Within Konoha, a series of reports were continuously being gathered at the Hokage Building.
Hiruzen Sarutobi’s brows were tightly furrowed as his gaze remained fixed on the crystal ball on his desk.
Reflected within the sphere was the scene of Uchiha Yashiro, Hazuki, and Fugaku leading the children of their clan forward.
From their subtly moving lips, Hiruzen Sarutobi, relying on his proficient lip-reading skills, deciphered quite a few useful pieces of information.
One thing could be confirmed—
The Uchiha were displaying an unprecedented trend toward coming together internally.
‘What a pity.
The Uchiha clan compound is protected by a barrier, making it difficult to see what is really going on.’
The Third Hokage’s eyes flickered.
He had always harbored complicated feelings toward the Uchiha clan.
Beneath his deep wariness, there had always been a trace of genuine hope—
Hope that they could truly integrate into Konoha, obey its orders, and help him accomplish the great undertaking even his teacher, Tobirama Senju, had failed to achieve: establishing a Konoha Hidden Village more powerful than ever before.
But the Uchiha, who were always restless and ready to make trouble, were also constantly wearing away his patience.
After the death of Uchiha Kagami, the bridge of communication between them, coupled with the day-after-day persuasion of his three advisor friends, his impression of that clan had long since changed.
‘I hope the Uchiha can do their part in this war…’
A faint sigh settled in his heart.
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly raised his head, his gaze shooting toward the door like a blazing torch.
At that very moment, a crisp knock sounded, followed by the low report of an ANBU shinobi outside.
“Lord Hokage, the Uchiha clan head requests an audience.”
‘What does he want?’
Hiruzen Sarutobi swiftly reined in every trace of emotion that had escaped him and answered in a deep voice.
“Let him in.”
……
Uchiha Clan Compound, Naka River Training Ground.
The morning mist lay over the Naka River like a veil.
The river shimmered with a cold gleam beneath the first rays of dawn, while the gentle sound of flowing water mingled with birdsong.
The air carried the damp scent of grass and earth.
The tranquility was shattered by the sharp sounds of something cutting through the air and the fiery explosions coming from the training ground.
Two figures crossed like hunting leopards in the hazy morning light.
The force of their fists and feet tore through the thin mist, sending droplets of dew spraying from the blades of grass along the riverbank.
A fierce sweeping kick lashed out, while the other figure lowered his body to block.
The collision between shin and arm produced a dull thud.
Uchiha Mikoto moved with remarkable agility, her toes lightly touching the damp river stones.
As she floated backward, her hands had already transformed into afterimages.
‘Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Claw Red!’
The kunoichi shouted inwardly as she completed the hand seals.
Dozens of crimson fireballs burst from her mouth, accompanied by shuriken hurled from her hands.
They streaked through the air with sharp whistles, like a rain of red flowers flowing against the current, piercing the thin mist and shooting straight toward the pursuing Uchiha Anlan. The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
Facing the dazzling yet dangerous attack, Anlan’s expression remained calm.
Instead of countering with ninjutsu, his right hand instantly pressed against the hilt of the sword at his waist.
‘Uchiha Style: Gale Sword!’
Shing—!
The clear ring of steel cut through the dawn.
The blade flashed like a crescent moon, sweeping out a perfect arc around his wrist.
Chakra clung to the blade, forming a sharp current of air comparable to a B-rank Wind Release technique.
Wherever the sword wind passed, the blazing fireballs and hidden shuriken were knocked aside and cleaved apart.
Sparks scattered through the air, like a fleeting display of fireworks along the riverbank at dawn, competing with the rising sunlight for brilliance.
‘Anlan’s swordsmanship has become even stronger…’
Mikoto murmured inwardly.
The Three-Tomoe Sharingan had already appeared in her eyes, catching the imperceptible opening in Anlan’s movement as he sheathed his sword.
She lowered her body, activating the Body Flicker Technique.
An afterimage remained where she had stood, slowly fading away.
Her real body cut in like the morning breeze, closing the distance with Anlan.
The kunai in her hand carried a cold edge as it thrust straight toward his sword-wielding right wrist.
Yet Anlan seemed to have anticipated it.
His right wrist turned slightly, and the guard of his sword precisely knocked the kunai aside with a clear clang.
At the same time, his left hand shot out like lightning, reaching straight for Mikoto’s wrist joint.
Knowing that her taijutsu was inferior to his, Mikoto reacted with extraordinary speed.
She used his force to spin and retreat, her movements as fluid as a dance.
During the retreat, the hand seals with her other hand were already complete.
‘Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!’
Her chakra condensed to an extreme degree, and a massive fire dragon roared forth.
The fire dragon evaporated the moisture along its path, carrying a scorching wave of heat as it charged straight toward Anlan!
Faced with this even more powerful Fire Release, Anlan’s eyes narrowed.
His Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun as chakra erupted within his body.
His figure seemed to merge with the light of dawn as he charged toward the fire dragon at an incredible speed!
At the instant before he was swallowed by the flames, his body seemed to turn into nothingness.
He passed directly beside the roaring fire dragon, leaving behind only an afterimage distorted by the heat and slowly fading away.
The next moment, he had already appeared beside Mikoto, his long sword returned to its sheath.
One hand gently pressed against the wrist holding her kunai, while the other lightly supported the side of her waist as it rose and fell with her breathing.
“You lost, Mikoto.”
His low voice sounded beside her ear, but the pretty kunoichi immediately retorted. This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
“Anlan, it’s not over yet!”
Mikoto turned her head slightly and looked at Anlan, who was only inches away—
Two pairs of Three-Tomoe Sharingan suddenly met!
The air seemed to freeze in an instant.
Anlan felt the surrounding scenery suddenly distort and fade.
The training ground, the Naka River, and the morning light all peeled away like shattered pieces of glass.
In their place appeared countless enormous mirrors reflecting his figure, surrounding him from every direction—
Sharingan Genjutsu: Mirror World!
Every “Anlan” reflected in the mirrors moved stiffly, their eyes empty like puppets under someone else’s control.
One after another, they stepped out of the mirrors, advancing toward him with cold killing intent.
‘Beautiful counterattack.’
In reality, the corners of Anlan’s lips curled upward.
The Three-Tomoe in his eyes spun at tremendous speed, and powerful ocular power surged forth like a tidal wave.
The entire mirror world let out a strained, mournful cry.
Cracks spread across every mirror in the blink of an eye, and then—
Boom!
They shattered completely!
The instant the genjutsu space collapsed, reality returned.
The two still remained extremely close to one another, their bodies both freezing for a moment.
Mikoto let out a muffled groan.
The backlash from having her genjutsu forcibly broken caused her vision to darken, and her body swayed slightly.
Had Anlan’s hand not been supporting her waist and applying a stabilizing force at just the right moment, she would almost certainly have stumbled backward.
Mikoto breathed rapidly several times.
Her Sharingan slowly faded, revealing her originally clear eyes.
The flush brought to her face by the exercise was even more brilliant than the rosy dawn on the horizon.
She gently exhaled, a hint of unwillingness at losing every battle appearing on her face.
Her cherry lips pursed slightly as she complained coquettishly,
“You really don’t give me even a single chance. At least let me win once.”
There was genuine helplessness in her tone, but so too was her reliance on the strength of the man before her, along with the pride she secretly took in it.
“But…”
Mikoto changed the subject, curiosity overcoming her small frustration.
“That last move of yours… wasn’t an ordinary Body Flicker Technique, was it?”
“Mm. You could say it’s a new application of the Sharingan.”
Anlan released the hand supporting Mikoto’s waist.
His gaze settled on her pretty face as he leaned closer with a teasing smile and whispered,
“Want to learn it?”
“My dear… Lady Mikoto?”