NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17: Chapter 17 : Battlefield (2)
"Lightning Release: Chidori!"
Uchiha Shin had no intention of wasting time with idle chatter. His right hand clenched as a violent, high-intensity electric current crackled to life, forming the signature piercing weapon.
This technique demanded mastery over both chakra nature transformation and shape transformation—something that had taken him considerable effort to perfect.
Zzzt! Zzzt! Zzzt!
The battlefield was drowned in the ear-piercing screech of a thousand birds as arcs of lightning erupted from his palm.
Before anyone could react to the deafening noise, Shin vanished, his form consumed by the crackling energy.
In a split second, his right hand plunged through the chest of an Iwagakure jonin, shattering the man's heart in a single, decisive strike.
"The Lightning Chakra Cloak combined with Chidori's speed boost… If I didn't have the Mangekyō Sharingan, I wouldn't have been able to follow that movement," Shin muttered to himself, his Sharingan spinning as he observed the aftermath of his strike.
The speed of the thrust was beyond human reaction time. Without the precognition granted by the Sharingan, it would have been impossible to follow, let alone counter.
But the result was undeniable—instantaneous death. Even without a paralytic agent coating his blade, the sheer force of his attack had been more than enough.
"Run!"
Even with his heart obliterated, the dying jonin's last act was to clutch at Shin's wrist in a desperate attempt to trap him. The Iwagakure chunin behind him, wide-eyed with terror, shed tears of fear and anguish before turning to flee.
"Soul Absorption: Offering of Ashes."
The retreating Iwagakure shinobi failed to notice the faint glow in Shin's Mangekyō Sharingan as his technique activated. The jonin's body blackened in an instant, crumbling into dust as his remaining life force was drained away.
A surge of vitality and chakra flooded into Shin, replenishing the energy he had expended.
He didn't bother pursuing the fleeing chunin. Instead, his gaze shifted to the Iwagakure ninja paralyzed by his earlier attacks, their bodies immobilized by a potent poison.
With a single gesture, he drained them dry.
The influx of chakra and life energy strengthened his body further. He could feel it—the total amount of chakra he wielded now placed him at the upper echelon of chunin.
His physical strength had increased by at least a third, and even the slight blurriness in his left eye had begun to fade.
He also sensed something new.
"Earth Release…"
Absorbing the essence of his victims had granted him an additional chakra nature. His smirk widened.
"So excess vitality replenishes my lost ocular power… If I keep this up until the end of the war in the Land of Whirlpools, I might fully restore my sight."
A chilling excitement settled in his chest.
Kill. Kill. Kill.
The battlefield was a feeding ground. His prey lay scattered before him, and their strength was his for the taking.
Even techniques weren't beyond his reach. Though he didn't automatically gain knowledge of jutsu from those he drained, his Mangekyō Sharingan had recorded every movement they had made.
A few minutes of practice, and he would be able to replicate them flawlessly.
For the next several days, Uchiha Shin became a ghost haunting the battlefield.
He attacked indiscriminately, cutting down anyone who crossed his path, adapting his style for maximum psychological warfare.
Against Iwagakure shinobi, he used Lightning Release.
Against Kirigakure shinobi, he wielded Wind Release.
Against Kumogakure shinobi, he countered with Earth Release.
With every battle, the chaos deepened. Distrust spread like wildfire. Now, when shinobi of different villages encountered each other, their first instinct was to attack without question.
"You cowardly Iwa bastards, only attacking from behind!"
"What gives you the right to talk, Kumo scum?!"
"You two animals think we won't retaliate? What did Kirigakure ever do to you?!"
"I should be the one asking that! Three times today, Sand shinobi have attacked us unprovoked!"
Bit by bit, reason gave way to blind rage. The alliances crumbled. What had once been a unified assault on the Uzumaki clan turned into a brutal free-for-all.
Meanwhile, within Uzushiogakure, the leaders of the besieged village took notice.
"Why are they fighting amongst themselves?"
For weeks, the Uzumaki clan had been on the verge of annihilation, struggling against the combined forces of multiple hidden villages. They had been moments away from complete collapse.
And yet now, their enemies were at each other's throats.
"Tsunade, did you send someone to sow discord?"
Uzumaki Roshimi, one of the remaining clan elders, turned toward the Senju kunoichi in confusion. She had brought reinforcements, but they had never discussed sabotage of this scale.
Tsunade shook her head, equally puzzled. "No… This wasn't us."
On the battlefield, Uchiha Shin casually looted the corpses around him, muttering under his breath, "No need to thank me."
Back in the village, Uzumaki Ashisui, the clan chief, turned to his advisors with grim determination.
"The barrier protecting the village won't last much longer. We have no hope of receiving aid from Konoha. Our only option is to ensure that at least some of our clan survives."
Tsunade's expression darkened. The truth had become painfully clear since her arrival.
The Uzumaki clan had sent a call for aid to Konoha long ago.
And Konoha had ignored them.
The realization weighed heavily on her. The Hokage she had once respected—Sarutobi Hiruzen—was not the man she had believed him to be.
But there was no time for regrets. The Uzumaki had already made their decision.
"The young ones have been sent away through the village's hidden passages," an elder reported.
"We don't know how many will survive, but we must buy them time."
Their mission was clear: those who remained would fight to the last man, drawing enemy attention to ensure the next generation had a chance to escape.
Tsunade clenched her fists. She wished she could escort the evacuees personally, but it would be pointless. If she and the Senju forces abandoned the front lines, the enemy would simply wipe out everyone at once.
"We'll stay and fight," she declared.
Roshimi hesitated, but he could see it in their faces—none of the Senju shinobi had any intention of running. He gave a reluctant nod.
They had accepted their fates.
As the defenders prepared for their final stand, the chaos outside finally subsided, and a chilling realization dawned upon the enemy forces.
"The Uzumaki clan is trying to escape!"
"They must not be allowed to live!"
Hatred filled their hearts. The Uzumaki's sealing jutsu was too dangerous to leave unchecked. Their enemies knew—if even a handful of survivors escaped, retribution would come.
And so, they resolved to ensure there would be no survivors.
The final battle for Uzushiogakure had begun.
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Bonus Chapter - 100 Power Stones