Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

Truth be told, the members of the Uchiha clan were experiencing a complex mix of emotions. The reason they had come here was, frankly, not very honorable.

As the Uchiha who had stayed behind in Konoha, they naturally couldn't be called elites. The true elites of the clan had mostly been taken to the front lines by Uchiha Fugaku.

Those who remained were merely ordinary clansmen who had awakened their Sharingan but lacked extensive combat experience.

They could handle the daily duties of the Police Force, but when it came to life-and-death battles on the battlefield, they fell far short.

Their feelings toward Uchiha Taiga were complicated. There was resentment, but also admiration.

The resentment stemmed from the fact that this youth had never cared about the clan. From childhood, he had rejected the clan's arrangements, refused to interact with other clansmen, and even declined to move into the new clan compound.

The clan elders called him ignorant of the bigger picture, while his peers called him a misfit. Many of them had participated in the cold remarks, ostracization, and isolation that Uchiha Taiga had endured while growing up.

At the time, they felt it was completely justified. Why should the clan care about someone who didn't care about the clan?

But things were different now.

The Uchiha were a clan that worshipped power, a trait perfectly embodied by its members. If you were strong, they would submit to you.

Uchiha Taiga had manifested the Susanoo, a power unmatched by anyone since Uchiha Madara.

He was only fourteen, not even an adult, and his potential was far from reaching its peak. Some in the clan were already privately asserting that he would one day reach Uchiha Madara's level.

Uchiha Madara.

He was the absolute pinnacle of the Uchiha, the most distant and dazzling star in the heart of every clansman. If the Uchiha clan could produce another Uchiha Madara, what kind of glorious future would await them?

Unfortunately, such a genius was completely alienated from the clan, which was a deeply frustrating reality.

This was the root of their conflicted feelings. They wanted to rely on his strength, yet knew he had no desire to be their pillar. They wanted to get closer to him, but didn't know how to bridge the gap. They wanted to make amends for their past coldness and ostracization, but couldn't swallow their pride.

But the situation had changed. The village was trying to kill Uchiha Taiga.

In the eyes of the Uchiha, this was absolutely unacceptable.

Whether Uchiha Taiga was loyal to the clan and the village targeting him were two entirely different matters.

No matter what, he was still an Uchiha. Whether it was his Byakugan or his Mangekyo Sharingan, they were the power of the Uchiha. For the village to make a move against him was a direct provocation against the entire Uchiha clan.

Moreover, if they stepped in now, it might change Uchiha Taiga's view of the clan.

This was crucial.

"Lady Mikoto, what should we do?" a young Uchiha clansman asked in a low voice. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan glowed red as he stared intently in the direction Sarutobi Hiruzen had gone.

Uchiha Mikoto didn't look back; her gaze was locked on the exact same spot.

"Charge through and save Taiga."

Her voice was quiet but resolute.

"Yes!"

The Uchiha behind her answered in unison.

They moved. Dozens of figures dashed forward simultaneously at breakneck speed, intending to slip past the hesitating ANBU and Hyuga Branch House ninjas to catch up with Sarutobi Hiruzen and stop him from attacking Uchiha Taiga.

"Halt!"

An ANBU operative rushed out from the flank, blocking Uchiha Mikoto's path. Gripping a kunai, his eyes glared at her from behind his mask.

"Uchiha, what are you trying to do?"

More ANBU and Hyuga Branch House ninjas surrounded them.

Their expressions were tense; some hands trembled slightly as they gripped their ninjato, while others had unsteady fingers as they formed hand signs.

They knew very well that although the Uchiha before them weren't the absolute elites, the sheer oppressive pressure of dozens of activated Sharingan was not something just anyone could withstand.

If the Uchiha were pushed to the brink, the situation would spiral completely out of control.

"Step aside."

Uchiha Mikoto's voice was calm but unyielding.

The ANBU operative didn't move, nor did his comrades behind him. However, they didn't attack either. They simply stood frozen, caught in a dilemma.

Uchiha Mikoto didn't say another word. She raised her hand and signaled to the people behind her.

Dozens of Uchiha accelerated simultaneously, weaving through the gaps between the ANBU and Hyuga Branch House ninjas.

Some bypassed them on the left, some flanked from the right, and others leaped directly overhead. The intercepting ninjas tried to stop them, but the Sharingan predicted all their movements, rendering every attempt futile.

In the blink of an eye, the Uchiha had broken through the blockade and were chasing toward the outskirts of the village.

The ANBU and Hyuga Branch House ninjas didn't dare to launch a direct attack, left with no choice but to watch them leave.

On the other side, Sarutobi Hiruzen had also heard Uchiha Mikoto's voice.

His heart sank.

The Uchiha clan had come after all. The situation was spiraling in a direction he could no longer control.

But he had no way back now. Sweeping his gaze over the Sealing Squad behind him, he raised his hand and gave a signal.

The ANBU of the Sealing Squad understood. Their speed abruptly increased as chakra erupted beneath their feet. Their figures traced several arcs through the air as they sprinted toward where Uchiha Taiga had landed.

Uchiha Taiga's feet had just touched the ground.

Outside the village walls lay a wide, open clearing, bordered by a dense forest further out. He steadied himself, rolled his wrists, and looked around.

Four figures descended simultaneously from four directions.

East, south, west, and north—four positions, four people.

They wore standard ANBU uniforms and cat-faced masks. Each of them was already rapidly forming hand signs.

"Four Violet Flames Formation!"

The four shouted in unison. Chakra surged from their bodies, converging around Uchiha Taiga.

Four purple chakra barriers rose from the four cardinal directions, forming a cubic enclosure of light.

The pale purple, translucent barriers allowed visibility to the outside, but the walls of light themselves radiated a scorching heat.

The Four Violet Flames Formation was a barrier ninjutsu cast jointly by four Jonin from four directions. The walls of light were formed from highly condensed chakra, and any physical matter that touched them would be incinerated by the intense heat.

Uchiha Taiga lowered his hands, his eyes gleaming with interest.

He looked up at the outside of the barrier.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood a short distance away, still gripping the Adamantine Staff. His Hokage robes fluttered wildly in the night wind.

Behind him, more ANBU were rushing over. Some had already begun forming hand signs, while others were setting up an outer perimeter.

"Third Hokage, the Uchiha have arrived as well. How are you going to handle this now?"

As he spoke, bright yellow chakra began to surge around his body.

The chakra poured from within him, condensing outside his skin to gradually outline a massive skeletal structure.

Ribs, a spine, and arms—a half-body skeleton materialized inside the barrier, the bright yellow chakra emitting a soft glow.

The skeleton enveloped Uchiha Taiga, acting as a fortress tailor-made for him.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's pupils contracted slightly.

Susanoo.

The last time he saw it was in the ruins of the training ground, when this golden skeletal half-body had cleaved Uchiha Obito's blue Susanoo in half.

Now, it had appeared right here, right in front of him.

The four ANBU of the Sealing Squad didn't stop. They unrolled massive sealing scrolls from their backs, spreading them out in front of them. The scrolls were covered in dense, intricate cursed seals.

Biting their fingers, they smeared their blood across the parchment.

The next moment, the cursed seals seemed to come alive, floating off the scrolls and crawling along the ground before creeping up the glowing walls of the Four Violet Flames Formation.

The black seals intertwined and wrapped around the pale purple barrier, resembling a tightening net.

Uchiha Taiga glanced at the crawling seals, then looked away.

He didn't care.

His attention was focused on his own body. The skeletal frame of the Susanoo was fully formed, and next came the flesh and blood.

The bright yellow chakra condensed between the bones, transforming into muscles, meridians, and skin. The half-body skeleton morphed into a half-body giant. The giant's face was indistinct, with only a pair of crimson lights flashing where its eyes should be.

Then, the giant raised its right hand, palm facing upward, as if holding something invisible.

Chakra began to gather in its palm.

At first, it was just a tiny sphere, so small it was almost invisible. But the sphere spun rapidly, its rotation accelerating until it emitted a piercing hum.

The chakra sphere expanded as it spun, growing from the size of a grain of rice to an egg, then to a fist, and finally to the size of a human head.

Next came the influx of natural energy.

Natural energy surged into the sphere from all directions, fusing with the chakra, compressing, fusing again, and compressing further.

The color of the sphere changed.

It shifted from bright yellow to a deep, dark purplish-red, resembling the color of coagulated blood.

Immediately after, the sphere's volume rapidly expanded.

From the size of a head, to a bucket, to a massive millstone.

The chakra sphere spun furiously in Uchiha Taiga's palm, emitting a low, rumbling roar that sounded like distant thunder or a subterranean tremor.

The hands of the Sealing Squad ANBU slowed down.

As they stared at the sphere, the faces beneath their masks drained of color.

A violent wind pressure whipped up inside the Four Violet Flames Formation. The sheer oppressive force radiated through the barrier, making it difficult for them to even breathe.

Uchiha Taiga smiled. It wasn't a wide smile, but illuminated by the purplish-red glow, it looked exceptionally piercing.

"Third Hokage."

His voice echoed from within the Susanoo, perfectly calm.

"You didn't think that just because I mastered ninjutsu, my original abilities disappeared, did you?"

The chakra sphere had already swelled to three or four meters in diameter and was still growing. The purplish-red light illuminated the entire clearing, casting a glow over the faces of the ANBU, Sarutobi Hiruzen's Hokage robes, and the eyes of the approaching Uchiha.

"Very well."

Uchiha Taiga's voice rose slightly.

"I'll just use this to say goodbye to you all."

The chakra sphere stopped expanding.

Its diameter now exceeded five meters. Suspended in the palm of the Susanoo, it looked like a hoisted purplish-red sun.

Rippling waves continuously spread across the surface of the sphere, evidence of the violent flow of chakra within. A scorching scent filled the air, and even the wind seemed to have stopped.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's pupils shrank to pinpricks.

His mouth fell open, and a voice squeezed out of his throat, carrying a level of terror he had never heard from himself before.

"Tailed Beast Bomb?!"

It was exactly the same.

"Impossible..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice was so faint that only he could hear it.

But Uchiha Taiga heard it.

His smile grew even wider.