Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

[Lightning Release: Giant Serpent Star]

These skilled fighters, summoned by Darui, launched an attack in accordance with the previously agreed-upon plan of breaking through the enemy's defenses by focusing on a single point. Their most powerful offensive ninjutsu precisely struck the spot Darui had previously attacked, namely the abdomen of Susanoo.

It cracked!

A sharp-eyed Cloud Ninja noticed the rapidly cracking seam on Susanoo's abdomen. Under the watchful eyes of so many Cloud Ninja, the enormous Susanoo collapsed like dominoes, the cracks spreading rapidly from its abdomen until it finally crumbled.

"Haha! Turns out he's all show and no substance."

"It looked so big, but I didn't expect it to be so weak."

The Cloud Ninja burst into laughter.

In less than half a minute, he defeated such a large Susanoo. Coupled with his previous glorious record of consecutive victories, it was inevitable that he would become a little arrogant. This was a situation that was hard to avoid. Even Darui was a little stunned for a moment. He really did not expect to succeed so easily.

However, he is the number one among the younger generation of Kumogakure.

Darui quickly composed himself and shouted, "Be careful, all of you! The battle isn't over yet! You... watch out!" Before he could finish speaking, he saw a flash of white light suddenly burst into the Cloud Ninja's formation. He hurriedly warned his subordinates, but unfortunately, his warning came too late.

Blood blossoms bloomed among the Cloud Ninja.

Before the headless corpses even fell, blood gushed from the necks of the Cloud Ninjas like a fountain. Shisui, who had used the Body Flicker Technique to its fullest extent, was ruthlessly reaping the lives of these Cloud Ninjas. In that instant, the Sky Blade seemed to transform into the Grim Reaper's scythe, each swing taking the life of a Cloud Ninja.

Until he encountered a Cloud Ninja Jonin skilled in swordsmanship and lightning-style ninjutsu,

He barely managed to block Shisui's attack.

"Go to sleep!"

Shizuku's eyes were bloodshot.

Just by glancing at the Cloud Ninja opposite him, the Cloud Ninja, caught off guard, forgot the warning not to make eye contact with the Uchiha. His consciousness was instantly pulled into a world of genjutsu, and his body and limbs immediately lost control. Then Shisui swung the Sky Blade, and this Cloud Ninja Jonin went to report to the Underworld in a daze!

but,

The water was blocked for a mere moment, but it did have an effect.

"You bastard! If you've got the guts, let's exchange a few blows."

Darui swung his long sword and rushed in front of Shisui. He lowered his eyes, not looking at Shisui's face, but staring intently at Shisui's hands and feet. At the same time, he swung his long sword, which was wrapped in dazzling lightning, and engaged in fierce close combat with Shisui.

The swirling swordplay and flashing blades left the Cloud Ninja who had miraculously survived nearby utterly dizzy.

Shisui was also somewhat surprised.

As he fought his way through, almost no one could withstand a single blow from him. Only a very few, like the Jonin from earlier, required two blows to defeat him. Darui was the first person to be able to withstand his attacks without making eye contact with him!

"interesting!"

Zhi Shui became interested.

The destruction of Susanoo was the first unexpected event, but half of the reason was that he took advantage of the situation to lull the Cloud Ninja into a false sense of security, giving them the illusion that Susanoo was not so bad. At the moment Susanoo was destroyed, he used the Body Flicker Technique to escape from the swamp and rushed into the jubilant Cloud Ninja's camp, successfully catching them off guard.

He killed at least twenty of the nearly forty Cloud Ninja in one go.

Then Darui successfully stopped him.

"I've seen your picture. If I remember correctly, your name is Darui, right?"

Darui dared not look at Shisui, but Shisui could openly scrutinize Darui and successfully match him with the memories in his mind. Just as the Cloud Ninja were gathering information about Konoha, Konoha was naturally trying its best to collect information about the Cloud Ninja.

Especially information on the top experts among the Cloud Ninja.

Darui, who had previously displayed great skill in the battle of Kusatsu Mountain and had once driven Hyuga Hiashi to the brink of defeat, was naturally a key target of attention. Information about Darui was firmly kept in the minds of Shisui and the others.

"I didn't expect to catch such a big fish like you. I'm very lucky today!"

A fighting spirit rose in Shisui's eyes.

If we can capture Darui, then the defeat of this Cloud Ninja Army is practically inevitable!

Upon hearing Shisui speak, Darui's face turned ashen. He dared not look up and could only stare at Shisui's hands and feet as he fought. This awkward fighting style made him feel extremely uncomfortable, while Shisui's attacks became faster and faster. Sharp blades appeared and disappeared around him, gradually pressuring his defensive circle.

This can't go on!

Darui was acutely aware of his predicament.

If this continues, he'll eventually be overwhelmed. Engaging the Uchiha in close combat with his true form is far too dangerous. The Sharingan's genjutsu is like a Damocles' sword hanging over his head, making it impossible for him to unleash his full power. However—

"Damn it! An opportunity! An opportunity! I have to find a chance to create distance!!"

[Chapter 186 Retreat and Capture]

Lead-colored clouds gathered unnoticed, obscuring the sun's brilliance. It seemed as if they couldn't bear to watch the battle on the ground and had closed their eyes. So much so that, even though it was noon, the world in everyone's eyes seemed to be shrouded in a gloomy veil, until the pure white snowflakes began to fall.

Suddenly realized,

original,

It's already winter!

The warm climate of the Land of Hot Springs makes people completely forget about the changing seasons. Perhaps, at this time of year, their hometown is already a world of ice and snow covered in silver!

only--

Darui had no time to imagine how beautiful the Hidden Cloud Village would look when covered in snow.

Every single cell in his brain was mobilized, and all his energy was devoted to the battle with Shisui. He dared not be careless for even a second, because even if he used all his strength, he was always on the defensive against Shisui's attacks. Every attempt to counterattack or create distance failed without exception.

If that's all there is to it, Darui can do his best to delay.

The problem is that, as the supreme commander, the shadow clones he sent out to direct the battle have been defeated by another Uchiha, and the Konoha ninjas have been splitting up and hunting down his Cloud Ninjas, even though they clearly have the advantage in numbers.

however,

In the ninja world, the number of people is only one factor in measuring the strength of both sides. In addition to the number of people, the combat power of an individual is more important. A Jonin can easily defeat a group of Chunin, and a dozen or so Jonin can easily sweep away hundreds or even thousands of Chunin and Genin.

Looking at the original future, Deidara and Sasori dared to so boldly intrude into Sunagakure. Even though Gaara's ultimate failure was largely due to the village's influence, in such a large village, apart from Gaara who was already the Kazekage at the time, there wasn't a single person who could stand up and help.

This demonstrates just how important an individual's combat prowess is.

There are too many examples like this.

In short, Konoha's side is indeed outnumbered, with only over three hundred people, less than a third of the number of Cloud Ninja. However, Konoha has many skilled fighters, and the Uchiha clan, who have come out in full force, have brought an inescapable nightmare to the Cloud Ninja. Often, even two or three people working together cannot withstand the powerful attack of a single Uchiha.

Genjutsu + Fire Release + Shuriken Technique... These are the basic skills that every Uchiha mastered. The more skilled ones also have their own unique techniques, or rather, they have mastered a particular technique to an extremely high level, creating genjutsu that is difficult to defend against, fire release techniques with astonishing destructive power, and shuriken techniques that can change direction twice in mid-air.

They didn't witness the true power of the Uchiha clan during the Third Shinobi World War.

They've really suffered now.

Uchiha

How can there be so many Uchiha?

Did we just stab the Uchiha clan in the back?

Another shadow clone saw one red eye after another before it was destroyed, and many of them were three-tomoe red eyes. As the most prestigious clan in Konoha and a ninja family with a thousand-year history in the ninja world, the Uchiha clan has never stopped researching the Sharingan in various villages.

Darui knew very well that

The three-tomoe Sharingan means that even the weakest Uchiha is a Jonin capable of taking on two opponents at once. That's how unreasonable the Uchiha clan is. Once you evolve to the three-tomoe state, with the help of the Sharingan's genjutsu, it will take at least two opponents of the same level to match you. If the Uchiha's talent and ability are even a little higher, it's not impossible for them to fight three or four opponents at once.

It was precisely by virtue of the Uchiha clan's strength in fighting against many enemies that they were able to achieve this.

They completely eliminated the disadvantage in numbers.

and,

The Uchiha clan, having mobilized their entire force, completely overwhelmed Darui's Cloud Ninja in terms of high-end combat power.

"Lord Xi, the situation is not looking good!"

"Damn it, how can there be so many Uchiha?"

The large-scale battle between Konoha and Kumogakure lasted only five minutes, but the Kumogakure's mood had already plummeted from their previous confidence of "defeating these Konoha ninjas and going back to eat" to anxiety and unease of "why are there so many red eyes? Those damn genjutsu are disgusting!"

hope's face turned ashen.

This situation was completely unexpected. He had thought that since Konoha dared to counterattack, they must have a certain degree of confidence. However, in his opinion, even if they really couldn't stop Konoha's counterattack, as long as they could delay for a certain period of time and wait for the reinforcements sent by the Raikage, they would be able to repel the Konoha ninjas.

However, the courage and determination shown by Konoha were completely beyond their expectations.

With so many Uchiha, Konoha has really gone all out.

This was definitely not a decision that Hiashi Hyuga could make. Hiashi Hyuga had been at the front lines for some time and had commanded several battles between Konoha ninja and Kumo ninja. It would be an exaggeration to say that he had a complete understanding of Hiashi Hyuga's personality and preferences, but he did understand that the Hyuga clan leader was a very steady person.

Just like the patriarchs of the major clans in Hidden Cloud Village, they are very cautious in their actions and are unlikely to make such an impulsive decision.

Has Konoha changed its commander again?

hope realized that the commander of Konoha had probably changed again.

but,

Realizing that this doesn't change their current predicament.

"Lord Xi, this won't do. There are too many strong fighters in Konoha. I'm afraid we won't be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive. Do you have any ideas?" A Cloud Ninja Jonin covered in blood rushed to Xi's side. Most of the blood on his body was his own. He had finally managed to injure an Uchiha, but before he could finish him off, he was slashed by another red-eyed ninja, almost killing him. With the support of his comrades, he fought his way back to hope's side, seeking Xi's orders.

Darui, the supreme commander, was tightly bound by Shisui, and the two shadow clones he had prepared in advance were also destroyed. A group of people tried to support Darui, but the Uchiha Jonin blocked the Cloud Ninja's approach. They organized several charges but failed each time.

With no other option, they had to settle for second best and ask hope for advice.

The issue is,

There was nothing hope could do.

Ninja warfare doesn't involve many tricks. While strategies aren't entirely useless, they're rarely employed. As mentioned before, individual combat prowess is a crucial factor influencing the course of a war. Moreover, this current skirmish has devolved into a chaotic mess, a battle of sheer raw strength between the two sides.

"Hold on, Lord Raikage will send reinforcements soon."

This was the only way hope could encourage his subordinates.

"Lord Xi, I can't hold on any longer."

The speaker was still the Cloud Ninja Jonin. His face was extremely pale. He had been slashed earlier, and although it didn't kill him on the spot, the continuous bleeding had made him dizzy, and he was vaguely aware of his fate.

He held his breath, "We can't hold them off! Lord Xi, Konoha's counterattack this time is too fierce. I know you want to buy as much time as possible, but Konoha is too strong! These... huff huff... these Uchiha are too strong. If this continues, I'm worried that no one will be able to explain our situation to Lord Raikage."

He was already breathing heavily as he spoke, and it was clear that he wouldn't last much longer.

"...But Darui is still holding on!"

hope's eyebrows furrowed, her expression one of unbearable pain.

The Jonin he was talking to was an assistant that Tsuchida had found for him and Darui. He was an old man in his fifties who had experienced the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars. Tsuchida was worried that he and Darui were too young and lacked experience to stand on their own, so he found this old man who could sometimes help and give them some pointers.