Chapter 299: The Crushing Earth—One Against Three!

Chapter 299: The Crushing Earth—One Against Three!

While the three factions outside remained in a tense standoff, inside a palace on the outskirts of Yunming City, Uchiha Ci let out a slow breath. He cast a final glance at the ruins, now devoid of any life, then closed his eyes, which were sore from using Susanoo.

Even if it was only a brief respite, he would take what little time he had to recover.

After all, his eyes had yet to complete their fusion.

Silence blanketed the area, thick and oppressive, as though the air had turned into a suffocating swamp. The ground beneath his feet felt like the narrow path between hell and a Buddhist sanctuary, an eerie place on the verge of being overrun by malevolent spirits. The atmosphere was stifling, hot, and heavy—almost as if anyone present might plunge into the abyss at any moment.

The stillness didn't last long.

A set of heavy footsteps soon echoed in the hall.

"Is everyone dead?"

A burly man, clad in the red uniform of Iwagakure, leaped onto the palace roof and surveyed the ruins below with a furrowed brow.

It was none other than Iwagakure's powerhouse—Kitsuchi, who had come to ensure the complete eradication of Ryūzōji Sugiya.

However, when his gaze fell upon the lone figure standing amidst the devastation, his eyes narrowed in shock.

"This guy..."

The young man before him wore a scratched-out Konoha rogue ninja forehead protector. His high-collared short-sleeved top was tattered, exposing a black inner layer. A purple rope belt was tied around his waist, and his loose-fitting lantern pants were secured by worn-out gray bandages. In his hand, he held a battered katana.

His entire appearance was like that of a war-torn survivor, as if he had just escaped from a brutal three-month battle on the rain-soaked fields of Amegakure.

However, when Kitsuchi's eyes caught the red-and-white fan crest emblazoned on the young man's back, along with his sharp yet youthful features, his heart suddenly jolted.

"This attire... and that face..."

"Uchiha Ci!"

"There's no doubt about it—this guy is the real deal!"

A cold, knowing smirk spread across Kitsuchi's face.

"I see... After surviving against the Raikage, you must have rushed to Yunming City as soon as you heard about that brat's situation."

"And you even committed such a blasphemous act!"

Looking at the scene around him—the ruins resembling a battlefield trampled by a hundred rampaging elephants, the corpses reduced to nothing but dust, and Uchiha Ci standing alone in the center—there was only one logical explanation.

"Well, that works perfectly for me!"

Clearly, this brat had come seeking revenge. Yet his actions had, intentionally or not, eliminated the son of the Daimyō of the Land of Lightning.

Kitsuchi let out a cruel laugh, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. He raised both hands and quickly formed a two-seal sequence. Layers of rock surged up his arms, reinforcing them with tremendous weight and density.

Then—

Boom!

The tiles beneath his feet shattered as he launched himself downward. He swung his rock-encased fist straight at Uchiha Ci's skull!

Swoosh!

Fist strengthened by Earth Release: Fist Rock Technique, its sheer force combined with gravity and momentum, the strike came crashing down!

If it connected, a human skull wouldn't stand a chance—it would explode like a watermelon under a hammer!

"Your head is mine!"

Kitsuchi roared, his eyes bulging as his rock-covered fist hurtled forward.

Boom!

The impact landed with a dull explosion, like a sledgehammer smashing into a concrete wall.

Yet, Kitsuchi's face suddenly changed.

His punch had landed—but not on Uchiha Ci's head.

Instead, it had struck an emerging structure—a skeletal frame of glowing yellow-red chakra, swirling with intense heat!

"This is...!"

In that instant, the boy—who had previously kept his eyes closed—suddenly opened them.

His cold, resolute gaze met Kitsuchi's startled expression.

And then—

Swoosh!

A blazing chakra arm rose from Uchiha Ci's side and instantly solidified, lashing out!

His long black hair was swept upward by the force, billowing wildly to the left. Around him, an aura of flaming chakra ignited, resembling a living inferno.

In the blink of an eye, Kitsuchi felt something seize him—tighten—lift him off the ground.

Only then did he snap his head up, his pupils shrinking in horror.

A gigantic skeletal hand, composed entirely of burning chakra, had gripped him. Its exposed sinews twitched and pulsed, growing and constricting.

He was completely ensnared.

The tendons wrapped around his body, tightening mercilessly—

Then, with a silent, ruthless motion, Uchiha Ci clenched his fist.

Splat!

Like crushing a mushroom, Kitsuchi's face contorted in agony as his skull, flesh, and bones were all simultaneously obliterated!

Boom!

Yet, instead of blood, what trickled from the skeletal fingers was nothing but... fine sand.

"A Earth Clone?"

Uchiha Ci narrowed his eyes slightly and turned his gaze toward a nearby pillar.

Without hesitation, he swung the massive skeletal arm attached to his Susanoo—

Boom!

The pillar shattered into dust!

From behind it, a round-faced, burly man clad in an Iwagakure uniform flipped backward, avoiding the strike.

Even mid-air, his hands never stopped forming seals.

Tiger → Rat → Snake!

Then, his hands came together in the final 'Snake' seal.

"Earth Release: Rock Lodging Destruction!"

At that moment, the already weakened palace collapsed entirely!

Beams tumbled, the ceiling caved in, and massive slabs of rubble came crashing down toward Uchiha Ci!

"Hmph. So, you want to create dust to avoid direct eye contact with my Sharingan?"

Uchiha Ci remained motionless.

He could tell that the moment his opponent landed on the roof earlier, he had already spread chakra into the structure, setting up the jutsu.

But an attack of this level?

It wasn't even worth interrupting.

This was the same technique that had buried Obito alive during the Kannabi Bridge battle—the catalyst of future tragedy.

But this wasn't a dense forest, and there weren't boulders large enough to crush someone to death.

Besides—Uchiha Ci was no Uchiha Obito.

Even if the entire palace collapsed, it wouldn't leave so much as a scratch on Susanoo's skeletal frame!

Then why was Kitsuchi doing this?

In an instant, the palace collapsed, dust rising into the air. Uchiha Ci didn't move as debris buried him.

Boom!

A single pulse of his chakra sent every piece of rubble flying away!

Emerging from the wreckage, he swept his crimson gaze across the battlefield.

Yet—

Through the thick dust, his Sharingan picked up three distinct chakra signatures.

Uchiha Ci frowned.

Before he could determine whether they were real bodies or clones—

Swoosh!

A sword light flashed through the haze, piercing forward at lightning speed!

"Secret Sword: Iai Slash!"

At the far end of his vision, a figure pressing against their sword sheath in a headlong charge suddenly tore through the swirling dust, bulldozing forward like an unstoppable force. In an instant, they traversed a hundred meters and closed in.

Then—

The sword was drawn!

Under the moonlight, the dazzling blade flashed, slashing straight toward the Susanoo skeleton surrounding Uchiha Ci!

Zzzt—!

Sparks exploded as the blade collided with the skeletal frame!

In the next instant, the tip of the sword forcefully pierced through the Susanoo's structure—

Crack!

A dense web of fractures spread across the bone-like armor.

Uchiha Ci's pupils contracted sharply. Instinctively, he raised his samurai sword, swinging it in a desperate block!

Clang!

The sword tip clashed against his blade, sending embers flying.

Barely—just barely—it stopped mere inches from Uchiha Ci's throat.

Only now did Uchiha Ci clearly see the attacker's face.

The man had a long beard covering his mouth and chin, his head wrapped in a bandage. He wore layered green armor.

This man—

He was none other than Mifune, the General of the Land of Iron's samurai. A Kage-level powerhouse who, in the future, would serve as the Captain of the Fifth Division's Special Battle Unit during the Fourth Great Ninja War!

Uchiha Ci's heart skipped a beat as sudden realization dawned.

At last, he understood—

The samurai who had appeared beside Ryūzōji Sugiya earlier, and why the traditionally neutral warriors of the Land of Iron were involved in the affairs of the Land of Lightning.

There was only one explanation:

This incident had threatened the very foundation of the samurai nation's existence—

The Daimyō!

But before Uchiha Ci could think further—

"Art of Manipulation—Unified Will!"

An icy, aged voice, thick with hatred, suddenly rang out!

The next instant—

From the depths of the ruins, five specially crafted steel wires shot out with astonishing speed, latching onto the Susanoo encasing Uchiha Ci.

Then—

Clack! Clack! Clack!

The sound of mechanical expansion echoed—like a tightening winch pulling steel cables taut.

The five wires burrowed deep into the skeletal armor, eliciting a sharp, grating screech!

Immediately after—

A frail figure emerged from the dissipating dust—

Draped in a loose black robe, a white scarf tied around their chest, a yellow storage pouch slung at their side. Their face was deeply wrinkled, with dull purple hair and a perpetually gloomy expression.

This was none other than Elder Chiyo of Sunagakure—

The current envoy of the Hidden Sand!

At that moment, she leisurely pulled a scroll with a purple cover from her waist pouch.

All the while, she locked eyes with Uchiha Ci, a cold and menacing smile spreading across her face.

Then, she spoke—

"So, you're Uchiha Ci?"

"I've been waiting for this day… for a long time."