Land of Fire, Senju Clan camp.
Compared to the brutal battlefield at the front, the camp was calm and peaceful.
Senju Junyan, a young genius of the Senju Clan, had a sharp gaze. His left hand rested lightly on the long blade at his waist as he led a small squad on patrol around the outskirts of the camp.
Although a fierce battle was raging ahead, the defenses in the rear could not be neglected. After all, the camp housed the families of many shinobi, as well as the resources the Senju Clan had accumulated over the past century.
Therefore, before heading into battle, every clan left behind part of its forces to guard the rear and prevent the enemy from raiding their home base.
Junyan looked toward the battlefield, unable to stop his heart from stirring. Guarding the rear was important too, but who did not want to kill enemies on the front lines and display all their brilliance?
"Report, Captain! Everything in the surrounding area is normal!"
His subordinate's report pulled him back to reality. Junyan nodded and continued leading the squad onward, occasionally stopping to inspect their surroundings.
During a lull in the patrol, one of the young men behind Junyan could not help asking, "Captain, do you think we can win this war?"
"Victory is inevitable," Junyan replied calmly. Though he was young, shinobi of the Warring States Period generally matured early and possessed remarkably accurate judgment of the situation. "War, in the end, is a stage for the strong. As long as Lord Hashirama can defeat Uchiha Madara, our Senju Clan cannot lose."
"That's great. It's just a shame that I'm still too weak to fight for everyone on the front lines."
"Then work hard and become stronger," Junyan said quietly. "Since we cannot contribute more to the clan now, we should strive to become its backbone in the future."
"Mm! I definitely will!"
Seeing his subordinate brimming with confidence, Junyan seemed to see his former self. He smiled and patted the young man's shoulder, just about to say something when a sharp sense of danger suddenly stabbed into his back!
"Attention! Something's wrong!"
Junyan shouted, and the subordinates around him quickly gathered close, their expressions grim as they watched the path ahead.
Tap, tap, tap—
Chaotic footsteps drew closer from afar. At the end of the road, a strange group slowly approached. Every person in the group had red light in their eyes and a dull expression. They staggered with every step like walking corpses.
"What are those? Uchiha troops?"
"They don't look like elite troops. More like the old, weak, sick, and disabled?"
Junyan's gaze sharpened. The people before him were indeed strange. Their behavior did not resemble that of normal people, and judging by their clothing, they were not shinobi either. They looked more like nearby bandits.
"Wait here. I'll go take a look."
After giving the order, Junyan drew the long blade at his waist and held it in his hand as he slowly walked forward. The newcomers seemed completely unconcerned by his approach and continued shambling ahead. Soon, less than twenty paces separated them.
"Are they under a Sharingan genjutsu?" Junyan considered it, then reached out, intending to dispel the illusion on them first.
Rumble—
At that moment, the seemingly harmless newcomers suddenly began to swell, while a terrifying mass of chakra rapidly compressed within them!
Junyan's face changed drastically. "Not good!"
Boom!
"Captain!"
In an instant, flames burst forth, and the violent explosion sent smoke and dust soaring into the sky!
A figure stumbled out of the thick smoke. His clothes were shredded, and his once-fair face had been blackened by soot. Yet he had no time to worry about his appearance as he shouted at his subordinates, "Fire a signal flare! Enemy attack!"
"Yes!"
The young man immediately fumbled a signal flare from his waist and reached for its fuse.
Whoosh—
Slash—
Junyan's pupils abruptly widened. A flash of white blade light suddenly exploded before his eyes. The young man's hands remained in the motion of pulling the fuse, but his entire head had already flown into the sky!
Scalding blood splashed across Junyan's face, his eyes filled with disbelief. That sudden slash had come without the slightest warning. The black-clad figure was like a ghostly specter from hell!
"Uchiha Enkō!"
Whoosh—
With a nearly inaudible whistle of wind, Enkō vanished from Junyan's sight, leaving only two green leaves blown up from the grass.
Every hair on Junyan's body stood on end. Relying on years of experience, he slashed toward his right!
Whoosh—
His blade cut through empty air. Enkō lowered his body, evading the horizontal slash, while red light flashed in his eyes!
Sharingan: Genjutsu!
Junyan's consciousness instantly sank into the illusion. At the same time, Enkō spun and lashed a whip kick into his waist and abdomen!
Bang!
Junyan violently spat out blood. His entire body curled like a cooked shrimp as he flew backward in a nearly broken, twisted posture. In an instant, he was sent nearly ten meters away, where two Human Bombs simultaneously swelled along his path!
Boom!
The dust and smoke from the explosion instantly swallowed Junyan's figure, while the remaining patrol members were completely dealt with by the suddenly appearing Chinoike Clan.
"Lord Enkō, they've all been dealt with."
"Ah, still a step too slow." Enkō sighed regretfully, then ordered, "Yan One, lead the others deeper into Senju Clan territory. Take whatever you can. I'll hold the rear here!"
"Hold the rear?" Yan One froze briefly, but when the smoke cleared and two figures emerged, he immediately understood. "Understood. Please be careful, Lord Enkō."
With that, he quickly led his men farther in.
"Looks like Tobirama was right. The Uchiha Clan's third leader truly isn't the useless fool the rumors claimed. What a pity we did not pay attention to you sooner."
A low voice rang out as a tall figure appeared before Enkō. The man wore short hair barely more than an inch long, and his bright eyes fixed on Enkō from his resolute face.
Beside him stood a woman dressed in a kimono. One hand was pressed against the unconscious Junyan as she dispelled the genjutsu affecting him.
"Sarutobi Sasuke, Uzumaki Mito. Heh, the Senju Clan truly has a lot of nerve, leaving two such powerful forces in the rear."
Sarutobi Sasuke explained unhurriedly, "With Hashirama on the battlefield, nothing can go wrong. Therefore, your only hope of turning defeat into victory was to attack our rear. Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna had to contend with Hashirama and Tobirama, so the person chosen to raid the rear naturally had to be you, the most mysterious third leader."
Enkō could not help sighing. "Tsk, tsk. As expected, no one living in this era is simple."
Sarutobi Sasuke neither confirmed nor denied it. He turned to Mito and said, "Lady Mito, according to our intelligence, this man can plunder other people's ninjutsu. To be safe, I'll handle him alone."
Mito did not argue. Taking Senju Junyan with her, she said softly, "Then I'll return to guard the camp. Be careful."
"Hey, hey, hey! Trying to leave? Aren't you taking me a little too lightly?"
The three tomoe in Enkō's eyes instantly merged as his Mangekyō Sharingan swiftly locked onto Mito's figure!
"Don't even think about it!" Sarutobi Sasuke shouted, rapidly forming hand seals!
Earth Release: Earth Prison Jutsu!
Crash—
Four earthen walls rose from the ground, tightly enclosing Enkō at their center and cutting off his line of sight!
"Go!"
Mito nodded and immediately left the area.
Boom!
The four earthen walls shattered with a roar. Enkō stepped out over the scattered dirt. "Such fast hand seals. It looks like I'll have to deal with you first."
Sarutobi Sasuke was equally fired up. "Come, then. Let me see what kind of strength you possess after keeping yourself hidden for so long!"
The wind rose!
The battle was about to erupt!
Before you continue