Seven days had unknowingly passed since Xuan redeemed Kamui.
The Uchiha clan finally completed all their military preparations and officially declared war on the Hyūga clan.
The Hyūga had clearly anticipated this. They had already massed their shinobi forces and were waiting in strict formation. Relying on the treacherous, easily defensible terrain surrounding their compound, they were fully prepared to drag the Uchiha into a grueling war of attrition. Simultaneously, they dispatched messengers to urgently request reinforcements from the Senju clan.
"The Hyūga are a major powerhouse of the Warring States. Even among the top-tier clans, their strength is second to none. They absolutely have massive, pre-stocked granaries hidden within their territory. If we simply lay siege to their compound right now, we won't starve them out. Instead, we'll just be giving them the luxury of resting and recuperating behind their walls. If this drags on too long, our supply lines will be the ones that break first. Therefore, before we initiate the siege, we must destroy their food supply."
Here, at the frontlines of the Uchiha-Hyūga war, a man with a stern, resolute face spoke with absolute authority, pointing firmly at a detailed map of the Hyūga territory spread across the war table.
This was Uchiha Fujin, the Supreme Commander of the Uchiha expeditionary force and one of the clan's three remaining Kage-level powerhouses.
Six individuals surrounded him, each radiating the terrifying chakra of a Peak Jōnin. They listened to his tactical analysis with grim, solemn expressions.
"Our spies planted within the Hyūga vassal clans have transmitted intelligence back to us," Fujin continued. "Their primary granary is built less than ten miles from the center of their main compound. It holds enough rations to feed their entire clan for three years. We must obliterate this facility. And we must do it fast, before the Hyūga even realize what our true objective is. Even if they have secondary stockpiles hidden elsewhere, the loss of their main granary will reduce their maximum siege endurance to half a year at best."
Fujin drew a heavy circle on the map, marking the granary's location.
"We have just arrived at the front. The Hyūga won't expect us to launch an all-out offensive immediately. Tonight, I will personally lead the entire army in a massive frontal assault against their defensive line to draw all their attention. Under the cover of this distraction... Uchiha Ao, Uchiha Ran. You two Peak Jōnin will take six Elite Jōnin, form a black-ops strike team, slip past their lines, and burn that granary to the ground. Remember: hit and run. Do not linger. The Hyūga Patriarch, Hyūga Tennin, and a swarm of their elders are sitting right there in their main compound. If you get bogged down, you will all die."
Uchiha Fujin was a man of swift and decisive action. The moment the briefing concluded, he dismissed his commanders to prepare for the assault.
That very night, he led the entire Uchiha army in a suicidal charge straight into the Hyūga defensive lines. The Hyūga shinobi on duty paled in absolute shock. Who fought wars like this?! The enemy army had literally just arrived that morning! How could they launch a total offensive at nightfall without even stopping to rest and reorganize?!
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
Charging at the absolute vanguard, Uchiha Fujin fully unleashed his Kage-level might. A catastrophic sea of flames instantly engulfed a massive portion of the Hyūga vanguard. Drawing his katana, the three tomoe in his eyes spinning with cold, ruthless indifference, he plunged directly into the enemy lines.
Trailing right behind him were four Peak Jōnin and twenty-one Elite Jōnin, followed by the main force of standard Jōnin and Chūnin. Genin were extremely scarce in this elite strike force.
At the forefront of the Hyūga formation, seven Peak Jōnin stepped forward. Simultaneously erupting with formidable chakra, they desperately worked together to block the apocalyptic sea of fire. The man leading them drew a gleaming katana. Boundless killing intent bled from his Byakugan as he roared, "Push these Uchiha bastards back!" Before his shout even faded, he launched himself directly at Uchiha Fujin.
This was Hyūga Kazenin, the absolute strongest among the Hyūga's Peak Jōnin, boasting strength infinitely close to the Kage level. With Patriarch Tennin guarding the main compound and Grand Elder Shinsō currently recuperating from the grievous wounds inflicted by Uchiha Tajima, Kazenin had been appointed to command the defensive lines.
As the two armies clashed, deafening war cries pierced the heavens, accompanied by the endless, chaotic detonations of Ninjutsu. Uchiha Fujin sneered coldly. His katana strikes grew faster and heavier, completely suppressing Hyūga Kazenin. "Where are Tennin and Shinsō? Too cowardly to show their own faces, so they sent you out here to die?"
Kazenin desperately swung his blade to parry, pushing his Byakugan to the absolute limit to track every minute twitch of his opponent's muscles. "To deal with trash like you, there's no need to bother the Patriarch or the Grand Elder!" he spat back.
"Heh!"
Uchiha Fujin scoffed. The three tomoe in his eyes spun smoothly. "You haven't forgotten the iron rule of the Warring States, have you? One-on-one, turn and run. A mere Peak Jōnin like you actually dares to duel me? Die."
Kazenin's body suddenly stiffened, completely locked in place as if bound by invisible steel chains. A paralysis Genjutsu...
Fujin's katana swung in for the fatal decapitation. At that exact moment, Fujin suddenly twisted his torso. A katana cloaked in dense, cyan chakra cleaved through the empty air mere millimeters from his body. Another Hyūga Peak Jōnin—Hyūga Fūki—had arrived.
Fūki landed beside Kazenin, immediately injecting a surge of foreign chakra into his comrade's network to shatter the Genjutsu. Free from the paralysis, Kazenin sneered and resumed his combat stance. "Now, it's two-on-one."
"Interesting," Uchiha Fujin remarked icily. Without a shred of fear, he lunged forward, engaging both Peak Jōnin simultaneously in a lethal, high-speed melee.
The brutal frontal clash between the Uchiha and the Hyūga raged on. The slaughter lasted for an entire, blood-soaked night. By dawn, the Uchiha army finally pulled back, having failed to break through the defensive line. Hyūga Kazenin let out a long, exhausted sigh of relief.
However, his relief was short-lived. By mid-morning on the second day, catastrophic news arrived from the main compound: their primary granary had been set ablaze and burned to ashes. Kazenin's face turned completely bloodless. But the nightmare was just beginning.
When his scouts reported that the Uchiha army was moving to blockade every single supply route and mountain pass leading into Hyūga territory, Kazenin's face twisted into an ugly, livid mask. He immediately realized what the enemy's true objective was.
Desperate, he rapidly rallied his remaining shinobi. Hoping to catch the Uchiha while they were still maneuvering to establish the blockade, Kazenin ordered a counter-raid, praying to secure at least two choke points to keep their supply lines open.
However, this rash decision completely inverted the tactical dynamic. When the Uchiha were attacking and the Hyūga defending, the Hyūga held a significant advantage thanks to their terrain. But the moment the roles reversed—with the weaker force abandoning its defenses to assault a superior army in the open—the outcome was painfully predictable.
The Hyūga raiding parties were violently repelled and completely routed. They suffered catastrophic casualties, even losing a Peak Jōnin in the ensuing slaughter. When the news reached Patriarch Hyūga Tennin at the main compound, he flew into an apocalyptic rage.
"That useless piece of trash Kazenin!" Tennin roared, violently smashing his fist into his desk. "He actually let an enemy strike team slip right under his nose?! What is the point of having him in command?! He's going to be the death of me!" The assembled Hyūga elders sat in terrified silence, none of them daring to speak up to calm him.
After cursing for a while, Tennin deflated, letting out a heavy sigh. "The Uchiha have blockaded all the roads. We are effectively trapped inside our own territory. Not counting the main granary, how much food do we have left in our secondary stockpiles?"
A Peak Jōnin stepped forward and answered in a hushed voice, "We can probably hold out for about half a year."
Tennin fell into deep thought. "And what about the Senju?" he demanded. "We sent our urgent request for reinforcements days ago. Where is their army?"
Another Peak Jōnin stepped up, looking extremely hesitant. "According to our latest intel... the Senju reinforcement army was intercepted at the Kazama River by an Uchiha strike force led by Uchiha Tō. The Senju commander, Senju Rakan, said... he said..."
Tennin frowned, his temper flaring again. "What did he say?! Spit it out!"
The Peak Jōnin flinched before answering, "Senju Rakan said that we need to 'hold the line for a bit longer.' He promised he will come rescue us just as soon as he finishes dealing with Uchiha Tō."
SMASH!
The heavy war desk in front of Hyūga Tennin completely shattered into splinters under his palm.
"Senju... Uchiha..." he growled in a low, venomous voice.
"Both of your clans are full of treacherous bastards. Just you wait."
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