Chapter 303: The Sword Emerges, Sweeping Across the Land!

Chapter 303: The Sword Emerges, Sweeping Across the Land!

A mountain over a thousand meters high collapsed, and the fierce wind from its destruction sent the hair on Uchiha Ci's forehead flying.

At this moment, he was standing atop a rock unearthed by Kitsuchi, plummeting rapidly toward the inner city of Unmei Castle, his eyes filled with shock.

Based on the intelligence he had gathered from the original story, Kitsuchi was merely an Earth Release specialist.

His Earth Release techniques were vast in scale—powerful enough to restrain the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path—but their offensive capability was, to be frank, not particularly strong.

Moreover, Susanoo was a physical armor formed from highly condensed chakra, possessing immense resistance against ninjutsu. It only showed relative vulnerability when facing extreme physical attacks.

Thus, the only jutsu from Kitsuchi that could pose a real threat to Uchiha Ci was the Earth Release: Super Weighted Rock Fist, a technique that combined earth ninjutsu with taijutsu.

But if Kitsuchi used that jutsu to shatter Susanoo, he would immediately have to face Uchiha Ci in close combat—an opponent notoriously difficult to handle in taijutsu.

He wouldn't stand a chance.

Mechanically speaking, an Earth Release specialist with such a singular focus was already at a disadvantage.

However, what Uchiha Ci never expected was that the mountainous terrain of the Land of Lightning would provide such an overwhelming advantage to Kitsuchi. The man had leveraged it at the cost of his own life to unleash an absurdly powerful Earth Release technique—one that drew upon the force of nature itself.

Earth Release: Super Seismic Core!

In terms of difficulty and sheer destructive power, this technique was no weaker than the S-rank Lightning Release: Kirin.

At this moment, as he plummeted from the sky, Uchiha Ci's vision blurred at the edges. Everything around him stretched into elongated lines, streaking past in a dizzying blur.

Faced with this situation, Uchiha Ci gritted his teeth, immediately deactivating Susanoo to recover as much chakra as possible.

Then, forming the Tiger seal with both hands—

A scorching surge of power erupted from his pre-lit heart!

In the next instant, brilliant white lines coursed through his limbs, flooding his entire body.

A violent force radiated from his form, illuminating the night sky—

A blazing sun suddenly rose above Unmei Castle!

Fire Release: Chakra Mode—Activate!

Uchiha Ci extended his arms forward, bringing his palms together in the stance of a Kamehameha.

Then—

"Shooting Star Great Sword: Flaming Wind Dragon Dance!"

A massive torrent of chakra condensed between his hands, transforming into an enormous inferno beam that surged downward!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Gale winds howled past his ears as Uchiha Ci clenched his teeth and hardened his back using Earth Release: Earth Spear.

The fiery dragon blade of the Flaming Wind Dragon Dance struck downward, piercing straight through the nine-ridged roof of a palace and detonating upon impact, unleashing a fiery storm!

Leveraging the immense recoil from this devastating attack, Uchiha Ci was launched back toward the mountain, skidding along its surface.

He tore across the side of the peak like a cannonball, nearly slicing through the mountain itself, before finally escaping the direct impact of the colossal collapsing landmass.

Only then did he begin falling once more.

By now, after using Susanoo once and immediately activating Fire Release: Chakra Mode thereafter, Uchiha Ci's chakra reserves were nearly depleted.

But against a cataclysmic technique of this magnitude, ordinary Wind Release wouldn't be enough to escape.

His only option was to gamble what little chakra he had left on his most powerful Fire Release forbidden jutsu!

He had no choice but to use it!

Once he had cleared the mountain's imminent collapse zone, Uchiha Ci formed another set of hand seals in midair, utilizing the last of his chakra to unleash Wind Release: Vacuum Palm to cushion his descent.

Fwoosh!

Like a fallen bird, he crashed headfirst into a side palace within Unmei Castle's inner city.

---

Meanwhile—

Killer Bee, Rōshi, and Pakura, who had been battling in Unmei Castle just moments before, all turned their eyes toward the scene of destruction.

What they saw left them stunned.

A mountain over a thousand meters tall had collapsed like a heavenly pillar, crashing directly toward the inner city.

The towering walls encircling the castle crumbled in an instant, obliterated beneath the weight of the descending peak.

The landslide of earth and stone cascaded into the heart of the city, reducing the once-thriving palace district to ruin.

The scene eerily resembled the aftermath of Pain's Shinra Tensei when he obliterated Konoha.

The anguished cries of the inner city's residents echoed throughout the ruins.

Standing atop the shattered city walls, Killer Bee and the others were momentarily frozen, their faces filled with shock.

"What the hell… just happened?!"

Before they could even process the devastation, a sudden burst of intense light ignited the night sky.

Looking up, they saw a figure engulfed in flames plummeting downward—

Like a dying sun, crashing into the city.

When they recognized the figure's face, their expressions twisted in shock.

"That guy… is Uchiha Ci!"

A murderous gleam flashed in Killer Bee's eyes, his bandaged face contorting with fury.

Beside him, Rōshi and Pakura, who had never seen Uchiha Ci before, were taken aback by Killer Bee's seething rage.

"That brat… is Uchiha Ci?"

Pakura's gaze sharpened. She knew all too well the deep-seated hatred between Chiyo and this young Uchiha. If he was also after the feudal lord's son, a confrontation between them was inevitable.

And judging by the battlefield's sheer destruction…

Had Chiyo…?

Before she could finish the thought—

"Cough… Cough…"

A weak, ragged cough suddenly came from the rubble.

Moments later, a mound of earth crumbled, revealing two battered figures stumbling out, barely able to stand.

They were none other than the Elder of Sunagakure, Chiyo, and Mifune, the General of the Land of Iron's Samurai.

The two looked utterly wretched—bodies covered in dust, bones shattered, blood streaming from their faces.

Mifune, in particular, had suffered a horrific injury—one eye socket crushed, bone fragments protruding, his eyeball missing entirely. His nose was caved in, half his face looked as if it had been struck by an iron anchor, and every breath he took spewed blood and broken teeth.

Had Chiyo not protected them with her jutsu at the last moment, and had Kitsuchi not been focused on a different target, they would have perished on the spot.

The sight of Mifune's injuries sent chills down the spines of Killer Bee's group.

Pakura, spotting Chiyo amidst the rubble, rushed forward.

"Chiyo-sama!"

But before anyone could respond, Rōshi, ignoring the reunion, anxiously asked the surviving elder—

"Old woman! Where's Kitsuchi?!"

"…Kitsuchi…"

Chiyo, still leaning weakly against Pakura, took a moment to process. Then, her expression changed drastically, and she trembled as she spoke—

"…He's dead."

Rōshi's eyes went wide in disbelief.

"How did he die?"

Chiyo took a shuddering breath.

"…He fought Uchiha Ci."

"There were three of us… against just him… and then—"

Her face suddenly twisted in rage as she whipped her head toward the ruined palace where Uchiha Ci had crashed. She grabbed Pakura's hand tightly, her voice shaking with fury.

"Quick! Over there, that Uchiha brat!"

"I can sense it—his chakra is incredibly weak!"

"He has no strength left to fight back!"

"We must—must—eliminate this great enemy of Sunagakure here and now!"

Upon hearing these words, Pakura was momentarily stunned.

Three against one—yet even after such an earth-shattering battle…

That kid named Uchiha Ci was still alive?!

Just how powerful was he?

And more importantly—could she even stand a chance against such an opponent?

A whirlwind of questions flooded Pakura's mind.

But before she could reach a decision, the two people beside her—Killer Bee and Rōshi—had already stood up.

Killer Bee, who had an old grudge with Uchiha Ci, and Rōshi, whose face was twisted in fury upon learning of Kitsuchi's death—

At this moment, both of them abruptly turned their heads toward the direction Chiyo was pointing.

The corners of their eyes tightened so much it looked as if their skin would split, and their round, bulging eyes seemed on the verge of bursting.

"Kill him!"

"We must kill him here and now!"

"This evil Uchiha brat… we cannot allow him to grow any stronger!"

The same murderous intent surged in both their hearts.

Without a moment's hesitation, the two leaped toward the gaping hole in the palace roof where Uchiha Ci had fallen.

As they sprinted—

Two terrifying auras instantly erupted into the sky!

Scarlet Tailed Beast Cloaks flared to life, and from their backs, monstrous tails unfurled, rapidly enveloping their bodies!

Four-Tails and Eight-Tails—

Two Jinchūriki, joining forces at this moment, with the sole intent of killing Uchiha Ci!

The atmosphere on the battlefield tensed to an extreme.

Pakura, watching the two figures leap ahead, was left utterly bewildered.

Just by sensing their chakra, she could already tell—she wouldn't stand a chance against either of them.

And Uchiha Ci, who required both of them to fight together…

Just how strong was he?!

If she charged in, would she even make a difference?

This doubt lingered in Pakura's mind for only a brief moment.

Regardless of her fears, for the sake of her village, which was already on the path of decline—

She had to step forward as a Sunagakure ninja!

However—

Just as Pakura was about to rise and join the Jinchūriki in striking down Uchiha Ci—

A cold, deathly pale Chiyo suddenly grabbed her wrist!

In that instant—

The earth trembled violently!

As if some ominous force was about to break free from the depths!

Pakura's head snapped upward—

And then she saw it—

Within the lavish palace not far away—

In the very heart of the once-flourishing inner city—

Suddenly—

A pillar of fire erupted skyward, piercing straight through the palace's ridge-tiled roof!

It shattered the eaves, severed the beams, and sent glazed tiles exploding outward!

The roaring inferno surged upward, accompanied by an ear-piercing crackling of lightning—

From within this blinding light—

A sword nearly a hundred meters long took shape!

Forged from lightning for its spine, and blazing flames for its edge—

Like something out of myth, resembling the legendary blade Murakumo, the peerless, sky-cleaving sword of Bizen Nagamitsu!

Then—

That radiant, magnificent sword suddenly moved!

It was slow… yet impossibly fast.

Two slashes in an instant—

Each dividing into three blinding streaks of light!

A total of six colossal sword beams tore through the air, sweeping across the battlefield!

And then—

Pakura saw it.

The two Jinchūriki who had just leaped toward the palace—

Both froze in place, staring in utter shock at the devastating sword beams—

Not dodging. Not even thinking to evade.

Almost as if they were hurling themselves directly into the attack!

"—Zzzt!!"

The sword beams struck—

Instantly shredding their Tailed Beast Cloaks, ripping through their defenses, and sending them hurtling backward!

Their bodies were flung away even faster than when they had charged in!

The next moment—

The palace collapsed in ruins, revealing a lone figure standing amidst the dust and rubble.

It was him.

Uchiha Ci.

Gasping for breath, his body covered in dust, standing in the heart of the devastation.

A translucent flaming skeletal frame flickered around him.

But what truly seized everyone's attention—

Was the sword held high in the grip of that skeletal giant's hand!

A sword of dazzling grandeur!

Uchiha Ci stood there, panting heavily, his eyelids so heavy they nearly shut on their own.

At the very last moment, he had forced his body to activate the Forbidden Jutsu: Body Revival, squeezing out the last remnants of his chakra—

Barely enough to summon a half-formed Susanoo.

And when he sensed the approach of Rōshi and Killer Bee—

He had gambled it all, fusing his half-formed Susanoo, Fire Release Chakra Mode, and his final trump card—Futsunomitama—to forge this one sword!

Then—

He had unleashed it with the Secret Sword: Swallow Return, combined with the Uchiha Style: Solar Dance—

Creating the devastating strike that had just unfolded.

Now, however—

He was completely drained.

Not a single drop of chakra left in him.

And yet—

Even in this state, he still forced himself to glare coldly at the five figures standing atop the city walls.

His gaze was piercing—

As if saying: I can still fight for a whole damn day.

In that brief moment of stunned silence—

Uchiha Ci moved.

Without hesitation, he manipulated the skeletal giant's hand, gripping the hilt of the magnificent sword—

Then—

He twisted the sword's hilt and raised it toward the heavens!

Instantly activating the hidden killing move sealed within the divine blade—

Raijin's Sword: Izumo-Kyaku-Nation Slayer!

Whether he lived or died—

Would all depend on this next sword strike!

The very next instant—

From the ruins, a tempest of flames and thunder erupted!

The towering, resplendent colossal sword transformed into a raging pillar of light, engulfed in fire and lightning, ascending straight into the sky!

Atop the city walls—

Killer Bee, Rōshi, Chiyo, Pakura, and Mifune—

All of them—

Stared in horror, as if gazing upon a god.

Then—

The sky—

Plunged into darkness.

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