Encirclement!

Crack!

The ground split open, one fissure, then two, then more and more. The sounds of battle vanished from the battlefield as everyone scattered, avoiding the ever-growing cracks.

Then thick roots burst from the ground and shot skyward. Within mere seconds, they had grown into towering trees, like a miracle of nature.

"Don't panic! My brother's Wood Release won't attack our own! Keep killing!"

Tobirama looked at the small-clan ninja who dared not advance. He felt some disdain, but still spoke words of encouragement.

"Tobirama! You fucking bastard, today is the day you die!!"

Tobirama turned around and saw a giant Susanoo standing behind him.

"Uchiha Izuna!"

"Die, you damned Tobirama!"

Boom!

Izuna controlled the Susanoo, raising its enormous blade as if he were swatting rats.

The Susanoo was too large. Every movement caused a tremendous commotion. It was fine for clearing out fodder, but against overly agile ninja, it seemed somewhat clumsy. Besides, the area was filled with trees and boulders, making it easy to hide.

After slashing around for a while, Izuna voluntarily dismissed the Susanoo. He had realized that continuing like this would not change anything. Other than leaving Tobirama battered and dirty each time, he had gained nothing.

"Do you only know how to run and hide? Coward Tobirama!"

Hmph!

Tobirama sneered from behind a Wood Release tree. Izuna really was a brainless idiot.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Kunai came flying in a sneak attack, striking the air around Izuna with a series of clangs. The Susanoo's manifested arm caught the incoming kunai and crushed them outright.

"Oh? Instead of running away, you took the initiative to show yourself?"

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

Splash!

Izuna leaped backward, only to land on the water's surface. Looking around, he saw that the water was still spreading.

The surrounding ninja had long since run elsewhere to continue fighting. Today's battle would probably remain unforgettable for the rest of their lives. Every other move was a terrain-altering technique, and Chakra seemed endless. They were all monsters!

"Creating favorable terrain? Then how much Chakra do you have left?"

Izuna pointed his sword at Tobirama and sneered.

"Heh, I only need to hold you back."

"Hm? What do you mean?!"

"Look toward your home, idiot!"

Izuna narrowed his eyes and raised the Susanoo again, elevating his position as he looked toward the distant firelight.

His third brother, Uchiha Gen, was at home, so he was not worried that anything would happen. But... just in case, he still needed to confirm it with his own eyes.

"There's fighting over there. Looks like Third Brother has already joined in... No, then what is that other place?!"

"Damn you, Tobirama! How many ninja clans did you persuade!"

Tobirama stood on the water, his face full of smug satisfaction.

"You'll never guess. Beg me! I still won't tell you!"

"You bastard! I'll fight you to the death!"

At that moment, at the Uchiha home, Uchiha Gen's Shadow Clone was still fighting several ninja clans a few kilometers away.

The Shadow Clone was growing anxious. These mid-sized clans had only sent a few hundred people each, but together their numbers had exceeded a thousand. He had brought quite a few clansmen as well, yet the battle had reached a stalemate...

"You didn't all come, did you?"

Faced with Uchiha Gen's question, the other side did not answer. Instead, they threw a huge ball of flesh at him.

Boom!

The Shadow Clone staggered from the impact, and his Mangekyō Sharingan activated instantly. He could not hesitate now.

"Susanoo! Rise!"

Using Susanoo to clear out this trash was almost too effective. The Akimichi Clan's Multi-Size Technique was as fragile as a baby before him, while the Nara Clan and Yamanaka Clan's techniques did not counter the Uchiha.

"Clan Head! A large number of ninja have appeared at the rear mountain!"

Damn it! The Shadow Clone angrily smashed an Akimichi fat man into pulp, then immediately formed hand seals.

"Summoning Technique!"

Little Kuro appeared on the battlefield with a confused look. She had barely raised her head to look around before she was dismissed again.

But Little Kuro was not stupid. As a Ninja Cat, she immediately understood what was happening.

"What a pain, meow!"

At Uchiha Gen's home, Haru felt uneasy. The sounds of battle had reached the Clan Land, which was not good news.

Turning around, she saw the Black Cat drawing something on the ground and curiously moved closer to inspect it.

"What are you doing?"

"Summoning my main body, meow~"

Uchiha Haru had heard of the Ninja Cat Clan, but this was her first time seeing a cat use ninja techniques.

Boom!

The house exploded. An unfamiliar Uchiha ninja fell from the roof, coughing up a mouthful of blood. The fuzz on his face had not fully faded; he was clearly still only a half-grown boy.

"Cough, cough! Run!"

Uchiha Haru froze for a moment, then rose to leave quickly. But when she looked down, she found the Black Cat still drawing.

"Kuro!"

"Almost done! Almost done, meow!"

Slash!

Haru turned her head. The unfamiliar clansman had already become a corpse, and she finally saw what the enemy looked like.

"Fūma Clan!"

The Fūma Clan was located in the Land of Wind, yet they had appeared here!

"A woman?"

The members of the Fūma Clan all looked rather distinctive—ugly to an extreme degree—and they even liked painting eyeshadow on their faces.

Haru faced him as if facing a great enemy. The other side was not weak, and he was a ninja she had never fought before. She had no intelligence on him at all.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

The Fūma ninja nimbly dodged it and rushed in for close combat. Haru had no weapon and could only evade. The room quickly descended into chaos.

Under the tension, time passed like years. The fur on Little Kuro's back was soaked through, but she finally completed the technique.

"You scared me to death, meow! Summoning Technique!"

Far away in the laboratory, Uchiha Gen's fingers trembled slightly. With a smack, a beaker fell to the floor and shattered.

"Feeling uneasy? What's going on?"

Just as Uchiha Gen sensed that something was wrong, a pulling force suddenly came over him. After recognizing Little Kuro's Chakra, he did not resist and allowed himself to be summoned.

Splash!

When Uchiha Gen reappeared, he found himself directly inside his home in the Uchiha Clan Grounds. Turning his head, he saw Little Kuro already collapsed on the ground from exhaustion.

Thud!

A heavy body hit the ground, and warm blood began to flow. Uchiha Gen looked over and found an exceptionally ugly ninja standing there with a blood-dripping blade in hand.

Looking around again, his home seemed as though it had been ransacked. Tables and chairs lay scattered everywhere, the walls were damaged, a huge hole had been blasted through the roof, and there were two corpses.

"What happened?"

"Meow!"

"Hm?"

Following Little Kuro's gaze, Uchiha Gen noticed that the clothes worn by the person who had just fallen looked somewhat familiar.

—Huff!

—Huff!

"The clan has been invaded, meow..."

After saying that, Little Kuro closed her eyes. To summon Uchiha Gen here, she had exhausted all her Chakra, and her consciousness slowly sank into sleep.

Huff—

Only Uchiha Gen's increasingly heavy breathing remained in the room. The Fūma ninja felt that today had truly opened his eyes. One Uchiha after another kept appearing. Could this be some kind of relay tactic?

"Brat! Die!"

Yet Uchiha Gen did not pay him any attention. He slowly walked over to Haru and turned her body over.

"Haru... Haru!"

His fingers brushed across Haru's face. The massive blood loss had rapidly drained the warmth from her body, and her heart... had already stopped beating. Uchiha Gen suddenly felt hollow inside. Tears fell unconsciously, while the sound of something slicing through the air came from behind him.

Screech!

Two pale jade-like fingers caught the blade. Frost slowly spread across it. The Fūma ninja's eyes widened, but the frost spread too quickly. It was already too late for him to let go.

"What technique—"

In the span of a breath, a lifelike ice sculpture stood in the room.

Uchiha Gen opened the large scroll he always carried on his back, found several empty spaces inside, and sealed Haru's body into it.

Then he stood, picked up Little Kuro and tucked her into his arms. Moonlight shone through the hole in the roof, casting an eerie light on Uchiha Gen's curled lips.