บท 31: Chapter: 31 I Don't Usually Laugh Unless I Can't Help It
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What was he laughing at?
Uchiha Hikoichi was baffled.
No matter how he looked at it, he should be the one holding the upper hand right now.
"Scared stiff?"
He muttered, frowning in doubt. He decided to step forward and finish this person off.
He was wary of taking too much time; reinforcements from the other three clans could show up at any moment.
But after taking just two steps, he suddenly heard a familiar laugh.
"Hahaha."
The sound was full of mockery.
A ninja's senses are incredibly sharp, and Kyosuke made no effort to conceal his voice.
How could Hikoichi possibly miss it?
"It's you?!"
He was equal parts shocked and enraged.
Perhaps Hikoichi had never expected that the one to ambush him tonight would be another vice commander from his clan—Uchiha Kyosuke.
In addition to disbelief, a hint of grievance rose in his heart.
Yes, he had targeted Kyosuke countless times, both overtly and covertly.
But that was normal, wasn't it? Everyone played these games when vying for power.
Sure, he had exerted relentless pressure, but truthfully, Hikoichi had never intended to kill Kyosuke.
Otherwise, given his influence, there had been countless opportunities in the past to get rid of Kyosuke in secret.
But now, his leniency had led to this.
As smart as he was, Hikoichi had already guessed Kyosuke had struck a deal with the Nara clan.
That incredible space-time ninjutsu allowed Kyosuke to move in and out of enemy camps with ease.
'A wolf in sheep's clothing.' That was Hikoichi's evaluation.
Clutching the wound on his abdomen, Kyosuke struggled to sit up.
After spitting out a mouthful of blood, he greeted Hikoichi with a smile, "Yo, fancy meeting you here."
"Fancy meeting you, my ass!"
Hikoichi had no intention of wasting words.
Since someone had plotted meticulously to kill him, he wouldn't hesitate to be ruthless.
A once-in-a-century genius of the Uchiha clan was about to fall at his hands today.
Thinking about it, a twisted sense of satisfaction welled up within him.
"Remember, in your next life, be more cautious." With that, he prepared to strike.
"Heh."
But to his surprise, Kyosuke sneered again, "Vice Commander Hikoichi, is this really your parting remark?"
By the time the word "remark" left his mouth, his voice was already right beside Hikoichi's ear.
Thunk!
The kunai stabbed deep into Hikoichi's abdomen—almost the exact same spot where Kyosuke had been injured.
"Does it hurt?"
Dodging Hikoichi's counterattack, Kyosuke coldly asked.
"How… how is this possible?"
Hikoichi's eyes widened, unable to process what had happened.
The next moment, the same scene repeated.
Blood splattered everywhere. The proud vice commander of the Southern Army collapsed into a pool of blood, like a dog that had lost its master.
"Can't figure it out, huh?"
Meeting Hikoichi's desperate gaze, Kyosuke pointed to a specific spot on his abdomen with a grin.
Summoning the last of his strength, Hikoichi looked down. A flash of realization passed through his eyes—he finally understood why he had failed.
[System Notification: You have killed an Uchiha clan Jōnin. Earned 3,850 points.]
[Points: 5,166]
"Rewards for taking down a Jōnin are quite generous."
Kyosuke sighed to himself. With a simple Fire Release jutsu, he incinerated Hikoichi's corpse.
His earlier risky approach wasn't aimed at killing Hikoichi outright but at carving a space-time marker onto him.
If the marker succeeded, as long as the opponent wasn't in rapid motion, Kyosuke could ambush them anytime, anywhere.
It was like handing the enemy a death notice.
Below the clan head level, it was almost impossible to react effectively in such a short time.
The only downside was that the space-time marker couldn't be used as a regular tactic.
Avoiding clothes to make direct contact with the enemy's body required an opportunity that could just as well be used to stab them with a kunai.
Unless situations like today arose, where he risked severe injury to force an exchange, it was nearly impossible to find such a chance.
If word got out, the chances of successfully marking someone would become even slimmer.
Many would rather take a hit than let him succeed.
After destroying the scene and disposing of Hikoichi's corpse, Kyosuke used the Flying Raijin technique to leave.
---
Ten minutes later.
"Quick, there are signs of a battle up ahead," a pursuing squad arrived on the scene.
Akimichi Mitsutoshi was in charge of this pursuit mission. Frankly, he hadn't felt this invigorated in a long time.
Although the enemy leader had escaped, wiping out the Uchiha troops would be enough to restore their clan's tarnished reputation.
"Report to the clan leader," said a scout returning from examining the battlefield with urgent news.
"What did you say?"
Mitsutoshi pushed past his subordinate and hurried to the charred corpse lying on the ground.
After a careful inspection, he was overjoyed to confirm that the scorched body was indeed Uchiha Hikoichi.
He didn't care to question the details. All that mattered now was taking the body back to claim credit.
With such an achievement, his position as the Akimichi clan leader was secure.
As for the Uchiha's retaliation, it wasn't his concern.
They were planning to retreat anyway; who cared about grudges now?
---
The news spread like wildfire.
Both enemy and ally forces quickly learned of the event.
In the Uchiha camp:
Smash!
A tea cup shattered violently as the commander-in-chief struggled to suppress his laughter, trying his best to maintain a facade of outrage.
"Nara Higashihiko… Pfft, what a vile act."
Pinching his thigh hard, he barely managed to stifle his laughter.
After calming himself, Uchiha Rei finally issued his "furious" command.
"We must avenge this. Uchiha blood must not be spilled in vain!"
He ordered the injured Kyosuke to stay back in the camp while personally leading a force to quell the southern rebellion.
After today, the southern territories would be his to command.
The thought made him giddy with excitement.
"Hahaha!"
When he was finally alone, the elder couldn't hold back his laughter any longer.
Outside his tent, several captains exchanged glances but remained silent, pretending not to hear their leader's laughter.
As for Kyosuke, he didn't bother participating in this farce.
Everyone understood what had happened. There was no need to say it aloud.
Kyosuke needed rest and had no time for theatrics.
Uchiha Rei now held ultimate authority, second only to the clan head.
At this point, no one dared to challenge him, not even if he decided to dance on Hikoichi's grave.
Unlike Rei, Kyosuke had no aspirations of leading the clan. He simply did as he pleased.
---
Half a month passed quickly.
The three major clans that had once dominated the southern territories of the Land of Fire withdrew from the conflict entirely, migrating en masse to the Land of Lightning to find a place to rebuild.
They had officially left the competition for supremacy.
Meanwhile, the Senju clan launched relentless retaliatory attacks, furious at the Uchiha's actions.
Under the combined assault of the Senju and Uzumaki clans, the Uchiha forces on the frontlines suffered one defeat after another.
They were pushed to the brink of annihilation.
With no other options, Clan Head Tajima finally swallowed his pride and requested reinforcements from Uchiha Rei's southern army.
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Rei refrained from using this opportunity for leverage.
With a grand gesture, he dispatched 200 of his best fighters, led by Vice Commander Kyosuke, to the Land of Fire's central region for a decisive battle against the Senju.
Including his own elite troops, Kyosuke now commanded a total of 253 ninja.
"Senju clan… I've been looking forward to meeting you."
[Chapter End's]
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