Uchiha Ran Is Finished

Inasui frowned deeply. "Captain, at least let us brothers come with you, or let Tekka scout ahead alone..."

Uchiha Tetsuka: Huh? Is that even something a human would say?

"Carry out the order!"

Uchiha Ran tilted his head slightly, his scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan appearing especially deep in the dim light.

"The Will of Fire the village speaks of is not about treating shinobi as expendable resources. It is about willingly becoming burning green leaves to protect the weak."

With that, Uchiha Ran stepped alone into the trap the Hidden Sand shinobi had so carefully prepared.

Watching his back, even the twenty Chunin who had been temporarily reassigned could not help but feel moved.

It could only be said that in a world that valued only strength, the power of talk-no-jutsu was simply too great—especially talk-no-jutsu enhanced by the system.

It was hardly inferior to a protagonist's halo.

Only one person remained unaffected.

Uchiha Tetsuka: Ah, so I'm still very weak in the captain's eyes!

Inside Gale-Splitting Gorge.

Uchiha Ran had just lightly leaped onto a rock and moved close against the cold cliff wall.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Extremely faint sounds of air being sliced through, nearly completely drowned out by the wind, came from behind an outcropping overhead!

Poison needles, each glinting with a faint blue sheen and as fine as cow hairs, shot viciously toward Uchiha Ran's back!

Uchiha Ran did not even turn around. He merely tilted his head and twisted his body slightly. The poison needles brushed past his hair, then struck the rock wall behind him with a "ding," their tails still trembling.

With a flick of his wrist, a kunai silently appeared between his fingers. His arm swung backward and upward at an unnatural angle!

Pfft!

A muffled groan rang out, followed by the sound of a heavy body hitting the ground.

Behind the rock, a sentry in Hidden Sand camouflage clutched at the wound where the kunai had precisely pierced his throat. His wide eyes were filled with disbelief and frozen terror as his twitching body slid down.

Deep within Gale-Splitting Gorge, in a cave concealed behind a massive stalactite, Chahachiro was observing the gorge entrance through a floating, eyeball-shaped miniature puppet.

When he saw Uchiha Ran's team stop rather than charge headlong into the encirclement formation as expected, a trace of grim disappointment appeared on his face, smeared with paint.

"Tch, so they found out? The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan really is troublesome..."

He muttered hoarsely, "But hehehe, you just happen to be our main target! Uchiha Ran, make your move!"

He directly gave the order to the puppeteers beside him.

Meanwhile.

After using his Sharingan to deal with several exposed sentries, Uchiha Ran spotted a palm-sized ocher flag covered in intricate runes, planted inside an extremely concealed recess high on the cliff ahead.

The flag itself emitted only weak chakra fluctuations, but through the Sharingan's vision, it seemed like a node connected to several equally hidden rune points on the surrounding cliff walls!

"A sensory barrier? No... a triggered sealing and binding trap!"

Alarm bells blared in Uchiha Ran's mind.

The Hidden Sand ambush was far more than just a few sentries! This gorge itself had likely been turned into a massive cage!

Before his words had even faded, a sudden change erupted!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Countless Explosive Tags on both cliff walls detonated at once. The deafening blasts shook the air as shattered rocks poured down like a rainstorm, instantly sealing both exits!

Immediately afterward, thick purple poison mist, dark as ink, surged from the depths of the gorge like floodwaters bursting through a breached dam, sweeping toward him together with even more violent and chaotic air currents!

The poisonous mist churned as it rolled forward. Wherever it passed, even the hard rock surfaces gave off faint sizzling sounds of corrosion!

"The plan to surround and kill the Uchiha Clan begins now!"

Faint shouts filled with killing intent came from above.

"Yes!"

"Let's go!"

At the same time, piercing whistles and dense sounds of objects tearing through the air rang out from atop the towering cliffs on both sides!

Countless explosive kunai blazing with fire, poisoned senbon, massive Fuma Shuriken, and all manner of Wind Style ninjutsu poured down like rain.

Their target was the relatively open area in the middle of the gorge, where he had just finished clearing out the sentries!

Clearly, the Hidden Sand had not failed to notice the sentries' deaths. They had activated a prearranged saturation attack plan!

A tidal wave of purple poison mist in front, a deadly storm of ninja tools behind!

For an ordinary Jonin, this would have been an absolute dead end!

"Chahachiro... he really did prepare a 'grand gift.'"

"Hidden Sand... ruthless as ever! So this is what a real 'ambush' looks like?"

A cold curve appeared at the corner of Uchiha Ran's mouth.

"Earth Style: Earth Flow Rampart!"

A massive earthen wall rose from the ground, only to be instantly torn apart by the storm of ninja tools pouring down upon it.

Purple poison mist continued to seep through the cracks in the earthen wall.

Amid the churning poison mist and the cold flashes of ninja tools filling the sky, his scarlet Sharingan erupted with red light, its three tomoe transforming into three sickle-shaped blades.

He did not believe his Earth Style mastery could withstand Hidden Sand's attack. That towering rampart was merely meant to conceal his trump card.

"Susanoo!"

A massive red skeletal half-body of Susanoo instantly condensed into shape. Its arms crossed over one another, shielding Uchiha Ran within.

The many Wind Style ninjutsu and ninja tools struck Susanoo's surface with a crackling barrage, yet none could break through its solid defense.

The poison mist was troublesome, but he had prepared for it. He first injected himself with an antidote, and then, naturally—

Activated the weird skill—Diving!

Why had he not used it earlier? Because he still needed to set up a few little things.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

As the gale swept up sand and dust, the scene within came into view.

A figure wearing a Konoha Jonin flak jacket lay sprawled on the ground, its back embedded with kunai and shuriken.

"Roar!"

"Alright, we got him!"

"Beautiful!"

Cheers suddenly erupted.

What Konoha Spark, what Elite Jonin, what puppeteer nemesis—under their combined attack, he was nothing but trash.

What they did not know was that several years later, the Kirigakure shinobi who ambushed and killed Pakura, the First Beauty of the Hokage's Back, would do the same thing—and think exactly the same way.

Seeing that Uchiha Ran seemed to be finished, Chahachiro, who had been hiding cautiously all this time, finally dared to show himself.

A group of Hidden Sand shinobi surrounded him and showered him with praise.

Surrounded by the Hidden Sand shinobi like a victorious general returning from battle, Chahachiro finally revealed a delighted smile of vengeance fulfilled on that young yet aged face.

The surrounding Hidden Sand shinobi cheered even more excitedly, as though they could already see the enormous merit that Konoha Spark's fall would bring.

"What Konoha Spark? He was nothing special!"

One Hidden Sand shinobi spat smugly.

"Before Lord Chahachiro's schemes, no matter how formidable someone is, they still have to kneel!"

"Exactly! Puppeteers are the strongest!"

Chahachiro savored the belated flattery, and even his steps grew lighter.