Chapter 26: The Ambush

The Uchiha moved swiftly under the cover of dusk, their cloaks rustling in the cool evening air as they ran. Asura stayed close behind Izuna, his senses sharp, scanning the path ahead for any signs of trouble. They had been running all day, pushing forward to intercept the Hyūga clan before they could form their alliance with the Senju. The tension was palpable, but no one spoke; they all knew what was at stake.

By the time the sky was completely dark, Tajima called for a halt, and the clan gathered to rest. Campfires flickered to life, casting long shadows across the ground, and the Uchiha began to settle in. Most of the clansmen laid down to sleep, their weapons close by, while a few were chosen to keep watch. The guards rotated every hour to ensure no one was left fatigued when it was time to resume their journey. Asura was assigned to the fourth rotation, giving him a chance to rest before his turn.

Hours passed, and eventually, Asura took his place as the others quietly switched shifts. He stood near the edge of the camp, his ears alert to the sounds of the night. The forest was quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves. Twenty minutes into his shift, he heard a faint noise in the bushes nearby. His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately activated his Sharingan, his left eye spinning as the familiar crimson hue illuminated his vision.

He scanned the area, but there was nothing out of the ordinary—no sudden movements, no chakra signatures that seemed out of place. He waited for a few more minutes, every muscle in his body tensed, before finally deactivating his Sharingan, though he remained on high alert. The unease wouldn't leave him, and he knew better than to let his guard down.

Ten minutes later, the silence was shattered. Without warning, shurikens and kunai came whizzing out of the darkness, aimed directly at him. Reacting instantly, Asura's Sharingan flickered back to life, his vision sharpening, and he drew his sword, deflecting the projectiles with precise, fluid movements.

"Attack!" he yelled, his voice echoing through the camp.

The sound jolted the sleeping Uchiha awake, and within seconds, they were up and rushing to his aid, weapons drawn, eyes scanning the darkness for enemies. Asura, however, didn't wait. He turned in the direction of the attack and dashed into the forest, his Sharingan guiding him as he followed the faint traces of chakra left behind. The adrenaline pumped through his veins, and he moved with practiced precision, each step silent as he weaved through the trees.

It didn't take long for him to spot them—six shinobi, their forms barely visible as they fled deeper into the woods. Asura activated his Lightning Armor, a crackle of electricity surging around his body, and burst forward, his speed increasing tenfold. Within moments, he was closing the distance, ready to intercept.

Sensing his approach, one of the shinobi formed a series of hand signs, slamming his hands to the ground. An Earth Wall erupted between Asura and his targets, separating the shinobi who had summoned it and four others from their cornered comrade. The remaining shinobi glanced back, eyes wide with fear, realizing he had been left behind.

Asura gritted his teeth, realizing the others were getting away, but he couldn't chase them without losing the one who had been trapped. If he couldn't capture all of them, he would make sure this one didn't escape. Without hesitation, he unleashed his Domination technique, pouring a significant amount of chakra into the jutsu. The air around him thickened, the pressure increasing until it was almost unbearable. The wind roared, and the unfortunate shinobi was forced to the ground, his body pinned under the weight of the air pressure, struggling to breathe.

The shinobi's eyes darted frantically, trying to fight back, but Asura's Sharingan caught his gaze. The crimson tomoe spun, and in an instant, the shinobi's vision blurred, his consciousness slipping away as Asura's genjutsu took effect. The shinobi slumped, knocked out cold by the illusion.

Asura released the Domination jutsu, the air returning to normal, and approached the fallen shinobi, slinging the unconscious body over his shoulder. He could feel the strain from using such a high level of chakra in a short amount of time, but he didn't allow himself to relax just yet. With his Sharingan still active, he scanned the surroundings, making sure there were no other threats nearby.

It wasn't long before the rest of the Uchiha arrived, weapons at the ready, eyes wide as they took in the scene before them. They saw the crater left in the ground, the soil shattered and broken from the force of Asura's technique, and in the center of it all stood Asura, holding the unconscious shinobi on his shoulder. Tajima arrived last, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation, but when he saw Asura standing there, uninjured and victorious, he nodded approvingly.

"Bring him over," Tajima ordered, his voice calm and authoritative.

Asura approached, shifting the weight of the shinobi on his shoulder, and handed him over to a couple of other Uchiha who stepped forward to take the prisoner. Tajima looked at Asura, the faintest hint of a smile on his lips. "Well done," he said. "We'll question him back at camp."

With that, the Uchiha retreated from the forest, making their way back to where they had set up their temporary base. The camp had been thrown into a state of heightened alert after Asura's warning, and everyone was now fully awake, eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of further attacks. But it seemed the enemy had retreated for now, and no one else came to challenge them.

The captured shinobi was secured, and Asura allowed himself a moment to breathe, feeling the exhaustion creeping in now that the adrenaline was starting to fade. He glanced around at his clansmen, many of whom nodded to him in acknowledgment, grateful that he had reacted quickly enough to prevent what could have been a disastrous ambush.

Tajima placed a hand on Asura's shoulder, his expression serious but filled with a rare trace of warmth. "Your instincts saved us tonight," he said. "Get some rest. We'll need our strength for tomorrow."

Asura nodded, his mind still buzzing from the encounter. "Understood," he replied. With a final glance at the captured shinobi, he made his way back to his tent, his muscles aching from the exertion. The night had been eventful, but the real battle was yet to come.

As he lay down to rest, his Sharingan deactivated, he thought about the Hyūga they would face tomorrow, and the Senju who still loomed as a persistent threat. For now, though, he allowed himself to close his eyes, letting sleep take over.