Ten White Zetsu dropped down from above. They surrounded Yingyue, swinging their right arms in long arcs, clenched fists smashing down with the force of a thousand catties!
Whoosh—
A perfect pitch-black arc spun through the air.
Where the black blade Dark Moon passed, a silent, desolate edge lingered.
The White Zetsu showed looks of confusion and shock.
In the next instant, their heads and fists cleanly separated from their bodies, falling to the ground like rain.
Yingyue sheathed the blade with elegance.
He glanced sideways at the black sword, carefully feeling the sensation of the strike.
The hilt of Dark Moon felt soft and delicate to the touch. The blade itself was light, and when it cut into the White Zetsu's hardened bodies, it felt like slicing through flowing water—no resistance at all.
And beyond that…
It gave Yingyue a powerful sense of desire.
As if it could carry energy—and was waiting for its master to fill it.
Yingyue stared at Dark Moon in his right hand, raised his left hand, and formed the Tiger Seal, converting the chakra within his body into fire nature.
A scorching, blazing energy condensed from the chakra pathways throughout his body, gathering toward his throat.
Instead of releasing it, Yingyue diverted this blazing fire chakra along an unconventional path—pulling it into his sword-wielding right hand.
A strange scene unfolded.
Dark Moon reacted like parched earth meeting rain. Pitch-black, eerie mist billowed around Yingyue's right hand. Through his skin, the mist absorbed the fire-nature chakra contained in his arm and infused it into the blade.
In an instant—
The air itself seemed to ignite. The temperature skyrocketed.
From below the hilt, the straight blade of Dark Moon erupted into searing black flames, as hot as Amaterasu's fire—burning as if they would never go out.
"So this is… chakra attribute enchantment?"
Yingyue showed a rare look of surprise. He could foresee that if Dark Moon struck an enemy now, it would carry a burning effect from fire-nature chakra itself.
The White Zetsu attacking the Uchiha suddenly halted and turned their heads.
They keenly sensed the sharp rise in temperature and the drying air in the area.
White Zetsu, who possessed Wood Release, were extremely sensitive to changes in humidity and heat.
Their brows lifted, eyes wide, staring at the black-flamed blade in Yingyue's hand—revealing the instinctive fear of beasts facing a natural predator.
What plant doesn't fear fire…
The White Zetsu stopped attacking.
The Uchiha fighting desperately nearby finally caught their breath, hurriedly supporting wounded comrades and regrouping to avoid being scattered again.
They also noticed something shocking—
Their captain, Yingyue, had changed.
"What kind of ninjutsu… is that?"
One Uchiha stared unblinking at Dark Moon wreathed in black flames.
The question was beyond anyone's knowledge.
No one answered.
Yingyue walked straight toward the White Zetsu. The black flames on Dark Moon surged violently, as if they were about to melt the world itself.
Dark Moon continuously absorbed fire-nature chakra to maintain this enchanted state.
Fortunately—
The effects of the pill he had taken earlier had not yet ended.
At this moment, Yingyue's strength and chakra recovery speed were ten times his normal state!
Though terrified, the White Zetsu faced the black flames and retreated two steps. Their faces twisted into ferocity once more.
They abandoned the nearby Uchiha and swarmed toward Yingyue alone.
Boom—
The blazing black flames flared again.
Yingyue swung Dark Moon. Wherever the long blade passed, it was as if a wall of black fire ignited.
His movements were swift and fluid, weaving through the encirclement.
Each slash of Dark Moon cut multiple White Zetsu cleanly in half. Instantly afterward, the raging black flames incinerated their bodies.
White Zetsu possessed extraordinary vitality—ordinary ninja blades or kunai couldn't kill them outright.
But before flames that would not extinguish until everything was burned away, they were nothing more than firewood awaiting cremation.
The Uchiha stood stunned.
They had never seen Yingyue fight like this.
Izumi and Mikoto stared at him in a daze.
"Don't just stand there!"
Uchiha Nanfeng shouted, forming hand seals. He refined his chakra into fire nature, gathered it in his throat, and unleashed Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu.
In an instant—
The other Uchiha followed suit, releasing different Fire Release techniques.
One blazing fireball after another slammed into the clustered White Zetsu. Flames lit up the night sky, thick smoke billowing, fire roaring upward.
The battle became completely one-sided.
The remaining few White Zetsu froze in terror.
What awaited them was Dark Moon severing their heads—and black flames reducing their bodies to ash.
Even after the White Zetsu were completely burned, the high-temperature black flames continued for half a minute before finally extinguishing.
Far away—
In the forest.
Reflected in Obito's Kamui Mangekyō was a sea of fire. His expression darkened.
A pill that instantly restored stamina and mental strength.
A pitch-black blade burning with black flames.
"How many secrets are you hiding?"
Obito clenched his teeth, eyes wide. He realized he was increasingly unable to gauge this clansman.
…
On the rugged mountain path.
Yingyue dominated the battlefield until the remaining White Zetsu could be handled by the Uchiha themselves.
He stopped supplying chakra to Dark Moon.
The medicine's effects had worn off.
Fatigue showed on Yingyue's face.
Without fire-nature chakra, the black flames on Dark Moon slowly faded and extinguished, returning the blade to its pitch-black, seemingly ordinary form.
"How much longer?"
Yingyue calmly looked at Nono U.
"Eight minutes!"
Nono U's face was tense. She bit her lip, sweat beading on her forehead as her hands continued pouring out medical ninjutsu.
Under the green chakra glow, Tamayū's wounds had recovered about sixty percent—far from healed.
Yingyue frowned, then turned and walked toward the gathered Uchiha, his cold gaze sweeping across them.
The Uchiha who were executing fallen White Zetsu felt chills down their backs under their captain's stare.
After a brief inspection, Yingyue's eyes stopped on Uchiha Mikoto.
He strode forward, grabbed her slender wrist, ignored her glare, and dragged her to Nono U.
After the battle, the elegant matron was drenched in sweat. The sleeves of her long dress were soaked, bearing shallow kunai puncture marks.
In the darkness, they were hard to notice.
"What are you doing?!"
Mikoto's face tensed.
Rip—
The sound of tearing fabric rang out.
Mikoto's cheeks flushed instantly as she froze in place. The moment she finished speaking, Yingyue violently tore away the sleeve over her right arm, revealing the kunai wound.
Skin like snow.
Blood staining her lotus-white arm.
"Ah—"
Even Nono U was startled. The nun's face reddened as she mistakenly thought Yingyue was about to do something improper to this elegant noblewoman right in front of her.
Nono U instantly became alert.
Still holding Mikoto, Yingyue asked calmly:
"How long will it take to heal her wound?"
"Healing a wound like this will only take ten seconds or so,"
Nono U replied seriously, staring at Yingyue.
"Treat her first."
Yingyue pulled the slightly resisting Mikoto straight in front of Nono U.
"O-okay!"
Nono U stood up, rubbing her legs that had gone numb from crouching, and activated medical ninjutsu to treat Mikoto.
The surrounding Uchiha all lowered their heads, cleaning the battlefield while sneaking quick glances at Yingyue and Mikoto—then quickly looking away.
A sound of earth breaking echoed nearby.
Everyone noticed—
Under the night sky, beyond the battlefield, another batch of White Zetsu emerged from the ground one after another, like bamboo shoots after rain—three times the previous number!
And at that very moment—
Mikoto's arm wound healed.
A notification appeared in Yingyue's mind.
[Side Quest]: Heal a Teammate
[Objective]:
Heal a teammate.
Mission Complete!
[Reward]: Green Medicine
(End of Chapter)