Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Despite taking the blow himself, the flying finger bone pierced through the body of the Cloud Ninja, splattering small flowers of blood. The Cloud Ninja, who was unfortunately hit, fell down with deep confusion. He did not see that a layer of bone had formed under the skin where Kimimaro was cut, a layer that normal humans would never have.

It was this layer of bone that protected him, allowing the blades of the Cloud Ninja to only tear his skin without damaging his muscles and blood vessels, and thus not seriously hindering his combat power. It wasn't just Uchiha Itachi who was improving; Kimimaro was also getting stronger at a speed that surpassed the original history!

"Bastard!"

Xi, who had been watching the entire battle, was ashen-faced. Troy was truly disappointing, having been killed by a brat from the Uchiha clan. He had completely disgraced the Cloud Ninja. However, he also felt a deep sense of dread towards Uchiha Itachi and a growing desire to capture him.

Such a genius is absolutely priceless.

Even if we can't catch them, we absolutely have to find a way to destroy them. We already have enough with guys like Uchiha Sogen and Uchiha Shisui. Any more... and it would really be despairing!

"Sixth Squad, Ninth Squad, Eleventh Squad, Twelfth Squad, make that Uchiha brat your primary target. If you fail to capture him, then destroy him." Xi gave the order, sending all the mobile forces he had left into action. The target was none other than Uchiha Itachi!

[Chapter 210: Lava Release and Hiramekarei]

In this battle, the Cloud Ninja went all out. In order to make the most of their numerical advantage, they chose to launch a full-scale attack, literally meaning "full-scale." They did not choose any specific key targets, but instead spread out their massive forces, forming a long battle line stretching for more than thirty kilometers.

Otherwise,

This is insufficient to fully utilize the Cloud Ninja's numerical advantage.

The high mobility of ninjas meant they couldn't possibly huddle together and fight. For example, when Itachi Uchiha and Troy were fighting, they were constantly moving. In the end, Troy was lured into a trap and was captured in one fell swoop.

This is just one example.

Similar battles are breaking out in various parts of this long front.

Unless the difference in strength is too great and a single encounter can decide the outcome, most of the time when two ninjas of similar strength are fighting, it is normal for them to run for several kilometers. And that is a curved distance. If it were a straight line, the battle line would probably be stretched to a maddening length.

Moreover, there is also Susanoo.

Zongxian used Susanoo to run rampant, single-handedly suppressing more than a thousand Cloud Ninja under the personal command of the Fourth Raikage. From his position, the area within a five-kilometer radius was his range of operations... This is what ninja warfare is like. Encounters on narrow paths are rare. Most of the time, ninjas fight in an extremely wide area.

The Land of Hot Springs has no steep mountains or raging rivers. Its terrain, mainly consisting of hills and plains, makes it extremely convenient for the Cloud Ninja to launch attacks from any direction. The Fourth Raikage personally led a force to block Uchiha Sogen, while Nozomi led a unit to target Uchiha Itachi and Kimimaro. In addition, many powerful Jonin were fighting Konoha ninjas in different locations.

Even Tsuchida, the Cloud Ninja strategist who is usually left behind to take charge of the overall situation in place of the Raikage, is fighting on the front lines.

【Melting Escape - Protective Jade】

The pale yellow rubber wrapped around the unconscious Konoha ninja from the Hyuga clan, forming a sphere that completely encased him, leaving only his mouth and nose exposed to ensure he wouldn't suffocate.

"The fifth one!"

Tu Tai let out a breath.

The captured Hyuga clan Jonin was carried away by the Cloud Ninja. Under the watchful eyes of a group of Cloud Ninja, five similar spheres were piled up together. Since living beings cannot be sealed into scrolls, they could only be guarded like this.

These spheres that bound the Konoha ninjas were Tsuchikage's bloodline limit, the power of Lava Release.

The Lava Release bloodline limit is not unique to the Cloud Village; the Iwagakure Village also has a Lava Release bloodline limit. However, unlike the Lava Release of the Iwagakure Village, the Lava Release passed down by Tsuchidae of the Cloud Village has clearly taken a unique path, pioneering a style of fighting by generating and manipulating the substance 'rubber'.

Its destructive power is obviously not strong!

However, this does not mean that the Cloud Ninja's Lava Release is useless. On the contrary, this Lava Release, which seems to lack offensive power but has extremely strong support capabilities, has been used in many ways by Tsuchida, including defense, binding, and reflection. In battle, Tsuchida chooses to utilize the different properties of rubber according to different situations, calmly defeating one opponent after another. Apart from the obvious lack of destructive power, it has almost no shortcomings.

For example, the [Melting Escape: Protective Jade] can be used for both defense and trapping people.

Especially when capturing the enemy alive is the priority, it gives him a great opportunity to show his skills.

"Lord Tsuchidai, would you like to rest for a while?"

The subordinates asked questions.

Their fierce battles never ceased along the way. Tsuchida defeated five Konoha Jonin in succession. One of them was from the Hyuga clan, the person and the dog were clearly from the Inuzuka clan, another was a cunning member of the Nara clan, and the other two were from small Konoha clans.

After these fierce battles, a thin layer of sweat appeared on Tu Tai's forehead, and his breathing was slightly heavy but still regular, indicating that the exertion was still within his tolerance range!

really,

Tsuchida shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Now is not the time to rest. We haven't caught a single big fish. We can't get back the Eight-Tails with just these few prey!" We need to work harder and find more valuable targets. In his opinion, it would be best to capture seven or eight Uchiha clan ninjas so that we would have the leverage to negotiate with Uchiha Mugen.

Unfortunately, he didn't encounter a single Uchiha along the way.

Just as he was pondering whether to go to hope's side to provide support and take down that Uchiha genius, a new enemy appeared before him. White hair, purple eyes, sharp teeth, and pale skin as if he had never been exposed to the sun. What caught Tsuchida's attention the most was the headband on the other's forehead.

That's not a Konoha headband.

It's a Mist Ninja!

"Looks like I'm in luck today, I've caught a big fish!"

Hozuki Mangetsu's face revealed a bloodthirsty, gleeful smile. He gripped Hiramekarei tightly, and the blue veins on the back of his fair hands stood out. These trusted men under Tsuchidai were no weaklings; their well-trained appearance was immediately apparent.

Add to that the five piled-up 'rubber balls,' and you can see how extraordinary this group of people on the earthen platform are.

Capturing someone alive is much more difficult than killing them!

This is something that all the genin understand.

"······Himawari? The prodigy of Kirigakure, Hozuki Mangetsu?" Tsuchida calmly recognized Hozuki Mangetsu's name.

"whispering sound!"

Hozuki Mangetsu's smile faded, and he clicked his tongue unhappily, "They actually recognized me, really... annoying!" This kind of enemy with a very sharp mind is the type he hates. When fighting with this kind of person, you have to be careful at all times to avoid falling into their trap.

I got to know the flounder, and I also learned his name.

This means that it is highly likely that even the abilities of the flounder and the secret techniques of the Hozuki clan have been discovered by the enemy. At the very least, his next battle will be based on the premise that the enemy has already figured out most of his methods.

Just as Hozuki Mangetsu quietly raised his guard,

Tu Tai was also somewhat troubled.

He had seen 'Hiramekarei' in some past documents, and had also learned about some secrets of many large families in Kirigakure, including the Hozuki clan. In recent years, he had even collected information about Hozuki Mangetsu, the prodigy of Kirigakure, who inherited the twin swords Hiramekarei. Therefore, he quickly recognized Hozuki Mangetsu's identity.

However, his understanding of Hozuki Full Moon was limited to this.

Given how isolated Kirigakure was, it was already quite remarkable that they knew Hozuki Mangetsu had inherited the twin swords Hiramekarei. They couldn't gather any more detailed information. He could only infer Hozuki Mangetsu's abilities from the records about 'Hiramekarei' and 'Hozuki clan' in the ancient books and documents he had read in Kumogakure.

The conclusions drawn from this calculation can only serve as a reference. In reality, the true abilities of this 'prodigy' must be discovered through actual combat...

"Take this!"

Despite being a young man, Hozuki Mangetsu's patience was ultimately inferior to Tsuchida's, and he made the first move.

only,

Having a sharp edge isn't necessarily a bad thing!

Only a fool would believe the idea that the first player will always lose.

The two arguments, "strike first" and "strike later," each have their own merits, and there is no absolutely accurate standard. Ultimately, it depends on the capabilities of the two sides in the conflict!

Hozuki Mangetsu brandished Hiramekarei and charged towards the earthen platform. Hiramekarei was a... no, that's not right, it was a pair of swords. Hiramekarei, as I said, was a pair of swords. These were two oddly shaped swords joined together. Their length was less than that of the Executioner's Blade, but their width far exceeded that of the Executioner's Blade.

It has no sharp edge; the edges of the blade are smooth and rounded. When the two blades are put together, the overall shape is somewhat like a flounder, which may be why it has the name Flounder.

"Whoosh whoosh!!!"

Dozens of light blue chakra spikes shot out, instantly turning the earthen platform into a hedgehog!

[Blood Mist Blade Technique - Bone Pulling]

This is the technique used by Hozuki Mangetsu.

The flounder's ability is quite unique. After absorbing enough chakra, it can launch chakra light blades, light cannons, or light spikes to attack at close or long range. It is also the only ninja sword among the Seven Ninja Swords that can attack at long range.

now,

Hozuki Mangetsu used Hiramekarei's ability to launch a powerful attack so fast that Tsuchida didn't even have time to react!

but--

However, Tutai is not an opponent that can be easily defeated.

"A stand-in?"

The earthen platform, its entire body riddled with chakra spikes, didn't bleed a single drop. It couldn't possibly be a real person. The next second, the earthen platform, its chakra balance disrupted, reverted to a pale yellow rubber figure and collapsed limply to the ground.

at the same time,

A steely gray fist from underground slammed into Hozuki Mangetsu's right ankle!

Unlike most Cloud Village ninja, Tsuchitai, who inherited the [Lava Release] bloodline limit, was born with both fire and earth chakra natures. On the contrary, he mastered the lightning chakra nature later. As one of the smartest people in Cloud Village, Tsuchitai focused on the training of bloodline limits from a young age, and in doing so, he also honed his fire and earth release to an extremely high level!

This incredibly skillful use of earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a technique of stealth and infiltration) is enough to demonstrate his superb mastery of earth-遁 techniques.

Before Hozuki Mangetsu realized what was happening, he had already switched his real body and his Stand. He left the Stand to attract Hozuki Mangetsu's attacks, while his real body went underground, looking for an opportunity to strike!

Hozuki Mangetsu, struck by Tsuchida's punch, staggered. His right leg was shattered from the knee down—a physical shattering. The broken water splashed out, but then the water flowed back and reformed into Hozuki Mangetsu's right foot.

"Flounder - Liberation!"

The damage and repair to his right leg did not affect Hozuki Mangetsu's counterattack. The Hiramekarei, releasing a bright ball of chakra, slammed heavily into the ground beneath his feet, shattering the rock and creating a huge crater.

The astonishing destructive power of the flounder was on full display at this moment.

Unfortunately, the earthen platform was extremely slippery.

This man, who had also honed his Earth Release: Hardening Technique to an extremely high level, withstood part of the Hiramekarei's heavy blow and successfully escaped, appearing next to the rubber man whose body was riddled with holes.

So far,

The first round of matches has ended.

Both launched probing attacks, and then simultaneously confirmed that the other was troublesome and difficult to deal with. Hozuki Mangetsu raised an eyebrow. Tsuchida's Earth Release technique was powerful, but what worried him even more was that Tsuchida had not yet used his trump card. Those five spheres were just a short distance away!

He didn't want to be the sixth, or worse, be killed outright!

but,

Isn't there a unique kind of fun in battles where you might lose or even die? Battles where victory is certain certainly have their own unique appeal, but after experiencing too many of those battles, you can get a little tired of them. You need to change things up every now and then!

Hozuki Mangetsu's smile reappeared.

In contrast, the wrinkles on Tsuchida's forehead deepened once again, and a solemn expression appeared on his gaunt face. The destructive power and mutability of the flounder were so dangerous, and coupled with the Hozuki clan's renowned water transformation technique, physical attacks were confirmed to be ineffective. His earth-escape technique was essentially rendered useless.

Moreover, due to the fluidity of water... even using the Lava Release technique would likely make it difficult to catch.

"Lightning Release?"

Tsuchitai remembered that the Hozuki clan's water transformation technique was countered by lightning. Lightning would paralyze the Hozuki clan's bodies, preventing them from fully liquefying. But that was all. This weakness was not enough to kill Hozuki Mangetsu directly. Moreover, his mastery of lightning techniques was not as profound as his mastery of earth and fire techniques!

He used a hardening technique to enhance the destructive power of his punch just now. It wasn't that he didn't want to use Lightning Release to launch a sneak attack, but that he couldn't use Earth Release Stealth Technique at the same time as Lightning Release. You have to know that Lightning Release chakra is the counter to Earth Release chakra, and the two cannot coexist. At least with Tsuchida's mastery of Lightning Release, he couldn't perform both at the same time.

Therefore,