"What... what just happened?"
Little Karin's pupils dilated, her lips slightly parted as she turned around—and saw a towering giant wreathed in blazing orange-red flames standing behind her.
The fire howled wildly in the gusting wind.
The giant was fully clad in a fearsome, demonic Karasu-Tengu-style armor, its towering form dwarfing all surrounding buildings. In its right hand, it wielded a flaming spiritual weapon, like a god descending from the heavens.
Karin stood dazed for a long while. When she finally collapsed to the ground, she rushed toward her mother, who lay sprawled on the street.
Mother and daughter embraced tightly, frozen in place, staring in trembling awe at the orange-red giant behind them, too overwhelmed to act.
Beneath the tengu armor, bright eyes gleamed from pitch-black sockets, radiating beams of light like a deity awakening.
The flaming blade swept across the street, scorching the air itself. Grass Shinobi spontaneously combusted one after another, their bodies reduced to energy and sealed by the Totsuka Blade.
The battle ended in a flash.
Screams echoed above the Grass Ninja Village. Not a single Grass Shinobi in that area survived.
The streets fell silent once more.
Karin and her mother clutched each other even tighter.
As the orange-red giant passed by them, both of them bit down on their lips, closed their eyes, and huddled together, silently awaiting death.
But then the temperature in the air dropped.
Karin suddenly looked up.
Orange-red light enveloped her field of vision. She and her mother had unknowingly been enclosed within the glow of the flaming giant.
Uchiha Yu approached them, cast a quick glance at Karin and her mother, and said in a low voice, "Take me to the headquarters of the Grass Ninja Village."
Karin's mother hesitated. Her red pupils trembled as she stared at the handsome black-haired youth. After collecting herself, she nodded firmly.
There was something about the youth's voice—an unshakable power that left no room for refusal.
She took Karin's hand and led her forward down the street.
They kept glancing back at Uchiha Yu.
"They're dead. All of them are really dead."
Karin looked around. The Grass Shinobi who had bullied her and her mother had vanished without a trace.
Everything felt like a dream, as if the heavens had truly heard her desperate prayer.
Uchiha Yu paid no attention to their gazes. Maintaining his orange-red Susanoo, he bulldozed his way toward the Grass Ninja Village's headquarters.
Wooden houses caught fire.
At this point, he could only sustain the third stage of Susanoo with his own chakra.
This level of Susanoo, covered in tengu armor, could wield weapons and offered both offense and defense. But it consumed immense energy and was hard to maneuver.
Before entering the Grass Ninja Village—
Mei Terumi and Ao had voluntarily assisted the Uchiha in guarding the village's exit, driving all fleeing Grass Shinobi back inside.
With an unstoppable charge, Uchiha Yu had sealed nearly all of the remaining ninja in the Grass Village.
Grass Ninja Village, Headquarters Building
"Have the ninja we sent to support Konoha reported back yet?"
Kusaba sat behind his desk, looking at the Grass Shinobi standing before him.
He was currently the leader of the Grass Ninja Village.
Wearing the village forehead protector, his face was weathered, his cheeks covered in a bristling beard, and his muscular frame imposing.
As he spoke, Kusaba narrowed his eyes, his expression showing clear anxiety. For the sake of this plan to seize the Sharingan, he had deliberately used various excuses to send the other factions within the village away.
After seizing power alone, Kusaba generously sent half of the village's shinobi to aid Konoha.
Konoha had made a promise:
If they helped kill the rogue Uchiha, Konoha would reward the Grass Village with a vast amount of supplies and money.
If the Grass Village managed to steal a Sharingan, Konoha promised they wouldn't ask for it back.
The Land of Grass was weak, and the Grass Ninja Village even more so—just a pawn in the ninja world. Their leader couldn't even be called a Kage and had to settle for the title of "chief."
Kusaba had fantasized that if he gained a pair of Sharingan, he could lead the Grass Ninja Village to crush the surrounding small nations and minor ninja villages.
"Chief, there's still been no report from the front lines," the Grass Shinobi said nervously.
"Sigh... when will my Sharingan finally arrive!" Kusaba muttered darkly to himself, his face clouded with frustration.
If not for needing to hold his position in the Land of Grass, he would have personally led a team to investigate the Valley of Judgment.
A thin stream of dust drifted down from the ceiling.
Suddenly, cracks split open across the ceiling.
Kusaba shot up from his chair, looking upward in shock. "What's happening?!"
"I... I don't... I don't know!"
The Grass ninja looked up in surprise.
In the next instant, the air temperature spiked. The ceiling shattered as a blazing energy longsword tore through the entire building.
Massive stones crashed down.
Kusaba's expression changed dramatically. He quickly dodged and formed hand seals, shouting, "Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!!"
The ground trembled violently.
Thick earthen walls rose on all sides, enclosing Kusaba and the other Grass ninja. The two felt a brief moment of relief.
But in the next moment—
A Susanoo, cloaked in orange-red flames, descended from above and effortlessly demolished the solid walls formed with earth chakra.
Boulders flew in all directions.
Kusaba was terrified and quickly dodged, teleporting behind his desk. The other Grass ninja, however, was impaled and absorbed by the flaming longsword.
The entire building collapsed. Numerous Grass ninja were thrown to the ground. Those still able to move scrambled up and rushed to their leader's side.
Kusaba tried to calm his nerves. When he looked at the towering orange-red giant, he was stunned to see Uchiha Yu standing in the midst of the flames.
The Grass Ninja Village's headquarters had been reduced to rubble, with only the first floor offering a sliver of standing space.
The Uchiha had completed their task of driving out the enemy.
Izumi, Minami, and Tamao flickered to the perimeter of the ruins with their respective squads, surrounding the remaining Grass ninja inside headquarters.
Mei Terumi arrived swiftly with Ao, and Nonoyu followed with Kabuto and Kimimaro.
As for Orochimaru and the giant summoning serpent, they remained outside the village to guard Tsunade and Shizune.
That day, the civilians of the Land of Grass were reminded of the sheer terror of the Great Ninja Wars. Only in times of war did the Land of Grass become this "lively."
Kusaba spotted Karin and her mother in the crowd. A certain possibility immediately came to mind, and he furiously shouted:
"You actually conspired with the Uchiha rogue to attack the village? Two ungrateful scum from the Uzumaki clan—I should've killed you both back then!"
Uzumaki Kana averted her gaze, shielding Karin. But little Karin broke free from her mother's arms and screamed at Kusaba with fury:
"My mom saved so many of you! And instead of treating her with respect, you used her like a tool! You never once treated us like comrades of the village!!"
"A ruined people don't deserve to speak of respect!" Kusaba snarled, glaring at Kana and Karin in contempt.
A Grass ninja behind him stammered,
"Chief, w-we should run!"
Kusaba's muscles tensed, fists clenched tightly as he sneered, "These Uchiha are being hunted by tens of thousands of ninja. Even if they escaped the Valley of Judgment by luck, there are definitely countless pursuers behind them.
We still have Konoha behind us.
As long as we stall the Uchiha here in the Grass Ninja Village—the advantage is ours! Fire the signal flares.
A Grass ninja answered in despair, "Chief, all of our people... are gone!"
He was covered in wounds. When the village was attacked, he had tried to flee, only to be driven back by the Uchiha. With no choice, he returned to report—and ran straight into Susanoo.
The faces of the remaining Grass ninja went pale with dread.
Uchiha Yu wasted no time. Maintaining his orange-red Susanoo, with its Karasu-Tengu armor, he gripped the Totsuka Blade in his right hand and began walking forward.
Standing atop a collapsed wall, Tamao shook his head and sighed, "You say Konoha is behind you—but that is also your path to death."
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