After the Kaguya clansmen finished their shouting, Kaguya Manro turned to Tobi, who had been standing silently at his rear left. "Mr. Tobi, proceed."
Izuna remained silent, simply walking to the four corners of the plaza. He crouched down and inscribed the Flying Thunder God teleportation formula at each point.
Once the four markers were in place, Izuna spoke. "Everyone, stand closer together."
Kaguya Manro immediately waved his hand, issuing the order. "Close ranks!"
Soon, the five hundred members of the Kaguya clan were standing shoulder to shoulder.
"Go!"
Izuna uttered a single word and stepped into the Flying Thunder God barrier himself, his right thumb, middle finger, and index finger raised.
Instantly, the five hundred Kaguya ninja felt their vision spin and the world shake as if they were being shuttled through a bizarre dimension. But before they had time to marvel or question it, the scenery before them stabilized.
They were no longer in the Kaguya village, but atop a mountain cliff.
"Look! Isn't that Uzushiogakure?"
A Kaguya Jonin pointed toward a village in the distance—one many times larger than their own settlement—and shouted. The massive red spiral insignia on the village walls was particularly conspicuous.
The other Kaguya ninja looked over, their mouths agape in shock.
"Heavens, we crossed hundreds of miles in an instant!"
"To think such a miraculous ninjutsu exists in this world!"
"With this, victory is assured for the Kaguya!"
"Kill them all! Dig out the Uzumaki's secret to longevity!"
Morale among the Kaguya ninja skyrocketed instantly. Many even pulled out their own bones to use as weapons.
Swish!
Suddenly, over a dozen ninja with fire-red hair—the hallmark of the Uzumaki clan—appeared out of thin air. Seeing the army of hundreds of ninja that had materialized from nowhere, they paled in horror.
"You... You are... the Kaguya clan!?"
"How did you appear this close to the village?"
"What are the Senju guards and the sensory division doing!?"
It was no wonder these Uzumaki ninja were shocked; this location was less than ten miles from their headquarters, Uzushiogakure. To have hundreds of enemy troops invade so deeply was terrifying and inconceivable.
Kaguya Manro smiled coldly and waved his hand. "Finish them!"
In a single breath, dozens of Kaguya ninja wielding bone spikes swarmed forward. In less than two minutes, the group of Uzumaki ninja had been hacked into unrecognizable meat.
From the rear, Izuna spoke calmly. "I will go notify the Uchiha now. When you are ready for the general offensive, fire the signal flare."
"Understood."
Upon receiving Kaguya Manro's affirmation, Izuna vanished from his spot.
After several consecutive Flying Thunder God jumps, he arrived in a forest dozens of miles outside the Uchiha clan lands.
Here, Izuna had already been keeping a force of six hundred Uchiha ninja waiting for quite some time.
Aside from the younger generation of Izuna's peers, the group included representatives of the new generation: Uchiha Gakugyo's son, the 13-year-old Uchiha Quanye, along with 12-year-old Uchiha Zonglian and 12-year-old Uchiha Uzuki. The fledglings Izuna had once taught had all grown up.
Seeing a man in black robes and a spiral mask appear before them, everyone instinctively went on guard.
"Uchiha, are you ready?" Tobi asked in a raspy voice.
"We were just waiting for you," Izuna said coldly, in the eyes of the others.
In reality, the Izuna standing before them was the original body, while the black-robed figure wearing the spiral mask was a Lightning Release Shadow Clone Izuna had created.
The purpose was to create the impression among juniors like Uchiha Quanye—who were not part of the Uchiha high command—that "Uchiha Izuna and Tobi are two different people" and that "Tobi has collaborated with the Uchiha as well."
"Good."
Tobi nodded and began marking the Flying Thunder God formulas around the six hundred Uchiha troops.
Eyeing the black-robed man who dared not show his true face warily, Uchiha Zonglian couldn't help but whisper to Izuna, "Vice-Clan Head, is this guy trustworthy?"
Izuna smiled faintly. "If he tries anything unruly, I will kill him immediately."
Though his tone didn't have the sheer exposed edge of Madara after Impure World Reincarnation, the confidence contained within was no less than Madara's.
"As expected of the Vice-Clan Head!"
Uchiha Zonglian and the other teenagers looked at Izuna's back with faces full of worship.
At this moment, the Flying Thunder God markings prepared by Tobi were complete. His raspy voice sounded out: "Prepare to move."
"We can start anytime," Izuna replied in that same indifferent tone.
Soon, the Uchiha crowd experienced the same sensation as the Kaguya clan moments before. Before they could regain their senses, they found themselves in a forest.
They could tell immediately that this was definitely not near the Uchiha clan grounds. Everyone marveled at the miraculous nature of the technique.
"With this, our collaboration is concluded," Tobi whispered. Before anyone on the Uchiha side could respond, he flickered away and vanished from sight.
"Who on earth is that guy?"
Many among the Uchiha grew curious and suspicious about Tobi's identity. Even if they scratched their heads raw, they would never guess that the eccentric black-robed masked man was the same person as the Vice-Clan Head they viewed as a god.
Shooo~~~
Just then, a firework ascended into the sky and detonated at a high altitude.
Bang!!!
The Uchiha crowd looked up to see a firework forming the pattern of the Kaguya clan crest exploding in mid-air.
The corners of Izuna's mouth curled into a strange smile, but since he was standing at the very front with everyone else behind him, no one noticed.
"Lord Vice-Clan Head?" Uchiha Uzuki, one of the few female ninja in the Uchiha ranks, asked quietly.
"It's nothing," Izuna said indifferently.
As soon as his voice fell, five red-haired Uzumaki clan members flashed into view. When they saw the Uchiha army led by Izuna, they were so frightened they stumbled back several steps.
"U-Uchiha Izuna!?"
"Why are you so close to the village!?"
"Damn it! What are the guards doing?!"
"To let so many enemies penetrate this deep!"
They showed the same shock as the dozen Uzumaki ninja who had died at the hands of the Kaguya earlier.
But their luck was better. Izuna had no murderous intent. Instead, he spoke with extreme calm, "Rest assured. I have come for a joyous occasion. Bring them here."
At his command, a dozen Uchiha Chunin brought forward several large iron chests from the rear.
"A joyous occasion?" The leading Uzumaki Jonin furrowed his brows, staring straight at Izuna with eyes full of apprehension.
"Correct."
Izuna's expression was arrogant, carrying an authority that brooked no refusal. "I am formally proposing marriage to your clan's princess, Uzumaki Mito."
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