The Third Kazekage told Chiyo about the letter and the process. Chiyo fell silent, her heart trembling slightly. A man like Rasa, who could even betray his wife and brother-in-law, was cold-blooded enough.
All she could do was try to ensure that Pakura, not Rasa, would be elected as the Fourth Kazekage. Otherwise, her family…
Thinking of this, Chiyo glanced at Pakura. Noticing Chiyo's gaze, Pakura let out a confused "Huh?" due to her naturally airheaded personality. Chiyo sighed. There was still a long road ahead!
Night, Mount Daigu Summit
The moon was bright, and the stars sparse. A biting wind blew. Suddenly, Uchiha Ryun's eyelids twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes.
"He's awake! He's awake! The Sixth Elder is awake!" Uchiha Ippū shouted immediately.
The thousand Uchiha clansmen resting nearby quickly stood up, asking how Uchiha Ryun was feeling.
Uchiha Ryun shook his head. "I'm fine. What time is it? How long was I out?"
He asked Uchiha Ippū, who replied, "The sun set about two hours ago. You've been asleep for roughly four hours."
Uchiha Ryun stood up. The gaze of a thousand shinobi focused on him, the entire area silent.
Uchiha Ryun nodded with a smile. "Thank you all for guarding me while I rested. Now, it's your turn to rest. Sleep for six hours. After that, we'll set out together to complete our mission."
The time when people are most exhausted is between 2 and 3 AM, when most are deep in sleep and even night patrols begin to doze off.
This was the perfect time to strike.
Without questioning, the Uchiha clansmen found open spaces, leaning against trees or lying on the ground.
Uchiha Ryun, meanwhile, activated Magnet Release: True Sight to observe the situation.
At Kikyōzan and Tamayama, there were military camps—likely the ambush forces. Between the two mountains was a path leading into the Land of Wind, undoubtedly their supply route.
Below the supply route were multiple granaries, guarded by about a hundred shinobi.
After confirming this, Uchiha Ryun smirked, already forming a plan. He deactivated the jutsu and glanced at the sky, estimating the time.
When he judged it was about right, he called out coldly, "Everyone, wake up!"
Instantly, the Uchiha clansmen opened their eyes, their Sharingan activating automatically. In the dark night, their crimson eyes gleamed like rubies, radiating danger.
"Rest time is over. Stay sharp and follow me. Move quietly!" Uchiha Ryun ordered.
The group nodded. Their Sharingan allowed them to see clearly even in the dark, so visibility wasn't an issue.
Uchiha Ryun navigated the rugged mountain paths with ease, leaping between rocks. The Uchiha behind him followed in perfect order.
Soon, they reached the supply route. Uchiha Ryun signaled for them to infiltrate the granaries silently, using kunai or swords to slit throats.
The group acted immediately. This was a force of a thousand shinobi, two hundred of whom were jonin. This task was effortless.
In less than ten minutes, all the guards were eliminated.
Uchiha Ryun nodded. "Burn the granaries."
The Uchiha clansmen formed hand seals—Great Fireball, Dragon Fire, Phoenix Flower—instantly igniting the granaries.
Uchiha Ryun raised his hands. Magnet Release: Great Iron Sand Wall erected a barrier of iron sand between the Land of Wind and the supply route at Kikyōzan and Tamayama.
Then, he fired a signal flare into the sky with a whoosh!
He turned to his clansmen. "Next is direct combat. Follow me!"
With that, he drew his Blazing Heaven Fan and rushed toward Kikyōzan. The others followed closely.
The signal flare's brief flash and faint sound alerted some shinobi at Kikyōzan and Tamayama.
"Wake up! Wake up! Stop sleeping! We're under attack!"
But the Suna-nin were in deep sleep. Being forcibly woken left them sluggish.
"What's the fuss? We're on a mountain. Even if Konoha attacks, they'd have to breach Chōga and Hakuki first!"
"Yeah, you're overreacting," another Suna-nin grumbled, rolling over to sleep.
The shinobi who'd sounded the alarm cursed inwardly. Damn it, a signal flare went off!
Before he could say more—
Uchiha Ryun appeared above the Kikyōzan camp with a Body Flicker, forming a hand seal.
Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!
A massive pillar of flames surged toward the Suna-nin. The intense heat jolted them awake, but it was too late. The fire was already upon them.
Uchiha Ryun wasn't satisfied. He opened his Blazing Heaven Fan and swung it once. The fire pillar doubled in size, engulfing the entire Kikyōzan camp.
Screams erupted instantly.
"Ahh!"
"Enemy attack!"
"Spare us!"
The chaotic cries lasted only moments before silence fell. Every shinobi in the camp was reduced to ash, merging with Kikyōzan itself.
The arriving Uchiha clansmen froze.
Was that Great Fire Annihilation? Are we even using the same jutsu?
One Great Fire Annihilation wiped out an entire mountain camp?!
The thousand Uchiha shinobi were stunned.
Uchiha Ryun, however, felt drained. Damn, I overdid it.
The jutsu had consumed a fifth of his chakra, but the fan had eaten up three-fifths. He was nearly empty.
He staggered upon landing, almost collapsing. Uchiha Ippū caught him.
"Sixth Elder, you—"
Uchiha Ryun waved him off. "I'm fine. But I won't be able to use such techniques in the coming battle. It's up to you all now."
The Uchiha clansmen roared in excitement. "Yes!"
They charged toward Tamayama.
Thanks to Uchiha Ryun's earlier attack, the Suna-nin at Tamayama were fully awake. They knew the Kikyōzan forces were likely annihilated.
They summoned puppets, drew kunai, and prepared for battle.
Tamayama had about eight hundred shinobi, twice as many as Kikyōzan. With all of them alert, this would be a tough fight.
Uchiha Ryun drew his sword and led the charge, leaping high and cleaving a Suna jonin in half with a downward slash.
Inspired by his ferocity, the other Uchiha unleashed their weapons—genjutsu, fire and wind techniques, puppets, Uchiha-style swordsmanship, senbon, shuriken—all clashing in a chaotic storm.
Explosions, screams, and the clang of steel filled the air.
The battle raged for three hours, ending only when Uchiha Ryun cut down the last Suna jonin.
"Tally the casualties!" he barked.
Soon, Uchiha Ippū reported, "Sixth Elder, we lost ten Uchiha jonin, twenty chunin, and thirty genin—sixty in total. We killed nearly fifteen hundred enemies."
Five hundred of those were Uchiha Ryun's kills—four hundred from the Great Fire Annihilation, the rest from close combat.
Uchiha Ippū's voice trembled with excitement. To him, this was a crushing victory.
But Uchiha Ryun's expression was heavy. He exhaled.
"Seal the fallen clansmen's bodies into scrolls. When we return to the village, deliver them to their families for burial. Record their names. Compensation will be paid to their families after we return."
Though he'd known war meant death, losing sixty Uchiha still pained him deeply.
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