UTBW: Ch. 46

Yuki had no injuries, only a shocked expression on his face, staring right back at him.

The people around were all looking over with expressions of surprise, shock, and disbelief. It was as if something completely unexpected had happened to him.

What... what's going on? Hiyori felt his thoughts growing heavier, his eyelids beginning to droop.

Thud.

His head fell to the ground and rolled lightly. That movement brought back a bit of his consciousness, and he saw a headless body lying ahead. The headless body looked extremely familiar.

That's… me?

His eyes widened slightly, the thought filled with disbelief. Did I get decapitated?

And at that very moment, his life ended. The expression of shock froze on his face.

Thud...

Beside him, another Sarutobi jonin's head also dropped to the ground and rolled to a stop.

On that face too, an expression of astonishment had frozen.

The entire hall fell silent.

Everyone stared in horror at the suddenly appearing young man. He held a long, straight blade. On the blade, a vivid blood-red pattern swirled like flowing blossoms, faintly forming demonic, menacing eyes.

At this moment, the blade was drenched in fresh blood. Strangely though, none of the blood dripped to the floor, it slowly evaporated, as if being absorbed by the blade itself.

"He… he killed Hiyori-sama!"

"When did he draw his sword?"

"I don't know!"

"He was so fast, I didn't see anything!"

"I didn't even notice when he arrived!"

On Konoha's side, members of the ANBU, Root, and the Sarutobi clan all felt a chill in their hearts.

Too fast. No one saw what had just happened clearly. Just a moment ago, Hiyori had everything under control.

And the next second, as if reality had glitched, Hiyori and a Sarutobi jonin's heads were already on the ground.

A young man with a sword had appeared out of thin air. It was an utterly terrifying occurrence.

The fact that they hadn't seen any movement meant that any one of them could end up just like Hiyori and that jonin... Decapitated in an instant, without even realizing it!

"You're… Junichi?" From the Uchiha side, someone recognized the youth. But they weren't entirely sure.

"It's me." Junichi turned around and looked calmly at the assembled Uchiha.

Fugaku and the others… One by one, he recalled their identities and matched them with his memories. As he swept his gaze across them, an overwhelming aura of ocular power emanated from his eyes—far beyond the level of a three-tomoe Sharingan.

Within his gaze, they clearly saw the prism-shaped patterns, distinct from the usual tomoe.

"Mangekyō!?"

"Another Mangekyō Sharingan!"

"Were you the one who dealt with Itachi?"

"That sword strike that broke Susanoo, was it you!?"

The clan members asked in disbelief. During this time, those who knew Junichi quietly explained his identity to others.

In the past, he was practically invisible within the clan. He didn't even have the qualifications to attend clan meetings, so naturally, few people knew him.

Yuki and Fugaku listened to the explanations with astonishment.

Looking at the young man, Fugaku asked, "You… are really Junichi?"

"Of course," Junichi nodded and casually replied, "The body change is a result of a special technique I used. The Mangekyō was awakened earlier, I just kept it hidden. That's all there is to it."

This explanation was full of loopholes. Many of the clan members twitched at the corners of their mouths. But Yuki simply looked at Junichi deeply, then nodded and said, "If you say that's how it is, then that's how it is."

The truth didn't matter. What mattered was this: A man with terrifying swordsmanship and a Mangekyō Sharingan was now standing on their side.

That was enough.

"We're counting on you." Fugaku understood this as well, and bowed respectfully.

"Mm." Junichi nodded lightly and turned to face the side of the Sarutobi.

"Don't be so full of yourself!" a middle-aged ninja from the Sarutobi clan roared, furious, forming hand signs with both hands.

"Fire Release: Great Dragon Jutsu!"

He took a deep breath and expelled a massive surge of fire chakra.

Fwoosh!

A blazing, radiant fire dragon rapidly took form. Around him, other ninjas also began forming hand seals.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"

"Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spears!"

Swish!

But Junichi simply lifted his hand and slashed once with his blade.

A red line flashed through the air.

The next instant, a razor-sharp slash wave shot forward, instantly slicing the fire dragon and the Sarutobi ninjas who cast it clean in two.

And not just him, the slash wave retained its deadly momentum, speeding forward for over a hundred meters.

Splurt, splurt, splurt…

Onthe Sarutobi's side, blood burst from the waists of numerous ninjas.

They stared wide-eyed in disbelief as the upper halves of their bodies slowly slid off and hit the ground. Within a hundred-meter radius, 132 ninjas standing on the ground had all been cut in half at the waist.

"Aaaah…!!" The wounded, severed ninjas collapsed, their upper bodies writhing in agony. Blood gushed from their severed torsos.

Even the air seemed to be dyed a pale red.

"It hurts!"

"My waist—!"

"Where are the medical-nin? We need medics! Where the fuck are they when they are needed!"

As their comrades screamed in pain, the remaining ninjas from the Sarutobi's side felt their hair stand on end, a chill creeping into their hands and feet.

That slash was terrifying! Just one strike had cleared out a hundred meters' worth of battlefield, more than seventy elite ninjas.

Among them were mostly jonin, the private soldiers of the Third Hokage, and elite members of both ANBU and Root!

"So that was the slash that broke Susanoo?" In the back, even the Uchiha clan members were gasping in shock.

"Swordsmanship… can actually be this powerful?"

"I didn't understand anything just now!"

"Forget understanding, I didn't even see him move."

The clan was completely stunned.

"Yuki, have you ever seen swordsmanship like this?" Fugaku asked in a low voice.

"Never!" Yuki said gravely, shaking his head. "I've never heard of it, never seen it, this is beyond comprehension!"

Fugaku nodded in agreement, also deeply impressed. "Yeah… who would've thought that a boy who stayed completely unknown for fifteen years… would have the terrifying power to destroy Susanoo and dominate a battlefield like this?"

They both believed that Junichi had been hiding his strength since he was very young. He had grown in secret. And if it hadn't been for this crisis threatening the clan's extinction, they might never have known just how powerful he truly was.

Up ahead, Junichi stepped forward, walking across the bodies of the halved ninjas. With every step he took, the ninjas ahead instinctively took a step back.

"Afraid?" He stared at them with an emotionless expression. "Too late."