Naruto: I, Uchiha, Just Want to Die

Chapter 86: Stage Setup, Audience Arrival!

On the battlefield, a surge of intense chakra radiated from Uchiha Ci.

He raised his gaze slightly, his blood-red Sharingan fixed on Hayato Tōgō.

A dark wave of energy burst outward from him, spreading in all directions.

The blood pool churned, the cross shook ominously, and even the scarlet ritual array around Hidan appeared to waver under the influence of this malevolent chakra.

At this moment, Uchiha Ci found himself in a state of extreme inner conflict.

Under the influence of the dark chakra, a flood of sinister thoughts kept surfacing in his mind.

This surge in his murderous intent nearly drove him to break out in a solo dance routine, as if to flaunt his combat-honed moves in front of his enemies.

Yet, thanks to his battle instinct, he managed to keep his wits about him despite the intense malice overtaking him.

At the very least, his plan for the battle remained clear:

Identify the enemy, confirm intelligence, gather dark chakra, unleash his power, and fight.

He planned to emulate Shikamaru's tactics—dissect and bury the opponent.

Initially, Uchiha Ci had intended to gather enough dark chakra to activate the forbidden jutsu: Body Revival, for a full five minutes.

However, because he had prematurely used dark chakra, his execution of the jutsu wasn't flawless, limiting its duration.

Now, he had only two minutes.

He had only a two-minute burst window. If he couldn't settle things within this time, it would be over.

Currently, he possessed: two minutes of super-regenerative ability, and a chakra reserve, bolstered by two eye-opening sharingan, roughly equivalent to a standard Jōnin.

Without the means to control it, the excessively volatile dark chakra couldn't be used directly for ninjutsu. It served only as a substitute fuel for Body Revival.

Of course, Uchiha Ci still had an ace in Hidan, who, while in Cursed Blood Control mode, could transfer damage inflicted on him to all three of them simultaneously.

Exploiting the time gap in regeneration between his own immortal body and Body Revival, he could devise strategies.

But judging by Hidan's state, two more hits would probably bring him to his knees.

Thus, planning the tactics called for caution.

In under three seconds, Uchiha Ci solidified his battle plan.

The first step—

Uchiha Ci's gaze sharpened, his crimson Sharingan spinning as he leapt forward, positioning himself in front of Hidan.

With a series of hand seals, he decisively slammed his palms onto the ground!

Super Death Battle Barrier!

The enormous circular seal rapidly expanded, its faint red glow trapping Hayato Tōgō on the other side of the barrier, locking Uchiha Ci and Hidan within.

Having inherited and surpassed the Super Death Battle Barrier of the Hidden Cloud, the domain now unfolded!

---

Meanwhile, inside the castle outside the battlefield.

A group of five landed, led by a tall, fierce-looking man clad in a deep blue robe with the Uchiha clan fan symbol on his back.

This was none other than Uchiha Fugaku, who had arrived with a team to search for their clan member.

Surveying the ruins of the castle and the debris-filled hall, Fugaku took a deep breath.

In the center of the hall, he observed shuriken manipulation marks that matched the Uchiha's Manipulated Shuriken Technique.

Now convinced, Fugaku felt certain that the kid he was eager to meet, Uchiha Ci, was indeed here!

However, as Fugaku examined the hall's battle scars, he couldn't help but frown.

This level of combat far exceeded what a Genin should be capable of. Moreover, along the way—from volcanic remains to shattered castle walls to the cliff that had collapsed spectacularly—each successive battleground had grown more intense. Even he found these battlefields alarming.

Curiosity sparked within him: just who was this Uchiha Ci, who had left a trail of escalating conflict?

How strong was he now? Had he awakened those forbidden eyes?

Fugaku suspected as much. Without that, it was hard to explain how this kid could still be alive after facing such overwhelming battles. Uchiha Shisui had praised him as the clan's bridge to the village, Uchiha Setsuna had sacrificed himself for him, and Uchiha Seijiro had charged recklessly into the Jashin Cult's headquarters for him.

Who was he, really?

Just then—

"Captain, there's something off about the ground here. I can detect chakra," one of the Uchiha reported, stepping forward.

"Hm?" Fugaku swiftly turned, activating his three-tomoe Sharingan to observe the ground.

Moments later, his gaze sharpened, and he quickly formed seals:

Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger!

With his fingers bent, he unleashed a powerful Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique on the ground.

The searing heat from this superior Great Fireball instantly melted the ground, exposing a dark opening beneath.

Another Uchiha member summoned a bright-orange ninja cat in a red outfit—one of Granny Cat's elite cats, Hina.

"Hina, can you pick up that kid's scent?" Fugaku crouched by the hole, addressing the cat.

Hina frowned, raising her paw in annoyance, about to refuse when Fugaku slipped her a ten-thousand-ryō bill.

Hina: ($$)!

"Ahem, as a reliable partner, I'll help out." Hina tucked the money away, sniffing the air.

In some ways, a cat's nose was even sharper than a dog's.

In no time, Hina nodded and said, "Yes, the kid's scent is in there."

"But—"

Fugaku, his face impassive, pulled out another hundred-thousand-ryō bill.

Hina wrinkled her nose, then continued, "There's a strong smell of blood below, and I can hear someone screaming—it sounds like they're being tortured."

At this, the gathered Uchiha members immediately flared up, their Sharingan spinning to life:

"Damn it! Torturing an Uchiha?"

"Captain, let's go down and slaughter them!"

"Captain, this is intolerable! Burn the Jashin Cult down!"

"Captain, if need be, send an eagle to Hell Valley; we'll march a hundred Uchiha down there and replace the Land of Hot Water's Daimyo!"

Fugaku nodded to Hina, then waved a hand to silence his team, sternly saying, "Stay calm, all of you. Follow me, and no one takes action without my orders."

He narrowed his eyes, murmuring,

"That kid is stronger than you think—perhaps even stronger than you."

Hearing this, the Uchiha team looked at each other in disbelief, their voices low with skepticism.

"Hah? That brat who doesn't even know how to spend a night at a brothel?"

"Pfft, that kid who can barely complete D-rank missions?"

"I remember Seijiro saying something about that kid wanting to be some kind of 'glory' for the clan?"

Sure, they could sympathize with the kid, but suggesting he was stronger than them? That was a step too far—unless he could take them down and pour scalding water over them!

Fugaku, observing the mixed expressions on his subordinates' faces, shook his head,

then leapt forward, leading the way into the depths below.

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