Chapter 92: Near Death, Heaven's Curse Mark
On the battlefield.
As the last traces of chakra flowed into the Flowing Flame Blade in his hand, Tsukasa Uchiha collapsed to his knees, gripping the hilt tightly.
His body had been completely charred—flesh and blood no longer existed.
His entire form had been reduced to a mass of carbonized matter that, from a distance, resembled shimmering black crystals.
This was the result of the secret technique threads replacing the burned flesh and blood, forming substitute tissue that was then continuously incinerated. This strange transformation had finally taken shape.
This explosion of power was more sustained and more thorough than his battle with Kakuzu on the cliff.
The threads from his secret technique formed the framework of his body.
The forbidden technique Physical Regeneration continuously regenerated flesh and blood, which was immediately consumed and thrown into the fire.
The dark chakra collected by the Zero Tail maintained his dark awakening state, continuously fueling Physical Regeneration.
Finally, Fire Release: Chakra Mode ignited everything, burning it all away.
Tsukasa didn't have time to assess his current condition. He stared intently at the raging flames and opened his system interface with a flicker of thought, checking the details.
He needed to confirm whether Tōgō Hayato was truly dead!
[Ding!]
[You successfully counterattacked Tōgō Hayato, leader of the Jashin Cult, who attempted to kill you.]
[Your counterattack was devastating, resulting in the opponent's death. Bonus: Critical Hit.]
[You gained a random skill from your opponent: Immortality (Temporary, Incomplete, A+).]
[Skill critical hit. Current skill solidified as Immortality (Incomplete, S-).]
[Your Iron Will stacks have increased.]
[Warning: You are being observed by an entity trapped between dimensions. Heaven has automatically blocked this observation.]
[Warning: Immortality does not mean complete invincibility. You are on the verge of death. Please seek help immediately.]
After reading the information on the panel, Tsukasa breathed a sigh of relief.
Killing Tōgō Hayato was revenge for his younger brother, Hidan.
In the future, the Akatsuki organization would face greater challenges in capturing the tailed beasts without such a capable operative. Though the impact would be minor, it would indirectly prevent tragic outcomes—Asuma's death, Shikamaru's devastating loss.
It would relieve some pressure on the protagonists.
The overall direction was good, so his death would be meaningful.
As for the panel indicating that he was on the verge of death and needed to save himself quickly... haha, what a joke!
He had no allies here.
Orochimaru, who was watching him eagerly, wanted nothing more than to drag him off for dissection. Who would save him?
This time, even the gods couldn't stop him from dying!
"Finally... finally..."
"I've finally reached this moment."
Tsukasa's lips curled slightly as he prepared to close his eyes in relief.
But at that moment—
Rapid footsteps echoed from the cave's exit!
A figure covered in cuts and scratches, like he'd been through a gauntlet of blades, stumbled forward carrying a massive scroll.
Upon seeing the charred Tsukasa, his crimson Sharingan spun wildly, fully evolving into three tomoe.
"Tsukasa!"
Seiichiro Uchiha stared in disbelief, tears streaming down his face as he collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
With trembling hands, he reached out to touch Tsukasa and roared in grief:
"How could this happen?!"
"Am I too late?!"
Tsukasa couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, causing a piece of charcoal to fall from his forehead.
Seeing that it was an Uchiha who had arrived—not Tsunade, Shizune, or Chiyo—he breathed a sigh of relief.
This was good.
Seiichiro couldn't save him, but he could help collect his body.
Taking it back would let the others see him one last time and prevent Orochimaru from getting his hands on his corpse.
That... was enough.
With this thought, Tsukasa smiled gently at Seiichiro and raised his charcoal-covered arm, wanting to pat his shoulder.
However, when his palm extended through the air, it suddenly lost all strength. It touched Seiichiro's forehead, slid down his cheek, and fell to the ground.
Tsukasa completely lost consciousness and closed his eyes.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Eight figures landed simultaneously and stood beside Tsukasa.
The eight Uchiha looked at the young man who had been burned to charcoal, momentarily at a loss.
Killing people was their specialty, but saving someone? That was far beyond their expertise.
"Captain, what should we do?" An Uchiha frowned and asked Fugaku.
"The kid's still breathing—we need to save him quickly!"
Fugaku Uchiha rubbed his temples. "I know that, but where are we supposed to find a medical ninja in this remote location?"
"Besides, with injuries like this... damn it."
At that moment, hearing Fugaku's voice, Seiichiro Uchiha, who was kneeling on the ground holding Tsukasa's body, suddenly raised his head.
Three pitch-black tomoe spun wildly in his pupils as he stared, bloodshot, at Fugaku, demanding:
"Why? Why didn't you save him?"
"You were already here, weren't you?"
"You just watched your own clansman die right in front of you?"
"You were completely indifferent?"
"What exactly is your power meant to protect?!"
Seiichiro's eyes blazed with fury as he roared:
"Answer me!"
"Answer me, our respected future clan head, Fugaku Uchiha!"
Under Seiichiro's furious questioning, Fugaku opened his mouth to explain:
"I..."
But as soon as he spoke, he fell silent.
He had his reasons, of course.
He'd wanted to see if Tsukasa would awaken those forbidden eyes—but he hadn't expected the boy to instead unlock a different forbidden door.
Whatever he said now would sound hollow and weak.
At that moment, eight Uchiha clan members—eight pairs of scarlet Sharingan—simultaneously turned their gazes toward Fugaku, each containing a hint of accusation, waiting for an explanation.
Just moments ago, Fugaku clearly had the ability to stop the ensuing battle. Even if he'd sent just one Uchiha to fight and used genjutsu to control the enemy ninja, if he'd taken even minimal action, the young man before them wouldn't have ended up in such a miserable state.
But he hadn't moved.
"Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Looking at the silent Fugaku, Seiichiro laughed bitterly, his laughter piercing and filled with agonizing pain.
Tears streamed down his face. His eyes were wild, bloodshot—he looked like a demon!
"I finally understand, Fugaku Uchiha! I finally understand why, even though you've become the strongest man in the Uchiha Clan, the Clan Elder has been so reluctant to give you the position of Clan Head!"
"You don't deserve it!"
"Did you hear me? You don't deserve it!" Seiichiro cursed furiously.
"If someone like you became Clan Head, it would be a catastrophic disaster for the Uchiha Clan!"
"I'd rather have this two-tomoe kid as Clan Head than support you!"
"Compared to him, your will is as weak as garbage!"
"Fugaku Uchiha, you're trash! Trash! TRASH!"
Seiichiro struggled to his feet and delivered a vicious punch to Fugaku's face.
CRACK!
A fierce blow to the bridge of his nose—Fugaku's face instantly deformed, and he was knocked to the ground.
Seiichiro leaped onto him, ready to unleash his full fury, raining down punches on this seemingly strong yet fundamentally weak face!
Seeing this, the nearby Uchiha immediately grabbed Seiichiro, saying in a low voice:
"Orochimaru's still around. Let's report this matter back to the clan and let the Clan Elder handle it. Seiichiro, don't let outsiders witness our internal conflicts."
"What about Tsukasa?!" Seiichiro shouted in rage, his eyes bloodshot.
"What are we going to do about him?! You know how to protect this heartless bastard, but who's going to save Tsukasa?!"
"Tell me!"
For a moment, no one responded. All the Uchiha's eyes were fixed on Tsukasa, who lay there reduced to a charred shell.
The atmosphere was oppressive, suffocating.
Just then, steady footsteps echoed through the cave.
A man with golden, serpentine eyes and an amused expression stepped out of the darkness, moving past the kunai pointed defensively in his direction.
The torchlight illuminated his pale, handsome face, giving it an eerie quality.
Orochimaru's lips curved slightly as he laughed in a hoarse voice:
"Since you can't save him..."
"Why not hand the boy over to me?"
As soon as the words fell, all eight Uchiha present frowned simultaneously. Even Fugaku rose from the ground, standing cautiously in front of Tsukasa. He looked at Orochimaru coldly and asked in an icy voice:
"What do you want, Orochimaru?"
"Don't come near this child!"
"Hehe." Despite being stared at by eight pairs of Sharingan, Orochimaru showed no fear. He said lightly:
"The kid still has a breath left in him."
"I have a method that might save him, though success isn't guaranteed."
Hearing this, Fugaku frowned and asked seriously: "What method?"
"What are the chances you can save him?"
Orochimaru glanced at Tsukasa on the ground and laughed hoarsely, teasingly:
"It's a power beyond the ordinary. I call it—"
"The Heaven's Curse Mark!"
"As for the chances of saving him?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't have any successful cases yet."
"In other words, the survival rate is..."
"Zero percent. Certain death!"
End of Chapter 92
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