The silence of the woods was shattered by a sharp crack. Rai had stepped on one of his own perimeter sensors, but the trigger wasn't a mistake—it was a warning.
"Ambush!" Tanaka's roar was instantaneous. His hands blurred through seals: Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall! A slab of solid rock tore through the loam, rising just in time to catch three kunai that sparked uselessly against its surface.
Lin Yue didn't hesitate. He lunged toward the stretchers, shielding the wounded with his own body as he barked an order to Ho. "Ninjutsu! Crowd control, now!"
Ho's fingers danced. Illusionary Technique: This Is Not a Technique! A ripple of distorted chakra washed over the tree line. Two Iwa Genin, lunging from the brush, froze mid-stride, their eyes glazing over.
But the forest wasn't finished. Nine more figures erupted from the darkness—a full pursuit squad, led by a Chunin whose stone-grey flak jacket bore the scars of a dozen skirmishes.
"Iwa Pursuit Team!" Tanaka's teeth were gritted, his wounded arm pulsing with heat. "Rin, Yue—hold the line! I'll take the Chunin. Sato, Takahashi—guard the wounded at all costs!"
The Iwa Chunin sneered, his short sword glowing with a dull, earthy yellow light. Earth Release: Earth Flow Slash! He brought the blade down with the weight of a mountain, the shockwave shattering Tanaka's wall into a spray of grit and dust.
"Kage!" Yue shouted, rolling beneath a hail of shuriken. "Status?"
"No other signatures," Kage panted, his brow slick with sweat as he maintained his sensory net. "Just these nine. But the leader... his chakra is dense. He's a veteran!"
Lin Yue's mind went into overdrive. Five combat-ready shinobi against nine, including a veteran Chunin. The math didn't work. If they didn't end this quickly, the noise would draw every straggler for three kilometers.
I need a hammer. System! Expend 100 points. Summon: Uchiha Den (Ninjutsu Specialist). Goal: Tactical disruption.
[Ding—Summoning Successful. Uchiha Den (Genin, Age 14) has arrived.] [Population Variable Detected: Total Summons (5).] [World Travel Test: Energy Threshold Met. Cooldown Reduced by 50%.]
A spark of blue static ignited in the shadows beside Kage. A boy with wild hair and a crackling sphere of electricity in his palm materialized. "Uchiha Den, reporting. Master, give me a target."
"The three Genin on the right flank," Yue ordered. "Short-circuit their movements. Kage, finish what he starts!"
Den lunged. Lightning Release: Lightning Ball! The orb hissed through the air, detonating in a web of blue chains that arced through the Iwa Genin. They convulsed, their muscles locking up as the lightning bypassed their earth-based defenses. Kage blurred into the opening, his kunai finding throats before the paralysis could fade.
Meanwhile, Tanaka was locked in a brutal dance with the Iwa Chunin. The older man was feigning weakness, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He watched the Chunin's shoulder—a telltale sag every time he channeled chakra into a heavy swing.
The Chunin roared, overextending into a vertical cleave. Tanaka didn't block. He twisted, letting the blade whisper past his ear, and drove his own short sword deep into the man's side.
"Now! Rin!"
Rin didn't miss the cue. Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique! Embers swirled around the wounded Chunin, igniting his flak jacket. As he screamed and clawed at the flames, Tanaka delivered the final, silent mercy.
The remaining four Iwa Genin broke. They turned to run, but Rai had already seeded the path. Click. A series of explosive tags detonated in a synchronized chain, and Ho's genjutsu finished the survivors.
Silence returned to the forest, broken only by the heavy panting of the victors.
Tanaka wiped a smear of soot from his forehead, looking at the newcomer, Den, with a mixture of exhaustion and bewilderment. "Another one, Yue? Your clan certainly has a lot of 'recon cells' in this sector."
"He just caught up, Uncle Tanaka," Yue lied, his voice level. "The battle drew him in. Luckily for us."
Tanaka grunted, too tired to argue with the results. "Ten minutes. We replenish, then we move. The smell of this much blood is going to bring more guests."
Lin Yue walked over to Den, checking his status. [Summon: Uchiha Den]
Rank: Genin (Senior)
Specialty: Lightning Release/Hypnosis.
The "Managerial Anchor" was now a "Commander's Compass." Five summons had cut the cooldown by half. If he could reach ten, he could unlock the door to other worlds. He looked at the five Uchiha standing in the moonlight—recon, traps, medicine, and two pillars of offensive ninjutsu.
The Uchiha Legion was no longer a dream. It was a functioning unit.