"Genjutsu, Journey into Darkness."
A large-scale illusion opened the fight.
Combination ninjutsu: "Fire Style, Majestic Fire Cyclone" and "Fire Style, Fire Dragon Barrage."
This was the joint technique of Uchiha Retsu, Uchiha Duantian, Uchiha Yan, and Uchiha Kirin.
"Light Style, Refracted Blitz."
"Lightning Style, Chidori."
Finally, Renji burst forward, beginning his unique Butterfly Dance Step. He looked like a golden butterfly fluttering among the crowd. Every flash of lightning claimed another life.
"Hurry inside!" An ANBU roared at the two squads they had prepared earlier. This was no time to watch the show.
The two squads immediately slipped inside, and a chaotic battle broke out. Though it looked like a free-for-all, the goals of each faction were clear.
Konoha's forces fought to block the others from entering, while every other shinobi risked their lives to break through and send teammates in.
Renji's Butterfly Dance Step was terrifying in this chaos. With his mastery of Light Style, he became the Golden Asura in truth. No one caught by his refracted light survived.
By the later stages, Konoha's shinobi had become spectators, watching the five-man Uchiha squad massacre dozens of enemy ninja. One whispered, "So Uchiha really are that strong."
Those who heard him pondered in silence. Some marveled at Uchiha's bloodline, some thought about the clan's place in Konoha, others wondered how to report it. But all had gained a clear impression: Uchiha were truly a clan born for war.
When the smoke and dust cleared, only five Uchiha still stood at the gate. Renji turned to the onlookers. "Leave one squad to support us. The rest of you can go inside. The gate will be guarded by us. Rest assured, if anything happens, the support squad will fire signal flares."
"Very well. This place is dangerous ground, we should quickly finish the Hokage's mission." An ANBU spoke.
The squads conferred quickly, leaving behind a three-man team to support the Uchiha. The rest nodded at Renji's group and went inside to continue their mission.
"Haha, unlucky for you three, left behind to cheer for us. I guess they picked you because you're civilians, right?" Uchiha Retsu teased.
The team's leader smiled awkwardly. "I'm Kuangxiao Jiuchongtian, these are Yuyu and Xinghongzi. You're right, we are civilians. But they picked us because our squad already lost members."
"That's no reason. Don't worry, this spot is easier to guard. Let's get it fortified," Uchiha Yan said.
"Always bullying civilians, huh? You're all predictable," Uchiha Xingye said with sharp sarcasm.
"What else can you do? In playing factions, some are masters of the art. After all, the so-called strongest man of the era wears the title of Hokage. Stronger than the First, right? Heh." Uchiha Retsu spoke without restraint.
The others didn't stop him. This was the reality between Konoha and Uchiha. Whether hidden or open, the truth was the same. Why keep suppressing themselves?
The three civilians buried themselves in clearing the battlefield. Their focus was almost exaggerated, like they truly heard nothing.
The Uchiha summoned their ninken to patrol the surroundings. Then they fortified the natural defenses of Takigakure. First, with Earth Style to reinforce the ground, then building small mounds above. Uchiha Yan, Uchiha Retsu, and Uchiha Xingye hid behind these.
Uchiha Kuzan and Uchiha Kirin concealed themselves in shallow pits. Renji created three shadow clones, disguising them as different Konoha shinobi, busying themselves at the gate with small repairs.
He turned to the civilian trio. "We've met, so I don't want you to die pointlessly. One of you, hide behind my three teammates. The other two, spread out. If things get overwhelming, the one in back should fire the signal. The other two should rush inside for reinforcements. Afterward, just curse us if you need to. It'll protect you from blame."
The three civilians exchanged glances but obeyed. Whether they would curse, praise, or stay silent later didn't matter. For now, survival was what mattered most.
But the expected fight never came. The gate was eerily quiet. Not a soul appeared. When squads returned from inside, they also reported seeing no one.
No birds, no enemies. Nothing.
The Konoha shinobi were stunned. So many had rushed in before, desperate to die, and now not a soul remained.
"What's the situation inside?" Uchiha Xingye asked.
"Nothing. Not a single living person. Much of it is ruins, battle traces everywhere. It's exactly as we suspecte, the tailed beast rampaged. But strangely, Takigakure shinobi seemed divided into two factions. There are signs of infighting. We'll need to report this and await orders." An ANBU explained.
There was no point hiding it. The Uchiha had defended the gate for them. Sooner or later the world would know. At least Konoha would be first.
After a long wait, another ANBU squad arrived with new orders.
Destroy the scene. Return to Konoha immediately. Cancel all other missions.
Renji chuckled. As expected. Why leave clues for others? This wasn't archaeology.
It seemed the other villages had withdrawn too. Either forced out by Konoha's strength or realizing Konoha had already secured what mattered. For the small villages, it was simpler: their shinobi had died in droves.
No one disobeyed the Hokage's command. Uchiha Xingye worked with feverish energy, almost gleeful. The others knew why: he had been worried sick. Now, by erasing the evidence, his burden lifted, he could throw himself into the task with vigor.
After nearly half a year, they were finally returning to Konoha. As the saying went: a youth who wins merit returns home in glory. The Uchiha had carved out their reputation in the shinobi world, fulfilling their mission. To return in triumph was only fitting.
Awaiting them was the next Uchiha project - Operation Sunflower.
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