Meanwhile, on the front lines at Eight-Banner Plain.
The Uchiha Clan Head, Uchiha Tajima, and the Hagoromo Clan Head, Hagoromo Tōmoto, faced off against the Senju Clan Head, Butsuma Senju, and the Hyuga Clan Head, Hyuga Tennin.
Jing Xiu and Izuna were at Ueno Camp, between Eight-Banner Plain and the clan grounds along the Naka River. Tajima wanted his children to understand the world's cruelty sooner rather than later.
So he had brought all five of his sons onto the battlefield, even though his youngest was only three.
Children in the shinobi world faced all kinds of dangers from the moment they were born. Thus, Ueno housed not only Jing Xiu, Izuna, and their three brothers, but also many other Uchiha children, though they were somewhat older.
Even in the future, fifty years after Konoha's founding, four-year-old Uchiha Itachi would likewise be taken onto the battlefield by his father, the clan head Uchiha Fugaku.
It seemed that taking children to war was already a long-standing tradition of the Uchiha Clan.
Dark clouds veiled the bright moon, and the darkness, like an enormous beast, swallowed Eight-Banner Plain bit by bit.
An oppressive tension hung between Butsuma Senju and Uchiha Tajima. The scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan gleamed with bloodthirsty killing intent.
The instant the clouds completely obscured the moon, Uchiha Tajima struck first. The tachi in his hand became a pitch-black viper, lunging to sink its fangs into Butsuma Senju's waist.
Even in a night so dark he could not see his hand before his face, Uchiha Tajima could still perceive Butsuma Senju's every movement.
Earthen spikes silently broke through the ground, becoming razor-sharp spears that stabbed at Uchiha Tajima's lower body.
"Butsuma, you're as underhanded as ever!"
Butsuma Senju did not answer. He drew the tachi at his waist and clashed with Tajima.
"Your swordsmanship is still just as pitiful, Butsuma!"
An odd smile appeared on Butsuma Senju's stern face. The instant Uchiha Tajima saw it, he thought, This is bad.
The ground beneath his feet softened. He lost his balance, and the move he had intended to use to block was forced off course.
"Got you!"
Butsuma Senju would never let such a rare opening slip by. His blade swept like the wind, straight toward Uchiha Tajima's neck.
Though Hagoromo Tōmoto saw that the situation had turned dangerous, he showed no intention of helping.
Hyuga Tennin, who had been watching him closely, instinctively sensed something amiss. It was an instinct honed through years of fighting on the battlefield, but he had no idea what was wrong.
Just as the blade in Butsuma Senju's hand was about to slit Uchiha Tajima's throat, he froze in place, utterly motionless.
At Ueno Camp, twelve-year-old Madara Uchiha was already nearly as strong as his father, Uchiha Tajima, when Tajima was not using his Sharingan. All he lacked was combat experience and control over his strength.
The tachi in his hand pierced a Senju Chunin's throat, while his icy eyes continued to scan the battlefield.
Four squads actually slipped in! Are the scouts at Eight-Banner Plain good for nothing?
Despite that thought, his fierce eyes were filled with worry.
His gaze held neither his left arm, which had long since gone numb, nor the two squads of Senju shinobi surrounding him.
Please, all five of you, stay safe! Jing Xiu, Izuna, Chōta, Kō, Takashi!
Half a year earlier, the Uchiha had launched an all-out war against the Senju.
Because of its unique geography, Ueno had also become the Uchiha Clan's outpost closest to the front lines.
With the fighting at the front growing desperate, Madara Uchiha had replaced the Fourth Uchiha Elder, who had originally been stationed there.
Now, apart from the wounded soldiers Madara had brought back, Ueno had only two Uchiha Special Jōnin and a few support shinobi with little fighting ability.
The Senju and Hyuga had spotted precisely this weakness in the Uchiha rear and seized the chance to assemble elite Jōnin squads for a surprise attack.
Even Madara Uchiha, the future Asura of the Ninja World whose name would resound throughout the shinobi world and who would suppress the Five Great Shinobi Villages almost single-handedly, could barely handle a single Senju Jōnin squad at twelve years old.
The Jōnin squads that had broken into Ueno numbered twenty shinobi in all: three Senju squads and one Hyuga squad.
"Captain, dozens of children spotted at nine o'clock. They appear to be Uchiha children. Shall we wipe them out?"
A Hyuga with the Byakugan looked excitedly toward the place where Jing Xiu, Izuna, and their three brothers were staying.
"Go notify the Jōnin leading the Senju. Leave two people to hold off those old, weak, sick, and wounded."
"Tonight, I'll snuff out the Uchiha's future!"
Hyuga Chenxi looked at the dozens of children nearby. His heart burned with excitement, but his expression was utterly cold and stern.
As a Jōnin representing the Hyuga Main Family, he naturally knew how to reap the greatest rewards from a war.
As long as I make it back alive, barring any surprises, the position of next Hyuga Clan Head will be mine!
Jing Xiu pressed himself against the window, surveyed the camp, then glanced toward the room where the other three little ones were staying. He sighed inwardly in resignation.
Although those wounded Uchiha soldiers pulled back from the front have tied down most of the enemy, two Hyuga are still fighting their way toward me.
He had intended to rely on his seamless teamwork with Izuna to catch the enemy off guard and wound them. But with Hyuga shinobi approaching, there was no chance of luring them into an ambush.
"Izuna! Take Chōta and the other two and run. They're from the Hyuga Clan. I'll buy you as much time as I can."
Izuna said nothing more, nor did he argue about who was the older brother and who should stay behind. He understood how precious every moment was to them now!
"Stay alive!"
After those two words, Izuna rushed straight into the room where his three younger brothers were staying without looking back. He hoisted the youngest, Takashi, onto his back, took Chōta and Kō, and raced toward the clan grounds along the Naka River.
He fought back the stinging in his eyes and ran with all his might, as though only by doing so could he forget that most familiar figure behind him.
"Uchiha brats really are arrogant! Where could you possibly escape under these eyes of mine?"
Hyuga Chenxi completely ignored Jing Xiu in front of him, speaking to himself while putting enormous pressure on the boy.
"At their current speed, they'll need at least twenty minutes to get out of my sight. But I'll only need five to catch them!"
When his mocking gaze met Jing Xiu's Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Chenxi's expression froze for a moment. Jing Xiu merely said calmly, "It seems you've forgotten the iron rule of shinobi in the Warring States era."
"When facing an Uchiha, attack from behind if it's two against one. If it's one against one, flee!"
Before his words had finished, an enormous Great Fireball, a full meter in diameter, hurtled toward Chenxi.
Chenxi instinctively unleashed Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm. A gust of concentrated chakra from his palm collided with the Great Fireball. Though the fireball scattered, the blazing firelight filled Chenxi's vision.
"Damn Uchiha brat! With that much chakra, it looks like I've landed a big catch today!"
After dispersing the flames with a sweep of his sleeve, he closed in on Uchiha Jing Xiu at high speed. Chakra coated his fingertips—the Gentle Fist, the taijutsu the Hyuga Clan took such pride in, unrivaled throughout the shinobi world.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The two traded blows, exchanging dozens of moves.
Only five years old, Jing Xiu was already drenched in sweat. Hyuga Chenxi stared at him in bewilderment. He's so young. How can both his strength and stamina be so formidable?
But Jing Xiu was not having nearly as easy a time as Hyuga Chenxi thought.
"Little Jing Xiu, this is as far as I can help you! I'm entrusting the Uchiha's future to you!"
A voice only Jing Xiu could hear reached his ears. The shadowy figure behind him dissipated completely the instant those words ended.
It was a dissolution that not even the future Impure World Reincarnation could reverse-truly dust to dust, earth to earth.