Kill!

With that, Junichi raised his hand again.

The Third Hokage's side trembled with fear, preparing to dodge.

But it was useless.

In an instant, Junichi's arm blurred into an afterimage, and the Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes shone brilliantly.

[Heavenly Timing]—Double Speed!

Swish, swish, swish...!

In an instant, Junichi unleashed twelve slashes.

The twelve Flying Slashes bloomed like flower petals, sweeping through the ninja ahead at incredible speed.

"Not good!"

The ninja's pupils shrank to pinpoints as they tried to evade.

But they were far too late.

All they saw was a flash before their eyes.

Before they could make it out, pain struck somewhere on their bodies, followed by spraying blood.

Then—

One ninja after another was severed from every possible angle.

Just one strike.

The area within two hundred meters ahead was completely cleared. Not a single person remained standing.

"Gulp..."

Many of the Uchiha behind him could not help swallowing.

Terrifying!

Even with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, they could only barely make out those twelve slashes.

And merely seeing them was not enough.

Their bodies could not react in time.

"Not bad."

Junichi looked at the carnage before him without the slightest ripple in his heart. Instead, he nodded in satisfaction. "The techniques and power of the Pirate World really do crush these fragile ninja."

"Chunin or jonin, it doesn't matter."

"One Flying Slash, and none of them can dodge it."

Even as he savored his satisfaction—

Junichi did not forget that he still had people to kill.

No matter who they were, the moment they invaded the Uchiha Clan's territory, their position as enemies was sealed.

And since they were enemies, naturally, he had to return the favor.

They had killed their way in. Junichi would kill his way back out.

Swish!

As he pondered, Junichi's arm blurred again, sending out Flying Slashes as though they cost nothing.

He had deliberately reduced the power of the Flying Slashes.

In the Pirate World, they would only count as ordinary attacks.

But to these fragile ninja, they were already a massive nightmare.

Swish!

A Flying Slash swept past.

Two hundred meters away, an Anbu ninja hiding in a tree was split into left and right halves along with the tree itself.

Splat!

Inside a house on the left, a Root ninja had his head cut off.

Bang!

Three meters underground, a Sarutobi ninja had his upper body sliced away.

"Ahhh...!!"

Terrified cries rang out.

The morale of the Third Hokage's forces utterly collapsed, and they fled in blind panic.

"Run!"

"He's not human! He's a monster!"

"This guy isn't someone we can handle!"

"We don't stand a chance!"

They scattered in every direction.

Even the Sarutobi Clan's ninja began to waver, with more than half turning around and leaving.

They had come to risk their lives, not throw them away.

"Earth Style..."

Only the machines trained by Root were still struggling. "Earth Dragon Bullet Technique!"

A jonin-level Root ninja rapidly formed hand seals with both hands.

Junichi merely glanced at him, then casually swung his blade, splitting both the earth dragon and the man in half.

That casual manner of killing only made the others more terrified.

"We can't fight him! We absolutely can't fight him!"

The Sarutobi ninja who had still been hesitating finally panicked completely, turning to join the fleeing crowd.

"Go. Kill them all."

Junichi turned back to glance at the Uchiha and ordered, "But do not leave the clan territory. Once you're done, return here and gather around me."

"Yes!!"

The clansmen answered excitedly, their bodies trembling with exhilaration.

Ten of them actually awakened the Sharingan because of this!

Another seven had their Sharingan's ocular power advance to one tomoe!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

They used the Body Flicker Technique at full speed, chasing after the fleeing forces of the Third Hokage like starving tigers pouncing on sheep.

They had been suppressed for so long that resentment had long built up in their hearts.

Now that they had a chance to release it, no one hesitated.

"...Fugaku."

Yoshikichi did not join the pursuit. He turned to Fugaku with a solemn expression. "Junichi is stronger than you, and he has done better than you!"

"Elder, I know what I should do." Fugaku revealed a bitter smile.

"That's good."

Yoshikichi's expression softened. He patted Fugaku on the shoulder and consoled him, "You were not wrong to begin with, but no one could have anticipated the Fourth Hokage's death."

"Once the Fourth Hokage died, the situation changed."

"And when the situation changes, choices that were once correct can become mistakes."

Fugaku fell silent as he listened.

"You and Itachi were wrong, but you still have Sasuke. You still have a chance to choose," Yoshikichi said earnestly.

Fugaku nodded heavily. "I understand."

At the same time.

Within the clan's inner district.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

A vortex slowly appeared in the air, as if space itself had twisted.

A figure emerged from the vortex.

He wore an orange spiral mask and a black robe patterned with red clouds. In his exposed left eye socket was a Mangekyō Sharingan with a sickle-shaped pattern.

He stared silently at Itachi Uchiha's eyeless corpse on the ground.

"Madara..."

A black-and-white humanoid creature emerged from the ground and frowned. "Itachi is dead. Are we still continuing with the Uchiha Clan's extermination?"

"No need." Obito shook his head and looked toward the clan's main road, speaking in a low voice. "There's something wrong with this Junichi Uchiha."

"His growth had been mediocre, ordinary, and stable. He had no conditions to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan at all."

"And that absurd swordsmanship..."

Obito did not continue. Deep wariness flashed through his eyes.

The sudden appearance of someone outside the script filled him with profound unease.

"What about the plan to weaken Konoha?" Black Zetsu asked hoarsely.

"It has already succeeded."

As Obito spoke of the situation, some confidence returned to him. "Whether Junichi Uchiha wins, the Third Hokage wins, or both sides suffer."

"It will all be a devastating blow to Konoha."

"My goal has been achieved. I merely lost Itachi, a chess piece. The loss is acceptable."

At that—

Black Zetsu said nothing further. It shared the same view.

Neither it nor Obito possessed the strength for direct combat, so it was best to act cautiously.

Before they figured out Junichi Uchiha's true background, it was better to watch and wait.

"Let's go. There's no point staying here." Obito reached out and placed a hand on Black Zetsu's shoulder.

Black Zetsu nodded.

The next moment, space around Obito's right eye twisted.

The warped space became like a vortex, swallowing both of them and making them vanish without a trace.

On the main road.

Junichi strolled forward, casually swinging his blade.

Swish!

Swish!

Flying Slashes flew from his hand with effortless ease.

Inside houses, beneath the earth, behind walls, amid ruins...

The Anbu and Sarutobi ninja who had been overlooked by the clansmen and hidden away were all found by his Observation Haki.

The Flying Slashes he unleashed sent every last one of them on their way.

Even when some used the Shadow Clone Technique and threw smoke bombs in an attempt to interfere with sight and hearing—

It was still useless.

Under the perception of Observation Haki, their every movement was as clear as words written in the palm of his hand.

Swish!

Junichi swung his blade again, cutting a Sarutobi ninja hiding in the cellar of a house in half.

He sheathed his sword and stood still, looking around.