The war between the Senju and Uchiha dragged on for another half month.
While Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha continued dominating the battlefield like twin suns blazing over the Shinobi World— another name had begun spreading rapidly among the younger generation.
Ethan Vale.
But fame on the battlefield always came with danger.
Once the Uchiha learned Ethan had become the prized disciple personally cultivated by both Hashirama and Tobirama— their resolve hardened instantly.
He had to die.
Any genius acknowledged by Hashirama himself would inevitably grow into a catastrophic threat to the Uchiha Clan.
They absolutely could not allow a second Hashirama to emerge.
As a result, Ethan received extremely “special treatment” in every battle afterward.
Wherever he appeared— the battlefield intensified immediately.
Outside of Hashirama and Madara’s clashes, Ethan’s position had effectively become the second focal point of the entire war.
Naturally, Tobirama had anticipated this possibility long ago.
Using Ethan as bait, he orchestrated several devastating counter-ambushes that inflicted heavy casualties on the Uchiha.
Unfortunately— the strategy failed to discourage them.
The Uchiha continued throwing elite shinobi at Ethan with near-suicidal determination.
The scale of their obsession exceeded even Tobirama’s expectations.
Eventually, even he realized the situation was beginning to slip beyond his control.
By the time Tobirama considered withdrawing Ethan from frontline combat— it was already too late.
At some point, Ethan himself had become a symbol.
If the Senju suddenly pulled him away for protection now, morale across the clan would collapse instantly.
Every advantage Tobirama had built through previous victories would vanish overnight.
So both clans continued escalating.
More troops.
More sacrifices.
More pressure.
Everything centered around Ethan.
The intensity surrounding him eventually surpassed even the strategic significance of Hashirama and Madara’s direct battles.
Late that night.
Inside the Uchiha war camp.
Madara Uchiha and his younger brother Izuna sat across from one another within a brightly lit underground chamber.
A massive tactical sand table stretched between them.
“We can’t drag this out any longer,” Izuna said grimly.
His eyes were bloodshot with exhaustion.
“The longer this continues, the worse our position becomes.” He pointed directly toward a marked position on the battlefield map.
“Senju Yang must die.” “If we eliminate him, the Senju momentum collapses instantly.” “Then we still have a chance to win this war.” Madara remained silent for a long moment.
His gaze lingered on the shifting battle markers across the tactical board.
The Senju had been steadily devouring Uchiha territory and resources.
If things continued at this pace— their defeat was inevitable.
Finally, Madara spoke.
“You’ll lead the operation personally.” His voice carried immense weight.
“It must succeed.” “If this fails…” “There won’t be another opportunity to reverse the war.” Izuna nodded silently before rising to his feet.
As he turned and left the chamber, Madara watched his younger brother’s back with complicated eyes.
If possible— Madara would have preferred to go himself.
But he couldn’t.
Only he could hold Hashirama in check on the main battlefield.
And the reverse was equally true.
That same night, Izuna assembled ten elite Uchiha genjutsu specialists for a covert assassination mission.
The Uchiha possessed many powerful illusion users.
But assassinations were different.
Too many operatives increased the risk of failure.
After careful consideration, Izuna concluded ten specialists was the ideal number.
Some among them were even prepared to sacrifice themselves if necessary.
They all understood the risk.
None hesitated.
Beneath the pale moonlight, the squad vanished silently into the darkness.
Meanwhile, inside the Senju camp— Ethan lay inside his tent after an exhausting day of battle.
But no matter what he did— he couldn’t fall asleep.
His eyelids felt heavy.
His body screamed for rest.
Yet every time he drifted close to unconsciousness— he snapped awake again instinctively.
“What the hell is this weird debuff?” After tossing around for nearly an hour, Ethan finally sat upright on the edge of the bed in irritation.
Then he paused.
“…Wait.” “Am I physically exhausted?” He immediately shook his head.
“No.” “Absolutely not.” “I’m in my prime.” If it wasn’t physical— then it had to be mental.
And recently, his spiritual sensitivity had increased dramatically.
Not only had his Haki grown stronger— his instincts on the battlefield had become unnaturally sharp.
A realization struck him instantly.
“…Danger.” “That’s why I can’t settle down.” Without hesitation, Ethan activated Observation Haki at full power.
His perception spread outward silently through the surrounding camp.
And almost immediately— he sensed them.
Eleven unfamiliar presences.
Moving rapidly through the Senju defenses.
Straight toward him.
“…Assassination.” Ethan smiled coldly.
So the Uchiha had finally decided to gamble everything on killing him.
Hand seals flashed instantly.
A Wood Clone remained sleeping beneath the blankets while Ethan himself slipped silently out of the tent.
He intended to gather reinforcements and trap the assassins completely.
To avoid alerting the enemy prematurely, he didn’t even warn the guards stationed outside.
At the same time, Izuna’s strike team infiltrated deeper into the Senju encampment.
Each checkpoint was neutralized flawlessly.
Whenever they encountered guards, the genjutsu specialists quietly subdued them without making a sound.
One defense line after another collapsed silently.
Eventually, the squad arrived outside Ethan’s tent.
Only the final guards remained.
Izuna gave a subtle hand signal.
Five genjutsu specialists activated their Sharingan simultaneously.
The guards collapsed soundlessly into illusions.
“Lord Izuna…” One elderly Uchiha spoke quietly.
“Isn’t this going a little too smoothly?” Izuna answered coldly without turning around.
“The finest genjutsu users in the clan are standing here tonight.” “If we still fail…” “Then perhaps the Uchiha deserve to lose this war.” The old man gave a bitter smile and fell silent.
The others remained outside while Izuna entered the tent alone.
There, beneath dim candlelight— he saw Ethan asleep in bed.
The boy looked exhausted.
Young.
Far too young.
“…What a waste,” Izuna thought inwardly.
Even as an enemy, he couldn’t help feeling admiration.
Izuna himself was already regarded as one of the greatest prodigies of the younger generation.
Yet Ethan was even younger than he had been.
Killing a talent like this felt tragic.
But mercy toward enemies was cruelty toward one’s own clan.
If Ethan survived and continued growing— the future awaiting the Uchiha might truly become hell.
That thought hardened Izuna’s resolve instantly.
His expression turned ice cold.
Kunai in hand— he drove the blade directly toward Ethan’s throat.
The instant the weapon pierced flesh— Izuna’s face changed completely.
The feedback was wrong.
Not flesh.
Wood.
“…Wood Clone?!”