Uchiha Shinji hastily summoned all the Elite Jōnin. Deep in the night, the originally quiet Xin City instantly became a hive of activity. Some of the Elite Jōnin had been resting in their quarters, some were on patrol, and others were studying Ninjutsu. Upon receiving the emergency summons, they all rushed to the assembly point as fast as possible.
Once everyone had arrived, Shinji cut straight to the chase: "The three external factions have already started killing each other. You are going to follow me right now. We march on the Ghost Fire Alliance and completely annihilate them!"
The Elite Jōnin's spirits were instantly electrified. A sharp, predatory light flashed in their eyes. This was a massive, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Never mind the monumental military achievement of completely eradicating an enemy clan—just thinking about the mountains of wealth, Ninjutsu scrolls, supplies, and rare treasures they could plunder along the way was enough to make their mouths water. They all nodded furiously.
Only Uchiha Mu looked around the room, seemingly searching for someone. Frowning slightly, he asked, "Lord Shinji... where is Uchiha Xuan... er... Lord Xuan?" He hesitated for a second before adding the word 'Lord'. After all, the horrifying strength Xuan had displayed the other day certainly earned him the title.
Hearing this, the other five Elite Jōnin suddenly realized what was missing. They quickly looked around. No wonder it felt like someone was missing.
Shinji smiled bitterly in his heart, though his face remained perfectly stoic. "Uchiha Xuan went to the Akahane clan's compound alone. He went to assassinate their Great Elder."
What?!
That single sentence hit the room like a meteor striking the ocean, setting off a massive tsunami of shock. The Elite Jōnin trembled violently, completely lost for words. Only one thought echoed in their minds:
Has he completely lost his mind?!
Who was the Great Elder of the Akahane clan? He was a genuine, bona fide Peak Jōnin! An absolute monster who had fought against the Uchiha clan for decades, slaughtering his way through his entire life. Even the previous Patriarch of the Uchiha hadn't been able to kill him! Even if Uchiha Xuan was a once-in-a-century genius capable of one-shotting an Elite Jōnin, he was still just a twelve-year-old kid! To blindly charge in alone and provoke a ruthless, ancient powerhouse like that? Other than absolute insanity, they couldn't think of any other explanation!
"L-Lord Xuan really went?" Uchiha Ran swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly. If he had felt a mixture of awe and fear after Xuan killed Uchiha Sora, that fear was now heavily laced with profound respect. To march completely alone into the heart of an enemy's fortress to assassinate their Peak Jōnin... that level of absolute courage and terrifying resolve was entirely beyond anything he could ever muster. That was the aura of a true hero!
"Do you think I would joke about something like this?" Shinji snorted coldly. "Enough talk! One Elite Jōnin and ten regular Jōnin will stay behind to guard the city. The rest of you, follow me!"
Following Shinji's decisive, iron-clad orders, Xin City rapidly mobilized. Ultimately, Uchiha Mu and ten Jōnin were left behind to defend the fortress, while Shinji led twenty-three Jōnin and five Elite Jōnin, marching straight toward the main base of the Ghost Fire Alliance.
Tonight, that place would become a sea of blood...
Setting aside Uchiha Shinji's forces, back at the Akahane clan's compound...
Deep within the ancestral hall situated at the rear of the compound, dim candlelight flickered erratically. A bone-chilling night wind swept through, causing the white mourning banners to flutter wildly, adding a bleak, desolate atmosphere to the building.
When the Akahane relocated their compound to this occupied territory, they naturally relocated their ancestral hall as well. Since it was the sacred ground where they worshipped their ancestors, it was built on an exceedingly grand scale.
An old man whose face was heavily grooved with deep wrinkles sat cross-legged on a cushion. His aura was deathly still, utterly devoid of vitality. If one didn't see him with their own eyes, it would be almost impossible to sense a living person there. Behind him stood row upon row of ancestral tablets, looking slightly blurred through the lingering incense smoke.
Because he heavily favored peace and quiet, he had issued strict orders forbidding anyone from approaching the ancestral hall unless there was an absolute emergency. Consequently, inside this massive, sprawling hall, there wasn't a single other Akahane clansman present.
Suddenly, the lifeless old man snapped his eyes open. His gaze was incredibly sharp and piercing. In an instant, his entire aura completely transformed, radiating a deadly sharpness like a longsword freshly drawn from its sheath. It was almost impossible to imagine such a terrifying, oppressive aura emanating from an old man with one foot in the grave.
A short distance in front of him, the air rippled slightly, twisting into an inverted vortex. A mysterious figure completely shrouded in a pitch-black cloak materialized from the void, looking impossibly bizarre.
"It's you. Owl."
The old man narrowed his eyes, a frigid light flashing in his pupils. His right hand casually rested on the hilt of the longsword laid beside him.
"Akahane Sora?" Xuan asked in return. He had been manipulating the Akahane clan from the shadows for years, yet he had never once met this legendary Great Elder, nor had Akahane Akira ever introduced them. If he had to count, the only time he technically "saw" the old man was six years ago, during the ambush that killed the Uchiha Shadow Guards. The Great Elder had participated in that operation, but Xuan's attention hadn't been focused on him at the time.
Xuan wasn't entirely surprised that the old man recognized him. If Akahane Akira hadn't informed the Great Elder about "Owl," that would have been truly bizarre.
"Indeed, I am he. Wasn't Mr. Owl supposed to accompany the Patriarch to attack the Three-Clan Alliance tonight? Why are you here?" Akahane Sora slowly pushed the blade of his sword slightly out of its scabbard with his thumb, revealing a gleam of cold steel. Having lived as long as he had, he possessed an extraordinarily sharp intuition. He could distinctly feel an intensely dangerous aura radiating from the cloaked figure standing across from him. It was an aura he was intimately familiar with: raw, unadulterated killing intent.
"Good. As long as I've got the right person. I'm here to kill you," Xuan stated coldly, completely unrestrained in his murderous intent.
Before his words even faded, a streak of freezing light slashed violently across his neck. The old man on the cushion had already vanished, reappearing completely past Xuan while maintaining the posture of a fully committed sword swing.
So fast! Xuan marveled internally. He had seen his fair share of elite experts, but such blistering striking speed was exceedingly rare. Among all the powerhouses he had encountered, probably only Senju Butsuma and Uchiha Tajima could outpace this old man.
However, Akahane Sora was even more shocked than Xuan. He possessed absolute confidence in the lethal strike he had just executed. It was an all-out, fully committed blow executed after forcefully suppressing his aura to the absolute limit. Bursting forth with maximum explosive power, even a Peak Jōnin would be instantly decapitated if they failed to react. Yet, his devastating slash had bizarrely phased right through the opponent's body!
Are physical attacks completely ineffective? Akahane Sora analyzed rapidly. He turned around with a deeply guarded expression, gripping his sword with both hands and carefully observing the opponent's every micro-movement. He needed to test this a few more times to make a definitive judgment.
Xuan also turned around. The abyss beneath his hood was pitch black, resembling a terrifying, bottomless chasm that sent chills down the spine.
"Taijutsu Secret Art: Thirteen Instant Flashes!" Akahane Sora roared.
Chakra surged violently through his body. He practically teleported directly in front of Xuan, his longsword tearing through the dark night. In a single microsecond, thirteen distinct, lethal slashes materialized simultaneously, as if Xuan was being attacked by thirteen separate swords from every possible angle. Every single blade was coated in a terrifyingly fierce current of chakra; taking a single hit would spell absolute disaster.
Yet, entirely devoid of suspense, all thirteen arcs of deadly light phased harmlessly through Xuan's body simultaneously, exactly as if the figure standing before the Great Elder simply did not exist.
As the three tomoe in Xuan's eyes spun rapidly, flawlessly capturing the old man's high-speed movements, Xuan reached out his right hand, aiming directly for the old man's arm.
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