Uchiha's personal opinion

Tsunade sighed and ultimately chose to step back a few steps, clearing the way for the ninja army.

The words of the Uzumaki clan made her lose all will to try to stop Uchiha Tokumitsu's ninja army operations.

She now desperately wanted to know whether her teacher, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, had, as Uchiha Tokumitsu had said, tacitly approved of or even secretly encouraged the Uchiha clan to take action against the Daimyo.

……

The once bustling Fire Temple, frequented by worshippers and high-ranking officials, is now filled with a somber atmosphere.

The iron gate of the seal, said to be unbreakable, remained tightly shut.

The chief monk led his monk soldiers in a state of high alert, ready for battle.

What he wanted to do was to stop the Uchiha Tokumitsu headquarters ninja army from advancing directly towards the Fire Temple, so as to prevent the daimyo from losing face.

The Deko Red Guard, which had marched south from the northwestern border, had easily defeated the Daimyo's army and occupied a county town north of the Daimyo's capital. Meanwhile, the Daimyo, who had originally planned to gather his forces to march north and launch a punitive expedition, received intelligence about the Uchiha Headquarters ninja army's march from Konoha.

Even the name is in jeopardy.

I thought that a cold response would suffice, but I never expected that Uchiha Tokumitsu would actually dare to launch an attack.

Meanwhile, the nobles of the Daimyo Prefecture truly witnessed the enormous gap in combat power between the ninja army and the prefectural army during the battle of Izumi County in the north.

According to the descriptions of the routed soldiers, the Uchiha ninjas, clad in Sengoku-era armor, swept in like demons, ignoring the ninja army's arrows and muskets, unleashing massive fire dragons that sent the imperial army's formation reeling.

No matter how noble the bloodline, how high the status, how superb the command skills, or how well-trained the army, they are all useless against the bloodthirsty Uchiha, like paper shields, easily cut down by kunai.

The high-ranking nobles seemed to awaken from a dream, as if only now remembering that it was now the age of ninjas, and even this world was now called the "Ninja World".

With the Konoha ninja choosing to stand by and their own military force unable to stop the Uchiha's advance, the only hope for the Daimyo and nobles was that the Fire Temple could stop Uchiha Tokumitsu's main ninja army, and then, after slightly dampening the Uchiha's morale, obtain a decent opportunity for peace talks—the Daimyo was unwilling to surrender without a fight!

As for contacting the other four great nations to launch a ninja army to "suppress injustice," the idea briefly crossed the daimyo's mind before being pushed aside by the imminent crisis.

Distant water can never quench a nearby fire.

……

The Uchiha ninja army is getting closer and closer.

The head monk of the Fire Temple stood atop the bell tower, his face full of sorrow as he watched the Uchiha ninja army, which had deployed in the Crane Wing Formation, steadily marching towards them.

The Uchiha bodyguards, dressed in light armor and carrying flags, who were crowding around Uchiha Tokumitsu, reminded him for a moment of the Warring States period, a time of endless war and indiscriminate killing.

At the same time, he also thought of a man.

Known as the "Shura of the Ninja World," the man who openly rebuked the daimyo at the alliance meeting...

"Uchiha Madara..."

The senior monk uttered this nightmarish name with a heavy heart.

Like the daimyo, nobles and high-ranking officials, he never imagined that in an era where five great states coexisted and the system of one state, one village was established, there would be anyone who would dare to imitate the lords of the Warring States period and lead their troops to Luoyang.

"This is a sacred public site; the ninja army must halt here!"

At the behest of the head monk, a young monk shouted at the Uchiha ninja army.

The Uchiha ninja army switched from running to walking slowly.

"I've long heard that the Sage Clan's lineage at the Fire Temple is renowned for its unparalleled power to suppress evil in the ninja world. I've come here today to learn from them!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu was the first to draw his katana.

"Clang clang clang!!!"

The entire ninja army then drew their main weapons.

The gleaming blade shimmered with a cold, sharp edge under the sunlight.

The monks of the Fire Temple felt as if they had fallen into a snow cave.

"Stop! Uchiha!"

The chief monk had no choice but to speak up himself: "If you continue to act willfully, the other great powers will not let you off the hook!"

"Open the door!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu shouted, "The Uchiha are annihilating the Ryūnin! If you do not dispel the barrier and accept the test, you will bear all the consequences once the ninja army launches an attack!"

The Fire Temple's defensive iron wall is actually a large defensive barrier formed by the fusion of barrier ninjutsu and sealing techniques. The iron gate and the two stone statues are only part of the barrier. The sky and underground space of the Fire Temple are actually within the range of the barrier's coverage and defense.

The head monk's face grew even more distressed.

Neither the daimyo's orders nor the dignity of the monks of the Fire Temple allowed him to remove the barrier and allow the ninja army to enter the temple without engaging in battle.

His gaze fell upon six striking red-haired ninjas in the Uchiha ninja army.

Those were Uzumaki ninjas, but at this moment they were wearing combat vests that resembled those of Jonin from the Police Department.

As is widely known, the Uzumaki clan is the most skilled in sealing ninjutsu in the ninja world.

"The Fire Temple is the direct head of the Daimyo's family, so please, Jonin Tokumitsu, step down..."

The head monk, still unwilling to give up, earnestly advised, "It's not too late to pull back from the brink. Please lead your troops to retreat. This old monk will persuade the daimyo to drop the matter..."

"Ha ha……"

Uchiha Tokumitsu sneered, and the three tomoe in his eyes spun rapidly, transforming into the Mangekyou Sharingan.

The head monk immediately lowered his head to avoid Uchiha Tokumitsu's gaze.

"Susanoo!"

Without wasting words, Uchiha Tokumitsu directly channeled his chakra, drawing out his eye power to form a gigantic half-demon god.

"boom!"

Susanoo slammed its fist into the iron gate, causing ripples to spread across the barrier.

The monks inside the sealed iron wall turned pale from the violent echo.

He could barely hold onto the stick and the knife in his hands.

The chief monk who was maintaining the sealing barrier was so shocked that blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"Still not willing to open the door?"

Encased within Susanoo, Uchiha Tokumitsu said softly, "If I break through the barrier, you're in for a lot of trouble!"

Then, he controlled Susanoo to punch the iron gate.

"boom!"

The head monk's body swayed precariously.

The eighteen monks quickly surrounded the chief monk and worked together to maintain the barrier.

The head monk was even more heartbroken.

Susanoo used only two punches to make the barrier vibrate violently, and also consumed nearly half of its own chakra.

If Uchiha Tokumitsu had landed a couple more punches...

This was no longer a question of whether the barrier could withstand the attack; rather, it was that the chakra of himself and the monks in the temple simply could not maintain the barrier's existence under such a fierce attack.

Moreover, the Uzumaki ninja in the Uchiha army haven't even started to break through yet.

Holding out to the bitter end will only lead to certain death.

The senior monk voluntarily leaped onto the top of the temple gate.

"They actually dared to show themselves..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu was somewhat surprised.

The head monk took out a bottle of military ration pills from his robes and poured them all into his mouth.

"...Didn't you want to see the talents of the Fire Temple lineage of immortals?"

The chief monk's face had lost its usual compassion; surrounded by radiating golden chakra, his expression became grim.

"Come to welcome Thousand Hands Killer!"

A golden thousand-armed Buddha appeared with a thunderous roar from the Grand Master.

The Thousand-Armed Buddha swung his golden chakra fist and struck at Susanoo.

"Susanoo: Yasakani no Magatama!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu quickly drew chakra and filled it into Susanoo to resist the high-frequency chakra fist strikes. At the same time, Susanoo's right hand condensed a huge red tomoe, which it did not throw but directly held and stabbed into the body of Thousand-Armed Buddha.

"boom!"

The sharp magatama pierced into the body of the Thousand-Armed Buddha, triggering a massive chakra explosion that resounded throughout the heavens and earth.

The monks inside the Fire Temple were blown about by the violent shockwave.

The chakra that splashed everywhere ignited purple flames on the colorless barrier.

Meanwhile, among the ninja forces behind Uchiha Tokumitsu, the Uzumaki ninjas quickly erected a barrier to block the shockwave.

As the smoke and dust cleared, Susanoo maintained his thrusting posture.

The Thousand-Armed Buddha has vanished without a trace.

The abbot's body swayed precariously, coughing up blood incessantly.

"If you don't remove the barrier soon, don't blame me for destroying the magic!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu said with a cold smile.

The senior monk was about to say something in his defense, but seeing Uchiha Tokumitsu's cold and murderous eyes, he ultimately gave up.

He jumped down from above the temple gate and personally pushed open the iron gate of the Fire Temple.

The iron barrier that was sealed was also broken.

"Clay chicken and clay dog!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu snorted coldly and withdrew his Susanoo. With a wave of his right hand, the Uchiha ninja army behind him, clad in armor, charged into the Fire Temple in a formation with their blades drawn.

Chapter 168 Swordsmanship and Technique are the Ultimate Truth

After the ninja army stormed into the Fire Temple and occupied all the high points inside, Uchiha Tokumitsu slowly walked into the temple.

It wasn't out of fear of the monks of the Fire Temple who had decided to ambush and kill them on a whim, but rather to demonstrate their status as conquerors.