Chiyu's response was straightforward and effective.
He abruptly stamped the ground, his body shifting in a split second, evading the Water Dragon Bullet's impact. Then, without a moment's hesitation, he lunged straight in, drawing the katana from his waist and striking mercilessly at Sarutobi Nichio!
Just how terrifying was Chiyu when he truly unleashed his killing intent?
Even Uchiha Fugaku had no real grasp of it. But in that instant, everyone saw it: like a bolt of lightning slashing across the sky, razor-sharp and unstoppable.
The cold gleam of the blade sliced through the air in a swift arc, hacking down on Nichio.
Nichio never anticipated that his opponent's speed would be so astonishing. He froze in shock. But as the leader of the Sarutobi clan, trained for decades, he was no weakling. Despite having grown complacent in recent years and reacting a fraction slower, he still managed to draw his own blade and parry with force.
Clang!
Two blades collided, sparking a dazzling burst of light and producing a shrill, grinding sound. Under Chiyu's immense power, Nichio was forced backward, clearly in a disadvantaged position.
"Patriarch!"
A cry arose from his clan members, who prepared to rush to his aid.
But Nichio, consumed by fury, shouted, "Stay back!"
As he was about to roar, he suddenly saw Chiyu's eyes shining with a blood-red glow.
Hum—
A strange, mesmerizing vibration filled the air. Uchiha Chiyu was finally releasing the power of his Sharingan.
Nichio paled in horror and quickly averted his gaze, trying to avoid eye contact. He had no idea whether Chiyu was adept at genjutsu, but he dared not risk it. Everyone in the ninja world knew that in a one-on-one fight against a skilled genjutsu user, the only option was to flee—unless you had an ally ready to dispel it. Normal genjutsu was bad enough; the fabled prowess of the Sharingan made it worse.
And yet…
Chiyu didn't cast any genjutsu at all. He simply used the momentary shock his active Three Tomoe Sharingan caused to force Nichio into making a mistake. Catching that split-second opening, he twisted the angle of his blade, which flashed brilliantly as it knocked Nichio's sword aside and sent it flying.
Nichio, thrown into disarray, tried to dodge—but it was already too late.
Squelch!
With a dull thud, Chiyu's katana pierced clean through Nichio's abdomen. A fierce, bone-deep agony ripped through him. He instinctively staggered back, pulling himself free of the blade, and clutched at the wound. Blood was already welling between his fingers.
"You dodged a fatal blow?" Chiyu's brow furrowed slightly.
After all, Nichio was an older-generation jōnin, a clan leader. Even if he hadn't fought seriously in years, he wasn't so easily killed.
"You… damn… beast!"
Nichio grit his teeth, his entire body trembling from the pain, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. Yet he abruptly removed his blood-soaked hands from the wound, forming seals with rapid precision.
"Earth Release! Earth Dragon Bullet!"
He slammed his palms onto the ground, and the soil suddenly seemed to come alive, rising up and morphing into a dragon that spewed stone projectiles like cannon blasts.
Fugaku's face tightened. "So he can even use Earth Release…?"
But in the eyes of Chiyu, with his Three Tomoe Sharingan fully active, that attack was worth little. His crimson eyes glimmered, and he read every detail of the Earth Dragon Bullet's trajectory, avoiding the projectiles with ease. Without pause, he closed in again, sword raised.
Nichio, desperate to keep him at bay, struck the ground again with both hands.
"Earth Release! Earth-Style Wall!"
Rumble!
A solid mud wall burst up, blocking Chiyu's path and sheltering Nichio behind it.
Chiyu let out a cold snort, speaking slowly and clearly:
"Lightning Release… False Darkness!"
In an instant, the air crackled with electricity, the stinging sound making everyone's hair stand on end. A piercing, spear-like blast of lightning erupted and tore forward.
Boom!
With a single blow, it plowed through the ground and obliterated the Earth-Style Wall to dust.
Fugaku's eyes widened. "When did Chiyu learn such a powerful Lightning Release ninjutsu?!"
Nichio's terror reached its peak. The violent lightning spear ripped through the destroyed mud wall and showed no sign of stopping; it hurtled straight for him with blinding speed—far too fast to dodge.
"Aaaaagh!"
Nichio let out a blood-curdling scream as electricity surged around him. The vicious currents ravaged his body, leaving behind the acrid smell of burnt flesh.
"Patriarch!"
The Sarutobi clansmen could no longer heed his orders; they rushed forward to save him. Several unleashed their own jutsu to fend off Chiyu's onslaught.
"Fire Release! Great Fireball!"
"Wind Release! Wind Blade!"
Flames and gusts of wind fused into a fierce blade of fire, howling across the battlefield to halt Chiyu's advance. But the glow of his blood-red Sharingan shone relentlessly, the Three Tomoe rotating. Unfazed, Chiyu threaded through the gale and fire. He was inevitably grazed, but he pressed on, sword still poised for the kill.
Splurt! Splurt!
Sharp blades of wind and tongues of flame slashed across his shoulders, arms, and waist, sending blood spraying in arcs. But Chiyu did not falter. Tearing through the crumbling earth wall, weaving between wind and fire, he landed in front of Nichio.
"No!"
"Stop!"
The Sarutobi shinobi realized they couldn't reach him in time and screamed in horror.
Nichio, grievously wounded by the earlier lightning strike, could hardly move. His entire body was paralyzed—he was completely at Chiyu's mercy.
The gleaming sword arced viciously toward his throat…
"Chiyu, stop!"
"Stand down!"
Two voices called out from different directions at the same time.
Chiyu recognized one as Uchiha Shisui's. The other—his Sharingan picked up a fleeting glimpse, revealing the identity:
Sarutobi Shinnosuke, Hiruzen's eldest son, captain of the Anbu.
Both were powerful big names in their own right. Yet even with both of them shouting for him to stop, it didn't halt the edge of Chiyu's blade.
Uchiha Shisui?
Sarutobi Shinnosuke?
None of that mattered.
Chiyu's katana cut cleanly across Nichio's throat. Afterward, his head came loose and rolled onto the muddy banks of the Naka River.
Sarutobi Nichio…
Dead.
At that moment, both sides—Fugaku and the Uchiha, the furious Sarutobi, as well as the newly arrived Uchiha Shisui and Sarutobi Shinnosuke—were all struck speechless, utterly shocked.
Ding!
[You helped Sarutobi Nichio and Sarutobi Jirō reunite in the afterlife. A family is meant to be together. A good deed! +100 Virtue Points!]
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