The Senju Clan prisoners had been captured several days ago, but it was still unclear just what the Third Elder had learned from interrogating them.
Rekka Uchiha had also died several days ago. Though it was deeply sorrowful, death was the norm in the Warring States period.
War gave Uchiha Takashi and the others no time to recover. After that incident, they had been sent straight to the front without a moment's rest.
Grieving? No problem. Endure a few more rounds on the front lines and you would stop grieving, because you simply would not have time for it!
Facing successive attacks from the Uzumaki Clan, the Uchiha Clan's front lines were plunged into misery every day. Both sides had their victories and defeats in this ongoing war, but overall, the fighting had been deeply frustrating for the Uchiha Clan.
Most Uchiha were fond of fighting. Constantly defending and passively taking a beating was a tremendous test for the Uchiha clansmen.
Today, however, a forward position where Uchiha Takashi was stationed finally received some good news.
Raku Uchiha, the commander of Takashi's forward position, happily addressed all the Uchiha clansmen on the front lines.
"Clansmen, we've just received good news! We finally don't have to keep taking a beating! Now we're going to coordinate with our forces and launch a counterattack against the Uzumaki Clan!"
Homura Uchiha's eyes immediately lit up at those words. "Great! I've had enough of taking a beating all these days! We can finally fight back?"
Uchiha Takashi was actually somewhat excited, though it did not show on his face. In truth, the underlying code etched into his Uchiha genes really did stir some excitement in him.
Raku Uchiha swept his hand out. "Clansmen! Our mission is simple! When the next wave of Uzumaki attackers is defeated and retreats, we'll charge straight out of our position and attack them.
"At that point, our main forces will coordinate with us to attack the Uzumaki Clan. We must take down their entire attacking force!"
Before he had even finished, ninjutsu came flying from the distance, startling Raku Uchiha into immediately forming hand seals. "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
The rapidly rising earthen wall blocked the incoming ninjutsu. Watching the crowd charging toward them from afar, Raku Uchiha cursed loudly. "You Uzumaki idiots! Fighting from morning till night-don't you ever get tired of it?"
But cursing aside, the enemy was almost in their faces. They had to react immediately.
After warning the clansmen to prepare for battle at once, Raku Uchiha returned to his combat post.
"Earth Release: Earth Bullet Barrage!" "Water Release: Water Shockwave!" "Wind Release: Great Wind Kill!" ...
Ninjutsu flew toward the Uchiha position from every direction. Three Water Release attacks alone were headed over Uchiha Takashi's head.
Aka Uchiha shouted, "Fire Style: Fire Barrier!" Fierce flames immediately poured from his mouth, forming a wall of fire that evaporated all three water shields.
Homura Uchiha promptly followed up with more damage. "Fire Style: Fire Needle!" Three needles formed from flames shot toward the charging Uzumaki Clan at tremendous speed. Three unlucky Uzumaki were pierced and died on the spot.
"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!" Uchiha Takashi was not about to be outdone either. Fire Style attacks streamed from his mouth one after another without any regard for chakra consumption, his One-Tomoe Sharingan spinning furiously in his eyes.
"All of you, die!" Raku Uchiha's furious roar rang in everyone's ears, boosting their morale.
Faced with the Uchiha Clan's fierce attacks, the Uzumaki Clan suddenly could not hold out. Their Sealing Jutsu was unrivaled in the world, but unfortunately, that did not work on the Uchiha Clan.
Their only advantages against the Uchiha Clan might have been their numbers and chakra reserves. The problem was that the Uchiha had plenty of chakra too, and they pursued quality and precision. Their ninjutsu was stronger by who knew how many times.
The Uzumaki Clan's offensive quickly collapsed, and they immediately turned and ran as before. What should have been a retreat suddenly turned into a rout.
"After them!" Before Raku Uchiha had even issued the order, the Uchiha clansmen in the position were already charging out with wild cries.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!" "Lightning Spear!" "Wind Release: Gale Blade!" ...
These ninjutsu were hurled into the retreating mass of Uzumaki without pause, like machine-gun fire. Any single attack could inflict widespread casualties.
When the fleeing Uzumaki saw the Uchiha chasing them, they had no choice but to keep running. Yet after barely a few steps, they suddenly discovered another squad of Uchiha ahead.
The Uchiha Clan's Second Elder, Uchiha Satoshi, was watching them with his arms folded across his chest. A group of Uchiha stood behind him.
"No, we've fallen into a trap!" The Uzumaki commander immediately realized what had happened. He had been wondering how they had broken through the first defensive line and reached the second so easily.
It turned out that all of this had been a scheme laid by the Uchiha Clan. Who had said the Uchiha loved the thrill of fighting and had no cunning? As far as the Uzumaki commander was concerned, this was a damn scam!
Uchiha Satoshi laughed as he led his clansmen into the charge. "The Third Elder was right! You never imagined we would turn around and surround you!"
The Uzumaki commander no longer wanted to say anything. His clan's combat strength had never been particularly high. They might have won by overwhelming the enemy with numbers, but now they were outnumbered too.
Worse still, they were surrounded, and morale had hit rock bottom. How the hell were they supposed to fight?
The elite Uchiha led by Uchiha Satoshi plunged into the Uzumaki ranks as though no one stood in their way. The scene could only be described as a one-sided massacre.
Large numbers of Uzumaki kept falling, their expressions filled with either terror or fury.
Watching the clansmen around him grow fewer and fewer, the Uzumaki commander wore a look of tragic resolve. At last, his arms fell limply to his sides, and he shouted to Uchiha Satoshi, "We surrender."
This battle was undoubtedly a splendid counterattack. Not only had they wiped out the Uzumaki Clan's overextended force, but they had also dealt a devastating blow to the Uzumaki forces that followed.
This left the Uzumaki Clan unable to launch another large-scale war for five years. The Uchiha Clan's two most powerful enemies, the Senju and the Uzumaki, had both been beaten into silence.
Uchiha Takashi and the others were finally recalled to headquarters and no longer had to remain on the front lines.
Sending eight-year-olds like them to the front had been a last resort in the first place. The Uchiha Clan had indeed been outnumbered on the front lines. Facing attacks from several clans, they had been left with no choice but to resort to this measure.
Now that their two greatest enemies were no longer attacking, there was naturally no need for eight-year-old children like them to go onto the battlefield.
(Next, Uchiha Takashi's missions will be used to introduce the background of the Warring States period and the state of the world. Anyone who isn't interested can skip ahead.)