Chapter 88

Chapter 88

2-in-1-chapter

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"Then I may depart now, correct?" Rēn asked, brimming with anticipation. The bloodthirsty smile on his face made Akimichi Torifu's eye twitch uncontrollably. Why did this damned smile overlap perfectly with the illusion from his memory? Were all Uchiha like this?

Did they all just love war so much?

"Uchiha Clan Head, may your campaign bring only victory and no defeat. I will be here in the village, awaiting your triumphant return."

Akimichi Torifu rose again and solemnly handed over full authority for the eastern front and the battle with Kirigakure. He passed the already prepared appointment letter to Nara Shikaku, who then presented it to Rēn. With this document, Rēn officially became the supreme commander of the eastern front.

"This battle will be won! Hokage-sama, you may rest assured!"

Rēn accepted the letter, his smile growing even brighter, and the murderous glint in his eyes more intense.

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Half an hour later, under orders from Supreme Commander Uchiha Rēn, the army that had been preparing for several days marched out, heading straight for the eastern coastal region of the Land of Fire. This massive force, nearly 4,000 strong, not only drew on all of Konoha's visible manpower, but also included 1,500 shinobi from the Sarutobi, Shimura, and four other clans.

Of course, this wasn't the full extent of Konoha's resources.

Konoha's reserves ran deep.

If they were truly ruthless, they could squeeze another 5,000 troops from the Uchiha, Hyūga, Aburame, and the Ino-Shika-Chō clans. That wouldn't be difficult.

But unless the situation became truly desperate, even the Hokage wouldn't dare make such a move lightly.

"Rēn, don't be careless! Kirigakure is still one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. This time, you're not just responsible for your own life—the fate of thousands rests on your shoulders."

Outside Konoha's main gate, Uchiha Genshi and the elders were seeing off their young clan head.

"Clan Head Rēn! Be sure to cut down a few more Kirigakure shinobi on the battlefield! Let those sea-soaked fools remember the might of the Uchiha," said Elder Homaru, as blunt as ever, added.

"The best kind of Kirigakure shinobi is a dead one!" said Elder Uchiha An, the only woman among them.

"Take care of Chihaya!" Elder Ryūji added.

"Shisui's condition hasn't been great lately, Clan Head. Please keep an eye on him while you're out there," said Elder Jun, looking worried.

"...You're excellent."

Having run out of things to say, Elder Nobusaburō gave Rēn the only genuine praise he could think of.

"I will return victorious! Grandfather, elders, please wait at home for the good news."

Rēn smiled. His calm demeanor eased Uchiha Fujika's anxiety a little. She finally let go of the hem of Rēn's clothing.

Hearing his grandson's boast, Uchiha Genshi shook his head helplessly. But truthfully, he wasn't very worried. His grandson had long surpassed him. If anything, he was more concerned about his five-year-old granddaughter's safety.

The old man glanced at the small Fujika and felt a pang of pity.

"Rēn, about Fujika..."

"She's already five. Not so little anymore."

Rēn interrupted Genshi with a smile. "Grandfather, you brought me to the battlefield when I was five. You can't play favorites now."

Genshi glared at Rēn. What did he mean, "play favorites"? He was just worried about his granddaughter. But it was clear now—Rēn was dead set on taking Fujika to the battlefield for some experience.

He gave up trying to keep her behind. His gaze drifted to a little girl sitting in a wheelchair nearby. "Taking Fujika is one thing, but why bring Yakumo too? Is her health okay? Even just traveling will be hard on her."

This time, it wasn't just elite Uchiha accompanying them to the eastern front—Kurama Yakumo and Uchiha Fujika were going too.

Kurama Yakumo, as Rēn's disciple, had been living at his residence lately. Uchiha Masashi and Uchiha Saoki had already begun treating her like a daughter. Even Genshi liked the genjutsu-prodigy and had repeatedly expressed admiration for the Kurama clan's Kekkei Genkai.

"This is a rare opportunity. If we miss this conflict with Kirigakure, who knows when they'll next get to see the face of war? Life in the village is too comfortable. It's good for them to understand the harshness of the world early on."

Rēn looked up at Konoha, its high walls enclosing the village, and his smile faded.

This world is anything but gentle.

Konoha's peace is an anomaly, hard to replicate. Even in the Land of Fire, the wealthiest of the Five Nations, true peace is far from reality. Just look at the constant stream of missions to eliminate bandits and brigands—it reveals a glimpse of the world's true nature.

Rēn himself had clawed his way up from piles of corpses. Time and time again, he had walked the edge of life and death, which stripped away every last trace of naïveté.

Everything he had experienced made it clear to him—

Surviving in this cruel world is no easy task.

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The Land of Fire and the Land of Water do not share a border; the archipelagos of the Land of Water are quite distant from the coastlines of the Land of Fire. Between them lies a vast expanse of international waters. However, due to current technological conditions and the combat style of shinobi, warfare still primarily takes place on land.

Though shinobi are capable of walking on water, it consumes chakra, and ordinary shinobi are unwilling to waste chakra on such tasks.

Even when naval battles do occur, they are typically confined to coastal areas. Rarely do battles break out far out at sea. Historically, conflicts between Kirigakure and Konoha shinobi have always centered around the long coastlines of the Land of Fire.

Kirigakure usually takes the offensive, while Konoha retaliates.

Even with Uchiha Obito backing the Mist this time, it did nothing to change the long-standing dynamic.

The geographical structure and political circumstances of both countries dictate this style of warfare.

Boom!

An explosive tag detonated in the mountains and forests.

The rising smoke indicated only one thing—shinobi were engaged in battle.

"We can't hold on, there are too many of them. At this rate, we'll be worn down." A middle-aged man, gasping for air, flung another kunai with an explosive tag attached over his shoulder. As soon as he finished speaking, another explosion rang out.

"Captain, what should we do?"

The young subordinate couldn't hide the anxiety and fear in his heart. His face was deathly pale.

But the training he received at the shinobi academy and in the Border Guard Division had taught him to suppress fear in moments like this. Even now, in a critical situation, he chose to follow orders. Even if his captain asked him to stay behind and cover the retreat, he would carry it out without hesitation.

This was a patrol unit from the Border Guard Division.

Originally composed of four members, only two and a half remained. Besides the captain and the young subordinate, a third teammate, severely wounded and unconscious, lay slumped on the younger shinobi's back. As for the fourth…

He had already perished the moment they encountered the three Mist squads in pursuit.

Their ability to survive the encirclement of three Mist squads was entirely thanks to that "half" teammate.

That teammate, who carried a Uchiha fan on his back, usually acted arrogant and aloof, always looking down his nose at others. But the young subordinate had to admit, despite being irritating, the guy was incredibly dependable as a teammate. He had single-handedly stalled three Mist squads, buying the others time to escape.

If their other teammate hadn't been so unlucky, caught in the first wave and blown apart by an explosive tag from the Mist...

Maybe they all could've made it out.

"I'll cover the retreat. Kagemiya, take Akifusa and keep going."

The middle-aged captain gritted his teeth, touched the few remaining explosive tags on his person, and finally made a difficult decision. No matter what, it was time to act decisively—any more hesitation would doom the entire team.

"Captain?"

The subordinate named Kagemiya stared in shock.

"That's an order. Take Akifusa and go! I might not be able to stall them long. If it goes badly, even if you have to abandon Akifusa, keep running. You must get the news back to the village—that the Mist has broken through the Ōkawa Cape line."

Having accepted death, the captain was no longer tense.

As a veteran special jōnin, his talents clearly weren't exceptional—otherwise, he wouldn't still be stuck at this rank at his age. But at least time hadn't worn away his courage.

Better for him to cover the retreat than to let his subordinates die for him. He'd do his best to illuminate their path forward.

"Trying to flee? Let's see how far you make it."

A voice came from high in the trees ahead—like a shroud of death falling over them. It smothered the last bit of hope in the captain and Kagemiya's hearts. A fourth Mist squad had flanked them from the front.

Now trapped between enemies, the captain's face turned ashen. He gripped his kunai tightly, silently resolving that he'd kill himself before falling into the Mist's hands. But first, he would end his unconscious comrade's life—and destroy the twin tomoe Sharingan in his eyes.

"Today's lucky. Didn't expect to score a pair of Sharingan."

The Mist shinobi atop the trees stared greedily at the unconscious Uchiha Akifusa, thinking how best to extract the eyes intact.

At that moment,

Neither the Mist nor the Konoha shinobi noticed the small black mice darting through the underbrush. These tiny creatures swiftly returned to a small clearing in the forest, where they disappeared into a snow-white scroll laid out on the ground.

Back on the scroll, they reverted to ink and recorded the information they had gathered as text.

"Sixteen Mist shinobi?"

Rēn picked up the scroll and scanned it quickly.

"Another Uchiha? Didn't expect to find a clansman in danger here. Now that I know, I can't ignore it as clan head."

He dipped his brush and began painting in the blank space on the scroll.

In just a few strokes, a majestic black eagle emerged. Rēn put away the brush and gave the scroll a flick. The painted eagle suddenly expanded and burst from the paper, transforming into a large enough beast to carry three to five people through the sky.

This was Secret Art: Super Beast Imitating Drawing.

After obtaining this Yang Release secret art from a former Root operative, Rēn immediately began studying it. He extracted a vast amount of training insight from the operative's mind, and with Samehada providing ample energy, he mastered the technique through intense practice in under two weeks.

Though it seemed incredibly fast,

The time and effort Rēn invested behind the scenes was far greater than it appeared.

He had begun training in both Yin and Yang Release not long after obtaining Samehada. Given the Sharingan's deep ties to Yin Release, he had progressed smoothly there—until awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan, at which point he was nearly touching the essence of Yin Release.

In contrast,

His Yang Release training had stalled for a long time.

It wasn't due to a lack of talent, but a lack of opportunity. The Uchiha clan had no suitable resources on Yang Release. The village held many documents, but none were accessible to a Uchiha.

That was, until he acquired Super Beast Imitating Drawing.

This opened the hidden door to Yang Release mastery. All his accumulated foundations were instantly transformed into results. He no longer used the power crudely, but skillfully and with advanced control.

Of course,

Mastering one secret art doesn't make one an expert in Yang Release. But it was a breakthrough—one that gave him deeper insight into controlling Yang-based chakra.

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