Shuoye Uchiha watched the stunned expressions of the Hyūga shinobi and merely smiled.
He did not explain.
Instead, his gaze shifted toward the distant horizon—the path along which the Hidden Cloud forces advanced.
"They're eager to witness the power of the Uchiha," he said calmly.
"Then let's give them something memorable."
His voice was low, steady, carrying unquestionable authority.
"Prepare the combination ninjutsu—Meteor Fire Rain."
"Let them taste despair."
The Uchiha moved instantly.
Chakra surged.
But this was not ordinary chakra molding.
Using haki as a medium, they altered its properties—reshaping it to match the battlefield's needs. It was a technique developed within the clan, allowing rapid elemental adaptation.
Of course, it was not limitless.
The Uchiha excelled most naturally in Fire Release.
Conversion into fire was seamless.
Heat gathered.
The air warped.
Flames condensed overhead, swirling into massive spheres that darkened the sky itself.
At the same time, another group of Uchiha manipulated natural forces, drawing distant meteoric fragments toward the battlefield.
The sky trembled.
"Meteor Fire Rain."
Shuoye's command fell like judgment.
The blazing spheres detonated midair, shattering into countless burning fragments.
Meteors descended alongside them.
A storm of annihilation.
From the ground, it appeared as though the heavens had collapsed.
The Hyūga watched in silence, stunned.
They had never witnessed such large-scale devastation.
Such precision.
Such coordination.
"This… is Uchiha power?"
A whisper escaped one of them.
Shuoye stood apart from the chaos, expression calm.
This—
Was merely the beginning.
—
Across the battlefield—
Dark clouds churned overhead.
Wind howled.
The Raikage stood at the front lines, posture like a drawn blade.
Around him, tension spread quietly.
Then—
Lightning tore across the sky.
The clouds compressed unnaturally, forming a suffocating canopy.
"What is this?" Mabui breathed, hand tightening around her weapon.
They had concealed their advance carefully.
How had they been detected?
And by the Uchiha, of all people?
"Defensive formations!"
The Raikage's command thundered across the ranks.
His chakra erupted outward, forming a brilliant blue aura around his body.
But it was too late.
The sky ruptured.
Flaming debris poured downward in waves.
The fire was not pure crimson—it carried a faint, ominous violet hue, as though infused with something deeper.
"Scatter!"
But there was nowhere to run.
The firestorm struck.
Several Hidden Cloud shinobi were engulfed instantly—reduced to ash before they could even scream.
The Raikage's jaw tightened as he watched the destruction unfold.
"Uchiha…"
His voice trembled with fury.
"Well played."
"Raikage-sama, don't act recklessly!" Mabui shouted, struggling to be heard over the roaring inferno.
Darui stood nearby, expression grave.
He understood.
This was not a random assault.
It was calculated humiliation.
"Raikage-sama," Darui said sharply, "we must maintain command. Protect the forces first."
The Raikage's chakra flared violently as he prepared to charge forward.
"I need to identify the source of that chakra!"
But Mabui seized his arm.
"If you move now, we lose coordination. The base comes first!"
Reason clashed against rage.
Above them, lightning techniques exploded in desperate attempts to intercept the meteors.
But casualties mounted.
The earth shook.
Smoke filled the air.
Finally, the Raikage slammed his fist into the ground, cracking the soil beneath him.
"Damn it!"
How had the Uchiha grown this powerful?
How had they predicted the route so precisely?
The battlefield burned.
And somewhere beyond the smoke—
Shuoye Uchiha watched, already planning the next move.
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