The war between the two great clans had dragged on for half a month.
Aside from the overwhelming presence of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, whose names alone could cow all others, Chu Yang's name had also begun to enter the public eye among the younger generation.
And with fame came danger.
Once the Uchiha learned that Chu Yang was being groomed with full effort by both Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju as a successor, they became resolute in their determination to kill him.
A genius even Hashirama Senju valued so highly would inevitably become a fatal threat to the Uchiha Clan in the future. They absolutely could not allow a second Hashirama Senju to appear!
As a result, in the battles that followed, Chu Yang received especially "warm treatment" from the enemy.
Wherever Chu Yang appeared, that place immediately became the second focal point of the battlefield—right after Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha themselves.
Tobirama Senju was no fool either. He seemed to have anticipated the enemy's intentions long ago, deliberately using Chu Yang as "bait" to spring several beautifully executed ambushes.
Yet even that failed to extinguish the Uchiha Clan's obsession with killing Chu Yang in the cradle.
As long as Chu Yang dared to step onto the battlefield, they would send elite members of their clan to surround and slaughter him without regard for their own lives.
The sheer scale of manpower and the almost hysterical fanaticism far exceeded expectations, rendering later ambushes far less effective than before.
By this point, matters had begun to slip beyond Tobirama Senju's control.
By the time he realized it…It was already too late to withdraw Chu Yang from the front lines.
Amid the fierce struggle between both sides, Chu Yang had become a symbol of sorts on the battlefield. If he were pulled back for protection now, it would deal a devastating blow to the Senju Clan's momentum.
And that would render the advantages Tobirama had painstakingly built in previous battles meaningless.
Thus, both sides were forced to revolve around Chu Yang!
They poured in more troops, raised the stakes higher and higher, and launched battles of unimaginable ferocity.
In terms of influence over the war's overall direction, Chu Yang's importance had even surpassed that of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha's own clashes.
Late into the night.
The Uchiha Clan's camp.
Madara Uchiha and his younger brother Izuna Uchiha were discussing the war's decisive turning point inside a brightly lit secret chamber.
"Brother, if this drags on any longer, the situation will turn completely against us," Izuna said, his eyes bloodshot under the immense mental strain. "We have to go all in—gather the remaining genjutsu experts of the clan and eliminate that brat called Senju Yang."
"Once he's dead, the Senju Clan's soaring morale will instantly crash to the bottom. At that point, this war will be as good as won!"
Madara did not respond immediately. His gaze remained fixed on the sand table, studying the interwoven pieces. Just as Izuna said, the Senju were steadily eroding their power.
If things continued like this, defeat was only a matter of time.
"You will personally lead this operation," Madara finally said heavily. "It must succeed. If it fails, we will have no chance left to turn the tide."
Izuna nodded and turned to leave the chamber.
Watching his brother's departing figure, Madara felt a flicker of regret. If possible, he would have preferred to go himself—but he had to hold Hashirama Senju on the frontal battlefield.
Aside from him, no one in the Uchiha Clan could withstand Hashirama.
And the reverse was equally true.
That very night, Izuna Uchiha summoned ten of the clan's strongest genjutsu specialists, preparing to infiltrate the Senju camp and assassinate Chu Yang.
The Uchiha Clan naturally had many more who excelled at genjutsu, but for an assassination, the more people involved, the greater the risk of something going wrong.
After repeated deliberation, Izuna determined that ten was the optimal number. Among them were even individuals meant to serve as expendable pawns if necessary.
They all understood clearly.
They would not hesitate.
Under the moonlight, the group silently melted into the darkness.
At the same time, Chu Yang had already returned to his tent after a full day of fighting.
Yet for some reason, he simply couldn't fall asleep.
His eyelids were heavy with exhaustion, but every time he was about to drift off, he would jolt awake.
"What kind of weird negative debuff is this?"
After tossing and turning for a long time, Chu Yang sat up on the edge of the bed, muttering irritably, before falling into self-doubt.
"Could it be… I'm physically drained?"
"Peh, peh, peh, peh!"
The moment the thought surfaced, Chu Yang immediately rejected it. He was a young man in the prime of his vigor—how could he possibly be weak?
If it wasn't physical, then it had to be mental.
When it came to the mind, Chu Yang realized that not only had his Haki grown stronger, but his intuition on the battlefield had also become far sharper than before.
"There must be danger nearby, otherwise I wouldn't feel this restless!"
A flash of insight struck him. Chu Yang immediately activated his Observation Haki, fully enveloping his surroundings.
Through his perception, he sensed eleven unfamiliar presences slipping past the Senju sentries and rapidly approaching his location.
"An assassination?" Chu Yang sneered coldly, instantly grasping the Uchiha Clan's intent. He hadn't expected them to actually target him for assassination.
He formed a Wood Release clone, leaving it in the bed, while he himself quietly slipped away.
He planned to call in reinforcements and trap them in a perfect ambush.
To deceive the enemy completely, Chu Yang didn't inform the guards posted outside.
On the other side, Izuna Uchiha led the clan's elites as they broke through the Senju defenses. At every checkpoint, a genjutsu specialist silently put the guards to sleep.
After pushing through layer after layer of security, Izuna and his men finally reached the area near Chu Yang's tent. Once the guards at the entrance were dealt with, their mission would be all but complete.
At Izuna's signal, five genjutsu experts acted simultaneously, quietly dragging the guards into illusionary slumber.
"Lord Izuna… isn't this going a little too smoothly?" the oldest man in the group suddenly asked.
"All the most skilled genjutsu users of the clan are here," Izuna replied coldly. "If even this fails, then there's no point continuing this war against the Senju. We might as well surrender."
The old man gave a bitter smile and said no more, retreating back into the formation.
Leaving the others outside, Izuna lifted the tent flap and entered alone.
Inside, he saw the sleeping "Chu Yang," his face etched with exhaustion.
"So young…"
The moment Izuna saw Chu Yang's face, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He himself was already considered a standout among the younger generation of the shinobi world—yet Chu Yang was even younger than him.
To kill such a young genius—even as an enemy—filled Izuna with regret.
But he understood all too well: mercy toward the enemy was cruelty toward oneself. If Chu Yang were allowed to grow, what awaited the Uchiha Clan might very well be hell itself.
At that thought, Izuna's expression twisted with ferocity. He drew a kunai and stabbed viciously toward Chu Yang's neck!
The instant the kunai pierced "Chu Yang's" throat, the feedback transmitted through the blade drained all color from Izuna's face.
"Wood Clone?!!"
(End of Chapter)
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