"Damn it!"
Kurozawa Shūichi clenched his teeth, controlling his puppet to stand in front of him as a shield. The moment he saw Fugaku's hand spark again with that terrifying lightning technique, he knew it was coming.
The sound of a thousand birds screamed through the battlefield as Fugaku turned into a streak of blinding light. But instead of aiming directly at Kurozawa, he veered to the side, lightning grazing past his shoulder.
"What… what is he doing?" Kurozawa's eyes widened. He couldn't understand that mocking grin Fugaku wore as he passed him by.
A moment later, he understood.
Fugaku's lightning-clad hand pierced through the chest of a nearby Sand shinobi, armor splitting like paper. Without stopping, he withdrew his arm and moved on, his movements smooth, mechanical stab, pull, move. Each motion claimed a life.
Within seconds, four or five Sand ninjas lay dead, their bodies twitching in the sand. Kurozawa's pupils shrank. Those weren't random soldiers Fugaku was targeting the puppet masters!
Without their controllers, the massive war puppets would freeze, their formation collapsing instantly. And without those steel monsters as shields, the Sand army's front line would be wide open. If the fight turned to close combat, the puppet users would be slaughtered.
Cold sweat rolled down Kurozawa's back.
"Stop him! Stop that man right now!" he shouted, but it was already too late.
Fugaku was moving too fast, his Sharingan flaring like twin suns. He darted through the Sand formation, his lightning claws tearing through everything in his path. Every second mattered, and he wasn't about to waste a single heartbeat.
He didn't have the luxury of time.
Not today, not on this battlefield.
"Damn you!" Kurozawa roared, losing his composure. His puppet's wooden jaw snapped open, spitting out a scroll marked with the word "Blade." From its seal, a storm of poisoned senbon and kunai erupted like a hurricane, streaking toward Fugaku in deadly arcs.
But Fugaku was already weaving through the chaos, his movements impossibly sharp. When the storm hit, he simply grabbed a dying Sand shinobi by the collar and used him as a shield. Metal struck flesh with sickening thuds.
When no cover was left, he dove deeper into the enemy ranks, forcing the Sand ninjas to hesitate.
Kurozawa's heart twisted painfully. Every puppet master being shredded, every comrade turned into a corpse it was unbearable. These were his men, his brothers. And now they were dying because of him.
A young Sand shinobi who had just shaken off the illusion barely had time to breathe before Fugaku's hand pierced his chest. He crumpled to the sand, eyes wide open, lifeless.
Kurozawa screamed, his rage echoing through the battlefield. "You bastard!"
He had no choice now. Poison weapons and long-range attacks were too risky his own soldiers filled the area. He had to bring the fight closer.
His chakra threads danced wildly. The puppet before him lunged forward, its twin arms splitting open. Two shining blades slid out, their edges gleaming with dark purple venom.
"Let's see you block this!"
Fugaku smirked faintly, lightning reflecting in his scarlet eyes. "Goodbye."
"What?!"
Before Kurozawa could understand, the ground beneath him flashed. A streak of lightning erupted from the sand below, cutting through the air like a blue arc.
The bolt struck upward, piercing through his body from chest to crown.
Blood sprayed across the dunes like a crimson fountain. The world tilted and faded.
Through his dimming vision, Kurozawa saw him Fugaku, eyes glowing red, hand blazing with lightning, a ghost of the storm.
So… that's what it was. The clone, set earlier when he used that jutsu… hidden beneath the lightning. Clever bastard…
A faint smile touched his lips. Then blood spilled from his mouth, his body splitting apart as he fell lifeless to the ground.
Fugaku exhaled, lowering his arm. The enemy commander was dead, the puppeteers eliminated. The Sand formation was broken.
Without their leader, the enemy's morale would shatter like glass. The battle was already decided.
"Let's finish this."
He reached into his pouch and pulled out a sphere wrapped with an explosive tag, tossing it high into the sky. With a flick of his wrist, a kunai followed, striking the sphere midair and igniting it.
"Boom!"
A bright flash lit the desert sky. It was the signal.
From afar, the Uchiha forces howled like wolves, eyes burning crimson as they charged.
"Go!"
Kunai flew like rain, weaving intricate arcs through the air. Fireballs erupted one after another, painting the battlefield in blazing red. Every Sand ninja caught in the inferno screamed before being swallowed by the flames.
The puppet corps, moments ago confident, now stared in horror. Their leader was dead, their defenses shattered, and the enemy those red-eyed demons were already upon them.
"This… this can't be real… it has to be another illusion!"
But the heat, the screams, and the blood were all too real.
The Sand line broke. Puppeteers frantically pulled their creations back, retreating through the swirling smoke, but it was useless.
A shadow fell over them.
Dozens of giant figures loomed from the horizon, blocking out the sun. Their massive frames bore the "Food" crest Akimichi Clan.
The giants roared, their enormous fists swinging down like hammers. The ground trembled, sand exploded into the air, and the battlefield vanished beneath a storm of dust and fire.
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