A Desperate Gamble

The war between the two great clans had lasted half a month. Aside from the overwhelming might of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, which intimidated all others, Chu Yang's name had gradually entered the public eye among the younger generation as well.

Fame brought danger in its wake.

After learning that Chu Yang was the heir Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju were wholeheartedly grooming.

The Uchiha clan became determined to kill Chu Yang.

A genius even Hashirama Senju valued would surely become a grave threat to the Uchiha clan in the future. They would never allow a second Hashirama Senju to emerge!

Thus, in the battles that followed, Chu Yang received some especially "enthusiastic" attention from the enemy on the battlefield!

Wherever Chu Yang appeared became a second focal point of the battlefield, apart from Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.

Tobirama Senju was no pushover either. As though he had anticipated their plan long ago, he did not hesitate to use Chu Yang as bait and won several brilliant ambushes.

Yet this seemingly did not deter the Uchiha clan from wanting to nip Chu Yang in the bud.

As long as Chu Yang dared appear on the battlefield, they would still send the clan's elite to surround and kill him without fear of death.

The unimaginable troop numbers and hysterical madness meant the later ambushes failed to achieve their intended results.

By this point, matters had gradually slipped beyond Tobirama Senju's control.

By the time he came to his senses... it was already too late to pull Chu Yang back.

Amid the fierce struggle between both sides, Chu Yang had seemingly become a symbol of something on the battlefield. If he were withdrawn to the rear for protection now, the Senju clan's momentum would take a severe blow.

If that happened, the advantage Tobirama Senju had built through the previous battles would become meaningless.

Thus, both sides could only center everything around Chu Yang!

They continuously committed more forces, raised the stakes, and launched unimaginably fierce battles of attack and defense.

Its importance to the course of the entire war even surpassed the battle between Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.

Late at night.

The Uchiha clan's camp.

Madara Uchiha and his younger brother Izuna Uchiha were discussing the key to victory in this war inside a brightly lit secret chamber.

"Brother, if this drags on, the situation will turn against us. We have to make a desperate gamble. Gather the remaining Genjutsu experts in the clan and get rid of that brat called Senju Yang."

"Once he dies, the Senju clan's soaring momentum will instantly crash to the bottom. Then this war will be as good as won!" Izuna Uchiha gave his suggestion under immense mental pressure, his eyes bloodshot.

Madara Uchiha did not answer immediately. His eyes remained fixed on the crisscrossing pieces atop the sand table. Just as Izuna had said, the Senju clan was steadily devouring their territory.

If things continued as they were, losing this war was only a matter of time.

"You will personally lead this mission. It must succeed. If it fails, we will have no chance of turning things around!" Madara Uchiha said heavily.

Izuna Uchiha nodded and turned to leave the secret chamber.

Watching his younger brother's retreating back, Madara Uchiha suddenly felt some regret. If possible, he wanted to go himself, but he had to hold back Hashirama Senju on the main battlefield.

Other than him, no one in the Uchiha clan could withstand Hashirama. The reverse was true as well.

That very night, Izuna Uchiha summoned ten Genjutsu experts from the clan and prepared to infiltrate the Senju clan's camp to assassinate Chu Yang.

Of course, the Uchiha clan had many more people skilled in Genjutsu, but for an assassination, the more people involved, the greater the chance of something going wrong.

Ten was the optimal number Izuna Uchiha had reached after careful consideration. Some among those ten could even be sacrificed at a critical moment.

They understood this clearly, and they pressed forward without hesitation.

Under the moonlight, the group silently vanished into the darkness.

Meanwhile, after a full day of fighting, Chu Yang had already returned to his tent to rest.

Yet for some reason, Chu Yang simply could not fall asleep.

Though his exhausted eyelids were barely staying open, he would suddenly jolt awake whenever he was about to drift off.

"What kind of weird negative BUFF is this?"

After tossing and turning in bed for a long time, Chu Yang angrily climbed up, sat on the edge of the bed, and cursed under his breath. Then he fell into self-doubt again. "Could it be that my body's too weak?"

"Peh, peh, peh, peh!" The moment the words left his mouth, Chu Yang hurriedly rejected the idea. He was a vigorous young man in the prime of life. How could he possibly be weak?

If it was not a physical problem, then it had to be a mental one.

Speaking of his mind, Chu Yang realized that not only had his Haki grown stronger, but his instincts had also become sharper than before when facing danger on the battlefield.

"There must be some danger making me so restless!" A flash of insight struck Chu Yang. He immediately unleashed his Observation Haki at full power, completely covering the area around him.

Through the senses of his Observation Haki, Chu Yang discovered that eleven people with unfamiliar presences were crossing the Senju clan's sentry posts and heading in his direction.

"An assassination?" Chu Yang sneered. He guessed the Uchiha clan's intentions, never expecting them to make him their assassination target.

Chu Yang used Wood Release Shadow Clone, leaving the clone on the bed while he secretly slipped away.

He was going to call for reinforcements and trap them like turtles in a jar.

To deceive the enemy, Chu Yang did not inform the guards standing watch outside.

On the other side, Izuna Uchiha led the clan's experts through the Senju clan's defenses. Each time they passed a sentry post, a Genjutsu expert would silently hypnotize the guards.

After breaking through layer upon layer of defenses, Izuna Uchiha led his men near Chu Yang's tent. As long as they dealt with the guards at the entrance, their mission would be in the bag.

At Izuna Uchiha's signal, five Genjutsu experts acted at once, silently trapping every guard in Genjutsu.

"Lord Izuna, isn't this going a little too smoothly?" The oldest elder in the group suddenly spoke.

"The clan's most proficient Genjutsu users are all here. If we can still fail under those circumstances, then there's no need to keep fighting the Senju clan. We might as well surrender directly," Izuna Uchiha replied coldly.

The elder gave a bitter smile and said nothing more, retreating back into the group.

The others stood guard outside while Izuna Uchiha lifted the tent flap and entered alone. He happened to see the sleeping "Chu Yang," whose face was filled with exhaustion.

"So young..."

The instant Izuna Uchiha saw Chu Yang's face, he could not help sighing inwardly. He was already considered one of the finest among the younger generation in the ninja world, yet Chu Yang was even younger than him.

Even as an enemy, Izuna Uchiha felt regret at having to kill such a young genius.

But Izuna Uchiha understood clearly that mercy toward one's enemy was cruelty toward oneself. If Chu Yang were allowed to grow, what awaited the Uchiha clan might very well be hell!

At that thought, Izuna Uchiha's expression turned savage. He pulled out a kunai and viciously thrust it toward Chu Yang's neck!

The instant the kunai pierced Chu Yang's neck, the sensation transmitted through it made Izuna Uchiha's face go pale!

"Wood Clone?!!"