The dark flames snaked across the ground, bypassing all the Leaf ninja who were their comrades, and directly pursued the figures of the Sand ninja.
The Sand ninja looked on with terror at the pouncing black flames. They had no idea what kind of flames could be such a bizarre color and possess such terrifying power. Generally speaking, no matter how powerful a Fire Release, it would be partially canceled out by Water Release, but these black flames were different.
They seemed unaffected by Water Release. Water Release could block their speed to some extent, but their power showed no signs of diminishing, as if they would never be extinguished.
Some Sand ninja, seeing the black flames rapidly approaching them, steeled their hearts and turned around, concentrating their remaining chakra to unleash a combined Wind Release. Although Fire Release countered Wind Release, if a Wind Release was powerful enough, it could push back a Fire Release. The difference in elemental advantage could vary greatly depending on the strength of the users.
However, the combined Wind Release of the assembled ninja did indeed blow the black flames away, but their size remained undiminished. After being blown back, they charged forward again as if alive. The Sand ninja who had just used a large-scale ninjutsu were already too exhausted to escape and could only watch as they were engulfed by the black flames.
After a brief scream, everything fell silent. After the black flames passed, not even bones were left. Under the catalytic of Kagutsuchi's Mangekyo Sharingan, bodies that would normally take some time to burn to ash were instantly reduced to nothing by the concentrated high temperature.
All the Leaf ninja stared at this scene in dumbfounded silence. Except for those close to Uchiha Ken, no one knew who had summoned these black flames, but they were definitely on their side, otherwise they wouldn't have only bypassed the Leaf ninja.
Even so, while the Leaf ninja felt relieved, there was also a faint sense of fear. The power of the black flames was too immense, capable of incinerating people until no bones remained, a power that made it difficult for ordinary people to remain calm.
Soon, the black flames eliminated all the Sand ninja in the nearby battlefield... Chapter 377: Fire (Page 1/7)... and began to move in other directions. Just as Uchiha Ken was controlling the direction of the black flames, a deep, bone-piercing pain suddenly shot through his eyes. He couldn't help but cry out as he half-knelt on the ground.
The Hyuga ninja next to him, seeing this, quickly asked, "Are you alright?" In his heart, he knew Uchiha Ken couldn't possibly be alright, seeing his face covered in blood; how could he be unharmed?
"No, I'm fine," Uchiha Ken took a deep breath. At first, he had temporarily ignored it due to the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan, but now his body had to remind him that he was nearing his limit.
The Mangekyo Sharingan indeed possessed incredibly powerful abilities, but powerful kekkei genkai always put a certain burden on the body. Uchiha clan members had the most suitable physiques for the Sharingan, yet, upon entering the Mangekyo Sharingan stage, using its dōjutsu would also bring immense pain to the body.
In the Mangekyo Sharingan stage, merely using a dōjutsu once would consume a large amount of chakra. Furthermore, Uchiha Ken had been using it for a considerable time, and his chakra was almost depleted. Not only that, the pain in his eyes made it impossible for him to continue using his dōjutsu.
—Only one chance.
Through the Yamanaka clan's mental link, Uchiha Ken noticed the battlefield where Hatake Sakumo was, and the damage the Sand puppet division's puppeteers were inflicting on their allies. He quickly estimated the situation and then spoke to the Yamanaka ninja beside him: "Help me contact Captain Hatake's people. Leave an open spot. I still have a little strength left and can give the Sand puppet division a big gift."
When Uchiha Ken turned his head to speak, the blood streaming from his eyes stained his entire face. An ordinary person seeing this would probably scream "Ghost!" and run away. Even the professionally trained ninja felt a faint chill at the sight. Seeing the Yamanaka ninja somewhat stunned, Uchiha Ken said impatiently, "Hurry! Otherwise, I won't be able to hold on much longer!"
"Yes! Yes!" The Yamanaka clan ninja snapped out of it and quickly used the Mind Body Communication Technique... Chapter 377: Fire (Page 2/7)... to relay the message through nearby Yamanaka clan ninja to Yamanaka Risa on Hatake Sakumo's side.
Upon learning the situation, Yamanaka Risa was slightly surprised. She had already heard about the appearance of the black flames from her comrades but hadn't expected them to be unleashed by someone named Uchiha Ken. Regarding Uchiha Ken's request, she hesitated for a moment, not daring to act on her own, and sent a message to Hatake Sakumo.
Hatake Sakumo maintained a calm and unhurried demeanor throughout his battle with the enemy. Just as the enemy wanted to stall, so did he. Therefore, he still had the energy to monitor Asuna's situation and could receive Yamanaka Risa's mental transmissions at any time.
Upon receiving Yamanaka Risa's message, Hatake Sakumo pondered for a moment and then replied telepathically, "Do as he says. We can't let his efforts be in vain."
After receiving permission, Yamanaka Risa simultaneously relayed the mental message and conveyed the latest orders to her companions nearby. Because she was transmitting messages to so many people at once, blood couldn't help but seep from the corners of her lips.
Although the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques were convenient, human power had its limits. Once exceeded, backlash was inevitable. On a vast battlefield, using large ninja tools or jutsu to amplify the effects of a secret technique was a much easier method.
Yamanaka Risa finally managed to transmit the information to everyone, but she was utterly exhausted. She quickly wiped away the blood and took out a few pills from her ninja pouch to eat. The medical department had anticipated such situations and specifically researched drugs that could alleviate them. The Yamanaka clan also had their unique secret medicines, so fortunately, there was no major harm.
Meanwhile, the Leaf ninja, having received their orders, retreated with exquisite coordination, leaving a large open space, which was precisely where all the Sand ninja were located.
Just as those people were momentarily stunned, someone saw a black dot in the distance rapidly enlarging. By the time they could clearly see what it was, it was already too late to avoid it.
Just a moment before, Uchiha Ken, seeing the open space left by the Leaf ninja, immediately... Chapter 377: Fire (Page 3/7)... used Kagutsuchi to gather all the black flames together, forming the shape of a bow. He drew the bowstring, powerful energy condensing within it, and an arrow shot forth like lightning.
After firing this arrow, Uchiha Ken's body swayed precariously and he collapsed to one side. The Hyuga ninja quickly supported him. Uchiha Ken coughed heavily, closed his eyes to rest for a moment, and then opened them again.
For some reason, Uchiha Ken suddenly felt a double image appear in his vision, which made him freeze. One must know that the Sharingan possessed extremely keen observational abilities, and it was generally impossible for it to experience blurred vision. Uchiha Ken quickly blinked his eyes, and this time the double vision disappeared.
Uchiha Ken was unaware that excessive use of the Mangekyo Sharingan would lead to blindness. Seeing his eyes return to normal, he assumed it was just his imagination, a result of chakra overexertion.
"How are things over there?" Uchiha Ken took a breath, gripping the Hyuga ninja's hand tightly, and eagerly asked about the situation there.
"Ah, don't worry, you've truly done something earth-shattering," the Hyuga ninja reassured the panting Uchiha Ken. Uchiha Ken might not have noticed, but he had seen it clearly.
That black flame arrow, swift as a god, arrived before the Sand ninja, instantly exploding. The dark flames immediately engulfed them, and the enormous impact seemed to shake the ground. Fortunately, the surrounding Leaf ninja had been warned and quickly dodged, otherwise they might have been caught in it.
Needless to say, the Sand ninja caught in it were beyond saving. And the other Sand ninja who weren't caught would also lose their composure due to this impact. He believed that Captain Hatake's victory would soon be decided.
"That was truly amazing..."
"Yeah, it reminds me of the first time I saw an explosive tag."
"Is this the power of the Uchiha clan?"
Because Uchiha Ken had previously used the black flames to clear... Chapter 377: Fire (Page 4/7)... all the surrounding enemies, the Leaf ninja had no major burdens. Upon seeing the black flames rising in the distance, they were all dumbfounded, exchanging bewildered glances.
The Hyuga ninja was equally shocked. He glanced at Uchiha Ken's blood-soaked face, quickly pulled out a cloth, and helped wipe the blood from Uchiha Ken's face.
"Thank you—" Uchiha Ken's voice was weak. He could no longer maintain his Sharingan state, but seeing the expressions of the others, he knew his attack had successfully hit the enemy. With this, their side's advantage should be particularly significant.
From the moment Uchiha Ken unleashed Amaterasu until its conclusion, only one minute had passed. And in this short minute, Uchiha Ken had eliminated over a hundred enemies. For one person, this was an astonishing and terrifying achievement, especially accomplishing it within a minute. It wouldn't be impossible for this to be written into textbooks.
"You're truly incredible. I doubt anyone will care about that matter anymore, right?" The Hyuga ninja knew he was Uchiha Setsuna's adopted son, and had almost been implicated in the list of those to be dealt with by the rebel village group. In this battle, he not only reappeared but also achieved such astonishing results in one fell swoop. Many people would probably forget Uchiha Ken's past.
Uchiha Ken harbored precisely these thoughts. He wanted to prove his innocence through his performance on the battlefield. Fighting for the village was the most effective way to persuade others, which was why he was willing to endure immense pain to use the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
However, Uchiha Ken truly hadn't expected the Mangekyo Sharingan's consumption to be so immense. He had only been adapting to its powerful dōjutsu before, but hadn't personally used it. This current experience gave him a reminder to be more careful in the future. Right now, he was using the Mangekyo Sharingan for an extended period to prove himself, but he wouldn't need to later, as it was truly too painful. It was better to use it sparingly unless absolutely necessary.
At this very moment, due to Uchiha Ken's black flame arrow, the Sand ninja's puppet division suffered heavy losses, and half of the puppeteers who were fighting against Hatake Sakumo along with Ryu... Chapter 377: Fire (Page 5/7)... were caught in it. This directly led to a flaw in Ryu's tactical formation, which was exactly what Hatake Sakumo had been anticipating.
Hatake Sakumo's figure flickered. A flash of white light made three turns, and the remaining puppeteers also fell to the ground. A kunai was embedded in their bodies, and the powerful Lightning Release immediately paralyzed their entire nervous system, preventing them from getting back up.
Thus, only Ryu remained before Hatake Sakumo. There was already a disparity in their strengths, and now, having lost his comrades who formed their tactical system, it was even more impossible for him to contend with Hatake Sakumo.
Ryu naturally understood this, but for him, he was unwilling to show weakness in front of Hatake Sakumo, because the latter was the killer of his wife. He knew that if he continued to fight, he would surely lose, and the outcome would probably be death. Although he didn't know why Hatake Sakumo only paralyzed the others instead of killing them.
Ryu, of course, didn't know that the Leaf Village viewed this battle as a crucial turning point. Once it ended, it would be time to release the captured Sand ninja. Since that was the case, there was no need to hide it from the enemy; they could openly capture the Sand ninja.
As for whether it would provoke the Sand ninja to carry out that cruel order, Fumori Masaki was not worried at all, because among the Sand prisoners was Chiyo's daughter-in-law. According to that order, wouldn't Chiyo have to include herself? Even the Kazekage would suffer. If it were during a peaceful situation, perhaps Chiyo could find other methods, but with victory in this battle, the Sand ninja internal affairs would inevitably be turbulent. In such circumstances, Ebizo or Chiyo could not properly resolve this matter.
Although it hadn't definitively happened yet, Fumori Masaki was already certain that once the village released the Sand prisoners, Chiyo would definitely no longer be able to carry out such an order. Simultaneously, the contradictions brought about by strictly enforcing the order earlier would further promote internal division within the Sand ninja.
As long as the reputations of Chiyo, Ebizo, and other high-ranking officials who supported the war could be ruined, the Leaf Village... Chapter 377: Fire (Page 6/7)... would find it easier to support allied forces within the Land of Wind in the future. Therefore, Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law were crucial parts of this operation plan, and Hatake Sakumo would never kill Ryu. However, Hatake Sakumo had to be careful that Ryu wouldn't, in desperation, choose to go for a mutual kill, which would cause the entire plan to collapse. Hatake Sakumo looked at Ryu, whose face showed a firm resolve to die, and sighed softly. His gaze sharpened slightly, and lightning condensed on the surface of his short blade, raising it in front of him. The dazzling lightning illuminated both their pupils, causing Ryu's eyes to narrow slightly. Then, Hatake Sakumo leaped up, sweeping away the obstructing puppets, and rushed to Ryu's front, piercing his body before the latter could react.