Chapter 21 : And the World Turns Red

Retreating through the trees to avoid being detected, Kaede felt like her life was at stake in this game of hide and seek.

In the distance, a team of three Senju members raced through the forest, meticulously searching for any sign of Kaede.

Their gazes were stern; those who were accustomed to living on the battlefield opposite the Uchiha were not the type to laugh every day. Looking at their facial expressions, one might even wonder if they had ever laughed once in their lives.

Concealing her presence, Kaede let this team pass, disappearing into the horizon.

Her breath was almost imperceptible, sweat trickling down her forehead, but she was unwavering in her determination to continue.

For her, it was as if she were on the verge of touching freedom. If she could manage to escape the Senju territory, her chances of being recovered by her clan would be greatly diminished, at least for a while.

Taking a deep breath, she resumed her run, though slower now and without leaping from tree to tree.

...

On the other side, a bit further beyond the Senju outpost, a patrol of three Senju members traversed their patrol area in search of Kaede Uzumaki.

"Do you think we really have a chance of finding her?" one of the Senju members asked.

"We don't have a choice; we must find her. If, by any chance, she were to cross the border, her death would be certain. What will the Uzumaki clan think of us? We need them, and our friendship could deteriorate after this incident," replied his companion.

Continuing their search in silence, no one felt like talking under these conditions.

Time was against them, and the longer the search took, the greater the risk that the young Uzumaki would no longer be able to return to the clan...

Like a prophetic message, the once gentle and calm wind began to whistle louder and louder through the trees. Leaves danced in the air, as if they were silent witnesses to an imminent event, ready to share their secrets with those who sought to understand. Nature itself seemed to be reacting to the changes that would soon disrupt this peaceful landscape.

The noise of branches and leaves made the search even more challenging than it already was. The Senju group had to redouble their efforts to pay attention to every detail, every movement, every sound...

In this atmosphere, where every ounce of their being was on high alert, they heard a suspicious sound.

Coming to a sudden stop without making a sound, they focused on determining the source of the sound.

The more they concentrated, the clearer the sound became. It wasn't the sound of the wind or an animal; it was the sound of footsteps.

Someone was running.

With a feeling of joy coursing through them, the image of the young Uzumaki appeared in their minds. Would they finally find her?

But this joy was short-lived as they listened more attentively. It wasn't just the sound of one person running; it was multiple.

But, more importantly, the sounds were coming from the east and getting closer.

Drawing their tantos, they prepared for the worst. No one had forgotten where they were and in what world they lived.

And as the footsteps drew closer, a red flare erupted a bit further in their direction, and another, and another.

The red flares were a means for patrols to signal the arrival of a threat, and in less than ten seconds, nearly ten flares had been sent into their vicinity, turning the once-dark sky entirely red.

The only thing they saw next was the arrival of several ninjas dressed in black with blood-red eyes running toward them.

But who were they? The Senju!

They didn't stand idly by; with perfect coordination, they fired a flare into the sky and deflected the shurikens that came to claim their lives.

With a firm footing on the ground, they sped toward the outpost to join the others and hold the line of defense. It was not a battle they could win alone. Through the red light of the flares, they could see several silhouettes chasing after them, all with Sharingan eyes.

What was happening to them was not a unique event. Everywhere in the forest around the outpost, patrol teams were running for their lives, hurrying back to the outpost.

Some teams had not been lucky enough to escape in time, while others fought facing the Uchiha in a battle to the death.

...

Masato, who was waiting in silence at the outpost, also saw the various flares sent into the sky and froze.

Of all nights, it had to happen that night.

One didn't need to be a genius to understand what was happening beneath those flares. It was an attack, and the only ones who could attack them from that direction were their age-old enemies, the Uchiha.

What he saw and thought, all the Senju in the vicinity were thinking as well.

And as all the patrols returned to the outpost with all their might, Kaede, hiding from the various teams passing near her, also saw the crimson tint in the sky.

While the sky turned red, the forest floor also became stained red, a blood-red.

The Uchiha army, which had originally planned to attack the outpost under the cover of night, had not anticipated so many patrols being sent into the field. Perhaps it was a twist of fate, but the disappearance of Princess Uzumaki had led to an increase in patrols, turning what was supposed to be a surprise attack into a face-to-face battle.

The Senju were already equipped with their weapons and armor, No one was sleeping for a long time, and the different teams were already on the ground.

The unluckiest were the few patrols that had encountered the Uchiha upstream.

Few survived...

The Uchiha, expecting a slightly slower response from the Senju, did not lose sight of their objectives.

Emerging from the forest in front of the outpost, their red eyes captured every detail that appeared before them.

Facing them were a little over two hundred armed and ready-to-fight Senju members. Masato Senju, in the front line, harbored no fear, no hesitation, no doubt within him.

The two sides looked at each other with hatred and rage. They were the two most powerful clans of this era, direct descendants of the Sage of the Six Paths, the one who was at the origin of the ninja world.

Their feats were well known, and their existence was feared by many.

"AAAAAAAHH!"

No one knew who had started screaming first, but in a chain reaction, whether it was the Senju or the Uchiha, everyone began to scream their anger and hatred.

In this confrontation, some elite members of the Uchiha clan coordinated and launched a fire release technique to initiate hostilities.

"Katon – Karyū Endan!"

And as dragons of fire, measuring dozens of meters in length, appeared across the front line, the Senju, as one, launched their earth and water releases according to their affinities.

"Suiton – Water Bomb!"

"Doton – Earth Barrier!"

Halting the fire dragons in their tracks, the water evaporated, reducing visibility, while the earth walls remained solid, creating natural barriers against the Uchiha.

Attacking in all directions, the battlefield became a true chaos.

Masato Senju, who was now at the forefront of the attack, found himself in the midst of the melee, facing none other than Masaaki Uchiha. Before this opponent, Masato could not afford any mistakes, and in fact, in front of him, Masaaki proudly displayed his blood-red Mangekyō Sharingan.

For Masato, who had fought him quite a few times on the battlefield, Masaaki's abilities were no longer a mystery. With his right eye allowing him to amplify the power of his ninjutsu and his left eye allowing him to replenish his chakra as if he had never consumed any, Masaaki Uchiha was an expert in long-range combat.

Masato Senju, on the other hand, specialized in close-quarters sword combat and would therefore focus on ways to get closer to his target.

While these two great powers clashed, making many battles pale in comparison among those on the battlefield, a new group emerged from the forest armed with tantos and kunai.

The unique color of their hair betrayed their identities.

Koji Uzumaki, accompanied by some members of his clan, had caught up and found themselves face to face with the battle unfolding before their eyes.

The forest had begun to burn in several different places.

Cries came from all directions.

The sky and the ground had turned blood-red.

And in this atmosphere of war and death, the young Uzumaki princess was nowhere to be found.

"But where are you, Miss..."