Cruel yet elegant, it was as if he were interpreting the very essence of the aesthetics of violence.
As he dodged and maneuvered, his movements looked like an artist's dance, a visual feast.
This was the fighting style of the Sharingan, the art of war belonging to the Uchiha clan.
It was no wonder some nicknamed Uchiha Madara the 'Rose of the Battlefield,' for he possessed the deepest attainment in the Uchiha's art of war.
The battles of Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke, and others also appeared pleasing to the eye most of the time.
In Uchiha Gen, with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, a few hints of such elegance were already being revealed.
Groups of Konoha ninjas filed in along the path carved out by powerful Jonin like Uchiha Gen, quickly establishing a foothold and stabbing into the Sunagakure formation like a sharp knife.
"Hehehe, your growth truly surprises me, Gen."
At the rear of the Konoha ninjas, Orochimaru, who was overseeing the battle, stood atop Manda's head.
He looked down at the figure dancing on the battlefield and chuckled, his face carrying a hint of pride.
I taught him; pretty awesome, right?
"Following you hasn't exactly held him back, but Gen hasn't made much progress in medical ninjutsu lately."
"It would be a shame to waste his talent in that area."
Tsunade said, standing next to Manda with her arms crossed.
Katsuyu's clones were rapidly wriggling forward to treat the wounded Konoha ninjas.
Twenty or thirty years later, with the Yin Seal released, Tsunade could heal the entire village of Konoha alone.
The current Tsunade had only just stepped into the Kage-level category and was not yet that powerful.
However, there weren't as many ninjas here, so temporarily healing a portion of the wounded was well within her capabilities.
"There's no need to try and guide him."
"People like us will surely make our own choices and know what we need most at the moment."
"Medical ninjutsu can certainly save many people."
"But no matter how powerful it is, one must stay alive to save others."
"We are ninjas, after all, and this is a battlefield."
"Strength is always the most important thing."
"Every bit of power gained is capital for survival."
"We can talk about this later; it's time for us to act."
"Your precious disciple won't be able to hold off Chiyo for long."
After Tsunade spoke, she kicked off, shattering the ground.
Her body flew into the distance like a cannonball.
At the front of the battlefield.
Several white shadows flew to Uchiha Gen's side like ghosts, wielding swords and spitting poison needles, forming a complex formation as they lunged at him.
"Chikamatsu's Ten Puppets?"
Uchiha Gen was startled and didn't dare to be careless.
He bit his finger to summon two Rashōmon gates to block the rain of needles.
He pushed the Sharingan's insight to its limit to capture the puppets' attack trajectories.
With one hand, he swung his Sengoku Ninja Sword smoothly, clashing once with a long-haired puppet wielding dual blades that came at him head-on.
He then used the force to retreat, meeting another white-clothed puppet circling from the side.
"Rasengan!"
Light bloomed as the white-clothed puppet was hit head-on by the Rasengan and shattered.
However, it broke into various limbs and tentacles that grabbed at Uchiha Gen.
In the Sharingan's vision, one could see chakra threads invisible to the naked eye connected behind the puppets.
These threads manipulated these world-class human puppets.
In the next instant, lightning climbed onto the Sengoku Ninja Sword and stimulated Uchiha Gen's physical cells.
This caused him to erupt with even more startling speed.
He turned into a bolt of lightning, weaving through the puppets and severing the chakra threads.
Hatake-style Kenjutsu!
Although he was more accustomed to using Uchiha-style Kenjutsu, he was already somewhat proficient in young Kakashi's Hatake-style Kenjutsu.
Compared to the former, the latter was more effective against Puppet Jutsu.
The moves were basic, simple, and direct, yet carried extreme speed, sharpness, and explosiveness.
This was a completely different style from Uchiha-style Kenjutsu, which emphasized technique and versatility.
Its combat style was concise and efficient.
Combined with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan that could clearly see chakra threads, Uchiha Gen's ability set perfectly countered puppet masters.
Even though Chiyo, currently at the peak of her life, was among the top Kage-level experts, Uchiha Gen could still hold his own for a few rounds given his current combat power and elemental advantage.
"Disgusting Uchiha brat."
An impatient voice rang out.
Chiyo appeared on the battlefield, raising her arm and hooking her finger.
Two more puppets abandoned their opponents and joined the fray.
One was manipulated by chakra threads to float in mid-air.
It poured down a vast amount of poison needles like a torrential rain from above, restricting Uchiha Gen's movements.
He either had to stay put and block with defensive ninjutsu or dodge.
No matter what he did, his positioning would lose the initiative.
However, Uchiha Gen did neither.
In his Sharingan, the tomoe spun rapidly in all directions.
Uchiha Gen's sword style changed, becoming intricate and flowery.
As he shifted and dodged, the Sengoku Ninja Sword in his hand drew arcs in the air, precisely knocking away every incoming poison needle.
Hatake-style Kenjutsu simplified the complex, but Uchiha-style Kenjutsu, paired with the Sharingan, could achieve perfection in complexity.
"Useless."
Chiyo said coldly.
Three white-clothed puppets were already stacked like a human pyramid in a triangular formation.
Three scrolls slid from their mouths, bearing the large characters for 'Buddha,' 'Dharma,' and 'Sangha.'
"Three Treasure Suction Crush!"
A terrifying suction force emerged, swirling the air into a tornado that swallowed and crushed everything in its path.
Just then, a figure descended from the sky, raising a leg high and kicking toward the three puppets.
"Heavenly Pain Kick!"
The earth trembled, and a massive crater was violently blasted into the ground.
Chiyo did not want these three puppets to be damaged, so she was forced to deactivate the Three Treasure Suction Crush.
She used her chakra threads to maneuver the three puppets away.
At the same time, an endless swarm of snakes surged from the distance, sweeping toward Chiyo like a flood.
"Are you being pushed around so much by us youngsters that you can only bully the new generation of ninjas?"
"Chiyo, you're really getting worse as you get older."
Orochimaru stood atop Manda's head, his face full of mockery.
Chiyo stood tall, surrounded by ten white-clothed puppets, facing Tsunade and Orochimaru.
She had known about Uchiha Gen's intelligence for a long time.
Just his top-tier medical ninjutsu, second only to Tsunade's in the Ninja World, had recovered a lot of combat power for Konoha.
Based on this alone, Uchiha Gen was on Sunagakure's must-kill list.
He was a rising genius of the new generation, not yet fourteen but already possessing combat power comparable to an Elite Jonin.
This potential was something no hidden village could afford not to be wary of.
This was why Chiyo had focused on increasing the number of puppets used against Uchiha Gen when she acted.