But this relief was quickly replaced by an even heavier pressure.
The Kaguya Clan Ninjas were like madmen; they abandoned all defense and only cared about their frantic charge. Wherever their Bone Blades slashed, whether it was Uchiha Ninja or Commoner Ninja, none could escape death.
A Kaguya Clan Member even charged into the Uchiha formation while clutching a bomb. After a thunderous explosion, only a mangled ruin of flesh and blood remained.
"Clan Chief! Twenty-three of our Clan Members have already fallen! Another seventeen are heavily wounded and have lost their combat capability!" The Messenger Ninja's voice carried a sob as he handed over the casualty list. The dense pack of names stung Fugaku's eyes.
These three hundred-plus Clan Members were the final Foundation of the Moderate Faction. If they continued to suffer such losses, even if they held the battlefield, he would have no way to answer to the clan.
"No! We must request reinforcements!" Fugaku turned abruptly toward Nara Shikagen beside him, his tone resolute. "If this continues, the defense line facing the Hidden Mist will completely collapse! When the Kirigakure Ninja drive straight in, the Land of Fire's border will be finished!"
Nara Shikagen frowned, his face full of difficulty.
He was the "Assistant Official" sent by the Hokage, but in reality, he was an informant sent to monitor Fugaku. The orders he received were to "restrain the Uchiha's combat power and not allow them to mobilize troops privately."
He spread his hands, his tone helpless: "Fugaku-kun, we already requested reinforcements once three days ago.
Hokage-sama replied saying that the Sunagakure battlefield is pinned down by Lady Chiyo, and Lord Jiraiya's side at Kumogakure is nearly at its limit. He truly cannot spare any men to support us."
"Can't spare any men? Then surely it's fine for me to transfer another group of Ninja from the clan!" Fugaku's voice suddenly rose, carrying an uncontrollable fury. "The Moderate Faction still has many Young and Strong Ninja. As long as they arrive, we can stabilize the defense line!"
Nara Shikagen's expression instantly turned sour. He subconsciously tightened his grip on the scroll at his waist—that was the Hokage's Secret Order, strictly forbidding Fugaku from privately mobilizing the clan's forces.
But looking at the increasingly tragic battlefield below and hearing the screams of the Clan Members, he finally relented: "This... alright. I will message Hokage-sama one more time to explain the emergency here, but I really cannot guarantee whether it will be approved."
Fugaku said no more, merely turning back toward the battlefield.
The blood-red light in the mist grew more dazzling as the Kaguya Clan's charge continued. Shisui's red figure darted through the chaotic army like a faint yet tenacious flame.
He knew that the Konoha High Command likely wouldn't approve the request—they eagerly hoped to use the Hidden Mist's hand to consume the Uchiha's combat power. But he had no choice; he could only pin his hopes on this final message to bring a glimmer of a turning point.
A cold, damp wind swirled with mist up onto the Command Tower. Fugaku's cloak flapped loudly, and his eyes were filled with exhaustion and anxiety.
This war was already no longer just a confrontation between Konoha and the Hidden Mist; it was a struggle for the Uchiha's survival under the Konoha High Command's schemes. He had to hold the defense line and protect these remaining Clan Members. Otherwise, the Moderate Faction would be completely annihilated, and the Uchiha's future would sink into even deeper darkness.
In the top-floor office of the Hokage Building, smoke permeated like thick ink, enveloping Hiruzen Sarutobi's figure within it.
The Dry Tobacco Pipe between his fingers sizzled. The ashes from the burning yellowish-brown tobacco fell onto the desk covered in scrolls, mixing with ink stains like some kind of foul mark.
Fugaku's request for reinforcements was pinched between his fingers. The edges of the paper had been yellowed by smoke, and the urgency between the lines only turned into a trace of elusive cold light in his eyes.
"Fugaku has sent another request for reinforcements," Hiruzen's voice came through the smoke with a hint of deliberate lamentation, as if he were truly worried about the situation at the front. "It seems the blood mist policy on the Hidden Mist's side has indeed put quite a bit of pressure on them."
He slowly raised his eyes. Deep within those eyes, which seemed clouded by age, lay a serpentine suspicion—was Fugaku intentionally showing weakness to take the chance to recall the clan's forces and strengthen the Moderate Faction's power?
"So what if the pressure is high?" A biting female voice immediately rang out. Mitokado Homura sat on a rattan chair in the corner, her arms crossed, her lips curled in blatant disdain. "The Village is currently attacked from all sides. Chiyo of Sunagakure, A of Kumogakure, and Ōnoki of Iwagakure are all watching like tigers from the sidelines. How could there be any extra manpower to save a pack of ungrateful wolves?"
Her voice was sharp, like poison-dipped needles. "The Uchiha Clan is merely relying on their Sharingan; do they really think they are Konoha's heroes? In my view, they are no different from penned-up livestock. It's just that these beasts' claws are too sharp, so we must watch them carefully."
Her words met no rebuttal, as if this were a tacit consensus among the high command.
Homura Mitokado rubbed the short beard on his chin, his brow slightly furrowed. He seemed to be in deep thought, but his eyes were full of calculations weighing the pros and cons: "Homura's words are harsh, but they make sense. However, we cannot let the Moderate Faction suffer too heavy a loss."
He paused and looked at Hiruzen. "Once Fugaku's people are all dead, the Radical Faction will inevitably take the opportunity to rise. When the clan falls into chaos, it will be hard for us to pick up the pieces."
"More importantly," Homura Mitokado added, "if the Hidden Mist truly breaks through the defense line and rushes into the Land of Fire to plunder, the Daimyo will certainly hold us accountable. We can't exactly tell the Daimyo that we intentionally let the defense line collapse just to consume the Uchiha, can we? Reducing military funds would be a small matter; shaking the Foundation of our rule would be the real disaster."
His fingers tapped the desk unconsciously, each strike reflecting the protection of his own interests.
"Hmph, womanly compassion." A sinister voice came from the shadows of the office as Danzo Shimura slowly walked out, his black Root Organization cloak dragging on the ground, leaving a dark trail.
His single eye flashed with greedy light, like a jackal seeing its prey. "If you ask me, we should take this opportunity to thoroughly grasp the Uchiha in our hands! Send a message to Fugaku, telling him to defend the line to the death and not retreat a single step! If he dares to disobey, frame him with the crime of 'Colluding with the Hidden Mist,' and I will lead the Root Organization to directly wipe out the Uchiha Clan Compound!"
A cruel smile curved at the corners of Danzo's mouth: "Let Fugaku and his Moderate Faction fight to the death against the Hidden Mist's Bloodline Limit Ninja; it would be best if both sides were crippled.
By then, once the Uchiha's elites are mostly dead, we will step in to 'clean up the mess.' We can claim credit with the Hidden Mist's heads and simultaneously take over the Uchiha's Sharingan and clan property. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"
His single eye stared intently at Hiruzen, his tone full of allure. "Think about it, Hiruzen. The Uchiha's thousand-year Legacy of wealth, and those Sharingan geniuses who haven't yet achieved Awakening... as long as we control them, Konoha's strength will reach a new level!"...
Advance chapter available on pãtrêon Got1808