Even with civilians as hostages, the Daimyo's army couldn't stop the Konoha combat forces from advancing. As for direct combat ability, there was no way they could win against the Konoha combat forces. In an instant, a dark cloud of defeat loomed over the Daimyo's army.
The local lords who followed the Daimyo's government were discussing amongst themselves, their hearts filled with thoughts of retreat. While they certainly had grievances with the Konoha Ninja Village, no amount of dissatisfaction could outweigh the importance of their lives.
Currently, more than half of the lords in the Land of Fire were not on the Daimyo's side, but instead expressed support for the Konoha Ninja Village. The most elite border troops remained unmoving, leaving only the Daimyo's chakra samurai as the elite forces in the interior. But even chakra samurai were powerless against explosive cannons.
The Daimyo's army was retreating steadily, suffering far fewer casualties to the Konoha Ninja Village than they inflicted. The local lords were very worried and began to advise the Daimyo's government on whether they should negotiate with the Konoha Ninja Village to properly resolve this matter. The other party had risen to power under the banner of "cleansing the ruler's side," which meant that as long as the treacherous minister was presented to the Konoha Ninja Village as an explanation, the Konoha Ninja Village should stop its advance.
The Konoha Ninja Village gained the support of other local lords mainly because of its credibility, which made those local lords believe that the Konoha Ninja Village had no ulterior motives. Even if they had selfish motives, they were directed at the 'kite' within the Daimyo's government. Not to mention the Konoha Ninja Village, even these local lords were dissatisfied.
Therefore, the local lords who supported the Konoha Ninja Village had no objections to its actions, because if it were them, they would also want to get rid of this guy. Moreover, according to Konoha Ninja Village's propaganda, if the 'kite' really did control the Daimyo, then he was truly guilty of a capital offense.
However, if the Konoha Ninja Village continued to take military action relentlessly after the 'kite' was pushed out by the Daimyo's government, those local lords who had remained neutral might not accept it. Of course, such a storm might change the political landscape of the Land of Fire, and the Konoha Ninja Village might gain other major benefits, but what does that matter? That's a matter for later, and it's unlikely to lead to military strikes.
Therefore, a large number of petitions were immediately sent to the Daimyo's government. The officials in the capital breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. Even most of the local lords in the Daimyo's army began to feel fear, and their morale wavered. This civil war could not possibly continue. His Highness the Daimyo should wake up.
However, everyone's request for the Daimyo's government to push out the 'kite' as a scapegoat was sternly rejected by the Daimyo. What a joke! One must know that the current Daimyo's government was controlled by Uchiha Kokuya (Kite). How could Uchiha Kokuya push himself out to be a scapegoat?
However, Uchiha Kokuya truly didn't expect the Konoha Ninja Village's combat power to be so formidable. Other ninja villages couldn't possibly have such strength.
Uchiha Kokuya couldn't help but scratch his hair.
It was both due to the exasperation of the situation and the abnormal sensations arising from absorbing a large number of souls. He felt as if some small animal was slowly scratching deep within his body, causing extreme discomfort that he couldn't stop.
At this moment, most of Uchiha Kokuya's skin had turned dark purple, resembling some kind of biological skin, with faint veins protruding. Although it didn't look very human, Uchiha Kokuya could feel the immense power contained within it. He felt that he had to acquire more souls; perhaps this would lead to a pleasing change for him.
However, the morale of the Daimyo's army was already severely shaken. If this continued, it would probably not inflict much damage on the Konoha combat forces. What should he do?
Uchiha Kokuya pondered silently. Suddenly, he couldn't help but let out a soft snort, feeling an intense pain from his Mangekyo Sharingan, which was currently fusing and evolving. A scorching hot current seemed to surge in his head, rushing towards his eye.
Uchiha Kokuya only felt a roar in his head, shaking him until golden stars appeared before his eyes. His eye felt so hot it seemed to melt, yet a brand new power was born from within it.
At that moment, Uchiha Kokuya understood that his risky move had finally succeeded. One of his Mangekyo Sharingan had evolved and would never lose its light again.
The cloth strip on his head naturally fell off. This completely new Sharingan had a unique pattern, as if the Mangekyo Sharingan patterns of Uchiha Kokuya and Uchiha Ken had combined, transforming into a more magnificent Mangekyo.
The vision of this Mangekyo Sharingan was incredibly clear. Unlike his other Mangekyo Sharingan, whose eyesight had begun to decline, it not only returned to a perfect state but also allowed him to use Amaterasu, which resided in Uchiha Ken's Mangekyo Sharingan, in addition to its original dōjutsu.
Uchiha Kokuya thought: It's a pity that I don't have Uchiha Ken's complementary dōjutsu that can manipulate the form of Amaterasu. If I could manipulate Amaterasu's form, I could unleash even greater power.
Although pure Amaterasu is the highest-level Fire Release jutsu, because it only burns quietly, apart from the initial momentum (impact force) when the dōjutsu is cast to release it, the burning speed of Amaterasu in its normal state is very limited.
Unless the opponent is completely engulfed by Amaterasu in one go, if it merely adheres, it can cause unprotected individuals to burn painfully to death. However, if full body armor is worn, one can remove the armor to prevent further intrusion of Amaterasu, or rely on powerful chakra to impede Amaterasu's spread and promptly sever a limb.
In the normal timeline, Kankuro saved the samurai of the Land of Iron by detaching their armor, and the Fourth Raikage relied on powerful chakra to suppress the spread of Amaterasu's flames, then cut off his own arm to prevent Amaterasu from burning him.
However, with Kagutsuchi, which can manipulate the shape transformation of Amaterasu, this situation can be prevented, further concentrating the power of Amaterasu, thereby fully unleashing its power. Without Kagutsuchi, the effect of Amaterasu is not as significant.
Uchiha Kokuya felt a slight regret, then dismissed it. While Amaterasu was powerful, compared to the legendary Rinnegan, it was just a minor matter.
Now that Uchiha Kokuya had fully recovered his combat capabilities, he could personally take action. The next objective was to lure out Fujimura Yuuki and obtain the Asura Chakra from him.
He had already received intelligence that Fujimura Yuuki was participating in this war. The only remaining question was: How could he isolate Fujimura Yuuki so that he could capture him?