Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Right now, she has two concerns. First, these guys have complete chakra systems. Could it be that they can use ninjutsu? Second... she noticed that heavy, chaotic footsteps were coming from all directions, as vast and powerful as a tidal wave.

next second,

Her fears came true.

Despite the heavy attacks, a 'zombie' that had approached the group of Team One actually formed hand seals and unleashed the 'Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique' to attack. However, this weak attack was easily destroyed by a casual slash from Uchiha Chihaya.

But the situation suddenly became serious.

It wasn't just because these damned zombies could use ninjutsu, but also because there were just too many of them. These zombies surged in from all directions like a raging tsunami, giving people a tremendous sense of oppression.

"Conserve your chakra, fight with taijutsu as much as possible, and don't waste explosive tags."

Chihaya Uchiha quickly issued the order.

"Also, try to break through in the direction you came from."

As the saying goes, "a long wait will surely lead to defeat." If you don't know exactly how many of these monsters there are, staying put and fighting a defensive battle is the most foolish choice. Rather than waiting to be surrounded from all sides, it's better to choose a direction and fight your way out before that happens.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

If you look from high above the sky,

They discovered that the first group's camp was the center, with a zombie horde stretching for several kilometers around it. Furthermore, a continuous stream of corpses crawled out of the soil, which was filled with a deep aura of death, further expanding the scale of the zombie horde.

"...What kind of technique is this?"

Tsuchigumo Shirou stood on a tree, gazing at the massive horde of corpses. He remained stunned for half a minute before snapping out of his daze and instinctively blurted out a question, his gaze falling on Kazuma. He truly hadn't expected that Kazuma, besides their Tsuchigumo clan's forbidden technique, "Raging Hair Heaven,"...

They also possess such remarkable skills.

Even though he still firmly believed that their clan's forbidden technique, "Raging Heaven," was stronger, and that it was a waste of talent to fall into the hands of an outsider like Kazuma, who had not brought out even one percent of the power of the forbidden technique, he was still deeply shocked as he looked at the horde of corpses sweeping across the plains like a raging tide.

"Just a little trick."

He smiled at Ma.

I'm not going to explain anything to this fool.

He simply said, "Next, we can just watch the show patiently. Once the prey is exhausted, we'll have a better chance of capturing it alive."

"······snort!"

Earth Spider Bai Lang snorted coldly through his nostrils, but did not ask any further questions. He was obsessed with the forbidden techniques of his family and looked down on such methods to the core. In his opinion, if he had the forbidden technique "Wrath of Heaven", sweeping away such trash would be a matter of the blink of an eye.

Of course, without the forbidden technique "Raging Heaven," things would be much more difficult. So he remained silent, even unconsciously hoping that his prey could hold out longer and consume more of the zombies summoned by He Ma. That way, if they were to turn against him later, his chances of winning would be greater.

"Tianmu, keep a close eye on them. Don't let our prey get away. Tell me immediately if reinforcements appear."

Kazuma didn't waste any more time with Tsuchigumo Shirou.

Instead, they turned their attention to Tianmu.

"Don't worry, unless the opponent comes from underground, they won't be able to escape my secret technique to detect them." Tenmoku gave Kazuma the same answer as always, just like when they were the Twelve Guardian Ninja.

"Then please."

Kazuma looked away with relief.

They were true partners for many years. No one understood Kazuma better than Tenmoku, and no one understood Tenmoku better than Kazuma. They had an unbreakable bond. However, Kazuma did not notice that Tenmoku's expression was momentarily dazed after he finished speaking.

The bird formed from spiritual energy soaring in the sky looked down and saw the members of the First Squad fighting in the horde of corpses. It also saw a group of people including Kazuma, Tsuchigumo Shiro, and itself. Behind them, a man wearing a white robe with flame patterns and a family crest of flame fans on the collar stood not far behind them.

I clearly saw this man.

He could even see the tiny family crest on the collar clearly, but Tianmu didn't say a word, as if he hadn't seen the man standing not far behind him at all.

A gentle night breeze blew by.

The sound of rustling leaves came from the dense forest.

"Your mental magic is quite impressive, but it's a shame that you're so blatantly projecting your mental energy outwards. I'd be embarrassed not to use illusion magic to play with you." Zongxian glanced at the transparent, colorless bird formed from mental energy in the sky, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

The instant that Tenmoku's spiritual power detected Sogen's whereabouts, Sogen immediately launched a genjutsu, controlling this skilled sensory ninja.

strictly speaking,

A Sharingan with only three tomoe levels cannot achieve this.

Tenmoku's [Bird's-eye View Technique] is not without its merits. Even ordinary Jonin of the Uchiha clan might not be able to detect this spying from the sky, let alone counter it with genjutsu. Even if Shisui came, Sogen would have a hard time.

Only ocular power at the level of the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan could achieve this.

As for the Rinnegan, which surpasses the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, that's naturally not a problem either.

He stood behind Kazuma, Tsuchigumo, and Shiranai, listening to their conversation and watching them discuss how to deal with Yakumo and Fujika. After confirming that these guys seemed to have nothing to do with Obito Uchiha, he thought for two seconds and gave up his plan to subdue them immediately.

He had initially thought this matter would involve that bastard Obito Uchiha, so he came over personally to ensure the safety of his disciple and sister. However, when he arrived, he found that none of this had anything to do with Obito Uchiha. But since he was already there, he couldn't waste such a good opportunity to train Yakumo and Fujika.

With him in charge here,

There is absolutely no need to worry about Yakumo and the others encountering any danger of death.

However, Yakumo and the others were unaware of this. In their eyes, this was a real battle, and for the girls' future, it was both a calamity and a great opportunity for growth.

"A human wave tactic? Yakumo, Fujika, Hotaru, you'd better give it your all!"

Zongxian stood on the treetop, watching with a smile the scene of the beautiful girl battling zombies.

This was the first time he had ever seen such a bizarre sight in real life—so many zombies… To be precise, these weren't real corpses, but rather fake objects made of mud, which is why they turned back into mud after being destroyed.

As for why these clay imposters can perform ninjutsu...

It was clearly related to the strong smell of death emanating from them.

"Earth Release: Ultimate Creation Technique: Soil of the Dead... If I remember correctly, that should be the name, right? A forbidden technique developed by the Yama-no-Tsuchi clan of the Land of Rivers, which was later suspected to have been stolen by the Oniwaban ninja." Sogen muttered to himself. He had seen this information in the village's archives and memorized it.

after all,

It is said that the Second Hokage developed the forbidden technique 'Impure World Reincarnation' because he had fought against a ninja from the Yamato clan who used the forbidden technique 'Soil of the Dead'. After that, he researched and developed a completely different and superior 'Impure World Reincarnation' technique.

Regardless of whether this matter is true or false.

However, the Second Hokage did leave behind analytical materials about the forbidden technique of Soil of the Dead. He not only explained the principle of this forbidden technique in great detail, but also listed its shortcomings one by one, so that future generations could deal with enemies of the Mountain Earth Clan.

Unfortunately, there were just too many similar notes left behind by the second generation.

Even now, Zongxian hasn't been able to finish reading it all; he has only selected a portion to read and study, among which happens to be the forbidden technique 'Soil of the Dead'.

[Chapter 348. The Wind of Death]

This lively spectacle wasn't just watched by Zongxian alone. Under the dim moonlight, a White Zetsu was also secretly hiding in the trunk of a large tree. Unless viewed from the right angle, its face emerging from the bark was completely invisible.

Furthermore, sensory ninjutsu cannot detect its existence.

Unless an extremely powerful Nine-Tails Jinchuriki awakens the ability of 'malicious perception', White Zetsu's methods of disguise and concealment have never been discovered by anyone other than the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and the perception ninjutsu of the Ame-no-Madoka has been perfectly evaded.

Even Zongxian was unaware of the existence of White Zetsu.

but,

same,

Bai Jue also failed to notice Zong Xian.

After using illusion to control Tenmoku, Zongxian activated his specially made Hokage robe, concealing his figure and blending almost perfectly with the tree trunk next to him. This was one of the reasons why Kazuma, Tsuchigumo, and Shiranai were completely unaware of Zongxian.

Even if they are not professional sensory ninjas, and are not good at sensory ninjutsu.

However, at close range

Unless one is a highly skilled assassin, it is impossible to remain completely unaware of someone approaching.

The reason there was absolutely no reaction was thanks to the Hokage robe specially made by the Equipment R&D Department on Zongxian's body. The technology used to make this Hokage robe... came from Sasori, the genius scientist who independently researched the forbidden technique of human puppetry. Under Zongxian's guidance, Sasori developed many powerful technologies.

The Hokage robe he was wearing was one of them.

Its true name is [White Cloak - Fake Skin]. The technology used to create this item originated from Sasori's research on White Zetsu corpses. Based on the information provided by Sogen about the various special abilities of White Zetsu, Sasori conducted in-depth research on the White Zetsu's ability to disguise and infiltrate, thus giving birth to the technology for creating White Cloak - Fake Skin.

The current Zongxian model is a special limited edition created by the Equipment R&D Department after some patching and repair work based on the technology left by Scorpion. In fact, apart from some additional text and patterns on the exterior, it is no different from the original in terms of function.

With continuous chakra input, the white cloak will perfectly blend the wearer into the surrounding environment, thus avoiding enemy pursuit and can also be used for assassination and sneak attacks. How it is used depends on the wearer's wishes.

It's funny,

For reasons unknown, Sasori did not report the information about the technology he developed in Konoha, nor did he share this secret with his Akatsuki comrades.

Therefore,

Even Jue had no idea that Zongxian held such a hand. If it had known, it would have carefully surveyed the surrounding land long ago, instead of just glancing around and then hiding in the tree to watch the show.

Of course, if White Zetsu dared to do that...

If you were to actually run into Zongxian, you can easily imagine what would happen. So sometimes not knowing is a kind of happiness; knowing too much isn't necessarily a good thing.

As for the two groups of onlookers from different forces in the shadows...

Kazuma and Tsuchigumo Shirou were completely unaware of the situation, believing that the overall situation was still under their control. They firmly implemented their human wave tactics, gradually wearing down their prey's energy, and then... easily captured their prey, achieving their respective goals.

If there were no spectators lurking in the shadows, mainly referring to Zongxian, and if we exclude this huge variable, Kazuma's plan would actually be quite effective. To be honest, this plan doesn't have any clever strategies; it's extremely simple and straightforward.

But the most important thing about a plan is its practicality; as long as it achieves the goal, it's a brilliant plan.

The human wave tactic created by using the forbidden technique 'Soil of the Dead' achieved the result Kazuma wanted.

The teachers and students of the first class were unable to break through the layers of 'crowds' in one go.

Ultimately, they were caught in a fierce and arduous battle.

Uchiha Chihaya wielded her famous sword alone, and wherever she went, it was as if the wind of death had swept through. Those who should have been sleeping in the ground lay down once again. The fearsome reputation of the 'Wind of Death' was not exaggerated in the slightest.

She ordered the girls to conserve their chakra as much as possible, but she herself dared not be stingy with her chakra when she was killing.

As a teacher,

She had a responsibility and an obligation to bring the girls back to the village safely, regardless of their identities, but based on her own beliefs and principles. Even if she were leading other students, she would make the same choice, even at the cost of her own life, to use her blade to carve out a path to survival for her students.

Of course, sacrificing one's life is the worst-case scenario.

Although the situation is dire, it's not to say there's absolutely no chance.

the other side,

The girls formed the most basic triangular formation.

Entrusting her back to her companions and focusing on dealing with the enemy in front of her, Yakumo fully utilized her family's bloodline limit at this moment. The zombies she faced were basically scorched by lightning strikes that suddenly appeared on their bodies, turning into clods of earth and crumbling.