Chapter 200: The Uchiha Clan is Annihilated Again!
Flames engulfed Konoha. Explosions, screams, and cries for help intertwined into an elegy of despair. This once-prosperous ninja village was being devoured by an alien war.
In a relatively secluded clan gathering point, countless Uchiha clansmen had assembled. They were the "Konoha Uchiha" who had chosen to stay, clearly distinct from the faction that had left the village with Fugaku and Sasuke.
Tension and unease filled the air, but every pair of eyes flashed with resolve. They hoped Hiruzen Sarutobi would honor his promise, and they looked forward to Minato Namikaze taking office to give their clan a bright tomorrow.
Although they loathed Shisui and Itachi Uchiha, as long as they could obtain immediate peace, as long as there was a way to survive by being Konoha's dogs, they could hold on. Before, only Shisui and Itachi were fit to be dogs, but now that the Fourth Hokage had returned, along with the Third Hokage's personal promise, they saw a bright future in servitude.
Just survive this crisis.
Just hold on…
Shisui was currently pinned down on the other side of the village by that terrifying bloodline mecha, unable to offer support. This group seemed exceptionally isolated and helpless.
"We are the Uchiha!" An elder clansman, an experienced Jonin, stood at the front, his voice raspy but full of power. "Lord Third promised us a future! Once we weather this crisis, once Lord Minato takes office, our Uchiha clan will have true status and glory in Konoha!"
He looked around, trying to ignite the last bit of fighting spirit. "Let those guys who decided to start from scratch regret it! Konoha is our home!"
The sounds of killing drew closer.
The first wave of enemies appeared. It was a horrifying sea of writhing insects. Fusing the traits of snakes and insects, their numbers were vast, sweeping in from all directions like a tide crawling out of hell.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Genjutsu: Sharingan!"
The Uchiha unleashed their respective specialties to meet the enemy. Giant fireballs, dense kunai, soul-shaking genjutsu—the power of traditional ninjas erupted in this moment.
However, something bizarre happened.
Before their chakra attacks even touched the swarm, their power weakened out of nowhere, their range shrinking drastically. The flames that should have incinerated everything became feeble, kunai lost their aim, and the effectiveness of genjutsu was greatly discounted.
"What's going on?!" a young clansman shouted in panic, his Fire Style only burning a few insects.
"My chakra flow isn't smooth!" Another pressed his chest, feeling the chakra circulation within him stagnate.
The swarm emitted an invisible field, acting like predators of chakra. Even the chakra enhancement for taijutsu was greatly diminished; punches landing on the insects felt as if their power was being absorbed.
The swarm displayed even more terrifying abilities. Dark green acid sprayed from their mouthparts, sizzling as it corroded Uchiha defenses and the ground. Piercing high-frequency sound waves emitted from the insects penetrated eardrums and concussed brains.
The Uchiha felt waves of dizziness, stumbling on their feet. The dynamic vision of the Sharingan was severely affected by this interference, making it difficult to lock onto fast-moving targets.
"Ah!"
Screams rang out. The swarm broke through the defensive line. Their mandibles were grotesque, their targets clear. Whenever an Uchiha fell, the insects swarmed immediately, prioritizing attacks on their heads, especially their eyes.
A clansman who had awakened the two-tomoe Sharingan was tackled. Amidst his despairing screams, several insects devoured his eye sockets simultaneously.
Kin and comrades were slaughtered before their eyes, their own power rendered ineffective, the shadow of death looming. Extreme despair and pain swept through the hearts of many Uchiha.
"No… AHHH!"
A middle-aged Uchiha watched his wife get swallowed by the swarm. In overwhelming grief and rage, his Sharingan throbbed with intense pain. The three tomoe spun madly, instantly transforming into a pitch-black vortex.
Mangekyo Sharingan!
He let out an inhuman roar as new power surged. Space distorted, and a unique pitch-black flame ignited out of thin air. Wherever it passed, the insect swarm was instantly incinerated, leaving not even ash behind.
This was a fleeting brilliance, a flower of evil blooming in despair.
Not just one person. In other corners of the battlefield, a few scattered Uchiha underwent similar transformations under comparable stimuli.
Some eyes flashed with eerie light, freezing the insects in their vision instantly. Others were surrounded by cold chakra flames, turning anyone who approached into dust.
Although it was newly acquired power, it held an absolute advantage over these insect swarms. The overwhelming new power seemed like a lifeline, winning a gasp of breath for the Uchiha on the verge of collapse. They briefly turned the tide in small pockets, bringing a faint hope.
However, this hope was so tiny, like a firefly in the dark night.
RUMBLE!
At the end of the horizon, a torrent of steel swept in. Orochimaru's Iron Legion had arrived on the battlefield.
Dozens of cold, metallic creations hovered low in the air, appearing in formation, bringing a dual oppression of sight and sound. Energy cannons fired dazzling beams, easily tearing apart the earth and houses. Rapid-fire weapons spewed tongues of fire, raining metal bullets over the Uchiha's cover. Heavy mechanical arms physically pulverized all obstacles.
Their attacks were completely unaffected by the swarm's chakra interference, efficient and lethal.
The Iron Legion and the insect swarm formed a perfect tactical coordination. The swarm continued to entangle, bite, and interfere with the Uchiha's chakra and movement, limiting their space. The Iron Legion provided long-range and heavy fire support, constantly harvesting lives.
At this time, five figures whose appearances were completely out of place with traditional ninjas appeared abruptly on the flank of the battlefield. They wore strange outfits, surrounded by a faint glow.
Orochimaru's Magical Girl Special Forces Five-Color Squad.
They showed little interest in the ordinary Uchiha, locking their gazes on the few clansmen who had just awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Target locked."
A magical girl whispered indifferently, pointing her finger at the middle-aged Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyo. Instantly, they displayed strange magical abilities unbound by the chakra system.
One magical girl teleported directly in front of the target. Before he could react, invisible energy bindings immobilized him. Another magical girl raised her hand, and a space-distorting energy beam accurately hit another Mangekyo awakener. His body twisted, and apart from his eyes, everything else turned into a blood mist.
The Magical Girl Squad executed their mission with cold efficiency. They rapidly approached the Mangekyo awakeners, leaving no room for error.
The bound middle-aged Uchiha struggled and roared, the skeleton of a Susanoo even beginning to form on his body surface. But it was too late. A sharp energy blade formed in the magical girl's hand, directly breaking the fragile, newly formed skeleton, digging into his eye socket without hesitation.
"NO!"
The middle-aged Uchiha let out a final scream.
Eye extraction. This was their clear objective: collecting precious samples. Before dying or having their eyes gouged out, the faces of the Mangekyo awakeners were frozen in fear, pain, and deep unwillingness. Their sacrifice was not for a beautiful tomorrow, but became part of the enemy's ambition.
Without the support of the Mangekyo awakeners, the remaining ordinary Uchiha collapsed completely. Even though scattered individuals might still awaken the Mangekyo, they would be quickly harvested by the Five-Color Squad.
Facing the three-pronged strike from the insect swarm, the Iron Legion, and the bizarre Magical Girl Squad, the last flame of resistance in their hearts was extinguished. Hope of survival was gone.
Some chose futile charges, wielding kunai with the last light of their lives, rushing toward the Iron Legion only to be drowned by the metal torrent. Others desperately cast defenses, trying to hold out for a moment, but were soon devoured by the swarm's acid and claws.
Wails rose and fell, soon returning to silence.
The battle gradually subsided. Only broken houses and scorched earth remained on the battlefield.
After completing their mission, the Magical Girl Five-Color Squad dispelled their magical attire. They then entered the nearest steel mechas and gradually moved away.
Shisui, who was fighting a bitter battle against the bloodline mecha in the village's Chunin Exams area, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart. He jerked his head toward the direction of the Uchiha clan compound. In his perception, the chakra signatures belonging to his clansmen were vanishing one by one.
"No… impossible…!"
Shisui's pupils contracted sharply. But his perception ruthlessly crushed his hopeful thinking.
He knew that the Uchiha clan who chose to stay in Konoha, who chose to turn back from the wrong path, who chose to trust the village, had been completely annihilated.
They didn't even leave behind whole corpses, devoured by insects, turned into samples. Their Kekkei Genkai, those Sharingan carrying the clan's glory and sorrow, were stolen by the enemy.
"Everyone made the right choice… why…"
These clansmen made the correct choice to submit to Konoha. They didn't defect with the foolish Fugaku Uchiha. Why did they still meet such an end?
And the cruelty of fate did not stop there. On the other side of Konoha, the black sea of insects did not halt. They also surged toward the Hyuga clan compound. Unlike with the Uchiha, the swarm seemed uninterested in the Branch Family members, rushing straight for the area where the Hyuga Main Family resided.