Scorching flames surged rapidly through the atmosphere, the fire waves clashing violently with the air, producing deep, resonant sounds—like the prolonged cry of some unknown colossal creature.
When Shichimi Uchiha cast her technique, she expelled only a slender thread of fire, but by the time it crossed the vast distance and struck the village walls, it had transformed into a turbulent sea of flames.
One person, one ninjutsu, yet it created the overwhelming presence of an entire army at the gates.
Countless Tsugawa ninjas stared in stunned disbelief, witnessing this "tempest crashing against the shore."
BOOM!
Accompanied by a massive explosive impact, under the assault of the great flames, the village's outer defensive fortifications—which had appeared quite formidable—crumbled like rotting wooden piers beneath a tsunami.
Half the sky blazed with fire, resembling the twilight of apocalypse.
"Making it this big..."
Yūshin, walking along the main road through the village center, couldn't help turning to look when he heard the commotion nearby, and was startled by what he saw.
He had indeed instructed Shichimi Uchiha to make a big scene—the purpose being to "boost their momentum" and send the already panicked birds scattering in all directions. But he hadn't expected her to make it quite this spectacular.
Yūshin naturally couldn't determine exactly what ninjutsu Shichimi Uchiha had used, but she had clearly exceeded expectations.
Honestly speaking, even with the same Fire Release, different practitioners produce different effects. Shichimi Uchiha's Great Fire Annihilation was indeed impressive in its opening display, but the "imitation version's" power still fell far short of the original.
Without considering the natural enhancement it brought to Genjutsu, most of the time Shichimi Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan served merely as decoration. As long as one was careful of her illusions, Shichimi's combat effectiveness with the Mangekyō wasn't much different from when she had the three-tomoe Sharingan.
Since his teammate had performed beyond expectations, Yūshin couldn't remain idle. He calmly formed hand seals:
Fire Release: Karura!
A fierce column of orange-red flame shot toward the distance. Though its scale couldn't match Shichimi Uchiha's Fire Release, this technique could still be considered among the most extensive and powerful conventional fire techniques.
The power of Fire Release depends on how much chakra you pour into it.
Why set up dominoes? To knock them all down at the final moment. Why did Yūshin store so much chakra? To spend it all now... or rather, to pour it all out.
"Karura" was a Fire Release ninjutsu Yūshin developed by borrowing the chakra flow patterns of Water Dragon Bullet and applying "micro-innovation" with fire-attribute chakra. Its effects resembled Fire Dragon Flame Bullet—a Fire Release technique capable of large-scale destruction.
In densely populated residential areas, this was a technique that demanded defensive response.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Several Tsugawa ninjas rushed out, forming seals together to create and direct massive water flows, raising a thick water barrier directly in front of the fire dragon, completely blocking Yūshin's Fire Release.
With hissing sounds, the flames disappeared into the water like a clay ox entering the sea.
"Nice defense..." Yūshin murmured.
But had they ever heard of a technique that descends from heaven... no, had they heard of "Draco Meteor"?
He formed seals again, beginning to release his second ninjutsu:
Fire Release: Kubira!
A fire dragon shot skyward. Aside from changing the attack direction from horizontal to diagonally upward, this Fire Release looked no different from the previous one.
It made one wonder if Yūshin had simply missed his target.
However, when it reached midair, its forward momentum suddenly stopped, then suddenly exploded like fireworks. The fire dragon instantly transformed into fire lines shooting in all directions, like meteor showers trailing long tails of flame, crashing down from above and enveloping the village with an enormous attack range.
Fires began spreading uncontrollably throughout the village.
Many Tsugawa ninjas who had originally tried to rush forward and surround Yūshin were forced to change direction, joining rescue and firefighting operations.
Although Yūshin's team's previous series of actions had severely shaken these ninjas' morale and even left their command structure semi-paralyzed, inertia meant these Tsugawa ninjas couldn't yet be called headless chickens.
But Yūshin knew they were now just one final push away from complete defeat.
The collapse of a ninja clan, the dispersal of a people's hearts, always requires a symbolic event.
Before beginning the infiltration operation, Yūshin had hesitated repeatedly, uncertain whether he should assassinate their clan leader first. But after careful consideration, he decided to save the clan leader for last.
And preferably eliminate him in normal combat rather than assassination...
Now, while engaging numerous Tsugawa ninjas and wreaking havoc, he waited for that clan leader's arrival.
There was no way he wouldn't appear.
However, before the clan leader showed himself, the remaining elder arrived first at greater speed.
But as he raced forward, he suddenly heard sharp sounds cutting through the air, then glimpsed a high-speed shadow attacking from his rear flank.
The elder could only stop and twist his body to evade.
With a "thud" like a drumstick striking a drumhead, a large Fūma Shuriken grazed the elder's body and embedded itself in the wall to his left.
He instinctively turned toward the attacker's direction, but before he could clearly see the enemy's appearance, another figure burst between them at lightning speed—a pair of Sharingan with strange patterns entered the elder's field of vision.
In an instant, the wariness disappeared from the elder's face.
Perhaps Yūshin's "immunity to Genjutsu" trait had made Shichimi Uchiha somewhat unconfident, so when preparing to control this important figure, she was overly cautious to the point of using excessive force, directly choosing to employ Mangekyō-enhanced Genjutsu.
How to put it? Since Shichimi Uchiha had deployed this level of power, there was no reason for this elder not to fall under Genjutsu control.
After the illusion took effect, the elder clearly forgot his original mission, turned around, and began directing his blade against his own clansmen.
After Shichimi Uchiha and Gorō Fūma broke into the village, their primary objective wasn't maximizing enemy casualties, but helping relieve pressure on Yūshin.
Several minutes later, that familiar figure finally appeared in Yūshin's field of vision.
Though somewhat slow, Clan Leader Taishi Tsugawa had ultimately found Yūshin.
He appeared stern-faced, but in reality could barely suppress the rage in his heart. Staring unblinkingly at Yūshin, he demanded:
"Who are you people? Who hired you? Why are you attacking us?"
"That question... is somewhat naive. When one ninja attacks another group of ninjas, does that require any special reason?" Yūshin countered.
Of course reasons were needed, but he chose not to explain.
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