Konoha Camp
Uchiha Gen and the others arrived at the camp entrance and walked inside.
The genin they passed all looked at Uchiha Gen with undisguised respect and admiration. Even some chūnin and jōnin nodded subtly when they saw him, their gazes carrying clear approval.
Over the past few months, Uchiha Gen's battlefield performance had completely changed how others viewed him.
The fact that Sunagakure had given him the title "Ferocious Tiger" was proof enough of the damage he had inflicted upon them. Many could not help but sigh inwardly—he truly lived up to the name of the Uchiha Clan.
Moreover, some of the ninja who had once followed Sakumo Hatake wore complicated expressions whenever they watched Uchiha Gen fight.
His sharp, swift movements and decisive killing style made them feel as though they were seeing that revered figure once more—the Konoha White Fang, whose name had once shaken the entire shinobi world.
---
Night
In a forest near the Konoha camp, Uchiha Gen lay atop a towering tree, gazing quietly at the night sky. The crescent moon reflected clearly in his eyes.
A faint glow flickered within his pupils as his vision extended to its limit, allowing him to see even the moon's uneven, cratered surface.
A gentle night breeze passed through the forest, causing the slender branches to sway softly.
Yet Uchiha Gen's body seemed as light as a falling leaf, unmoved by the motion beneath him, rising and falling only slightly with the branch.
At some point, a venomous snake with black stripes and purple scales slithered up the tree and stopped near him.
Its crimson tongue flicked in and out as its cold, vertical pupils observed him silently.
After a moment, the snake coiled itself on a nearby branch, lifting its head to stare at the moon as well.
Man and snake did not disturb one another, coexisting in quiet harmony atop the treetop.
Time flowed by unnoticed until the sky gradually began to brighten.
Uchiha Gen slowly sat up and crossed his legs.
After a brief pause, he exhaled a long breath.
By then, the venomous snake had already vanished.
Uchiha Gen stood, balancing effortlessly on a branch no thicker than his little finger, and looked toward the horizon.
Before him lay the vast expanse of yellow sand, sharply divided from the lush green forest and rolling hills behind him.
Swish!
A sudden gust of wind rose, and Uchiha Gen's figure disappeared from the treetop.
---
Afternoon
The scorching air was thick with the stench of blood.
In a forest bordering the desert, a fierce battle raged.
It was a medium-scale skirmish, with nearly a hundred shinobi on each side.
Boom!
Under relentless ninjutsu bombardment, the ground cracked and collapsed repeatedly, while towering trees were uprooted and shattered.
Amid the chaotic battlefield, one figure stood out unmistakably.
Uchiha Gen dashed through the fray at blinding speed, a shuriken gripped firmly in his hand.
His agile form wove through the enemy ranks, and Sunagakure ninja fell one after another, blood spraying from their throats.
Each had been killed instantly—his shuriken severing their necks in swift, merciless arcs.
"Kill him!"
A Sunagakure ninja roared as he slammed his hands onto the ground.
Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!
The earth in front of Uchiha Gen instantly softened and collapsed into a churning mire. Anyone who stepped into it would be dragged down and immobilized.
At the same time, two other Sunagakure ninja launched an attack, hurling a dense barrage of kunai at him.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The shuriken in Uchiha Gen's hand flashed like cold lightning, deflecting every incoming blade in a split second.
Suddenly, two figures flickered into existence behind him.
Without hesitation, they drove their shuriken toward his vital points.
At the critical moment—
Substitution Technique!
The shuriken pierced into a wooden stake instead.
Before the two Sunagakure ninja could react, darkness filled their vision.
Uchiha Gen swept in with a powerful kick.
A violent gust erupted, and both ninja were sent flying backward, crashing into the ground dozens of meters away.
Their chests were visibly caved in, each marked by a clear footprint.
Uchiha Gen pushed off the ground.
Crack!
The earth beneath his feet collapsed as his body shot forward like a cannonball, plunging straight into the enemy formation.
Several Sunagakure ninja attacked simultaneously, puppets surging in alongside them.
One puppet swung a massive blade downward.
Uchiha Gen raised his shuriken to block.
Crack!
After repeated high-impact clashes, the shuriken finally gave way, snapping in half. Though Uchiha Gen dodged at the last instant, the blade still tore a long gash through his clothing.
"Earth Release: Fissure!"
The wind howled as massive slabs of earth flipped upward from the ground, closing in from all sides like crushing hands.
Bang!
Uchiha Gen shattered the encroaching earth with a single punch.
His body blurred, movements ghostlike as he slipped through the tightening encirclement.
With a casual sweep of his palm—gentle as a breeze—he struck the puppets surrounding him.
The next instant, they froze.
Their chakra threads had been severed.
Uchiha Gen leaped clear of the encirclement and charged straight toward a Sunagakure ninja.
---
Not long after, the sounds of battle finally faded.
Unable to hold their ground any longer, the Sunagakure forces retreated in disarray, leaving behind a field littered with corpses.
Uchiha Gen stood amid the dead, broken puppet fragments scattered around him.
A terrifying aura radiated from his body. Anyone who drew close could feel the bone-chilling killing intent pouring off him.
For a time, no one dared approach.
He watched the direction of the retreating Sunagakure ninja but did not give chase.
Slowly, his killing intent dissipated.
Only then did the labored breathing of the surrounding Konoha ninja reach his ears.
After such an intense battle, everyone was exhausted.
Back at the Konoha camp, medical ninjas bustled about nonstop.
In addition to Uchiha Gen's skirmish, a major battle had taken place at another Konoha-held checkpoint that day, involving nearly a thousand shinobi.
That clash, too, had ended in Sunagakure's defeat.
Across the Konoha–Sunagakure battlefield, most engagements ended the same way—with Sunagakure forced to retreat.
While Sunagakure could still win the occasional small-scale encounter, any large confrontation inevitably ended in their loss.
Uchiha Gen understood clearly now.
The outcome of the war had already been decided.
Sunagakure no longer had any chance to turn the tide.
As expected, intelligence reports from patrol and reconnaissance squads over the following days confirmed it—Sunagakure had completely withdrawn and entrenched itself.
For a time, the battlefield fell into an uneasy calm.
---
Night
Once again, peace returned.
Uchiha Gen entered the forest near the camp and leapt lightly into the air. Like a swallow, he landed atop a tall tree and lay down comfortably.
The moon that night was exceptionally bright, its pale light washing over the forest.
A gentle breeze brushed through his hair.
The surroundings were utterly silent, the sky glittering with countless stars.
At some point, a large snake with black stripes and purple scales appeared beside him, coiling quietly around a branch.
Uchiha Gen continued gazing at the sky, showing no reaction to its presence.
After an unknown amount of time, he finally spoke.
"Senior Orochimaru, you really are refined—always accompanying me to admire the moon."
"Heh heh…"
A low laugh echoed from within the snake.
Its mouth opened wide, and a figure slowly emerged.
It was Orochimaru—the commander of the Konoha–Sunagakure battlefield, and one of the legendary Sannin.
---
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