Chapter 19: A Death Struggle! The Billion-Fold Wrath of the Banished Flow Seal!
At this moment—
Following Uchiha Setsuna's outburst, a speech so extreme it was practically a self-detonation in words—
The entire battlefield split sharply into two sides.
On the Cloud shinobi's side: you trembled, I turned pale—both of us waiting together for death's arrival.
On the Uchiha's side: you explode, I hang my head; when your act ends, mine begins.
Truly— The great Uchiha stage—if you're insane, step right up!
Uchiha Ci now realized that the words he'd just blurted out… might've gone a bit overboard. Just look at the old man—Uchiha Setsuna—utterly moved to tears!
But Ci's true intention had only been to reach a better ending, and get his squad home alive.
To do that—he had deceived everyone present.
His earlier argument—that the Hell Valley garrison would be annihilated by the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, causing irreparable losses to the Uchiha— was, in truth, a false premise.
Because soon enough, the Uchiha wouldn't even need to guard the Hell Valley at all.
The alliance between the Blood Pool clan and the Hidden Cloud had already fallen apart—
the moment the envoy of the Land of Lightning's daimyō died.
The woman sent as tribute to plead forgiveness before the daimyō…
was none other than the wife of Blood Pool's leader, Mioyashiro.
When she returned to Hell Valley, at this exact point in time— unable to endure the humiliation and curses of her own clansmen,
and crushed by the weight of her failed mission that doomed her clan to war—
she took her own life.
Leaving behind only her daughter—Chino of the Blood Pool.
As for Mioyashiro, or rather—
Mioyashiro Homura.
When he learned of his wife's suicide—
he drowned in regret, guilt, and hatred.
Hatred toward every last clansman who had driven her to her death.
His Blood Dragon Eye had likely already evolved into a level comparable to the Mangekyō Sharingan.
And like the Mangekyō— its price was madness.
But madness had its uses.
In this era, when combat power still followed the old rules of shinobi warfare—
that madness made him a walking calamity.
Not long from now, he would personally slaughter every last member of his clan,
take his daughter, and flee Hell Valley.
There, on a small island in the Land of Water,
he would found the Mioyashiro Clan— and become the underworld's most powerful black-market broker, arena master,
and number one dealer of Bloodline Limits.
But right now— if a simple lie could buy the lives of both his teammates at the cost of his own.
Then for Uchiha Ci, that was the best possible ending.
At this time—
Great Elder Uchiha Setsuna turned toward Uchiha Ci. His gaze was heavy with sorrow and regret, yet his tone carried a strange, almost tender affection.
"Ci," he said softly, "go and die."
"As long as I still draw breath, this blood feud will never be erased!"
"Even Sarutobi Hiruzen himself will not have the power to stop me!"
Uchiha Ci's forehead beaded with sweat.
Great Elder, this is a bit too extreme, he thought nervously. At this rate, your Hawk Faction's gonna fly straight into the trash heap of history!
Still—looking around at the current situation—
even the old man had planned his funeral for him already.
At this point, not dying would almost feel improper.
Uchiha Ci steadied his breath. His eyes hardened with resolve as he met Setsuna's gaze.
"In that case," he said solemnly, "my death… will have meaning."
The three Cloud shinobi's expressions twitched violently as they glared at Ci.
Moments ago, he had been struck by the Lightning Binding Strike—barely able to move his arms— and could only pretend to be ready to blow himself up.
In reality, his fingers were so numb he couldn't even grip a single detonating tag.
But now, having gradually regained a bit of sensation from the electric shock—
he could finally exert a little strength in his hand.
Then—decisively—he tore.
"Not good—he's really going to self-detonate!"
"Tsuchidai, quick—scatter!"
Rami's pupils shrank as he saw Uchiha Ci's fingers tug at the tags on his chest.
He gritted his teeth and shouted toward Moloi, trapped within the barrier:
"Moloi, use that! Now!"
"You have to survive! If you die, the mission fails!"
"What?" Moloi's eyes widened inside the barrier, his voice hesitant.
"But, Captain—the Third Raikage said—that was meant as a failsafe against the Blood Pool clan!"
"Even if it kills us—we mustn't use it early!"
Rami clenched his fists, torn between orders and survival. But time was running out fast.
His eyes bloodshot, he looked toward the two Uchiha— and after a long inner struggle, his gaze hardened.
"Who the hell could've guessed we'd run into two lunatics in one mission!" he snarled.
"If you don't use it now, you'll be blown to bits—and then that old Uchiha maniac will slap a billion-ryō bounty on our head!"
"Think, damn it! You want your life, or this damned mission?!"
"If you use it, we regroup and kill Uchiha Setsuna before he can issue the bounty!"
"Otherwise—you can just wait here to die!"
Rami's whiskers quivered violently.
As an old war veteran from the Warring States era himself, he knew better than anyone the weight of Setsuna's words.
If that lunatic truly meant to come for you—
he'd drag you to hell with him, no matter what it took.
Rami's tone deepened, heavy with dread.
"If the Uchiha really mobilize," he growled, "we won't even make it out of the Land of Hot Water before they surround us!"
"Then it won't just be a failed mission—we'll lose our lives!"
"So think hard, damn it!"
A hundred million ryō—per head.
Even back in the Land of Lightning,
countless mercenaries and rogue ninja would be pouring in, risking everything just to cash in on that bounty.
Inside the barrier, Moloi sat slumped on the ground, his expression flickering violently.
At last, he clenched his teeth.
He glared coldly at Uchiha Ci, his voice breaking into a bitter roar.
"Uchiha Ci, was it?"
"Fine. You're good—I'll remember you!"
"But don't you dare think you've won!"
Uchiha Ci raised a brow at those all-too-familiar words. Seriously? We doing turn-based combat now? he thought wryly.
He gave the man a cold glance, not even bothering to reply.
Moloi's jaw tightened.
With all those explosive tags strapped to Ci's body, attacking anywhere would trigger a chain reaction.
But not killing him meant certain death for themselves.
A sealing specialist had only two ways to fight.
One was the Sealing Hand Technique—rapid seals performed on-site, paired with scrolls to cast spells like the Fire-Sealing Mark, Lightning Binding, Evil Sealing, or Four-Limb Binding.
The other—was the Seal Formation Technique— a full-scale ritual requiring drawn symbols, hand seals, and precise preparation.
Too slow for battle, unless one used expensive pre-inscribed scrolls.
Like the sealing formation Moloi had used earlier.
Now, seeing Uchiha Ci drawing closer and closer—
the motion of those detonating tags growing wilder— Moloi's eyes widened to pinpoints.
The fear of death hammered through his chest!
His body trembled uncontrollably—
a thousand thoughts racing through his mind in an instant.
Then his gaze hardened. He reached into his pouch and yanked out a sealing scroll.
Uchiha Ci's eyes narrowed at the motion.
Sensing danger, he ignored the electric numbness in his limbs— and ripped at the detonating tags on his chest!
RIP!
A blinding flash burst forth—
At that same instant—
Moloi tore the cord off his scroll and flicked it open with a snap.
He plunged his hand into his bleeding wound, scooping out a handful of thick, dark blood.
His eyes flashed with fury.
He slammed his bloodied hand onto the scroll—
and bellowed with all his might:
"You think I'd lose to a worthless genin like you?!"
"Watch closely—"
"Sealing Technique: Billion-Fold Wrath—Banished Flow Seal!"