Inside Sunset Valley, Uchiha Koji was reorganising the clan shinobi who had recently joined his detachment.
When the Senju first set out with the bridal procession, the Uchiha Clan had dispatched more than fifty shinobi to ambush them along the way.
That attack had ultimately ended in failure.
Koji was the commander of the second Uchiha force sent to intercept them.
After incorporating the twenty-odd jonin who had survived the first attack, he led the combined force to this ideal ambush site.
“Form up!
We need to reach the valley entrance and prepare the ambush immediately!” At his command, the entire group raced towards the mouth of Sunset Valley.
Their force now numbered roughly ninety shinobi.
As an elite jonin who had spent years fighting on the battlefield, Koji possessed an excellent eye for terrain and had chosen his positions carefully.
The narrow passage through Sunset Valley was extremely long, while both exits opened onto vast plains.
If the Uchiha concentrated their forces at the rear entrance, the Senju and Uzumaki might break through their formation and escape across the open terrain.
Therefore, Koji had stationed twenty jonin at the rear entrance.
He personally led the remaining seventy shinobi towards the front of the valley, intending to ambush the approaching enemy there.
“Even if their surviving forces flee towards the rear entrance, only death will be waiting for them!” Koji was extremely satisfied with his arrangements.
His group drew closer and closer to the valley’s front entrance.
“Water Release: Raging Current!” Without warning, a towering surge of water rose at the mouth of the valley and came roaring through the narrow passage.
“So they’ve already arrived.
Hmph!” “Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!” The Uchiha did not panic in the slightest.
Several jonin expelled enormous dragons of flame.
The techniques collided with the oncoming torrent, instantly transforming the water into a dense cloud of white mist.
“Move faster!
Break through to the entrance!” At Koji’s command, the Uchiha shinobi abruptly accelerated.
They were now only moments away from reaching the valley’s mouth.
Koji assumed that the shinobi who had cast the Water Release technique belonged to the Senju Clan.
It was most likely one of their scouts.
He intended to reach the entrance first and prevent the enemy from entering the valley.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The Uchiha moved with astonishing speed.
Within several breaths, they burst through the dense mist and reached the valley entrance.
However— The instant they emerged, a vast barrage of kunai descended upon them, completely covering the surrounding area.
“Damn it!
Fall back!” Koji immediately leapt backwards and led the others into the valley.
The enemy reached the entrance before us!
This narrow terrain severely restricts the Uchiha’s fighting strength.
We need to seize an opportunity and break out!
As an experienced elite jonin, Koji analysed the advantages and disadvantages of their position almost instantly.
The moment the kunai struck the ground, he charged forwards again and led the others out of the valley.
However, he had acted a little too hastily.
As the Uchiha raced over the scattered kunai, Koji’s eyes caught an unusual glimmer.
“Those are…explosive tags?
Damn it!” His three-tomoe Sharingan sprang to life.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The explosive tags detonated one after another, filling the narrow valley with deafening blasts.
“Keep moving!
Break through!” Koji roared desperately.
He knew that if his shinobi retreated deeper into the valley, the confined terrain would completely suppress their combat capabilities.
One dishevelled figure after another shot out of the valley.
The Uchiha had barely escaped the explosions when they saw several more torrents surging towards them from the distance.
“Those cowardly Senju bastards!” Koji’s expression darkened, resentment burning in his chest.
Since when had the honourable Senju Clan become so underhanded?
However, he had no time to dwell on that question.
As the streams of water swept towards them, the Uchiha hurriedly unleashed their Fire Release techniques and neutralised the attack.
Hiss!
Thick white mist rose once again, obscuring everything around them.
The Uchiha activated their Sharingan and remained on high alert.
Even their enhanced vision could not see clearly through the dense steam.
Whoosh!
Kunai.
Another barrage of kunai.
A decisive gleam flashed through Koji’s eyes.
“Evade the kunai and charge!” With the enhanced perception of their Sharingan, the Uchiha easily confirmed that this new wave of kunai had no explosive tags attached.
As the steam began to thin, Koji caught sight of the Senju formation far ahead.
In his eyes, the enemy was utterly spineless.
They only dared to launch attacks from a distance instead of confronting the Uchiha directly.
Following his order, the Uchiha rushed forwards.
Several shinobi who failed to dodge in time were struck down by the kunai, but the remaining sixty-odd Uchiha charged towards the enemy together.
With the Sharingan on their side, the Uchiha held an overwhelming advantage in close combat.
Shigure watched the red-eyed Uchiha racing towards them and nodded to the five Uzumaki experts beside him.
“Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!” The five Uzumaki shinobi rapidly formed hand seals.
A tall earthen wall immediately rose from the ground in front of them, blocking the Uchiha’s view.
“Do they really think this can stop the Uchiha?
What a joke!” The earthen wall was only four or five metres tall.
For shinobi with exceptional physical abilities, crossing it required nothing more than a single leap.
The Uchiha sneered disdainfully.
They wanted revenge.
Every one of them had suffered at least minor injuries in the previous explosion.
Now they would repay that humiliation with the enemy’s blood.
Almost simultaneously, the Uchiha shinobi leapt into the air.
What awaited them on the other side— Was an entire wall covered in explosive tags.
“Oh, shit!” The moment Koji saw the countless explosive tags plastered across the wall, his pupils contracted sharply.
Beyond it, several hundred metres away, stood the Senju shinobi.
“You cowardly—” Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
A deafening explosion swallowed the rest of his words.
Dozens of Uchiha shinobi vanished within the raging flames.
The powerful blast shattered the earthen wall, transforming countless fragments of rock into a storm of deadly shrapnel.
Scorching air and rolling clouds of dust swept through the area, turning the battlefield into a living hell.
“Cough!
Cough!” The waves of hot air left Shigure feeling distinctly uncomfortable, so he retreated several more steps.
To his surprise, everyone around him was staring at him with peculiar expressions.
“What are all of you looking at?” Shigure glared straight back at their dubious faces.
“Well…Elder Shigure…” one jonin began hesitantly.
“Doesn’t fighting like this make our clan look a little…cowardly?” “Fool!” Shigure glared furiously at the jonin.
“Showing mercy to the enemy only endangers your own people!” He immediately launched into a righteous lecture.
“You are shinobi!
What is a shinobi’s duty?
To defeat the enemy and protect the clan!” Shigure swept an accusing gaze across the group.
“Yet here you stand, sympathising with those who came to kill us.
Let me ask you this: if the Uchiha broke through and slaughtered you, how would I face your parents after returning to the clan?” His voice trembled with emotion.
“You people… You’re going to be the death of me!” Shigure pounded his chest, looking like an elderly man whose heart had been broken by the recklessness of the younger generation.
“Elder Shigure, I was wrong!” “Please don’t be angry, Shigure!” “Hurry up and apologise to him!” Once they realised that Shigure had devised these tactics out of concern for their safety, the surrounding shinobi looked thoroughly ashamed.
They immediately turned on the jonin who had questioned Shigure.
“Forget it.” Shigure sighed and patted the man’s shoulder with the solemn air of a patient elder.
“Next, launch another Water Release attack and follow it with explosive-tagged kunai.
Carry it out.”
Add to library.
Send some Power Stones.