The Kirigakure Battlefields (3)

*** IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT AT THE END! ***

- - - - -

The real war finally started on this wet and marshy battlefront on the edge of the world.

Kirigakure officially deployed its shinobi troops to the continental parts of the Land of Water's vast territory.

Konoha responded swiftly too, already entering their territory as well, behaving really aggressive.

Battles and deaths became daily occurrences in the clash between these two great super-powers.

Outside of the usual frontal skirmishes, secret assassination tasks were also frequently issued and performed.

Enemy's medical and sensory units were often targeted by each other's various elites.

Warehouses storing food and other war supplies routinely weren't spared either.

Somewhere in a usual swampland, a pool of bodies was laying around there scattered.

It could be deduced that a big battle happened here recently.

A man's unhinged maniacal laughter was reverberating through this particular terrain at the moment.

He was walking closer and closer to one of the corpses laying down below while clutching his arm, his whole body injured.

He wore the usual Kirigakure blue shinobi uniform and their forehead protector.

"Haha, these famous Uchiha eyes will finally be mine!"

After looking at the corpse on the ground, bathed in fresh blood, he finally crouched down.

His whole expression was really greedy and deranged.

And, just as his bloody hand was about to reach the eyes of the corpse in question.

He suddenly felt a decisive blow on his neck, promptly falling on the ground swiftly.

An apathetic and inhumane face suddenly emerged from behind him promptly, looking at all the corpses on the scene.

"A right chance finally came..."

"I think this will be more than enough to satisfy them..."

The man quickly got to work, examining the corpses, before plucking the eyes from some of them tirelessly.

He wore the Konoha shinobi uniform instead, with Konoha's forehead protector covering his forehead entirely as well.

However, the most surprising thing about him was that his eyes were completely white in color.

After the two opposing ninja groups attacked one another before here, he voluntarily sealed his chakra points and waited for the right moment, pretending to lay dead.

He waited exactly for a situation like this, they kill each other, he picks up the pieces and gets his rewards.

What he wanted was the Sharingan!

For the reasons still unknown...

But, just as he was ripping off the eyes of the last few corpses, he suddenly sensed danger from behind him with his Byakugan.

He stood up and deflected the few upcoming shurikens coming to his way quickly.

When he looked at his attacker, he opened his eyes wide in shock.

'H-How is he still alive?'

'And what are those strange marks on his body?'

There stood a weirdly looking human figure, its eyes were red, and it had a bunch of red marks stretched throughout its whole body beginning from its left eye.

"Takumi!"

"What do you think you're doing!?"

The man who was plucking the eyes of the corpses from the ground was called Takumi Hyuga!

And the man who shouted fiercely just now was called...

"Kosuke Uchiha, how on earth are you still alive?"

"I saw them killing you with my own eyes!"

Kosuke ignored his question and just continued to look at him angrily.

In fact, he probably would've really been dead after protecting his Uchiha clansmen just now, had an unexpected situation not occurred previously.

'Mangekyo Sharingan!'

Was all that he could think of the situation...

His cousin Fugaku already explained to him many of its amazing secrets and magical properties before.

The Mangekyo Sharingan is an advanced form of the Sharingan that can be activated only by a handful of Uchiha in a generation.

A Mangekyo Sharingan is distinguished from a normal Sharingan by its appearance, which changes the form of the tomoe seal.

While the exact design differs for each user, though all resemble pinwheels.

It is initially awakened by the trauma suffered from witnessing the death of someone close to the user.

The Mangekyo Sharingan retains all of the Sharingan's generic abilities.

In addition to that, the Mangekyo grants powerful abilities that differ between each eye, though abilities may be similar in nature

And Kosuke assumed that the ability he awakened just now was one of them!

Starting from his left eye, a bunch of red thin lines started stretching throughout his whole body, completely healing it in the process.

After awakening these profound eyes, his body endured quite a shock and with it is already being worn out from the fight before, he suddenly collapsed.

And when he woke up, he discovered this amazing ability, as well as his old friend Takumi in the distance bluntly plucking the eyes of his now fallen clansmen.

"Takumi if you don't give me a reasonable explanation right now..."

"I'll have to treat you as a traitor!"

Kosuke looked at Takumi cold-blooded and decisive.

"What is there to explain?"

"Fight me if you can!"

Takumi finally regained his composure after seeing Kosuke's fascinating healing ability.

'Whatever it is, it doesn't work based on chakra...' Takumi thought while looking at him with his Byakugan.

Takumi was really intrigued by this ability thanks to the somewhat scientific personality he inherited from his master.

Looking at the cold and apathetic eyes of his former friend in front of him, Kosuke knew that there is no chance for reconciliation now, "You'll pay for what you did to my clansmen, Takumi!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Looking at the giant fireball in front of him, Takumi thought rationally.

'I have to get away now, maybe Konoha's reinforcements come soon.'

'Moreover, I don't know much about his new strange ability.'

'And my mission here is already accomplished.'

Takumi thought in a second while looking at the bag, full of Uchiha's eyeballs, in his hand.

"Rotation!"

A torrent of fire suddenly started dancing and bouncing around his large blue chakra shield.

And, when the torrent of flames finally ended, Takumi was unexpectedly nowhere to be seen.

'He's really fast...'

'It seems like he really hid his strength well before, during this whole war...'

'Ahh...'

Kosuke suddenly fell on the ground, holding his head in pain and groaning painfully.

'I'm still not familiar with these eyes...'

'I need to talk to my cousin fast...'

- - -

In the Konoha's main base, tomorrow morning.

In the commander's personal office sat two serious-looking men.

"Kosuke, don't tell anyone about this!"

"Not even your family!"

The older man seated in the main chair said urgently all of a sudden.

"I understand cousin!" Kosuke replied solemnly.

"Sigh, I hope you understand why..."

"But don't worry, our clan safety will be even more guaranteed now!"

"That's two Mangekyo holders now, ey!"

"Konoha will have to pay a grave price if they try to get rid of us!"

Fugaku said delightedly, feeling more confident in the future of his clan.

"Cousin, will you now teach me about those special abilities you mentioned before?"

"Now's not the time yet, Kosuke, and we must test first to see if you really have them as well."

Fugaku replied knowingly after some consideration.

"But your healing ability is truly unique and one of a kind, I didn't see it mentioned in the clan's annals before."

"It's also pretty useful, it seems that I won't need to worry about your safety in the future anymore."

Fugaku added warmly.

"Yes, cousin I understand!"

Kosuke also nodded while smiling, but then his face turned fierce all of a sudden.

"But what are we going to do about that damn traitor and all the eyes he took from us!?"

Kosuke clenched his fists hard, feeling great shame for allowing him to escape.

"Sigh, I already anticipated something like this would happen..."

"But, I didn't expect it coming from my own subordinate..."

Fugaku replied after sighing dejectedly.

He already expected that the enemy's ninja would try to steal the eyeballs from the dead Uchiha, after all, it was only logical of them to do so.

'That's why I need to end this war sooner!'

He thought resolutely, feeling a great deal of empathy for his now-lost clansmen and their disgracefully stolen eyes.

"Kosuke, we'll deal with that traitor later!"

"As for now, our top priority is to end this war fast to avoid further losses!"

- - -

Later that day, a private meeting was again being held again in Fugaku's presence.

He, Hiashi, and Yoshi were discussing some matters regarding the future of this battlefront.

The room was dark and a conspiracy was slowly brewing there.

"We can't go on any further like this!"

"Our losses are becoming enormous, we must end this war fast!"

Fugaku said resolutely, his loud voice reverberating inside the room.

'Yeah, I guess no one likes the feeling of their own clansmen being continuously slaughtered in front of them for the so-called greater good and the Will of Fire...'

'But still, who would've expected that quiet guy Takumi to do this...?'

'It seems like he truly found his own way...'

'Who was it for? Danzo? Orochimaru? Or maybe both of them?'

'And what does he gain from this?'

'This world is truly getting more and more unpredictable by the second...'

'But Takumi is still firmly placed under my control...'

'After all, only I could truly set him free in this life...'

'Only I can give him the freedom he so desires!'

Hiashi suddenly looked up at Fugaku directly and said somewhat sincerely and solemnly.

"Fugaku, I'm incredibly sorry about this..."

"I promise you that our clan will also independently offer a bounty offer for his quick capture!"

"That beast will have to pay!"

Hiashi thought angrily, feeling extremely humiliated at the moment.

A traitor from his own, Hyuga clan?

That was surprisingly unheard of before.

All the good feelings he accumulated for that talented junior before, instantly evaporated in an instant.

He even felt a little unexpected hate, maybe a branch member doing something like this aroused some deeply hidden feelings of superiority within his heart?

"That's great to hear, Hiashi."

Fugaku just nodded gratefully and continued.

"Anyone has any ideas for ensuring a quick victory in this war?"

"It's actually very simple Fugaku..."

Yoshi suddenly opened his mouth and responded to Fugaku directly.

Hiashi and Fugaku both looked at him curiously, motioning him to continue.

After the previous thing in regards to Might Guy and Duy, they had good confidence in him now.

"Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will scatter!"

"Or so they say..."

"You don't mean!?"

Fugaku opened his eyes wide suddenly, Hiashi looked at him with the same expression on his face.

"Yes, it seems like you already realized it!"

"The only way to end this war fast is to kill their Mizukage decisively, as uncle Sakumo did many years ago!"

"Turning them into a state of complete disarray in that way..."

"B-But..."

Seeing that Hiashi wanted to say something, Yoshi continued quickly, "This is a good plan if you think about it."

"There is literally no way that they would expect us at the Kirigakure, at this time!"

"I'll make a barrier and isolate the Mizukage inside killing him directly there when we observe their elites being dispatched somewhere else outside their village..."

"But what about the strength of their Mizukage, we know nothing about it!?" Hiashi shouted unsurely.

"That's why I'll go with Fugaku at that time, just to be sure!" Yoshi replied while taking a glance at Fugaku.

"In fact, Konoha has a very clear advantage in this war from the beginning..."

"The other big villages can't simply send their elites to attack the Konoha itself, with now both the Hokage and uncle Sakumo being there, not to mention Konoha's village barrier!"

"But what stops us from attacking the Kirigakure at this time?"

"Their misty and obscure terrain?"

"Don't make me laugh, their hidden mist is nothing in front of my sensing ability!"

"I agree with this plan!"

Fugaku suddenly stood up and said resolutely.

Yoshi just smiled at him meaningfully and they both turned towards Hiashi.

"Sigh, if that's your wish..."

Hiashi replied, feeling more confident in this plan now, after hearing Yoshi's thoughtful explanation.

"That's great, we'll act as soon as the previous conditions are met!"

"This war needs to end right now!" Fugaku shouted steadfastly and bravely, already ready to give it his all against the Mizukage in the future.

He was ready to show all of his cards during that upcoming important battle.

After Kosuke's recent waking of Mangekyo Sharingan, he felt as if a heavy stone was lifted off his shoulders finally.

He gradually became a bit more unhinged and arrogant than before.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

*** Important Author's Note: ***

Sorry for not posting sooner, I had some motivation problems, was deliberating about something, and I've come towards a new conclusion.

I won't mention about power stones anymore,

But if you think that the majority of the stories currently ranked above this one in the power ranking, truly deserve its position righteously, then alright.

I'll continue to post until May 15th, when I'll take a good look at the situation again, and If I see similar things happening again, I'll have to discontinue this story and leave this website for good.

I'm sorry but I just can't turn the other way around and keep writing for this website, when all the people here reward and care about in actuality, are the low-quality trash fics, it's really way below my taste.

If I'm still getting smashed that hard in the rankings by May 15th, I'll probably have to make a Patreo-n account, and see if I can get any support there, from my most loyal fanbase, if I have any.

I'll try and aim for the quality of support instead of the quantity in that way.

But If I'm still not getting neither the quality supporters nor the quantity of support, I'll have to truly discontinue this story then, there is no point honestly.

It's incredibly hurtful and disparaging seeing a low-quality story with 10 sentence short chapters, published just 7 days earlier, beating me in the ranking by miles, by an 800 hundred freaking power stones at this time!

I sometimes write my own chapters for even 10 hours straight a day, but they can just upload a few short sentences in a chapter, publish their story 7 days ago, and beat me in the ranking that hard, spitting on all of my previous efforts?

I hope you all read this seriously and understood me well!

All the best!