Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

The sudden turn of events disrupted the rhythm of the Earth Spider Shiro, who was about to make his move. His brain, which had been overheated by greed, cooled down slightly, and he sensed something amiss. He stopped his restless subordinates and temporarily suppressed his plan for a fierce battle.

This issue,

Something seems off.

He couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, but his intuition told him something was amiss.

"Tenmoku, what just happened? Where did Uchiha Fujika and Tsuchigumo Hotaru go?" Kazuma asked, while Tenmoku, who had been using his perception technique to monitor the battlefield, was being questioned. The dead summoned by the Soil of the Dead technique couldn't report any movement from the front lines to him; Tenmoku was the one who had to handle that.

only--

Tenmoku's answer, however, was chilling.

"Wasn't the person already taken away by your clone, Ma?"

The subordinates of Tsuchigumo Shirou were furious, but Tsuchigumo Shirou himself frowned and waved his hand forcefully, signaling his subordinates not to move. He once again deeply felt that strange sense of disharmony. What did Kazuma's subordinates mean by this?

Is he and Ma playing a double act, deliberately teasing people?

Or is it that,

Even Ma was tricked?

"who are you?"

Kazuma tossed aside the tin staff in his hand, and the four-bladed iron claw hidden in his wrist sprang out, directly placing it against Tenmoku's neck. His sharp killing intent was locked onto Tenmoku. He was 100% certain that something was wrong with Tenmoku; he hadn't sent out any clones at all.

The Dead Soil technique is extremely chakra-intensive.

His chakra wasn't abundant enough to create clones while using this forbidden technique. Otherwise, he wouldn't have only created a few 'advanced bodies'. To be precise, the dead revived by the Earth Technique are essentially equal in quality. As long as there is a sufficient supply of chakra, all the dead can regain their senses and use the ninjutsu and other combat skills they knew in life.

However, chakra is limited.

He can only select specific high-quality materials to supply more chakra, which is what is known as a superior body.

far away,

Closer to home.

Tenmoku's words made Kazuma instantly realize that something was wrong with his old friend. Either he harbored resentment and deliberately framed him to fight with the Tsuchigumo clan's brats, or Tenmoku was no longer Tenmoku but someone else entirely.

"Who I am is not important." Tianmu opened his eyes, looked at the four-bladed iron claws that were held against 'his' neck, and laughed. "If I were you, I wouldn't waste time investigating my identity. Instead, you need to consider how to deal with the enraged [Wind of Death]. Just a reminder, Tianmu has already revealed your location."

As soon as he finished speaking,

Tianmu fell directly from the tree, but luckily, Ma was quick and didn't hesitate to grab him, even though he had fainted.

at the same time,

The emerald-colored Susanoo bathed in moonlight in the distance disappeared.

but--

This is not good news.

Kazuma realized that the dead he had summoned using the Soil of the Dead were being cleared away at an alarming speed, and more importantly, the clearing route seemed to be heading towards their location, giving him little time to think.

He had already seen a large number of humanoid figures flying into the sky not far ahead.

Those were all the dead he summoned.

"So it was you who were behind this?" A voice, brimming with murderous intent, carried on the wind. "Hand over my student, and I'll give you a quick death. Otherwise, I'll let you experience what it means to be torn to pieces."

It seemed to be an attempt to make an example of someone.

Kazuma, Tsuchigumo, and Shiranami clearly saw a gust of 'wind' blow by, and in an instant, a zombie was shredded into countless small pieces. This sight sent chills down their spines; such a wind-escape technique was truly terrifying!

As the zombies in front of him were swept away...

Uchiha Chihaya's figure then came into view.

"Aren't you going to hand over the person yet, you scum?" Uchiha Chihaya stared at Kazuma, Tsuchigumo Hakuro, and the others with her crimson eyes. She didn't recognize most of them, only Kazuma, the wanted criminal, was someone she recognized. But... it didn't matter. At this moment, even if the King of Heaven himself stood in front of her, she would dare to swing the blade in her hand.

The reason she didn't immediately turn the knife on him was...

They were simply clinging to a sliver of hope that Fujika and Hotaru were alright, which is why they were spouting such nonsense.

Unlike the previous "Wind of Death," which killed people without any hesitation, it was extremely concise and efficient. In the eyes of onlookers, this kind of concise beauty could be elevated to the realm of art.

"We didn't arrest him; there were other people involved..."

He Ma didn't finish his sentence.

Uchiha Sen had already lost his patience and resolutely swung the Vacuum Blade in his hand.

There's no need for further words. If what He Ma said is true, then they have no value. If what He Ma said is false, it means that He Ma and his group either don't intend to hand over the people, or they can't hand them over.

Regardless of which is the truth

In short, at this point, it's better to use language to negotiate.

It's more efficient to reason with them using a sharp blade. Once these stubborn fools finally learn their lesson, there will likely be a new answer.

[Earth Escape·Earth Flow Wall]

The burly man standing behind Kazuma reacted quickly, or rather, they had always maintained a high level of vigilance, ready to strike at any moment. So when Uchiha Chihaya made her move, he reacted just as quickly, releasing the ninjutsu he had prepared.

A massive earthen wall rose from the ground, blocking the way and attempting to intercept Uchiha Chihaya's slash.

"boom!"

The slash was as sharp as cutting through rotten wood, splitting open the earthen wall... no, that's not right, it should be said that it blasted it open. The power of this slash was beyond imagination. It did not rely on the sharpness of the wind jutsu to cut through the earthen wall, but rather it also unleashed a powerful impact while cutting through the earthen wall, directly shattering it.

Fortunately,

When Uchiha Chihaya made her move, she wasn't the only one who reacted.

“Words Bound to Rock”

Although Shiro Ryo is a bit naive, he is indeed a genius of the Tsuchigumo clan.

The character '岩' (rock) appeared in the palm of his right hand.

Just as the earthen wall was shattered, he manipulated the rock and soil below to rise up once again, meeting the undiminished power of the slash. Then... with another loud bang, it was smashed to pieces. In the face of that astonishingly powerful slash, any defense felt as thin as window paper, easily broken with a gentle poke.

However, thanks to the time gained by these two waves of defense...

Kazuma, Tsuchigumo, Shiranami, and the others seized the opportunity to shift their positions. If they couldn't block, they could simply avoid it; there was no need for a head-on confrontation. As everyone retreated, only the canopies of the trees were shattered, and the canopies of nearly a dozen large trees were destroyed, leaving only the bare lower half of the trunks stuck in the ground.

"This destructive power... is it a Mangekyou Sharingan eye technique?"

Kazuma put down the unconscious Tenmoku, his brow furrowed, and stared solemnly at the scene of destruction. Combining this with the emerald-colored Susanoo he had seen earlier, he guessed that the force that caused such destruction might be a Mangekyou Sharingan eye technique.

Although he did not actually join the Akatsuki organization.

However, Obito Uchiha did tell him a lot of things. Moreover, the secret of the Mangekyou Sharingan is not a secret that is difficult to access. During the Warring States period, the Uchiha clan relied on the Mangekyou Sharingan to dominate the ninja world. Susanoo was a well-known synonym for 'destruction and death' at that time.

That is, after the end of the Warring States period, the Uchiha clan continued to decline after Uchiha Madara. Many records about the Mangekyou Sharingan were gradually shelved by various villages and families. However, in recent years, with the emergence of Uchiha Sogen, these records have once again gained attention.

but,

Whether Kazuma's predictions were accurate or not was actually not very important at this point.

Whether it's a Mangekyou Sharingan or not is irrelevant. Even if it's a three-tomoe Sharingan, they wouldn't dare look directly into Uchiha Chihaya's eyes with their true form. The key question now is: what to do next? Fight Uchiha Chihaya, or... retreat?

His goal from the very beginning was to get his hands on a girl named Uchiha Fujika.

That was a bargaining chip that could threaten the Sixth Hokage of Konoha to some extent. Unfortunately, after all that effort, he still got nothing. He just wasted a lot of the corpses he had painstakingly accumulated over the years. Once the corpses summoned by the Soil of the Dead were destroyed, they could not be summoned a second time.

Because the corpse that serves as the medium for summoning will also be destroyed along with the shattering of the clay-made replica.

After this great battle,

Significant reserves have been lost!

However, there was no gain that could offset this loss. Upon careful consideration, it was truly a losing proposition!

However, before Kazuma could make a decision, Uchiha Chihaya attacked again. The terrifying and unbelievable slash came down, and Kazuma, with his Tenmu, could not fight back. He could only rely on his three subordinates, Fudo, Fugen, and Fuka, to help defend. Fortunately, all three of them knew Earth Release techniques, and Fudo and Fugen could even be said to be masters of Earth Release.

Together, they managed to block Uchiha Chihaya's second wave of attacks...

But he couldn't withstand the third strike that followed.

"what!!!"

The woman named Fuyumi was crushed halfway through her body by the aftershock of the slash that shattered the earthen wall. Her short scream abruptly stopped under the night sky. This scream was just the beginning. Uchiha Chihaya's eyes were bloodshot, and in them was a pitch-black pattern resembling an eight-leaf windmill.

Boundless killing intent surged and churned within.

[350.Chapter 347 Zhinatu Bigu]

Awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan was something Chihaya Uchiha had never expected. Although she had been troubled by the matter for a long time, she had consulted the clan's records and asked the three clan members who had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan. She learned that extreme emotions were the key to awakening the Sharingan.

but,

The truth that knowing is easy but doing is hard remains unchanged throughout history.

Knowing something doesn't mean you can do it.

In particular, Chihaya Uchiha's overly calm personality was an excellent talent when she first stepped onto the battlefield, but it became a stumbling block when she wanted to advance to the Mangekyou Sharingan. Moreover, she had followed Sogen along with Arashiyama Uchiha and others from a very early age, and had almost no chance to experience the loss of close friends or family.

Because she doesn't have many friends, and the few she does have are all highly skilled, her family members, parents and elders, either hold high positions in the clan or are not ninjas, so she is unlikely to encounter any danger.

Therefore, she could never obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan, lingering outside that tightly closed door.

Until today—

Watching Fujika and Hotaru suffer their deaths one after another, she experienced for the first time such extreme anger and hatred. The emotional fluctuations that reached the extreme stimulated her Sharingan, which had been trained to the peak of three tomoe, and thus she naturally awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan.

The jade-green Susanoo appeared only briefly.

It's not that there's a problem, but rather that her eye power is limited. The eye power generated by opening her eyes is quite limited and cannot support the consumption of Susanoo at all. In contrast, her Mangekyou Sharingan eye techniques consume much less eye power.

Its name is—

【Shinadubigu】

According to the two categories of Mangekyou Sharingan eye techniques classified by Sogen, this eye technique belongs to the category of interfering with reality. Its ability is 'storm'. Even an exhale can generate a gale strong enough to shatter trees, and a heavy breath can cause the destructive force of a dump truck collision. This power can even be added to fists, feet, and blades.

Compared to Zongxian's "Shi Chang Bi Mai", it seems to be much weaker.

However, the consumption of eye power is also minimal, and the specific effect depends on the skill of the user.

Chihaya Uchiha greatly admired this eye technique, as it perfectly complemented her strengths. Her strongest technique was the combination of Wind Release and swordsmanship. With the enhancement of Shina Hiko's eye technique, her once powerful strike, capable of slicing through a giant tree as thick as a water vat, could now easily shatter a half-meter-thick rock wall.

This is just the beginning.