The First Elder and the Third Elder watched the crackling sounds coming from behind them, and a wave of sorrow washed over them.
" Shimura... why did it come to this?"
A clansman standing nearby gritted his teeth and said in grief and indignation, "Elder, let's escape quickly! We can't let our clan leader down!"
The Third Elder nodded. "Let's run now, and I'll come back and fight you for it later!"
However, a mocking voice suddenly came from behind. "Do you think you can leave?"
The two suddenly turned around and saw Dai Uchiha standing behind the group, sword in hand, followed by several elite members of the Uchiha clan and members of the Shimura.
"These traitors! Despicable!" The Third Elder glared angrily. "Are you all really willing to be the Uchiha's dogs?"
The Shimura clansman standing behind Dai Uchiha's expression shifted slightly, then said, "So what? I just want to live a good life, I just want my family to live."
What do I have to do with the lofty ideals you speak of? I just wanted my family to live, what did I do wrong?
Elder Shimura angrily rebuked, "What you're doing will ruin the entire clan! Shouldn't you be prepared to sacrifice for the clan? Sacrificing for the clan is your honor!"
Tai Uchiha pointed the tip of his sword at him. "You recklessly abandon your clansmen for your own selfish desires. Which clansman would be willing to risk their life for you?"
After saying that, he rallied his clansmen and charged forward. Facing the menacing Uchiha, the First Elder and Third Elder turned pale.
The Third Elder looked at the First Elder: "What should we do? What should we do now?"
The elder's face was pale, then he gritted his teeth and said, "Take your men and leave quickly! I'll hold them off! Don't worry about anything else, don't take anything with you. As long as you're alive, there's still a chance!"
Lead your people and get out of here quickly! Treasure and food can be obtained from other places, but if we lose our people, we'll truly have nothing! Let's go!
After saying this, the elder led a portion of the clansmen to clash head-on with the Uchiha squad, and immediately, agonizing screams echoed from within the ranks.
The Third Elder turned away, unable to bear it any longer. He listened to the continuous wails behind him, his body trembling. But he couldn't stop; he had to leave with his men!
"Let's go! Let's go quickly," the Third Elder uttered his final words in a deep voice, then led a small group of clansmen out through the back door.
Dai Uchiha was a veteran of the Uchiha, and Elder Shimura, having already exhausted himself Yukimichi Uchiha, was even more unable to withstand Dai Uchiha.
Finally, Dai Uchiha plunged his sword into the Elder's body, and the Elder collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
The surrounding people had also been wiped out by the Uchiha Clan, and the remaining ones surrendered. The battle was over.
Watching the Third Elder and his group flee into the distance, Dai Uchiha narrowed his eyes. Although somewhat unwilling, this operation had already been quite unexpected.
It was originally a clandestine operation, and being able to completely eliminate Shimura's threat was already a great victory.
The group that escaped can no longer be considered a threat. They won't recover for at least several hundred years, and even if they do, their strength will be significantly reduced.
With the threat to the south of the Uchiha completely eliminated, the only remaining challenge is to deal with the Three-Clan Allied Forces Uzumaki Senju and Sarutobi clans from the northeast.
Just then, Yukimichi Uchiha rushed up, carrying a bloodstained sword. He looked at Dai Uchiha, then at the corpse lying on the ground, and asked...
"Senior... how are you?"
Dai Uchiha clapped his hands. "Sigh, a bunch of people got away. I'm getting old, and I can't do anything right anymore, sigh..."
Yukimichi Uchiha glanced at the corpses scattered on the ground, then shook his head and said, "Senpai, you've done very well. The threat has been completely eliminated."
We have achieved a resounding victory! The remaining enemies pose no threat anymore. We... have won!
The other members of the Shimura kept their heads down, lost in thought. Perhaps they simply wanted a reason to live, a way to survive.
Who would willingly choose to die if they could live?
"Alright, count the number of people, count the spoils. I need a specific number," Yukimichi Uchiha said calmly. " The Uchiha don't need useless people."
The Fourth Elder, who had followed, quickly lowered his head. "I understand..."
After escaping a considerable distance, Elder Shimura III finally stopped to catch his breath once he confirmed that there were no pursuers.
Looking at the tribesmen surrounding him, he gasped for breath, "How many are left? How many of us escaped?"
A clansman standing nearby said with a mournful face, "Third Elder... we only have a few dozen people left! Many... didn't escape!"
The Third Elder slammed his fist on a nearby tree and said hatefully, "Damn Uchiha, damn Hiko Shimura! I will tear them to pieces one day!"
If it weren't for them, we wouldn't be in such a sorry state, and there wouldn't be so few of us! Less than one in ten survived!
A clansman standing nearby asked with a sorrowful face, "Third Elder, what should we do next?"
The Third Elder raised his head. "We must start afresh. We are currently incapable of fighting the Uchiha. Let's find a place to rest and recuperate, build up our strength, and then launch a counterattack."
Although our intelligence is among the weakest in the clan, compared to the commoners, we are still ninjas. Let's find a small village to hide in...
From now on, I am the clan head of Shinshi Shimura! I will carry on the clan head's will! Let Shimura live on forever! Let's go!
With that, he led the remaining members of his tribe to continue their escape into the distance, disappearing completely into the night.
On the other side, at the original Shimura headquarters, the fourth elder of Shimura looked at the corpses of the clan head, the fifth elder, and the first elder being carried over, and shook his head, saying...
"Why bother? Listen to me, why let this happen?"
A trusted aide stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Fourth Elder, the internal purge of the clan has been completed. After this battle, only about 50 clan ninjas remain."
However, this matter did not involve many ordinary citizens; we still have more than 2,000 ordinary citizens.
The Fourth Elder nodded. "I understand. Luckily we acted early, otherwise all these civilians would have been taken away by that old man! If they were outside, the Uchiha would inevitably suspect us."
A clansman standing nearby pursed his lips. "But if we do this, becoming vassals of the Uchiha... will that really make the clan thrive?"
The Fourth Elder waved his hand. "Let's bide our time for a while. Do you think we have the strength to resist more than 50 ninjas?"
If we hadn't chosen to surrender, do you think there would be these 2,000-plus civilians? If the Uchiha had really come to kill us, would your family have survived?"