As the expressionless Nanashi got back up, it kept its eyes on the ground.
The middle aged Uchiha roughly grabbed her hair and forced it to look into his eyes.
"Do you think all the sacrifices we make to fuel and empower those accursed eyes of yours come cheap?"
"The Uchiha who gave up their light so that you might continue to be the weapon you are meant to be, honor their sacrifice with the blood of our enemies. Let none escape." The man violently shoved Nanshi away.
It fought to live, when others stopped attacking, so too did it stop.
But now . . . Now it had no choice but to kill for the sake of killing.
Nanshi had been abused, conditioned and brainwashed since it was five years of age, the thought of disobedience did not even flash through her broken mind.
And so the title of Uchiha Nanashi spread wider and wider.
A merciless weapon of the Uchiha clan that scarcely left any survivors to tell the tale of its horrifying might.
But, after being continuously pressured and beaten back, the old rivals of the Uchiha, the Senju of The Forest, had devised a plan to finally rid the world of the monster they feared.
*
The terrain was everything but clear.
Massive rock jutting out of the ground everywhere dense forest with countless trees and seemingly endless shrubbery.
After many battles against Uchiha Nanashi, the Senju had long understand that fighting such a monster of raw power in a place without obstacles was suicide.
Not to mention its Ocular Jutsu were far less problematic without a clear line of sight.
It was morning, the sun already high up in the sky.
Nanashi made its way through the area, watchful of its surroundings and fully expecting an ambush.
Last time an ambush was planned against it, the enemy struck in the night, making them all easy prey to its Engraved Tsukyomi which could be reflected from the moon to cover the entirety of the battlefield.
'After paying dearly for that mistake, they will attack it during the day this time around.' Nanashi thought.
Its orders were to eliminate all enemies hiding around the area, in which case, the most efficient method was to let them attack and deal with them in one fell swoop.
As experience piled on, Nanashi no longer fought through pure raw power waved around like a club.
Being a proper Uchiha, its instincts and Sharingan's copying ability let it swiftly become a lethal and efficient shinobi.
Truly, the greatest weapon and trump card of the Uchiha clan.
. . .
The leaves above Nanashi suddenly rustled.
Its eyes turned upward, Mangekyo pattern already showing.
And in that precise moment.
'Earth Release: Earth Flow Spear'
Earthen spikes rose from beneath its feet, seeking to impale its small body.
But Nanashi was no longer a newbie carried by her extreme power.
An expertly placed substitution and it was out of there, leaving a log behind to be pierced.
The ambushers were not deterred however, clearly not expecting their initial strike to work.
'Fire Release: Brilliant Flame' X3
Three shinobi jumped out of their hiding spots and spat three gouts of searing flame at Nanashi.
Its Sharingan widened.
'Fire Release: Hiding in Ash and Dust'
Instantly covering the battlefield in smouldering hot ash, Nanashi vanished, the fire jutsu aimed at her sinking harmlessly into the dense haze.
'Sarutobi.' It immediately realized.
In the Shinobi World, if the Uchiha were mentioned, thoughts would go to the Sharingan but if Fire Release was mentioned, thoughts would go to the Uchiha.
Fire Release was the Sarutobi clan's claim to fame but even in their specialty, they were beaten out by the Uchiha.
Them not being the best even at what they were most known for was one of the factors that prevented the Sarutobi clan to grow past a certain stage and enter the ranks of the top Shinobi Clans.
Needless to say, it would be an understatement to say they were not fond of the Uchiha as a result.
But could they do anything about it directly?
No.
No they could not.
They would be crushed without any suspense.
However, what if they found a clan known for being able to match the Uchiha in combat and offer their full support.
Sure, they were weaker than either force but if they could just tilt the balance of power in favor of the Uchiha's rivals, the Senju, then they could finally take them out.
In the current moment though, their illusions were being shattered in real time.
Nanashi body flickered back and forth within the fog of ash, killing as it went.
Its physical strikes were more akin to those of a Senju, its massive chakra reserves cladding its body to the point that every single punch and kick turned into a killing move.
"AHHHGgggHHH!" Another shinobi screamed unintelligibly.
Normally, Wind Release was the answer to these kinds of obstructions but Hiding in Ash and Dust was different.
The shinobi inside could protect themselves from the hot ash created by the jutsu by cladding themselves in their chakra.
But if they dared to fire off a wind jutsu.
The currently smoldering ash would be set ablaze, incinerating those inside.
'No choice.' One of the Senju clansmen thought.
'Sorry for the friendly fire but for the plan, this situation must not continue!' He internally exclaimed with fierce resolve.
'Water Release: Explosive Water Shockwave'
A tornado of water formed near instantly, proof of consummate mastery.
And then, it blasted in every direction, sweeping away all the ash . . . And many of the shinobi's own allies along with it.
Nanashi stood there, unharmed and unruffled, a crimson red ribcage protecting her body.
The weapon forged by darkness and hatred wasted no time.
Before the shinobi washed away by their ally's water jutsu could recover, it was going to eliminate them all in one strike.
Leaping high into the air, Nanashi saw everything below it.
Realizing her plan, her enemies threw their kunai and shuriken while it jumped, leaving it unable to dodge.
Alas, even with just the ribcage, such pitiful attacks could not even put a scratch on the crimson red Susanoo.
"Gather up! Water Release, NOW!"
One of the Senju, an older middle aged man, shouted, urgency in his voice but no panic, this was a veteran of a thousand battles.
In the Warring States where shinobi who made it past their twenties were a rarity, this was clearly not just another foot soldier.
'He was not among those who attacked me, his chakra is far greater than the others, I would not have missed him.' Nanashi briefly noted.
'No matter.' It dismissed the thought.
'Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation'
Like a scene from Armageddon, an ocean of raging fire rained down from the heavens.
With the middle aged man at the center and four others at the corners, the Senju made a protective formation.
'Water Release: Great Explosive Water Shockwave' X4
A massive flood of water rose to meet the apocalyptic flame falling from the sky.
A tense instant passed as the shinobi within the protective formation prayed the defence would hold.
Then the impact came . . .
+++++
Hey, Author here!
To promote the novel I will be releasing BONUS CHAPTERS on SUNDAYS based on the previous week's power stone count.
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
500 Power Stones = 2 Bonus Chapters
1000 Power Stones = 3 Bonus Chapters
Every earned BONUS CHAPTER on Webnovel will also be posted on Scribble.
Just a reminder that you can read up to a FULL MONTH ahead of this site on pa-treon.
I'm trying to become a full time Author now and I'm not going to be starting any new novels just so I can make sure this one is properly completed.
Find those sweet advanced chapters on pa-treon.com/lusoba without the -