Chapter 19: A Life-and-Death Struggle! The Wrath of a Million Anguished Souls!
Chapter 19: A Life-and-Death Struggle! The Wrath of a Million Anguished Souls!
At this moment,
After Uchiha Setsuna's explosive remarks, which were as shocking as a self-detonation,
the situation on the battlefield became sharply polarized.
On the Kumogakure side, one trembled while the other's face turned pale, both awaiting their impending doom together.
In contrast, the Uchiha duo showcased a relentless cycle of self-destruction and resurgence.
Indeed, it could be said:
The Uchiha stage is set—if you're mad, step right up!
Uchiha Ci also realized at this moment that his earlier words might have been a bit too intense.
Look how moved Uchiha Setsuna, this old man, was...
But his original intention was simply to achieve a relatively positive outcome and then safely retreat home.
To that end, he deceived everyone present!
Ci's words were based on the premise that the Hell Valley garrison would be destroyed by Kumogakure's two-tailed Jinchūriki, bringing great losses to the Uchiha clan.
However, this was actually a false premise.
Because soon, Uchiha wouldn't need to guard Hell Valley in the Land of Hot Water at all.
The plot by the Blood Pool clan and Kumogakure had already fallen apart the moment the envoy from the Land of Lightning's Daimyō was killed.
The woman who accompanied the envoy to apologize to the Daimyō was the wife of the leader of the Blood Pool clan.
After returning to Hell Valley, she had already committed suicide, unable to bear the humiliation and scorn of her people, compounded by the immense pressure of her failed mission leading her clan into war.
She left behind only her daughter, Chino.
Oyashiro, or rather,
Oyashiro En!
Upon learning of his wife's suicide...
He was filled with regret, self-blame, and resentment, hating all the Blood Pool clansmen who drove his wife to such an end!
It's likely that his Blood Dragon Eye had evolved to a level akin to the Mangekyō Sharingan.
And like the Mangekyō, this power came at a great cost.
He went mad!
But now, he could also unleash tremendous power.
In an era where traditional ninja combat methods still prevailed,
In the not-too-distant future,
He would personally slaughter all his clansmen, take his daughter, and leave Hell Valley, establishing the Oyashiro clan on a small island in the Land of Water.
He would become one of the most prominent black market merchants, arena overlords, and top Kekkei Genkai traffickers in the ninja world.
...
However, this deception was worth it if it could save the lives of his two teammates at the cost of his own.
For Uchiha Ci, this was undoubtedly the best possible outcome.
At this moment,
The elder Uchiha Setsuna turned his head to look at Uchiha Ci, his gaze heavy with pain and regret, yet his tone carried a strange hint of warmth.
"Ci, die."
"As long as this old man lives, this vendetta will never end!"
"Even Sarutobi Hiruzen can't stop me!"
Uchiha Ci felt a bead of sweat slowly trickle down his forehead. The elder was being extremely intense...
Under your leadership, the hawks might very well end up as a mere footnote in history.
But as he glanced around,
Seeing how things had developed to this point, with Uchiha Setsuna even preparing his funeral arrangements,
It seemed like not dying now would be the wrong move...
Uchiha Ci's gaze hardened as he resolutely looked at Uchiha Setsuna, declaring firmly:
"In this way, my death will have meaning!"
The three Kumogakure shinobi's eyes trembled as they glared intensely at Uchiha Ci.
Earlier, he had been struck by the Thunder Binding Strike, leaving him barely able to move his arms, merely posing as if he was about to detonate an explosive tag.
But in reality, his fingers were so numb that he couldn't even grasp the tag.
After a brief moment, Uchiha Ci slightly adapted to the paralysis from the electric shock, and his fingers on the explosive tag regained some strength.
Then, with decisive force, he tore it away!
"Not good, he's really going to blow himself up!"
"Dodai, quick, spread out!"
Rami's eyes widened in alarm as he saw Uchiha Ci yank the explosive tag on his chest. Gritting his teeth, he turned to the confined Moroi and issued a strained order:
"Moroi, use it!"
"You must survive! Otherwise, the mission will fail!"
"What?" Moroi's eyes bulged in disbelief as he hesitated:
"But, Captain, the Third Raikage said that was the last resort against the Blood Pool clan!"
"We must never use it prematurely, even at the cost of our lives!"
Rami clenched his fists tightly, trapped in a dilemma, but time was running out.
His eyes turned bloodshot as he looked at the two Uchiha shinobi, his gaze full of struggle before becoming resolute.
Rami gritted his teeth and said, "Who the hell could have predicted we'd run into two lunatics like this on the mission!"
"If you don't use it now, you'll be blown to bits, the mission will fail, and then that old Uchiha lunatic will put a sky-high bounty on us!"
"Think about it—do you want to keep your life or this damned mission?"
"Use it now, and we'll regroup to kill Uchiha Setsuna. He won't have the chance to put out a bounty!"
"Otherwise, just wait for death!"
Rami's trembling beard reflected his deep tension.
As a veteran shinobi who had survived since the Warring States period, he understood the weight of Uchiha Setsuna's words!
If this old madman said he was coming after you, then he'd genuinely play a deadly game with you!
Rami's voice was heavy as he shouted to Moroi:
"If the Uchiha clan fully mobilizes, we probably won't make it out of the Land of Hot Water—they'll encircle us and wipe us out! Then the mission fails, and we're dead too!"
"Think carefully, damn it!"
A hundred million ryō per head.
Even if they returned to the Land of Lightning, countless organizations would infiltrate to collect their heads for that bounty!
Inside the barrier, Moroi sat limply on the ground, his expression flickering.
Finally, gritting his teeth, he glared coldly at Uchiha Ci, shouting in despair:
"Uchiha Ci, is it?"
"You're good! I'll remember you!"
"But do you really think you've won?"
Uchiha Ci raised an eyebrow slightly at these familiar words, thinking to himself, are you playing a turn-based game with me?
He cast a cold glance, not bothering to reply, unmoved.
Seeing this, Moroi gritted his teeth.
With explosive tags all over Uchiha Ci, any attempt to cut him down would certainly trigger the bomb.
But if he didn't kill him, they'd all be blown to pieces!
A ninja specializing in sealing techniques typically had two ways of fighting.
One involved using Sealing Techniques and Jutsu, which were quick to cast on the battlefield with the aid of sealing scrolls, like the Fire Sealing Jutsu and Thunder Binding Strike Moroi had used earlier.
Other examples include the Evil Sealing Jutsu, Curse Mark Seal, and Four Limbs Weighting Seal.
The other method was constructing Sealing Arrays, which was time-consuming, involved complex hand seals, and required drawing symbols—very cumbersome, and hardly suitable for sudden situations like this.
To have the ability to quickly set up arrays in battle, one must rely on expensive sealing scrolls with pre-drawn semi-finished sealing arrays.
Similar to the Sealing Array Moroi had used earlier with the aid of a scroll.
But now, with Uchiha Ci approaching and the explosive tag tearing wider,
Moroi's eyes bulged, his pupils narrowing to pinpoints.
The fear of death hammered at his heart!
Moroi's body trembled as countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.
But at last, with a fierce look in his eyes, he gritted his teeth and pulled out a sealing scroll from his pouch.
Uchiha Ci's eyes narrowed as he observed the opponent's movements, fearing the situation might change.
He forced his arm, still numb from the electric shock, to yank the explosive tag on his chest with all his might!
Rip——
A brilliant flash of light suddenly erupted!
Simultaneously—
Moroi tore off the scroll's string, flung it out, letting it unroll as it spun.
He plunged his hand into the wound on his body, enduring the searing pain, and scooped out a handful of thick, dark blood.
Moroi's eyes sharpened,
He smashed his bloodied hand onto the scroll, lifting his head, shouting at Uchiha Ci in a furious roar:
"How could I lose to a worthless Chūnin like you!"
"Watch this!"
"Sealing Jutsu: The Wrath of a Million Anguished Souls!"