After speaking—
Uchiha Akira swept his gaze across the clan.
Aside from the elderly, the injured, and those who remained in Konoha—
Every combat-capable Uchiha was here.
Less than two hundred in total.
It sounded like a lot.
But in reality—
Most were Chunin or below.
Only a small number were truly Jonin-level.
Without proper deployment—
Sending them to the frontlines—
Against enemy Jonin or ANBU—
Would be no different from sending them to die.
The moment Akira finished—
Uchiha Tekka spoke.
"You mean… most of the clan should remain in the rear?"
"Exactly."
Akira nodded without hesitation.
The reaction was immediate.
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
"That's avoiding battle!"
"The village ordered full participation!"
"We're supposed to strike the enemy with everything we have!"
"I refuse to be a coward!"
"I'm not afraid to die!"
"And what about the Hokage?! Will this be considered disobedience?!"
Voices clashed.
Pride.
Honor.
Fear.
Doubt.
Everything mixed together.
If they held back—
It would be no different from defying orders.
Through it all—
Uchiha Fugaku remained silent.
Tekka.
Inabi.
Yashiro.
Shisui.
All the elites—
Waited.
Then—
Akira spoke again.
"The Hidden Mist deployed elite forces."
"Jonin. ANBU."
"Even the Seven Ninja Swordsmen targeted weaker units."
"Against that level of power—"
"Survival is unlikely."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"If you all die here—"
"Who will rebuild the Uchiha?"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
No one could answer.
Tekka broke it.
"…When we faced their elites before, our casualties were severe."
"I agree with you."
"But…"
He looked at Fugaku.
"What about the village?"
"How do we explain this?"
Akira answered calmly.
"If you don't say anything…"
"And I don't say anything…"
"And they don't say anything…"
"Who would know?"
Again—
No one could refute it.
Then he added:
"…Of course."
"You are the clan head."
"The decision is yours, Fugaku-sama."
All eyes turned.
Fugaku remained silent for a few seconds.
Then—
He nodded.
Looking at the clan, he spoke decisively:
"All members under eighteen…"
"And all below Chunin level…"
"Remain here."
"Tekka. Inabi. Yashiro."
"You three will stay as well."
"If the frontlines require support, I will call for you."
Then—
His gaze shifted.
To Akira.
To Shisui.
"To the rest—"
"We advance to the frontlines."
"We support allied forces."
"And intercept enemy elites."
As he spoke—
His eyes lingered briefly on Akira.
For the first time—
He felt reassured.
With talents like Akira and Shisui—
The future of the clan was not uncertain.
"Move out!"
At his command—
More than a dozen figures vanished.
—
Reality on the battlefield—
Was far crueler than reports.
Information always lagged behind.
War—
Changed by the second.
Konoha was fighting—
One against four.
Hidden Mist.
Hidden Cloud.
Hidden Stone.
Hidden Sand.
Under that pressure—
Losses were inevitable.
When Akira arrived at the front—
He encountered a medical unit.
Over twenty medical ninja.
Transporting nearly forty critically wounded.
And sixty to seventy corpses.
The scale—
Was staggering.
And it proved one thing.
His decision had been correct.
If ordinary Uchiha had come here—
Their fate would be no different.
"It's an Uchiha!"
"Why is there only one reinforcement?!"
"Stop! Don't go any further!"
"It's dangerous ahead!"
"Enemy Jonin are active in that area!"
"There could be ambush units!"
The medics called out urgently.
Akira landed calmly.
Quickly questioning them—
While expanding his perception.
Within moments—
He understood.
The Hidden Stone had deployed elite forces.
Hunting Konoha units.
The battlefield was chaotic.
Even the medics—
Only had fragments of information.
But one thing was clear.
The enemy outnumbered them.
And Konoha—
Was losing ground.
"We already sent for reinforcements…"
"But we didn't expect just one person…"
"Other fronts must be struggling too…"
One medic muttered.
Akira glanced at him.
Calm.
Unshaken.
"Fall back."
"I'll handle this."
His senses had already locked onto the enemy.
A small unit.
Silent.
Disciplined.
Deadly.
The next moment—
He vanished.
The medics froze.
"…That speed…!"
"Who is he?"
"That Body Flicker… even faster than Shisui…!"
"…Wait…"
"…Could it be…?"
"…Uchiha Akira…"
"His name's been spreading everywhere…"
"Even the Hidden Mist fears him…"
"…But going alone against elites…"
"…Isn't that too reckless…?"