Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

The attacker, whose katana was wrapped with extremely sharp wind blades, secretly cursed. His katana, wrapped with wind blades, could cut through even steel. In the past, he had even cut down Iwagakure ninjas who had used hardening techniques, along with their weapons, during a mission.

Unexpectedly, this time they failed.

The massive, door-like object, wrapped in layers of bandages, was actually harder than ordinary steel.

"Uchiha Style: Sword Leap Flame".

Zongxian quickly turned around, and the long sword in his hand burst into flames.

Inherent Skill: Mana Release (Flame) - As chakra is poured into the blade, raging flames sway wildly. Wielding the scorching blade, Sogen slashes down fiercely. The attacker, skilled in Wind Release, has clearly trained in taijutsu and swordsmanship to utilize the close-combat characteristics of Wind Release chakra. He keeps up with Sogen's movements and blocks the burning blade.

however,

Fire overcomes wind.

The wind-style chakra wrapped around the katana not only failed to help him sever Munezō's blade, but instead fueled the fierce flames. The raging fire engulfed his entire body, and the intense heat took the attacker's life in just two breaths.

This may seem like a long time, but in reality, less than a minute has passed.

In that short minute,

Despite having Naruto as a burden, Sogen managed to kill two and severely injure another. This achievement was truly remarkable, considering his enemies were all elites among elites: clan ninjas wielding secret techniques, and sword masters skilled in the rare Wind Release ninjutsu…

[9. Chapter Nine: The Flame Demon]

The attackers in the darkness were undoubtedly elite among elites, and they used their signature secret techniques without any hesitation, presumably with a do-or-die mentality.

This battle is far from over!

Zongxian deeply understood this point.

as predicted,

"Secret Technique: Shadow Imitation Technique"

Another clan ninja using a secret technique emerged from the moonlight, his dark shadow darting out like a snake and attaching itself to the shadow that Zongxian cast from the treetops onto the ground. In an instant, an invisible and intangible binding force fell upon Zongxian, making him feel like a puppet in a puppet show, his hands and feet bound by unseen threads.

Zongxian remained rooted to the spot, holding Naruto with one hand and raising his long sword to slash with the other, unable to move from the treetop.

The instant he was frozen in place,

Two more figures crackling with lightning emerged from the forest behind them. Like the knife expert from before, these two were clearly masters of physical combat, moving with incredible speed. Learning from their fallen comrade, they abandoned the more reliable slashing attack and instead planned to bypass the massive, door-like creature on Zong Xian's back and thrust their blades upwards from his ribs toward Zong Xian's kidneys.

"Two idiots, who are they underestimating?"

Although the body is bound, speaking is still not a problem.

The two attackers saw Zongxian's mocking smile, but how they, being behind Zongxian, could see it—

The answer is reflection. The flames burning on the raised longsword have disappeared, and the originally vertical blade has turned to be parallel to the surface. The blade, as clear as a pool of water, can be used as a mirror under the bright moonlight.

Zongxian's smile was reflected on the blade, and naturally, his scarlet eyes were also reflected.

"Magic - Shackle Technique".

Upon seeing that mocking smile, the attackers naturally also saw the crimson Sharingan... In an instant, their consciousness was pulled into the hell of illusion by Sogen, and thick metal wedges were driven deep into their bodies, completely rendering them unable to move.

Even though they knew they were under an illusion, the two powerful attackers were unable to break free from the illusion.

Even though the flow of chakra had been disrupted, it was still of no use.

Sharingan

That's how powerful it is.

"Next... Uchiha Style: Firefly Light." The long sword that Zongxian raised once again burst into flames. Unlike the astonishingly high temperature before, this time the flames released a bright light, and the dazzling light dispelled the shadows on the ground.

Zongxian's shadow twisted violently as a result.

In addition, he has been fighting against the Nara clan members who are hiding in the shadows.

The shadow imitation technique, which was already on the verge of its limit, has been cracked.

"Uchiha Style: Sword Leap Flame".

Upon regaining his freedom, Zongxian immediately turned and swung his sword. The blazing blade grazed the necks of the two men who stood stiff as wood on a tree branch not far behind him. The charred wounds contracted, and no more blood gushed out. The headless corpses fell to the ground with a thud.

The treetops were still trembling.

Zongxian's figure had already disappeared.

next second,

The blade, wreathed in flames, illuminated the darkness not far away. The Nara clan attacker, a man with a pineapple-shaped haircut and a ponytail, had his neck severed. The wound was charred black, but not a drop of blood flowed out. The death toll rose to five.

however,

The remaining attackers did not retreat.

They seemed utterly unafraid of death; the sacrifice of their comrades did not move them in the slightest, and they simply continued fighting.

"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique".

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough".

The sacrifice of their comrades seemed to have little impact on the survivors, but it clearly left behind enough experience and lessons. It was difficult to gain any advantage in close combat against Zongxian. To be precise, after paying the price of five comrades dying and one person suffering mental trauma, they did not cause any visible damage to Zongxian.

probably,

It only consumed a portion of his chakra?

Standing on the corpses of their comrades, they finally understood that the Flame Demon, who was on par with Shisui of the Uchiha clan for the "Body Flicker Technique," was no ordinary person. Even though they had overestimated Uchiha Mugen's strength as much as possible before the operation, the facts proved that they had still underestimated him.

then,

They no longer worried about harming the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki; to be precise, they no longer had the luxury of considering such a thing.

They abandoned their plan to engage Uchiha Mugen in close combat and switched to a backup plan.

The so-called backup plan—

It refers to using long-range, numerous, and continuous ninjutsu to crush Uchiha Sōgen. Relying on the advantage of numbers, even if it's just a matter of attrition, they can exhaust Uchiha Sōgen's chakra. Once the chakra is exhausted, even the most skilled cook will be unable to cook without rice.

The two who made the first move chose a combined attack of Wind Release and Fire Release.

This can't really be called a composite ninjutsu; it's more like using wind release to enhance fire release attacks, giving a C-rank fire release technique the destructive power of a B-rank fire release technique. The flames shot into the sky and advanced in a straight line, crushing towards the location detected by the sensory ninja.

"Fire Release?"

The instant the Dragonfire Technique was unleashed, Zongxian blinked as if he had seen a ghost.

Good guy,

Where did this newborn calf come from? Trying to use Fire Release techniques in front of the Uchiha clan? This is truly laughable. These idiots probably have never seen how the Uchiha clan used Fire Release techniques to overpower the Kirigakure's Water Release techniques in their battles.

not to mention,

Among the current Uchiha clan, Zongxian's Fire Release technique is second to none, and no one dares to challenge for the top spot.

"Cough!"

The long sword was stuck in the ground.

Zongxian formed a 'Yin' mudra with one hand.

"Fire Release: Great Flame Annihilation!!!"

A large amount of refined chakra gathered in his throat, and Zongxian opened his mouth and spat out a raging sea of ​​fire like a tsunami. The small, straight flames that rushed towards him were swallowed up by the sea of ​​fire without even a ripple. The surrounding trees, grass... everything was completely devoured by the sea of ​​fire.

The two, who used Wind Release and Fire Release respectively, attempted to escape using Body Flicker Technique and Substitution Technique.

However, both of these techniques have limitations on movement range, and unfortunately, even the maximum movement distance is not enough to escape the attack range of the sea of ​​fire.

Their figures disappeared into the blazing, bright sea of ​​fire. The others, being far enough away, sensed the danger and fled in panic, narrowly escaping this terrifying fire escape technique.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes,

It's unbelievable that this fire jutsu was used by one person; people would believe it was done by seventeen or eighteen people working together.

"Is this the [Flame Demon]?"

Someone murmured.

The others remained silent, but suddenly realized, "So that's how it is! Such a terrifying fire-style technique truly deserves the title of 'Flame Demon'!"

[10. Chapter Ten: The Third Generation]

"what is that?"

Why is it so bright?

"Could it be... a fire?"

No matter how remote the forest was, it was still within the village's boundaries. The residents who hadn't gone to sleep yet saw the sea of ​​fire burning in the forest in the northeast corner of the village. Since even the villagers had noticed the commotion, some people naturally couldn't continue to turn a blind eye.

In the center of the village, beneath Fire Shadow Rock.

Hokage Building

"Sarutobi, how did the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki end up in the Uchiha clan?"

Elders Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu stormed into the Hokage's office.

"Just a little coincidence."

"accidental?"

"Well, just a small, insignificant coincidence, a friendship between children, nothing more." Behind the large mahogany desk, an elderly man in his sixties, dressed in white casual clothes and with graying hair and beard, sat in a chair, puffing out a pipe.

This old man—

It was none other than the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"accidental?"

Mitomon Yan pushed up his glasses. If it weren't for their years of friendship and his deep understanding of what kind of person his friend and classmate was, he might have really believed it was just a coincidence.

He didn't dwell on the issue, but instead asked, "Sarutobi, what are you planning to do this time? Are you going to use this opportunity to continue suppressing the Uchiha?"

"I've already said it was a coincidence. The danger of the Uchiha clan cannot be denied, but they didn't do anything wrong this time. Moreover, using a child to attack the Uchiha should not be allowed. In any case, as long as the Uchiha don't do anything to betray the village, the Uchiha belong to Konoha."

The third generation righteously rejected Elder Mitomon's suggestion.

"So... the forest in the northeast corner, is it Danzo?" Koharu Utatane gleaned more details from the Third Hokage's attitude. This incident was probably similar to previous ones, with Sarutobi formulating the action plan and Danzo responsible for its execution.