Arrival

The defiant voice echoed through the tent, leaving the members of the Uchiha clan paralyzed with astonishment.

Who dares?

How does someone dare to mock the Uchiha clan like this?

An Uchiha Jōnin, unable to contain his anger, stepped forward. His Sharingan glowed with barely contained fury. "Show yourself, coward!" he roared, his voice laden with contempt. "Where are you hiding, you who dare to...?"

But his words were drowned out by a sharp sound.

Suddenly, the air above the tent seemed to distort.

A flash of blinding light. In a fraction of a second, a beam of energy, intensely red and scorching, descended from above.

The laser, concentrated and precise, pierced through the roof of the tent. Its trajectory was unequivocal, heading directly towards the Jōnin who had dared to challenge the intruder.

The impact was instantaneous.

Boom!

A deafening explosion shook the tent. Where the Uchiha Jōnin had stood before, now only a circle of smoldering ashes remained.

"We're under attack!" shouted one of the Uchiha.

"Protect the patriarch!" ordered another, as chaos erupted in the tent.

In a matter of seconds, the high-ranking members of the Uchiha clan formed a protective circle around Futen, their Sharingan activated, ready for combat.

"What's happening...?" Futen muttered.

"Did I say something incorrect?"

The same cold voice that had challenged them resonated again: "Are you really the Uchiha clan? You can't even control a simple Kirigakure, and yet you plan to retreat to the Land of Fire?"

With a hissing sound, before the Uchiha could even blink, a figure appeared in the center of the tent.

Despite their powerful Sharingan, none of them had been able to follow the newcomer's movement.

"Who are you?" demanded one of the elders, his voice trembling slightly.

The Uchiha leaders exchanged looks of bewilderment and alarm. However, when their eyes fell on the intruder, a wave of recognition seemed to sweep through the group.

Futen was the first to react, his expression changing from surprise to astonishment. Fugaku, beside him, visibly paled. The first and second elders of the clan followed shortly after, their faces reflecting a mixture of fear and reverence.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the tent changed drastically.

"You're really a bunch of trash, blinded by that pair of eyes," Luo Lei declared disdainfully, his arms crossed over his chest.

"You Uchiha are nothing more than a pair of walking eyes."

Luo Lei's presence in the Land of Waves was no coincidence. After leaving the Land of Grass, he had flown directly here, taking advantage of his newly unlocked flying ability.

The journey, which would normally take days, had been reduced to mere hours.

And upon arrival, he had expected to find the Uchiha clan bravely resisting against the Kirigakure ninjas.

Instead, he encountered a pathetic scenario: the Konoha group, led by the supposedly powerful Uchiha, had been defeated and was now discussing a shameful retreat to the Land of Fire.

"Really a bunch of trash..." he muttered, his disappointment palpable.

A silence fell over the tent.

Luo Lei's manifest contempt had left the Uchiha leaders speechless. The recent and brutal death of the Jōnin weighed on their minds.

Even Futen and Fugaku, normally quick to defend the clan's honor, found themselves unable to articulate a response. Their mouths opened, but no sound came out.

The reality of their situation was clear. Anyone else who dared to speak of the Uchiha clan in such a manner would have been mercilessly eliminated.

But the man before them was different: a monster without scruples, a madman with unimaginable power.

The massacre of the Sunagakure army at Kikyoyama, the elimination of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist in the Land of Fire, the annihilation of over 2,000 Iwagakure ninjas in the Land of Grass.

And most disturbing: the high command of Konoha, surrendering to his will, making unimaginable concessions and compromises.

The Uchiha, though arrogant, were not fools. They understood perfectly well the gravity of their situation.

Thus, at this critical moment, even the proudest leaders of the clan found themselves lowering their noble heads.

Faced with a monster more cruel, more irrational, and more ruthless than any enemy they had faced before, they couldn't help but swallow hard.

"Ha ha..." his cold laugh resonated in the tent.

His eyes scanned those present, finally stopping on Futian. "Futian, we meet again."

The familiarity in his tone was no coincidence. During his time as ANBU vice-captain, he had frequently interacted with Futian on matters related to Konoha's administration and security.

"Ah... yes, we meet again," Futian responded with a tense voice. Beads of sweat pearled on his forehead as he cautiously asked, "What brings you to the Land of Waves? Are you... our reinforcement?"

Luo Lei shook his head, his expression impassive. "The Hokage asked me to eliminate you," he declared with chilling indifference.

The impact of his words was immediate.

The faces of the Uchiha leaders contorted in shock.

Almost in unison, they activated their Sharingan, the red eyes glowing with an intimidating power as they looked at Luo Lei with extreme caution.

"What a pity, not a single Mangekyō Sharingan among you..." Luo Lei observed, his own eyes flashing with a blinding red light. "Save your pathetic ocular display. I warn you, continue at your own risk."

"Everyone, calm down!" shouted Futian, feeling the overwhelming pressure emanating from Luo Lei. Sweat ran down his face as he tried to control the situation.

It wasn't just Futian who felt this oppressive pressure. Every Uchiha with their Sharingan activated could clearly perceive the terrifying power in Luo Lei's eyes, a force capable of reducing everything to ashes.

Obeying Futian's order, the Uchiha deactivated their Sharingan, but their expressions remained tense.

Fugaku, in particular, was internally devastated. He had just unlocked the three tomoe of his Sharingan, but he didn't even dare to look directly at Luo Lei. This power gap filled him with panic.

For the clan that had always used the Sharingan to intimidate others, to now find themselves in the opposite position was a devastating blow.

"Brainless..." muttered Luo Lei, shaking his head with disdain. "If you, the Uchiha clan, only rely on your eyes, without political insight or understanding of the status quo, you are doomed to extinction."

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