Chapter 18: Blood, Tears, Madness, and Promises! The Fury of the Uchiha!
The Breaking Point
Atop the shattered ruins of the battlefield, Uchiha Setsuna clenched his fists, his eyes gleaming with bone-chilling coldness as he turned to face Moroi, Raimei, and Dodai—the three Kumogakure shinobi.
Never before had he felt such excruciating agony!
He was the Great Elder of the Uchiha clan, an eagle soaring freely through the heavens! He was the revered master that the young eagles of his clan looked up to with admiration!
But now, here in this desolate place, he could only watch helplessly as a young eagle destined to soar through the clouds and reach heights of ninety thousand feet above—
Was forced to use his own flesh and blood to carve out a desperate escape route.
The three tomoe in Setsuna's Sharingan spun so rapidly they almost connected into a single black line, threatening to form an entirely new pattern.
But that was all.
With painful clarity, Setsuna realized he was not a naturally gifted individual like Uchiha Kagami.
He lacked the talent necessary to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
So he could only stare with eyes wide as bells, their whites densely veined with countless bloodshot capillaries.
His eyes were crimson—like those of a demon!
A stream of blood-stained tears quietly slid down his weathered cheeks.
Setsuna closed his eyes in anguish, but in the darkness, countless figures of the deceased materialized before him.
Uchiha Tajima, Madara, Izuna, Kagami—one after another, a procession of fallen Uchiha stood in judgment before him.
They remained silent and expressionless, their eyes wide and bloodshot, their lips, teeth, and very skin trembling with otherworldly fury.
They stared at him with resentment, anger, and condemnation burning in their spectral gazes.
Why, from the Warring States period until now, had a mediocre failure like him survived when they had not?!
Setsuna suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze free of any remaining hesitation.
His stare flashed like lightning as he swept his bleeding Sharingan across the three Kumogakure shinobi, his eyes continuously weeping tears of blood.
Then Uchiha Setsuna threw back his head.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
He was clearly laughing, but his laughter carried the excruciating pain of having fingernails torn from their beds.
"Very well!"
"Very well!"
"Tsukasa! As Great Elder of the Uchiha Clan, leader of the Hawk Faction, and your sworn guardian!"
"I acknowledge your resolve!"
Setsuna roared through his grief and rage.
"Rest in peace!"
"Die here without worry!"
The Promise of Vengeance
Within the barrier, Tsukasa's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but glance toward Setsuna.
He was terrified the old man might become so emotional that he'd refuse to retreat and instead engage in some suicidal last stand.
I've already come this far—this old fool better not do anything stupid!
Damn it, if you can't win, just run away! Is there any shame in survival?
However, Setsuna raised his long katana and pointed it directly at the three Kumogakure shinobi, his eyes as cold and unchanging as an eternal iceberg.
He swore with stern authority:
"Don't worry—I will flee like a wild dog if necessary!"
"But these three!"
"Will bear the eternal wrath of the Uchiha clan!"
"From this day forward, I will use the entire strength of our clan to hunt these three down!"
"The Fire, Earth, Water, Wind, and Lightning countries—all five great nations' daimyo and hidden villages will simultaneously receive permanent bounty missions!"
"Additionally, every underground exchange will carry bounties on their heads!"
"Every organization in the shinobi world—Hoshigakure, Takigakure, Kusagakure, Amegakure, Yugakure, the Iron Country, the Fuma clan, ROOT, Akatsuki, every mercenary group!"
"All forces, all organizations!"
"Everyone will know—"
Setsuna's eyes blazed with insanity, bloodshot and wild, his tone as cold as chewing on rusted nails:
"One hundred million ryō for each of your heads!"
Every word struck like thunder!
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Raimei couldn't help but tremble from head to toe, panic written across his face.
"Uchiha Setsuna, have you lost your mind?!"
"You're trying to shatter the unwritten rules of the shinobi world?!"
"You're courting death!"
Setsuna's declaration hammered through Dodai and Moroi's minds like sledgehammers against their skulls.
"Insane! They're all insane! The young one's gone mad! The old one's gone mad too!"
In the shinobi world's cycle of hatred, every family and every village had endured bone-deep hatred and pain, yet no one—absolutely no one—would dare go as far as Setsuna was threatening.
At most, they might quietly place anonymous bounties through back channels.
The logic was simple: You killed my son, I'll claim your head—that's acceptable.
But such public declarations would undoubtedly escalate tensions and prolong conflicts, potentially destroying entire villages and nations. Naturally, hidden villages worldwide imposed strict restrictions on such behavior.
But the Uchiha clan was different.
As one of the two most powerful families from the Warring States period, the Uchiha possessed the connections and resources to bypass the standard village mission system and distribute their vengeance across multiple organizations.
While no one had ever attempted such a thing, the Uchiha clan had built relationships forged in blood and conflict over generations.
However, publicly offering three hundred million ryō in bounties, with hidden costs potentially exceeding ten billion, would leave even the most powerful clans financially crippled.
To kill three people by liquidating all clan assets and forcing members to live in poverty—what hope would there be for the clan's future development?
But the Uchiha were different!
They had money—vast amounts of it!
Such expenditure wouldn't even damage their foundation.
Furthermore, the hawkish factions within the clan were notorious madmen who would likely contribute enthusiastically from their personal fortunes to fund such bounties.
Upon hearing Raimei's words, Setsuna grinned with cold arrogance, his gaze filled with disdain.
"Rules? You think I care about your rules?!"
"Have you forgotten who I am?"
"I am—Uchiha Setsuna!"
At those words, Raimei, Dodai, and Moroi's expressions shifted to pure terror.
Yes—that old demon was indeed Uchiha Setsuna!
At this point in history, Setsuna's name was known to every senior shinobi in the world.
He had dared to attempt a coup and orchestrate the assassination of the Second Hokage during peace negotiations.
He was practically cut from the same cloth as the Gold and Silver Brothers of Kumogakure!
And during this period, the current clan head, Uchiha Kagami, was still alive and moderating his actions!
The man was a complete psychopath!
It wasn't surprising that such a person would do anything when his emotions ran hot.
The only difference between this old demon and Kumogakure's Gold and Silver Brothers was that Setsuna's assassination had succeeded, while theirs had failed to prevent the alliance.
A genuine terrorist!
"You're a fucking lunatic! A lunatic! A LUNATIC!" Dodai cursed in horrified disbelief.
Raimei pointed a trembling finger at Setsuna, shaking with rage, his entire arm quivering as words failed him completely.
Moroi's face went ashen, and he nearly lost all will to live.
Who could understand his feelings?
In front of him stood a young lunatic who wore explosive tags as clothing.
Behind him stood an old lunatic threatening to mount his severed head on a spike for all to see.
He was on the verge of a complete mental breakdown!
Even Tsukasa felt his throat go dry at that moment. Looking at Setsuna, his scalp prickled with unease.
He suddenly realized something disturbing—
I don't actually want to die here. If I perish in this place and Setsuna returns alone, I fear the Uchiha will face destruction even faster than in the original timeline!
Tsukasa couldn't help but wail internally:
Help me! Why are all these Uchiha completely insane?!
After finally dealing with Uchiha Shisui's naive idealism, how did I end up encountering Setsuna, who's even more dangerously unhinged?
End of Chapter 18
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