchiha Jin—a freak who'd cut in line to enter the competition?
They all had the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, yet the quality and quantity of Uchiha Jin's ocular power far surpassed theirs. For once, they'd even faced the risk of being suppressed by Genjutsu in battle.
Being forced to fight cautiously was bad enough, but Uchiha Jin's Fire Release and Lightning Release were just as masterful. His Uchiha-style swordsmanship fit seamlessly into the mix.
Once they'd realized the enormous gap between them, the final match had ended quickly. In their situation, their only option was to fight desperately and gamble on both sides suffering losses. Continuing would only bring misery upon themselves.
And such a mutual defeat wouldn't have been anything to be proud of. It had hardly happened at all during the Ninja World's Number One Shinobi Tournament. Only a few children had gotten carried away and fought in earnest, and even then, several Jonin had promptly hung them from a tree.
So!
You bastards deserve to die!
Uchiha Habara and Uchiha Tonan were utterly convinced by Jin. And after witnessing their clan's formidable strength with their own eyes, they had no reason to hold back.
The Uchiha were invincible!
With that unwavering conviction, four "spies" had already fallen dead in the blink of an eye. As they died, another seven or eight Uchiha elite Jonin charged out from behind Uchiha Jin.
They didn't hesitate either. The metallic gleam reflected from their Kunai mingled with the eerie glint of blood in the sunlight.
Although these "spies" had plenty of real skill, and even had all kinds of secret techniques with a "self-harming" cost that could forcibly break through the Genjutsu suppression, they still couldn't buy enough time for the reinforcements they'd imagined would arrive.
In the space of only a few breaths, the dozen or so "spies" who had been blocking the street entrance were all dead. Their broken bodies lay in plain sight, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"Don't!"
By then, Uchiha Shisui had finally arrived using the Body Flicker Technique, but it was already too late.
Shisui hadn't planned to come along. He'd only wanted to return to the Hokage Building as soon as possible and report the Uchiha Clan's changes. But Jin's sudden decision to bring the clan out had completely disrupted his plans.
Shisui had a vague feeling that Uchiha Jin was acting on purpose. When he noticed Anbu Ninja outside the clan compound passing along a message, he'd followed them almost without thinking.
Of course!
Unlike the Uchiha, who were filled with joy, Shisui was weighed down by sorrow. He felt out of place. When it seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary outing, he'd followed at the back, slowly, brooding over his troubles.
One was elated, the other full of woe, and so they had gradually fallen behind.
When he spotted the "Anbu" members at the far end of the street, Uchiha Shisui had been the first to stop and observe.
So!
Even with his reputation as the Body Flicker Technique user, Shisui couldn't reach them in time to stop what was happening. He could only watch helplessly as the Uchiha blades reaped the vibrant lives of his "comrades" with ease.
"Why?"
Uchiha Shisui sank helplessly to his knees. His dark eyes instantly became Mangekyo, and yet he looked like a helpless puppy trapped in a desperate situation as he gazed at Uchiha Jin.
Shisui had always believed that the clan was part of the village. The clan shouldn't split from the village and oppose it; it should work to become part of it.
But before he could find a solution, the conflict between both sides had already erupted completely. They had even killed "Anbu" Ninja in the middle of Konoha's streets...
"What do you mean, why?"
Uchiha Jin glanced at Shisui in exasperation, then strolled over to the Cat-Masked Man's corpse. With a light kick, he sent the other man's already half-shattered mask flying.
"Are you sure this thing's an Anbu Ninja?"
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