A Clone Jutsu? No... The Hyūga Jōnin's heart pounded in terror. In that hair's breadth of a moment, he violently erupted with all his chakra. "Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"
A hemispherical chakra dome instantly materialized, spinning at high speeds to completely envelop him in an impenetrable defense.
With a flash of light, Xuan teleported back to a marked kunai in the distance, letting the Rasengan in his hand safely dissipate. "Not a bad reaction speed. You're definitely faster than a standard Jōnin. I'm guessing you're considered quite the expert among the Hyūga."
Xuan silently assessed the man's strength. At the same time, he looked up into the distance. Under the moonlight, a black silhouette was rapidly leaping toward their position, closely pursued by a Jōnin. Trailing further behind them was a massive swarm of Yomu Chūnin and Genin. It was quite the spectacular scene.
Xuan twitched his mouth. Aside from Uchiha Madara, there isn't a second person in the world who could cause this much of a chaotic spectacle.
Madara landed a short distance from Xuan, crossing his arms in an incredibly arrogant pose. He scanned the battlefield, taking in the three headless Tokubetsu Jōnin corpses, the Hyūga Jōnin currently spinning in his Kaiten, and the Yomu Jōnin standing atop the silo. Naturally, the majority of his attention fell upon the blazing, ruined granaries.
Nodding in satisfaction, he praised, "Good work."
Xuan silently looked up at the night sky, completely ignoring him. With that dramatic entrance and talking down to me like you're my boss... do you seriously think I'm your subordinate? As if I'd give you the time of day.
The moment his Kaiten ended, the Hyūga Jōnin immediately triggered the Body Flicker technique to retreat to a safe distance. However, the anticipated follow-up attack never came. Staring intently, he noticed the newly arrived Uchiha Madara. His expression darkened even further.
At that moment, Yomu Kichikawa arrived in hot pursuit of Madara. He landed on a nearby tree trunk, his gloomy gaze sweeping over the three dead Tokubetsu Jōnin on the ground.
"Brother," the Yomu Jōnin—who had maintained a bystander's stance this entire time—called out in greeting.
Kichikawa nodded in acknowledgment. Once the swarm of Chūnin and Genin finally caught up, Kichikawa waved his hand authoritatively. "Everyone, stand down and fall back. This is not a battle you can participate in."
In the battles of the Warring States Era, unless one truly reached the realm of a god, lower-tier shinobi still had massive utility. If the sheer number of Yomu shinobi present swarmed them all at once, Madara and Xuan would only be able to hold them off for a short while before being forced to retreat. However, Kichikawa had absolutely no desire to sacrifice his clan's military strength in a meat grinder, which was why he ordered them to fall back.
"Yomu Kichikawa, what is the meaning of this?! Are you not afraid of the Chiba clan's punishment?! Hurry up and join forces with your brother! The three of us can easily kill these two!" the Hyūga Jōnin roared anxiously upon seeing the man dismiss his troops.
"What's going on?" Madara asked in a low voice.
Xuan shrugged. "I have no idea. But looking at the situation, it doesn't seem like they're on the same page. When I was fighting the Hyūga Jōnin, that Yomu Jōnin over there was just watching the show. The human heart is the most complicated thing in the world; how could I possibly see through it?"
"Is that so..." Madara revealed a thoughtful expression. Suddenly, he called out, "Clan Head Yomu! How about we have a little chat?"
"What do you want to say?" Ignoring the Hyūga Jōnin's furious shouting, Kichikawa looked at the boy with genuine interest.
The single tomoe in Madara's eyes spun slightly. "By secretly hoarding grain for the Hyūga, you have already offended the Uchiha clan. And I believe you are well aware of the consequences of offending the Uchiha. However, there is an opportunity right in front of you. As long as you kill this Hyūga Jōnin, you can atone for your crimes. We will completely wipe the slate clean regarding the grain. How about it?"
"Do not listen to him! Join me and kill them right now! You think you can't afford to offend the Uchiha, but do you think you can afford to offend the Hyūga?! You've already helped us hoard grain; the Uchiha will never let your clan off the hook!" the Hyūga Jōnin roared, a trace of panic creeping into his pure white eyes.
Taking control of the narrative and sowing discord... Madara is a lot more capable than I imagined, Xuan thought inwardly, finding the situation increasingly amusing.
Kichikawa fell into deep thought. The courtyard descended into absolute silence. The night breeze swept past, bringing a chill to the air, but it couldn't dry the cold sweat beading on the Hyūga Jōnin's forehead.
After a long pause, Kichikawa slowly shook his head. "My clan is but a minor faction. We dare not carelessly intervene in a clash between two giants. If you want to fight tonight, settle it amongst yourselves. My brother and I will absolutely not interfere."
The Hyūga Jōnin exhaled softly. He could begrudgingly accept this outcome.
Madara slowly furrowed his brows, but given the current situation, he didn't want to push them too hard. If he forced the two Yomu Jōnin to side with the Hyūga, it would undoubtedly cause them some trouble.
But Xuan suddenly spoke up, sneering coldly. "Yomu Kichikawa, was it? That's what I heard him call you. Do you really think you can just stay out of this? That Hyūga is right. The exact moment you helped them hoard grain, you placed yourself in direct opposition to the Uchiha. Do you honestly think you can just walk away now? There is only one outcome waiting for your clan, and that is total annihilation by the Uchiha. To us, a pathetic little clan like yours is something we can casually crush to death between our fingers."
Madara glanced at Xuan in surprise. He didn't understand why Xuan would suddenly threaten them so aggressively; this kind of behavior could easily push the Yomu straight into the enemy's camp. However, upon seeing Xuan shoot him a highly meaningful smile, Madara immediately caught on. His strategic mind rapidly began to spin.
"You're asking for death, brat!" Before Kichikawa could even respond, his younger brother jumped forward. Glaring furiously at the two boys, he assumed a combat stance, ready to attack at a moment's notice.
Unmoved, Xuan continued his vicious mockery. "No, you are asking for death. By all means, go ahead and try. I guarantee that if you dare to lift a single finger today, the Yomu clan will suffer one more casualty tomorrow. Oh, wait, my apologies. The Yomu clan is destined for total annihilation anyway. I guess there won't be any 'extra' people left to die."
"You are being humiliated and threatened to this extreme, Yomu Kichikawa! Are you still clinging to your delusions?! Join me and kill them right now!" the Hyūga Jōnin roared again. He wanted to charge forward himself, but remembering his brief clash with Xuan, he hesitated. That bizarre spatial Ninjutsu was genuinely terrifying.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Kichikawa asked, his brow furrowed deeply.
Xuan chuckled softly. "Nothing much. I just want to make it clear that there is only one way to save the Yomu clan now. And that is for you to personally execute this Hyūga shinobi. Only then can you secure the Uchiha's forgiveness and ensure your clan's survival."
Uchiha Madara coughed dryly. "Xuan, don't frighten Clan Head Yomu like that. I believe Clan Head Yomu can clearly see the situation for what it is, and I believe the Yomu clan was simply coerced by the Hyūga. As long as they turn back now, we Uchiha are very reasonable people. We will absolutely forgive them. Wouldn't you agree, Clan Head Yomu?" For his final sentence, he looked up at Kichikawa and offered a polite, diplomatic smile.
Kichikawa's fists clenched tightly. His entire body trembled slightly as a freezing, palpable killing intent bled from his eyes. "And... if the two of you die here tonight... who exactly would know about this?"
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