"Heh, truly mindless trash. Since you dare to chase me here, then leave your lives behind!"
Uchiha Kazuhiko stood in the center of the station plaza, coldly watching the Lickers closing in on him from all directions. Infinite killing intent shone in his eyes, and he sneered inwardly.
Previously, he hadn't used high-powered ninjutsu because he was worried that damaging the narrow underground floors might block the exit passage.
Thus, he had only used taijutsu and sword techniques to fight them. While he hadn't been injured, it had still been somewhat strenuous.
Now that he was in this spacious area, those previous concerns were gone. He could unleash offensive ninjutsu freely and wipe them all out in one go.
He retracted the blood-stained tachi into his space, opened the Gate of Life to increase his chakra reserves, and quickly formed hand signs, gathering chakra to unleash a new fire-style ninjutsu.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bomb!"
Nine streams of fire shot from Uchiha Kazuhiko's mouth, growing with the wind into nine massive fire dragons over ten meters long.
They flew with immense power towards the Lickers charging from all directions.
The Fire Dragon Flame Bomb was the only B-rank ninjutsu left to him by his parents. It had taken him a month of study to fully master it. Amplified by chakra, which was far superior in quality to normal energy, it even achieved the effect of an A-rank ninjutsu.
Though the Lickers had no conscious thought, their bestial instincts were extremely strong. Sensing the lethal threat of the fire dragons, they leaped aside to evade.
However, these fire dragons were controlled by Uchiha Kazuhiko's mental energy. They didn't dissipate but changed direction mid-air, accelerating towards the Lickers.
Boom!
The nine fire dragons struck the Lickers accurately. The scorching flames ignited their massive bodies, and a stench of burning rotten meat filled the station plaza.
The Lickers' advantages of high physical defense and regeneration were useless against the clinging flame attacks. They twisted and turned within the flames, trying to extinguish them, but it was futile. In the end, they all perished in the fire.
Uchiha Kazuhiko was very satisfied with the power of this Fire Dragon Flame Bomb. He used it again to eliminate another nine Lickers.
The remaining Lickers were even less of a threat. Relying on the high speed and immense strength from the Eight Gates, he slaughtered them one by one.
After clearing out the Lickers here, Uchiha Kazuhiko rested on the spot for a short while. Even after his chakra had mostly recovered, the assault team members still hadn't returned.
"Good luck to you all!"
Uchiha Kazuhiko decided not to wait for them any longer. He set off immediately, sprinting along the railway tracks. After passing through the door beneath the mansion, he emerged back above ground.
He took the Red Queen's motherboard from his system space, signaled to attract the Umbrella Corporation's retrieval team, and handed it over to them intact.
After the Umbrella personnel verified the motherboard's integrity, they departed via helicopter. Simultaneously, a notification sounded in Uchiha Kazuhiko's mind, informing him of the completed mission.
Ding dong! Congratulations, Host, on completing the Black Iron Rank mission [Shut Down the Red Queen]. Reward: 10 System Gold Coins, 9 Mission Points.
Ding dong! Mercenary mission complete. The Host may freely choose to leave the mission spacetime within one day. Exceeding the time will result in forced departure. You may also spend gold coins to remain in the mission spacetime at a price of 1 gold coin/day. Time remaining: 23 hours, 59 minutes.
"Danger!"
Having just completed the mission and relaxed to catch his breath, Uchiha Kazuhiko's heart suddenly clenched. A lethal sense of crisis exploded in his mind.
Without a second thought, he immediately used the Replacement Technique to evade.
Unfortunately, he was still a step too slow. Excruciating pain instantly erupted in his chest, followed by a thud sound. A massive penetrating wound appeared on his torso.
It was the first time he had suffered such a severe injury. The heart-rending pain and the rapid loss of blood made him feel dizzy and disoriented. Luckily, it hadn't hit his heart, barely leaving him alive.
"Dammit, who is it?!"
Uchiha Kazuhiko tumbled repeatedly back into the mansion. The intense pain prevented him from using his psychic ability to treat the wound.
He could only take three Nine-Flower Jade Dew Pills from his system space and swallow them, then grab the hemostatic medicine bought in Konoha and dump it all over the wound. Yet, it still couldn't stop the bleeding.
As blood loss accelerated, Uchiha Kazuhiko's consciousness began to blur. He was facing his first life-and-death crisis since rebirth.
The sniper rifle shot had blasted a bowl-sized wound in his chest; even some of his internal organs were partially destroyed.
Even if he returned to the Naruto world immediately, it would be too late for treatment. His only option was a desperate gamble, betting on his luck.
He bit the tip of his tongue hard to clear his head slightly. Uchiha Kazuhiko immediately used the Clone Technique to create ten clones, which ran off in different directions to distract the enemy.
At the same time, he took a vial of pure T-virus from his space and injected it directly into his body.
"Ahhh!"
Pain.
Pure, extreme pain.
It far exceeded anything Uchiha Kazuhiko had anticipated.
Bulging veins, like coiling dragons, erupted across his body's surface.
His muscles twitched violently as if dancing.
It felt like millions of ants were gnawing inside him, like a scorching flame burning his entire body, completely overshadowing the pain from the chest wound. Even with his willpower, he couldn't help but scream.
The genes within his body constantly broke down and recombined. The powerful regenerative force brought by the T-virus caused Uchiha Kazuhiko's body to regenerate. Within dozens of breaths, the wound on his chest gradually healed.
However, the physical pain did not lessen, continuing to torment his spirit.
After several minutes, the T-virus finally finished modifying Uchiha Kazuhiko's body. The pain vanished completely, and everything calmed down.
Drenched in sweat, he collapsed onto the blood-stained ground. Uchiha Kazuhiko opened his tightly shut eyes.
A single black tomoe appeared in each of his blood-red pupils.
The one-tomoe Sharingan, awakened!
As the saying goes, a loss may turn out to be a gain.
Feeling the change in his eyes, Uchiha Kazuhiko was ecstatic.
He never imagined he would unlock the Uchiha clan's strongest asset, the Sharingan, in such a way.
Not only that, the T-virus had also brought new enhancements to his body. It not only allowed him to withstand the strain of the Third Gate of the Eight Inner Gates but also significantly shortened the distance to opening the Fourth Gate.
Most crucially, it granted him recovery far surpassing that of a normal person.
"The Sharingan is awakened. This way, I can use those ordinary genjutsu too."
Uchiha Kazuhiko turned his gaze towards the attackers outside the mansion and said with a cold laugh,
"As thanks for helping me awaken these eyes, let you trash become the sacrificial offering for the Sharingan."