A figure shot into the ranks of the Cloud Shinobi like a flash of lightning, his attacks vicious and unrelenting, as if a wild beast had plunged into a flock of sheep.
Blood sprayed like arrows in every direction, and one Cloud Shinobi after another fell rapidly to the ground.
In mere moments, the air was thick with the stench of blood.
Seeing this, one of the Cloud Shinobi shouted loudly, "Retreat! Fall back, now!"
"Uchiha's Feral Tiger is too strong!"
At once, the Cloud Shinobi who were fighting the Leaf Ninja broke off combat and retreated in haste.
"Captain Yuan, it's a good thing you arrived when you did, otherwise we'd have been wiped out by the Cloud Shinobi!"
A Leaf Ninja from the Inuzuka Clan spoke gratefully. Several deep gashes marred his body, and even after being hastily bandaged, blood continued to seep through and stain the wrappings red.
Uchiha Yuan was wiping his kunai. Several cracks were visible along its surface.
This kunai had clashed countless times against Cloud Shinobi blades in his hands—it was worn thin and on the verge of breaking.
Around him lay the corpses of Cloud Shinobi scattered in disarray.
Each body bore almost identical wounds—thin, razor-like lines of blood.
That alone was proof enough of the sheer speed and lethal precision of Yuan's strikes.
After sheathing the kunai, Uchiha Yuan leapt away in a flash, his subordinates following closely behind.
They still had another battlefield to reach.
The war between the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Leaf had long since moved past the stage of probing; it had entered a full-scale conflict.
Just a few days ago, the Third Division's defensive line had been struck by a massive Cloud Shinobi offensive; it held for barely half a day before being overrun.
In that battle, the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki had entered partial Tailed Beast Mode—his power was overwhelming, far beyond what ordinary Leaf Shinobi could withstand.
The Third Division collapsed, retreating dozens of miles in disarray.
Had Jiraiya not appeared in time to hold off the rampaging Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, the entire western defense line of the Leaf would have fallen.
But the Third Division was crippled in that battle, losing nearly half its total strength.
Watching Uchiha Yuan and his men depart, a middle-aged Leaf Shinobi missing one arm muttered, "Captain Yuan strikes fear deep into the Cloud's ranks. The moment he shows up, they go mad trying to swarm him."
"Yeah, his strength is unbelievable. Those Cloud Shinobi can't even withstand a single move from him."
"I heard the Fourth Raikage issued a kill-on-sight order for Captain Yuan. That's why the Cloud Shinobi throw themselves at him so recklessly."
"They say this sector's defensive line was nearly breached several times, but Captain Yuan led counterattacks that drove them back each time. It's estimated that over three hundred Cloud Shinobi have already fallen by his hand."
"Captain Yuan reminds me of Captain Sakumo back in the day—he dominated the battlefield. The White Fang of the Leaf may be gone, but now we have the Feral Tiger of the Leaf."
As the war escalated and reinforcements poured in, both sides' defensive lines gradually contracted.
Eventually, a ten-kilometer stretch became the main battlefield for both sides.
On this killing ground, battles erupted constantly—minor skirmishes every three days, major clashes every five. Engagements involving hundreds of ninja were a daily occurrence.
Both Konoha and the Hidden Cloud understood: neither side could retreat any longer. The time had come to decide victory or defeat.
——————————————
In a forest, Uchiha Yuan stood atop a towering tree, sharp eyes scanning the surroundings.
He was in charge of patrolling a several-mile radius today.
The Cloud's offensives had been ferocious these past two days; just yesterday, a massive beam of light had erupted in the distance, followed by a shockwave of howling wind.
Yuan had recognized it instantly—it was a Tailed Beast Bomb.
That night, during the captains' meeting, he learned the full situation: Jiraiya had clashed with Killer Bee and a force of thousands of Cloud Shinobi.
To stop the fully transformed Killer Bee, nearly a hundred Jōnin from the Leaf had fallen in battle.
The total number of dead and severely injured among the regular ranks had exceeded a thousand. The only good news was that Jiraiya ultimately forced Killer Bee to retreat, compelling the Cloud forces to withdraw.
Beneath the great tree, about fifty Leaf Ninja—Yuan's personal guard—were resting, chewing on ration pills to restore their stamina.
Not long ago, they had clashed with a team of infiltrating Cloud scouts.
Whoosh!
A shrill signal arrow suddenly whistled through the air. The Leaf Ninja immediately rose to alert, eyes snapping toward the direction of the sound.
A red flare streaked skyward about a mile to the northeast.
From the treetop, Yuan's gaze locked on it.
That's the patrol zone of Squads Seven and Eight. That flare means they've come under attack by Cloud Shinobi.
Moments later, several more flares shot up from the north, each roughly a mile apart.
Yuan's expression hardened. Multiple locations being hit simultaneously… The Cloud must be preparing for a large-scale assault from this direction.
He shouted down to his men, "Fire the highest-level signal flare—now!"
A sharp whistle cut through the forest, followed by a brilliant crimson explosion high in the sky.
Yuan turned to his personal guard. "The situation is critical! We are the first line of defense—move out with me!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
As soon as the words left his mouth, his figure blurred and vanished with a Body Flicker Technique.
Almost simultaneously, the rest of his men disappeared one after another, streaking through the forest after him.
At that moment, in a valley northeast of the forest, the sounds of battle roared like thunder.
A small squad of Leaf Ninja was retreating while fighting fiercely against a much larger Cloud force.
The Cloud's numbers vastly outmatched theirs, and before long, the Leaf Ninja were surrounded.
Under the flashing steel of Cloud blades, Leaf Ninja fell one after another. Several were struck from both front and rear, pierced through by multiple swords.
"Wipe them out quickly! They've already sent the alarm!" a Cloud Shinobi shouted.
The few dozen Leaf Ninja were soon split into isolated pockets by the Cloud's hundred-strong force.
In the chaos, one Leaf Ninja was blasted away by a powerful Wind Release jutsu. Another Cloud Shinobi grinned savagely, twin swords slashing toward the falling man—
—only for two kunai to flash out of nowhere, striking his blades head-on.
The Cloud Shinobi felt a jarring shock up his arms, nearly losing his grip on the swords.
More kunai followed, streaking through the air. He swung frantically to deflect them, but three slipped through the gap between his blades, embedding themselves in his brow, throat, and heart.
The sudden strike threw the Cloud force into alarm. Moments later, they saw several figures flash into view—Leaf Ninja charging toward them.
At their head was Uchiha Yuan himself.
Seeing him, the Cloud Shinobi cried out in fury, "It's the Feral Tiger of the Leaf! Everyone, attack together—kill him!"
Dozens of them roared as they rushed forward, blades flashing.
To them, this man was a nightmare they had longed to destroy.
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