"I'm coming right now!"
Hyūga Taiki's voice burst through the earpiece, followed by the harsh, whirling sound of Rotation cutting the air.
Iruka scanned the surroundings warily. Inuzuka Hana had already sent Graymaru inside the armory, but the ninken found nothing out of the ordinary.
"Rokuro, what exactly did you find? Every second counts right now!"
Rokuro casually pointed to the surrounding buildings.
"These structures don't match the armory at all. They're not just useless — they actually obstruct the workers' efficiency."
Hana and Iruka looked more closely, and sure enough, they noticed it.
A water tower built right in the middle of the road. A large tree planted directly in front of a workshop entrance. At first glance these could look like remnants of old architecture not yet cleared away — but both of them knew better.
This armory wasn't just any facility; it was where Kumogakure manufactured weapons of war. It was crucial.
How could such an important factory leave pointless structures standing around?
And with ninja strength, even if construction had no shortcuts, demolition certainly did. A single Earth Release could flatten a building.
Forget Earth Release — any B-rank destructive jutsu could tear a house down with ease.
"Could they be hiding ambushers inside those buildings?"
Iruka was the first to voice this thought, but Hana shook her head firmly.
"Impossible. Even if they masked their scent, the Byakugan sees through everything. And if they used a barrier to block the Byakugan, a building the Byakugan can't see through would already be suspicious."
Iruka fell silent, but Rokuro nodded slightly.
"Iruka, you're half-right. These structures are related to the ambushers — but the ambushers aren't hiding inside them. These buildings together form a barrier array that hides the ambushers."
Iruka and Hana's faces paled.
At that moment Taiki and Itachi arrived from behind, their clothes nearly soaked in blood. Itachi's hand was injured, and he was hastily wrapping it as he ran.
"Rokuro, what's happening?"
"Captain Taiki, no time to explain. Just look with your Byakugan."
Rokuro removed the massive scroll from his back, flipped it open to reveal a sealing-break formula, then formed hand signs and slapped the ground.
"Sealing Technique: Release!"
Dense strings of script shot from the scroll like snakes, surging toward one of the useless buildings inside the armory.
In seconds the script crawled up the walls. When it stabilized, a blinding light erupted — first engulfing that building, then spreading along the roads, and finally covering the entire armory.
Crack.
It sounded like shattering glass.
The light vanished. Taiki's expression instantly twisted in horror.
"Not good! The entire underground level is full of hidden Kumogakure troops — over four hundred! We've walked right into a trap!"
Iruka and Hana froze in terror. Rokuro simply exhaled.
"There were no troops inside the buildings because even if the array blocked Byakugan vision, a structure the Byakugan can't see through is too suspicious. But underground? That's different. This barrier hides the entire basement. If the Byakugan can't see a basement, it assumes there isn't one. I have to admit… the Kumogakure strategist behind this plan is impressive. A very troublesome opponent."
Almost the moment the barrier broke, the Cloud shinobi hiding underground burst upward. To speed their assault they even used ninjutsu to blow apart the buildings from below.
Bolts of lightning and jets of flame tore through the ground, engulfing workers and steel-refining machinery alike.
Explosions roared across the armory. The entire complex collapsed into rubble. The civilians from the Land of Hot Water who had been enslaved as laborers were caught in the devastation — few survived, most perished.
"Everyone, abandon the mission! Begin breakout!"
Taiki shouted the order, though it was hardly needed. The same happened at the pill-processing factory: without a sealing master like Rokuro, Konoha's assault teams broke in — straight into an ambush. A battle had already erupted there.
Tragic reports poured continuously through the radio. Taiki led Rokuro's group toward the rendezvous point to gather all remaining squads for a breakout.
The five of them fought their way through enemies, linking with other squads. Taiki studied the battlefield and his expression darkened further.
"Two ambush points. Enemy numbers total nearly a thousand. Because they were positioned close, we're already fully surrounded!"
Rokuro unleashed the Uchiha Flow Body Technique, weaving through enemies like dancing flame.
With close-to-jōnin physical ability, yes — he could now truly "dance" on the battlefield.
"Captain Taiki, can we still use the planned retreat route?"
"I'm afraid not!"
"Then choose the weakest point in their formation!"
Taiki used Rotation again, blasting away kunai and explosive tags. Then he pointed north.
"Enemy concentration is lowest there — but that's the coastline between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Lightning. If we break out that way, we'll only go deeper into enemy territory!"
Three Cloud jōnin flanked Rokuro. He used Adamantine Sealing Bind to bind them, cutting them down in swift strokes.
Unfortunately all three were clones — and one was a Lightning Clone. The resulting explosion scorched Rokuro's hand.
"Damn… fighting at limited power is such a pain."
He activated his medical toolset, using Mystical Palm to heal the electrical burns.
"All Uchiha, gather on me! Captain Taiki, have everyone else hold the line — I'm initiating the large-scale genjutsu!"
"...Fine. Leave it to us!"
With no other option, Taiki placed his trust in Rokuro. He issued the command for all teams to regroup — even though clustering made them an easier target, he didn't hesitate.
Including Itachi and Rokuro, twenty Uchiha were present. Aside from those two, the remaining eighteen all had three-tomoe Sharingan.
Three-tomoe Sharingan didn't guarantee jōnin-level strength, but on paper they weren't far off.
Rokuro didn't need their full combat ability — just their ocular power.
Though surrounded, the Uchiha's fearsome reputation was well earned. Their superior motion perception and genjutsu made them nearly unbeatable one-on-one unless countered.
Cloud shinobi didn't dare engage too closely as the Uchiha fought with lethal resolve.
After fierce fighting, all twenty Uchiha gathered together. Rokuro opened a scroll and revealed a massive incantation array.
"On my command — all Uchiha, release your ocular power at full strength! Leave the rest to me!"
The array expanded. Tadpole-shaped script linked the Uchiha together like chains.
As the ritual activated, Taiki ordered the others to form a defensive circle. The Hyūga who could perform Rotation all unleashed it at maximum power, refusing to conserve chakra.
They placed every last bet on Rokuro's genjutsu.
Twenty Uchiha converged their ocular power through the sealing array. Rokuro stood at the heart, weaving rapid signs before slamming his palms to the earth.
"Lesser: Infinite Tsukuyomi."
(Just the name of the genjutsu — he did not shout it aloud.)
END OF CHAPTER
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