"Boom!"
"Bang, bang, bang…"
The battlefield trembled under the force of battle — or rather, massacre.
Byakuya of the Uchiha, Mangekyō Sharingan awakened, stood alone against the Cloud Ninja forces. His every blow tore through elite jonin like paper. Each strike of his Susanoo's blade, or the crushing weight of his chakra-infused taijutsu, left bodies strewn across the field. The difference in power was like heaven and earth.
Even the Third Raikage, famed for his Hell Stab and his title as the "Strongest Shield," was utterly overwhelmed.
Lightning crackled weakly around his battered body as blood dripped down his face. His breath was ragged, his once-proud figure slouched with bruises and fractures from Byakuya's onslaught.
The Konoha ninjas watching from a distance could barely believe their eyes. Many of them, witnessing Byakuya's full might for the first time, were stunned into silence.
"Is this… really Lord Byakuya's strength? This is too insane!"
"He's holding off the entire Cloud Ninja Army… by himself!"
"But what about the Third Raikage? Isn't he supposed to be invincible in both attack and defense!?"
"It's not the Raikage who's weak — it's Lord Byakuya who's just that powerful…"
"If I had known he was this strong, I would've pledged loyalty a long time ago…"
"Konoha's lucky to have him. With Byakuya around, not even two villages are a threat…"
Their words carried awe, admiration — and a hint of regret.
Amid the tense admiration, Yamanaka Inoichi, who was monitoring chakra signatures on the battlefield, suddenly froze.
"This is bad!... I'm sensing a massive number of incoming chakra signatures—moving fast!"
"How many!?"
"Too many… I can't even count them all!"
Even as he spoke, black silhouettes began appearing on the distant ridge. They surged like a dark wave, the earth trembling beneath their march.
"Enemy reinforcements? From where?"
"It's the Iwagakure symbol… It's the Rock Ninjas!"
Panic immediately surged through the ranks of the Konoha shinobi.
The battered Third Raikage, lying on one knee, exhaled with relief.
"Tch... That old dwarf Ohnoki finally showed up... Took him long enough!"
Though Cloud and Rock had been rivals for years, a temporary alliance had formed for this war. Now, at last, they would act as one.
Overhead, Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, hovered in mid-air using his Light-Weight Rock Technique. His small form floated closer, his sharp eyes scanning the battlefield. When they landed on the Raikage's bruised face, his lips curled into a smirk.
"What happened to you, Raikage? You look like you got flattened by your own jutsu," Ōnoki mocked.
But internally, he was deeply disturbed. He knew the Raikage's strength. To see him like this — it was unnerving.
"Cut the sarcasm, Ōnoki. The enemy this time isn't normal."
"You mean... that's him? Uchiha Byakuya… the one who awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Ōnoki narrowed his eyes. He had seen Uchiha Madara in his youth. The chakra pressure coming from this one... it wasn't far off.
Meanwhile, Nara Shikaku approached Byakuya calmly but with grave urgency.
"Lord Byakuya, the situation has shifted. The Rock Ninjas number close to ten thousand. We're surrounded on nearly all sides now. Breaking through would be extremely difficult without heavy casualties."
Byakuya, standing tall in the wind, glanced at the horizon where thousands of Iwa-nin surged toward them like a black tide.
What was even more unexpected was the sudden arrival of the Iwagakure forces just as Kumogakure launched their assault.
Konoha had made no preparations for a two-pronged attack.
And now, surrounded by over ten thousand Rock Ninja, even a tactical retreat seemed impossible.
Yet, standing before this overwhelming force, Uchiha Byakuya showed no fear.
He let out a low chuckle, his gaze sweeping over the battlefield like a predator among prey.
"Break through? Why would we need to break through?"
"If they've come to die… we might as well fulfill that wish."
To Byakuya, these Iwagakure shinobi were not soldiers — they were sources of negative chakra, ripe for harvesting.
A field of fresh leeks delivered to his doorstep.
"Understood…"
"All Konoha forces, prepare for battle!"
Though worry still clouded Nara Shikaku's eyes, he had no other choice. Byakuya was their only hope now.
It seemed delusional to expect one man to face ten thousand enemies — but they'd already seen him surpass expectations before.
The Uchiha clan responded immediately, no hesitation in their eyes.
Kunai gleamed in their hands, and the flames of defiance lit their Sharingan.
As for the rest of Konoha's forces, fear still lingered, but retreat was no longer an option.
From above, a sharp, gravelly voice cut through the air.
"So you're the infamous Uchiha Byakuya?"
"I hear you've awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan… I wonder—"
"—do you possess even a shred of Uchiha Madara's strength?"
The speaker was the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, his short frame floating weightlessly in the sky via Flight Technique.
His narrowed eyes stared at Byakuya, sharp with both challenge and hidden caution.
Byakuya sneered.
"You little dwarf… you want to witness the power of the Mangekyō?"
"Fine. Let me show you."
"Susanoo."
In an instant, violent chakra surged from his body.
A haunting screech of energy echoed as a skeletal frame began to form around him — ribcage, spine, and arms — the first stage of Susanoo.
The surrounding Konoha shinobi backed away instinctively, feeling the crushing pressure of the manifested chakra.
Ōnoki's eyes widened, his voice trembling with awe and remembrance.
"This feeling… this power…!"
"Yes… it's the same… the same as Madara Uchiha's!"
For a moment, the battlefield froze.
The shadow of Madara loomed large behind Byakuya's chakra avatar — and even the hardened hearts of Iwagakure's elite began to falter.
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