Then her figure vanished as if dissolving into the shadows... 6 Uchiha Orphan; Eight Hundred Death Guards
After Kurenai Yuhi was taken away by Uchiha Izumi.
Di Yan did not linger in the luxurious yet stifling main hall.
He passed through layers of palaces and arrived at a completely different area deep within the Imperial Palace... a massive and solemn Training Grounds.
The opulent decorations were nowhere to be seen here.
In their place were hardened earth, cold steel training equipment,
and the pervasive scent of sweat and dust in the air,
along with an irrepressible sharpness, like a drawn blade.
On the training ground, figures flickered, and shouts of battle shook the heavens!
Eight hundred ninjas, all dressed in uniform black combat attire, were divided into several small teams, engaged in intense combat training.
The dull thuds of fists and feet, the clang of kunai colliding, and the roar of exploding ninjutsu intertwined,
forming a heart-stopping wave of sound.
Their movements were swift and ruthless, each strike aimed at a vital point.
Their eyes held none of the naivety of youth,
only the cold focus of a warrior and absolute obedience to commands.
The oldest of these ninjas was no more than twenty-two, with faces already bearing the marks of hardship.
The youngest were only fourteen, still childish,
yet their eyes were already as hard as cold iron.
They shared a common origin.
Before Diyan's ascension to the throne,
he adopted these orphans, who struggled resiliently like weeds, across the vast yet barren lands of the Land of Fire.
At that time, under the senile and incompetent rule of the old daimyo in the Land of Fire,
the nobles lived in excessive luxury, while the common people suffered immensely.
Scenes of displacement and starvation were commonplace.
Under the guise of "charity" or "recruiting household servants," Diyan secretly gathered these rootless individuals, who had endured the bitter hardships of life.
They were the sharp blades personally selected by Diyan, on whom he poured resources, and whom he tempered through the most brutal methods.
They were his fangs, hidden beneath the magnificent imperial palace.
They were eight hundred... death-sworn warriors, loyal only to the "Emperor"!
Diyan stood with his hands behind his back on a high platform at the edge of the training ground.
Like an emperor reviewing his army, and he was indeed the Emperor of the Land of Fire.
Watching the murderous and disciplined scene below,
a glint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.
"Eight hundred men..."
He murmured softly, his voice barely audible to himself,
yet it carried an air of confidence that overlooked the world.
"Back then at Xuanwu Gate, eight hundred brave warriors were able to stabilize the empire and usher in the prosperous Tang Dynasty."
"Now, with eight hundred death-sworn warriors in my hands, what is there that I cannot achieve?"
The history he had learned in his previous life told him that
the strength of an elite force lay not in its vast numbers,
but in its absolute loyalty and powerful execution.
These eight hundred were his first lever to pry loose the stubborn rock that was Konoha!
And responsible for training these eight hundred sharp blades
were twenty-four figures, also clad in black, but with a colder, more aloof demeanor.
They were scattered throughout the training ground,
their eagle-sharp gazes scrutinizing every detail of the training.
From time to time, they issued short and stern commands.
Behind their collars, a small Uchiha fan crest was embroidered!
The leader was a lean, stern-faced young man, about eighteen or nineteen years old.
He stood erect like a spear on the edge of the high platform beside Diyan, his eyes as sharp as knives, surveying the entire field.
His name was Uchiha Tekka, and he was also one of the survivors of the Uchiha clan massacre.
When Diyan's figure appeared on the high platform,
the atmosphere on the training ground instantly changed!
"Stop!"
Uchiha Tekka uttered a low command.
His voice was not loud, but it instantly froze the shouts of battle and the sounds of collision across the entire field like ice.
The eight hundred death-sworn warriors were like a paused video.
All movements ceased instantly, and they uniformly turned towards the high platform where Diyan stood.
Without a single sound, eight hundred pairs of eyes simultaneously lifted,
gazing at the figure who had given them new life and controlled their destiny.
In their eyes, there was no reverence for a commander from ordinary soldiers.
Only a fanatical devotion bordering on worship and absolute submission!
Immediately after, led by Tekka,
the twenty-four Uchiha ninjas were the first to kneel on one knee, their heads bowed deeply!
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
The eight hundred death-sworn warriors followed closely.
Like a black tide, they knelt down with a crash!
The sound of their knees hitting the ground converged into a dull thunder!
"Greetings, Your Majesty..."
Eight hundred voices merged into a mighty wave of sound, soaring to the sky.
Carrying iron-blooded loyalty,
it echoed long in the air above the training ground, making the very air tremble!
Diyan nodded slightly, a faint, all-controlling smile on his face.
He raised his hand in a gesture to help them up: "Rise."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Only then did everyone stand up.
Straightening their backs once more, like eight hundred sharp blades waiting to be drawn.
Uchiha Tekka quickly walked to Diyan, bowing deeply again.
When he raised his head, his stern face showed undisguised fanaticism and loyalty:
"Your Majesty's presence, what are your instructions?"
"Tekka and all the warriors are ready to die for Your Majesty at any time!"
Diyan's gaze swept over the clear three-tomoe Sharingan in Tekka's eyes.
Then it swept over the Uchiha clan members behind him, who also possessed either one-tomoe or two-tomoe Sharingan.
These were all the "sparks" he had secretly taken out during that bloody night of the clan massacre,
through a secret deal with Danzo.
At that time, because they had not yet awakened their Sharingan,
they were considered "failures" with insufficient potential within the clan.
Therefore, after Diyan and Danzo reached a deal,
they were fortunate enough to escape Danzo and Obito's purge list and were quietly escorted out of Konoha by Diyan's forces.
However, the deep hatred of the clan massacre and the despair of near-death acted as the most potent catalysts.
When they learned the truth, under Diyan's deliberate guidance and the safe environment he provided,
these Uchiha orphans
all awakened their Sharingan without exception.
The strongest, Tekka and Izumi,
were even driven by the complex emotions of hatred and gratitude for Diyan's "life-saving grace" to break through to three-tomoe!
Hatred is the best teacher, and also the best fuel.
Diyan was well aware of this.
He cleverly transformed this towering hatred for the Konoha high-ups, especially for Shimura Danzo,
into a sharp blade pointed at Konoha,
and held it firmly in his own hands.
These Uchiha survivors not only possessed powerful bloodline limits,
but also, because of this hatred and absolute loyalty to Diyan,
became the best candidates for training death-sworn warriors and undertaking the most dangerous missions.
"Tekka, the training is excellent."
Diyan nodded approvingly, his gaze sweeping over the disciplined death-sworn warriors below, "Their morale is high."
"All thanks to Your Majesty's immense fortune!"
Tekka's voice carried a hint of excitement.
"Continue the training."
Diyan waved his hand, his gaze fixed on the distance.
As if penetrating the high walls of the imperial palace, he saw the outline of Konohagakure.
"Soon... I will need your strength."
"Let me see how sharp this blade, which has been sharpened for eight years, truly is."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Uchiha Tekka bowed again, his eyes burning with battle intent and the flames of revenge.
Is this the day we've been waiting for?
It could be said that the greatest wish of these Uchiha orphans was revenge... revenge against Konoha for their entire clan, their family, and friends... "Our blades are wielded only for Your Majesty!"
"We will surely cut down all enemies who obstruct Your Majesty's great endeavor!"
Diyan said nothing more.
He simply watched the eight hundred death-sworn warriors below, who had once again plunged into their brutal training.