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Before sunset, Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Xuan had gathered every single child of their generation in the main hall. Joining them were the only remaining combat-ready adults in the entire compound: one Special Jōnin and three Chūnin.
At the same time, Madara issued a strict lockdown order. Every non-combatant woman and civilian in the compound was to barricade their doors. No matter what they heard outside tonight, they were absolutely forbidden from showing their faces.
Finally, as a last resort, Madara dispatched two Genin as messengers. One was sent racing to chase down the Third Elder's squad, while the other sprinted toward the frontlines to inform Uncle Tajima of the crisis.
"Young Master, is the intel you received absolutely reliable?" Uchiha Hayate, the clan's sole remaining Special Jōnin, asked. He still clung to a sliver of hope that this was a false alarm.
Madara nodded gravely. "Xuan brought the intel back himself. It is absolutely accurate. Prepare to fight for your lives."
Hayate crushed the last bit of hope in his heart. He tightened his grip on the sword strapped to his back and stood silently to the side, waiting for night to fall. He already knew that tonight was going to be a bloodbath.
Gathered within the spacious hall were eighty-seven children of Madara's generation. All of them were between the ages of five and ten, and all of them possessed the strength of a Genin. Among them, only Uchiha Izuna had reached the level of a Chūnin.
Of course, the Uchiha clan's newborn generation consisted of far more than just eighty-seven kids. However, Madara had ordered any child who hadn't even reached the Genin level to go into hiding. Bringing them to a fight like this would only make them a burden.
Right now, this large group of Genin-level children was huddled together, chattering away excitedly. There wasn't a trace of fear on their faces; instead, they buzzed with a faint, eager anticipation. They considered themselves the elites of the new generation. They had long dreamed of growing up, slaughtering enemies on the battlefield, making a name for themselves among the ninja clans, and displaying their martial valor.
The vast majority of them had never even seen blood.
They didn't understand the sheer cruelty of the world outside these walls. In their minds, the enemies coming tonight were probably just like the targets they faced during their training exercises. They had absolutely no concept of the difference.
A bunch of idiots. Sigh. Xuan wasn't inside the hall with them. Instead, he sat alone on the edge of the roof, staring out into the deepening twilight. His gaze was heavy and solemn.
He was entirely different from the sheltered children inside. He possessed the mind of an adult, and he fundamentally understood the sheer brutality of the Naruto world. He clearly remembered a specific line from the original series that perfectly summarized the Warring States period:
"In this era, the average human lifespan does not exceed thirty years." It was such a plain, simple sentence, yet it reeked of blood.
He didn't need to look far for proof. Just look at the Hyuga Chūnin he had killed today. The man wasn't weak by any stretch of the imagination. The only reason he had lost so miserably was because every single step he took had been perfectly calculated by Xuan. Combined with the sheer, overwhelming power of a Sharingan Genjutsu, Xuan had been able to take him down quickly. If it had been a straight-up brawl based purely on raw stats, Xuan might still have won, but it definitely wouldn't have been that easy.
Listening to the raucous noise echoing from the hall below, a faint, mocking smile tugged at the corner of Xuan's mouth. Uchiha Madara was simply too young. He had only calculated the raw stats of these children; he hadn't factored their age into the equation.
Xuan could guarantee that if these kids went up against ten battle-hardened Chūnin fresh off the frontlines, the sheer killing intent radiating from the veterans would make them piss their pants. And that wasn't even factoring in the endless, dirty tricks seasoned ninjas used to survive.
"This battle isn't going to be easy. The casualty count is going to be high," Xuan muttered with a sigh, simply lying back against the sloped roof.
Honestly, though, it didn't really affect him. He didn't have a deep, emotional attachment to the Uchiha clan. A large part of why he chose to stay and fight was simply because, with his current strength, even if the defense completely collapsed, he could still retreat safely on his own.
Speaking of which... could a sneak attack like this have actually happened in the original timeline? Xuan suddenly wondered. Maybe tonight is the very night the rest of Madara's brothers—except for Izuna—die. The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Madara was eight years old this year. According to the plot, he would meet Senju Hashirama by next year at the latest. Yet, right now, all of his brothers—including Xuan himself—were still alive and kicking. That completely contradicted the canon storyline.
Idly tossing these thoughts around in his mind, Xuan didn't dwell on them. With his current combat power, even if he couldn't beat a Jōnin in a straight fight, he could effortlessly slip away. As long as he didn't actively seek death by forcing a head-on clash, he was highly unlikely to end up as collateral damage.
A cool night breeze swept over the roof, bringing a trace of comfort. Xuan closed his eyes and began to doze lightly. He wasn't particularly worried about the Hyuga ninjas attacking right now. The assassination business had strict rules. Night had just fallen, and everyone's mental state was still at its peak. Unless the enemy commander was an absolute idiot, they wouldn't choose to strike now.
Generally speaking, a ninja assassination squad would strike around 2:00 AM. That was the time when human fatigue was at its absolute highest, making it the perfect window for a massacre.
As time flowed on, it unknowingly reached 1:00 AM. Up on the roof, Uchiha Xuan opened his eyes right on schedule. Having rested and conserved his energy until now, his mental state was perfectly peaked.
The new generation of Uchiha gathered inside the hall, however, were not in such good spirits. Having burned all their energy chatting excitedly during the first half of the night, they were now drowsy and half-asleep. Rather than calling them a group of Genin, it was more accurate to call them a group of tired children who happened to possess Genin-level strength.
Uchiha Izuna rubbed his heavy eyes and walked up to Madara, yawning softly. "Big Brother, it's already 1:00 AM and there's still no movement. Is it possible Xuan's intel was wrong?"
Madara, however, was wide awake and practically vibrating with energy. He looked at his little brother affectionately and warned, "Do not get careless. From this moment on, we are in the absolute danger zone. Remember this: once the fighting starts, I won't be able to look after you. You must protect yourself."
Just as the two brothers were speaking, Xuan stepped through the main doors. He walked straight up to Uchiha Madara and uttered two simple words:
"They're here."
Madara's eyes instantly lit up. A fierce battle intent ignited across his entire body. He grabbed the katana resting beside him and stood up. "The enemy is here! All Uchiha clansmen, follow me outside to meet them!"
The groggy, half-asleep children instantly woke up. Adrenaline surged through their veins as they all rushed toward the main doors of the hall. Madara, Xuan, and Izuna ironically ended up at the back of the pack.
"Xuan, this battle relies entirely on the two of us. You have to go all out," Madara said. The hand gripping his katana was trembling slightly—not from fear, but from sheer excitement.
"Relax, relax. I guarantee I'll end my fight within ten minutes," Xuan replied seriously. He sneaked a glance at Madara's trembling, excited hand and subtly took a half-step away from him.
Hold on a second... does Uchiha Madara actually have the 'Battle Maniac' trait? Xuan thought. How did I never notice this before? I'd better keep my distance. When guys with this kind of personality go crazy in a fight, anyone standing too close usually gets caught in the crossfire. Within a few steps, everyone was outside the hall. The three of them moved to the very front of the group and looked up.
Under the silver moonlight, thirteen figures were rapidly bounding across the rooftops. The one leading the pack was moving so fast he was nothing more than a blur.
Uchiha Madara's eyes narrowed dangerously. His entire aura abruptly changed, becoming heavy, solemn, and suffocating. With a flick of his thumb, he popped his katana an inch out of its scabbard, the exposed steel reflecting a cold, chilling light under the moon.
Xuan remained utterly expressionless on the outside, but internally, his heart skipped a beat.
This killing intent... Madara has definitely killed someone before. When did that happen?