Genjutsu

The Rain shinobi captain's expression turned wary. He had not expected a young Uchiha to possess the strength of a Jonin, much less such powerful Sharingan Genjutsu.

He had heard that the Uchiha of Konoha were among the foremost bloodline clans in the Shinobi World. Only by fighting one did he realize how troublesome they truly were.

Fugaku Uchiha glanced at Nozawa and Sato. Both were locked in close fights with their opponents, and neither was likely to win quickly.

Many years had passed since the last Shinobi World War. Most of what the Shinobi World knew about the Uchiha's Sharingan was hearsay.

The Rain shinobi Jonin could think of no way to deal with the Uchiha ninja. He could only focus on Fugaku Uchiha's eyes, ready for his next move.

Pupil Power gathered in Fugaku Uchiha's eyes. He cast Genjutsu through his opponent's gaze and activated the Body Flicker Technique at the same time.

"Release!"

After falling for the first Genjutsu, the Rain shinobi Jonin had been guarding against another. The instant the Sharingan activated, he broke the Genjutsu and began forming hand signs.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

The pooled water flowed toward the center, slowly at first, then faster. The rainwater gathered into a water dragon and lunged at Fugaku Uchiha as he used the Body Flicker Technique.

His opponent had timed the Ninjutsu perfectly. Suspended in midair with nothing to push off, Fugaku could only meet it with Ninjutsu of his own. In a direct clash of Ninjutsu, the Sharingan would be far less useful.

Fugaku Uchiha formed hand signs, his chest swelling before he blasted scorching flames from his mouth. They became a Great Fireball in midair and slammed into the water dragon.

Fire and water collided. Scalding steam cut off both sides' vision, and the fireball and water dragon vanished one after the other.

Steam spread across the battlefield. Nozawa and Sato broke off their fights and returned to Fugaku's side.

"How is it?" Fugaku asked. "Can you take them down?"

"I need more time," Sato said. "The weather puts us at too much of a disadvantage. They grew up fighting in rain like this, while we have too little experience fighting in the Land of Rain."

"They're trying to escape," Nozawa said suddenly. "My Kikaichū won't hold them for long."

Another swarm of Kikaichū flew from Nozawa's body.

Several Shuriken appeared in Fugaku Uchiha's hands. He hurled them forward, sending them around the flanks of the three Rain shinobi.

The three Tomoe in his Sharingan spun rapidly. Its keen perception laid every movement of his opponents bare.

The three retreating Rain shinobi swung their weapons in quick succession, deflecting the Shuriken.

Fugaku and the others closed in again. The Genjutsu he had been preparing in his Sharingan took effect, throwing the Rain shinobi in front of Sato into confusion.

As Fugaku cast Genjutsu on the Chunin, the Rain shinobi Jonin charged him and thrust a Kunai at his throat.

Before the Mangekyo Sharingan, the Sharingan was renowned throughout the Shinobi World for its perception and Genjutsu. Fugaku saw the Jonin's movements clearly.

The savage grin on the man's face looked especially ugly to Fugaku. His opponent's composure wavered, and Fugaku seized that opening, planting an image in his mind of the Kunai piercing Fugaku's throat.

A few centimeters from Fugaku's face, the Rain shinobi Jonin held his Kunai outstretched, his eyes vacant. Fugaku's Genjutsu had fooled him completely. He had no idea he had stabbed only an image Fugaku had shown him.

Fugaku drove his Kunai into the man's heart. Awareness returned to the Jonin's vacant eyes, and blood sprayed from his mouth. He stared hard at Fugaku Uchiha, his impression of the Sharingan deepening once more. But he would never get another chance.

A line of text appeared in Fugaku Uchiha's mind.

Killed one Jonin. Gained a moderate amount of Pupil Power.

A cool sensation washed over both Sharingan, nourishing his eyes and making them stronger.

Meanwhile, Sato swiftly killed the Chunin caught in Fugaku Uchiha's Genjutsu. The three of them surrounded the last Chunin.

The remaining Rain shinobi looked around in silence. He knew there was no escape. Of his four-person squad, only he remained.

The three had no intention of wasting words on him. They attacked together, avoiding vital points, and captured him in an instant.

"You want Intelligence on Amegakure, don't you?" the captive Rain shinobi said. "I won't tell you anything. You ninja from the great nations have never cared about the people of us small nations. Every Shinobi World War, we suffer the worst losses."

Fugaku did not comment. If a country wanted to spare its people suffering, it had to keep war beyond its borders. There was no absolute justice in this world.

What was righteous to one side was evil to its enemy. In the end, strength decided everything.

The three Tomoe in his Sharingan spun as Fugaku cast Genjutsu on the captive, seeking Intelligence on the Rain shinobi.

The man grew hysterical and shouted, "You butchers who invade other countries will get what's coming to you one day!"

His eyes suddenly widened, and he spat a mouthful of blood mixed with a piece of flesh—a section of his tongue. His head slumped. Fugaku checked his breathing and found him still alive. He had apparently passed out.

Fugaku could understand the bitterness the man felt as a citizen of a small nation, and his longing for peace. Peace would come decades later, but not now.

A Kunai pierced the man's throat, ending the last Rain shinobi's life.

Killed one Chunin. Gained a small amount of Pupil Power.

The three sealed the four Rain shinobi corpses into a Ninjutsu Scroll, then found a cave and went inside to rest.

The successive battles had taken a toll on all three, especially Fugaku. At his age, using the Three-Tomoe Sharingan repeatedly was no easy feat.

As they entered the cave, Nozawa stationed several Kikaichū at the entrance to warn them of danger. With the insects keeping watch, Fugaku had no need to set Traps.

Fugaku considered the fight passable. Their opponents had lost mainly because they knew too little about the Sharingan. As the war intensified, the nations would only learn more about it. Killing another four-person squad led by a Jonin would not be so easy.

"We've completed the Vanguard Force's assessment mission," Fugaku Uchiha said. "From here on, don't worry about how strong the enemy is. Stay safe and kill as many ninja as you can. I don't want only one or two of us reporting in when it's time to regroup."

For a mission that did not specify the strength of the ninja they had to kill, losing a squad member would lower the captain's evaluation considerably.

As the son of the Uchiha Clan Leader, Fugaku did not want a blemish on his record at the very start of the war. A strong record was an asset in itself.