The five shadow clones roared in unison, their voices echoing like a war cry through the choking mist.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bullet!"
"Wind Style: Dragon Gale Bullet!"
"Earth Style: Dragon Fang Bullet!"
"Water Style: Dragon Torrent Bullet!"
"Lightning Style: Dragon Storm Bullet!"
Five massive elemental dragons burst forth from the fog—each one serpentine and snarling, its power vibrating through the air. Fire scorched, wind shrieked, earth cracked, water surged, and lightning hissed as the five forces converged upon the three unsuspecting Uchiha trapped within the haze.
A sudden chill passed over Uchiha Mamoru, Uchiha Kaku, and their injured comrade as they spun, eyes wide.
"This doesn't feel right… be on your guard!" one hissed, his Sharingan spinning furiously, though it could barely cut through the oppressive mist.
Each of them suddenly caught sight of the elemental dragons breaking through the fog, closing in from different angles.
"They know exactly where we are?!" Kaku snarled. "How could they pinpoint us through this fog?"
"There's no way to escape in time!" Mamoru's tone cracked with bitter urgency. "Either defend or leap into the air, and if we leap—those dragons will devour us!"
"Then defend!"
They slammed their hands together, chakra surging as they shouted almost simultaneously:
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
Earthen ramparts jutted up and a wave of water rose like a barrier, shielding them from Shigure's attack.
From beyond the mist, Uchiha Shigure's calm voice echoed coldly.
"Oh? So defense is your choice… Humph. Do you really think stone and water can stand against mine?"
The five roaring elemental dragons crashed violently into the hastily-formed defenses—stone cracked, water hissed and boiled, shockwaves splitting the mist apart. In moments, the earthen wall crumbled and the water wall was obliterated.
"Damn it! Too much power—we can't hold it!" one jōnin barked as the dragons tore their jutsu apart. They had no choice but to launch themselves into the air, desperate to avoid being swallowed alive.
But fleeing upward was exactly what Shigure had been waiting for.
A blur of movement—the whoosh of bodies moving with the Body Flicker Technique—five shadow clones appeared directly in the air beside them, each already channeling swirling blue spheres of chakra in their hands.
"Rasengan!"
The jōnin's blood ran cold. "It was a feint all along! He herded us into the air!"
"Such destructive chakra… there's no way out—!"
The sky exploded with violent rotations of chakra as the Rasengan connected. One after another the clones slammed their attacks into the Uchiha jōnin midair, tearing through their defenses, twisting flesh into a bloody spiral as bodies were smashed downward like broken puppets.
They hit the ground with devastating thuds, blood pooling fast.
No matter the strength of one's body, taking another shinobi's jutsu head-on was a recipe for death.
Yet one of the fallen groaned, staggered to his feet with trembling hands. Blood ran freely from his lips. His hand fumbled in a pouch, yanking out a small black pill which he bit down on instantly.
Within heartbeats, his wounds closed, his strength surged unnaturally.
"Tch—blood-enhancing pills," Shigure muttered coldly, watching the flicker of chakra stabilize. "So they plan to drag me into an endless fight… inconvenient."
The revived Uchiha tried to pass another pill to his wounded companions, but the shadow clones were already upon him again.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball!" the jōnin roared, expelling a sphere of flame so wide it seemed ready to consume the entire fog.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire!" Multiple streams of smaller fireballs rained after, one after another, cutting off all avenues of approach.
The battlefield became an inferno. But the cost of such frenzy soon revealed itself; his chakra faltered, his breath quickened. The firestorm weakened.
Shigure's eyes narrowed. "You burn fiercely—for nothing. And now you're spent."
The five clones vanished in flickers, reappearing directly before him. The exhausted Uchiha tried to weave signs again, but his hands trembled, sluggish. He could barely force chakra to his fingertips.
In that same moment, Shigure himself appeared behind him—the white glow of his pure Sharingan spinning as he bent space with the Flying Thunder God.
His palm slammed into the jōnin's chest with pinpoint precision. The soft fist style channeled chakra straight into the man's heart.
"Go to hell."
A strangled scream ripped from the jōnin's throat as pain tore through him, his heart's rhythm shattering. He collapsed to his knees, skin pale. Before he could struggle, Shigure struck again, another palm crushing the chakra pathways around his chest. The light left his eyes as he toppled lifelessly.
Shigure exhaled coldly, watching the twitch of his death. "Mamoru. Kaku. You. I've slaughtered you all. Any Uchiha who dares claim my life will pay the same price."
His gaze lifted toward the survivors: Uchiha Hideaki, sprawled and helpless, and Uchiha Naomasa pressed into the corner, trembling.
Naomasa's face contorted with fear. "Y-you can't! I am the son of the Guard Captain of Konoha! If you kill me, you'll incite civil war—you'll make the Uchiha fight until every last drop of blood spills!"
Shigure walked forward, deadly and unhurried. "Fight to the death? Look around you. Is this not already war?" With a vicious motion, he struck, ending Naomasa's frantic pleas in an instant.
Bodies littered the ground. Silence descended, broken only by Shigure's calm breaths.
For a long moment, he stood still, then crouched beside the corpses, placing a steady hand on each forehead. At once, he felt it—the familiar current of power flowing beneath their skin. Bloodline energy. The essence of Indra.
Like tributaries flowing into a river, their divided fragments of Uchiha heritage poured into him, uniting, strengthening.
His eyes tingled, vision warping. The tomoe of his Sharingan whirled frenetically, as if shifting toward something greater.
A low murmur escaped him. "This sensation… without doubt. My eyes… I am nearing the Mangekyō Sharingan. And perhaps… Perhaps I needn't destroy the ones closest to me after all. The Uchiha blood itself is the key to unlocking it."
His lips curled faintly with the thought—even as crimson remained dancing in his pupils.
Far away, the sounds of another battle rang out—the cries of Inuzuka, the constant buzzing of Aburame insects, the sharp calls of Kurenai Yuhi's genjutsu. They had already taken down a chunin opponent.
Shigure rose smoothly, the lingering mist swirling about his cloak. "Enough butchery here. Time to rejoin the others."
His figure blurred as the Flying Thunder God tore space, placing him right before the other Konoha allies.
Aburame Shibi glanced at him, surprise flickering behind his tinted glasses. "Back already? Did you… escape them?"
"Escape?" Shigure's Sharingan gleamed as he shook droplets of blood from his palm. "No. I don't run."
--
Unlock 50 exclusive advanced chapters for just $10 – don't miss out! Check the synopsis/description for the link! 🚀
Loved this fic? 🔥 Then you'll absolutely binge my other hits — "Douluo Dalu: Ten Thousand Years Early System!" & "Douluo Dalu: The Godly Drunkard System" — don't miss out!