Boom!
Yun burst from the water's surface, dispersing his Susanoo mid-air and landing lightly on the surface.
He looked down into the depths below.
Just inflicting two injuries wasn't enough to make him feel the sting.
If next time, the outcome was still only this much… he might as well not let the enemy escape again.
There were still ten months left until the Eternal Mangekyō would fully awaken.
But did that process actually require Indra's chakra?
According to his memory, although it was clearly stated that Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan was formed by exchanging eyes between those with strong blood ties, only three people were known to have awakened it: Indra himself, Madara, and later, Sasuke.
Indra was the original.
Madara and Sasuke were both reincarnations of Indra's chakra.
But wait… Indra's brother, Asura, never had a Sharingan.
So where did Indra's Eternal Mangekyō come from?
That full-body Susanoo and the long, drawn-out battle with Asura, if Indra didn't have the Eternal Mangekyō, wouldn't he have gone blind mid-fight?
Madara obtained his Eternal Mangekyō by transplanting Izuna's eyes after the latter was fatally wounded by Tobirama.
At the time, Madara's own eyes were already near-blind.
So then… what were the actual requirements for the Eternal Mangekyō?
"Yun, did that Eight-Tails Jinchūriki get away?"
Uchiha Tekkahi's voice pulled Yun out of his thoughts.
Yun glanced at his two clansmen and nodded: "He ran. I was just about to unleash a big move to try and finish him off, but he slipped away."
"You have an even bigger move? Susanoo isn't your strongest power?"
Patting the stunned Tekkahi on the shoulder, Yun laughed: "Once you awaken these eyes, you'll understand."
Nearby, Uchiha Isamu gently shook his head: "When an Uchiha forms a deep bond, and then loses that bond, a special power is born from their desire to protect it. That power triggers the evolution of their eyes."
"It's a strength born from love and protection. But if one seeks strength and chooses to kill their own bond… then they fall into darkness."
He looked up, his tone calm: "If I can help it, I'd rather never awaken that power. Because if it does appear, it means I've lost what's most important to me."
His words left Yun and Tekkahi momentarily stunned.
Then Tekkahi grinned and elbowed Yun: "Well? Not bad for one of our new-generation elites, huh? His thinking's solid."
Yun smiled and nodded. That book in the hands of the Uchiha elder, the one under the Kotoamatsukami genjutsu, had clearly made a big impact.
After a short rest, Tekkika asked, "So, are we heading back to camp now?"
Yun shook his head, "We can't leave just yet. Kakashi's team will be back soon with reinforcements. Even though we don't need backup anymore, Post #23 must be watched."
"We need to wait until the Barrier Corps arrives to reestablish the detection barrier and traps, and then reassign guards. Only then can we pull out."
Tekkika scratched his head, "That much hassle, huh?"
Yun chuckled, "Don't let your guard down. I wouldn't be surprised if the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki comes back with the Fourth Raikage."
Isamu asked curiously."But isn't the Raikage supposed to stay in the village, like the Hokage does?"
Yun only smiled, offering no answer.
Both the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure and the Fourth Hokage of Konoha had access to instantaneous space-time jutsu, Heavenly Transfer and Flying Thunder God Technique.
With powers like that, no village would ignore their value on the battlefield.
Six months later.
Since the surprise attack six months ago, Kumogakure and Konohagakure had entered a prolonged standoff along the border.
The Hyūga, Uchiha, Inuzuka, and Aburame clans formed large reconnaissance squads scattered across twenty-three guard posts, ready for any sudden Kumogakure assault.
The Ino–Shika–Chō trio clans, along with the Sarutobi and Kurama clans, also sent forces into the field.
In these six months, there had been no large-scale battles, but small skirmishes occurred almost daily.
Teams with powerful ninja could usually retreat safely, but squads made of civilian jōnin had a much higher casualty rate than the clan teams.
There was one exception, the first wave of large-scale deployments from the Hyūga branch family.
Perhaps because the war was sparked by the Hyūga incident, many from the branch family voluntarily joined the civilian squads to bolster their reconnaissance capabilities.
Even Hiashi's younger brother, Hyūga Hizashi, was among them.
As a result, the Hyūga suffered staggering losses during this period.
From the Hyūga main family, only Hiashi himself was present on the front lines.
"Kumogakure's logistics network is more than triple our size," said Shikaku, handing an analysis report to Jiraiya, who sat at the head of the war table.
Jiraiya had been rushed back from the village more than five months ago and placed in charge of Konoha's wartime operations.
Gone was the usual playful demeanor.
Now, Jiraiya read through the report carefully before asking, "We've been sending jōnin squads to intercept their supply convoys. But every time, they're only carrying small loads, nowhere near enough to sustain their front lines."
"It's as if the enemy doesn't care about the cargo. They're just using it as bait to reduce our fighting force."
Shikaku nodded and motioned for Jiraiya to look further down the report.
At the end, one keyword was highlighted:
Heavenly Transfer Jutsu!
Shikaku explained, "A space-time ninjutsu that can teleport objects. However, due to the tearing force of the technique, it's usually only used for non-living materials."
"But considering the Raikage lineage's physical toughness, there's one more thing we must prepare for: the Fourth Raikage A might teleport directly into the battlefield at any time."
Jiraiya frowned, letting out a long sigh, "What are those maniacs from Kumogakure thinking? At this rate, Konoha can't hold on much longer, but they'll burn out too. Maybe even worse than us."
Shikaku turned to Kakashi, "Have the Flying Thunder God kunai from the Fourth Hokage been distributed?"
"You'll need to make sure the messenger toads can distinguish the coordinates tied to each kunai's location."
Kakashi nodded, then glanced at Yun, who was sitting silently nearby.
"Yun, what's on your mind?"
Uchiha Yun returned to himself, thought for a moment, and replied, "The kunoichi Lan from Post #23… she didn't come back yesterday."
Kakashi paused, then said quietly, "War… always has sacrifices."
Yun nodded quietly, his expression flat.
Six months.
Was it possible to become numb to such things just by seeing them often enough?
Because of the ambitions of those at the top, those in the middle and bottom had to lay down their lives.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu