Chapter 9: Get Up And Take Action

Chapter 9: Get Up And Take Action

"Uchiha!?"

The symbol triggered her dormant memories, and scenes of her past battles flashed before her eyes—the cold commands of her clanmates and the pitiful cries of her enemies echoing in her ears once more.

"Are you from the Uchiha!?"

Her widened eyes transformed into a sorrowful and beautiful Mangekyō in an instant.

"Amaterasu!" Her right eye ignited flames.

Black flames erupted on Shenyu's back and swiftly engulfed his entire body.

"Holy shit!" Shenyu screamed, instinctively releasing Hikari's hand, activating the teleportation technique, and leaping more than ten meters away in an instant, like a monkey with its tail on fire.

Hikari rolled her eyes, and with a swift movement, Uchiha Madara beside her was immediately engulfed in black flames.

Blood dripped from her eye sockets and ran down Hikari's face. Her once delicate and gentle visage now bore a ferocious and cruel expression.

"I'm going to burn!" Shenyu screamed in agony.

"Amaterasu" was infamous for its ability to burn through anything; unless its target was completely consumed, the flames would not extinguish. The intense heat dissolved Shenyu's clothing like melting marshmallows.

In less than a second, the skin on his back began to rapidly char, sending waves of excruciating pain through his nerves.

He never expected Hikari, who seemed docile, to stab him in the back and launch such a vicious attack.

But Shenyu had no time to dwell on betrayal.

Years of combat experience had honed his reflexes to a razor's edge. As the flames scorched him, his eyes blazed with red light, and both Mangekyō eyes spun simultaneously.

Summoning his last vestige of reason, he reversed his state to two seconds prior. The black flames vanished instantly, leaving his body restored to its previous state.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Madara effortlessly countered "Amaterasu". A blue skeleton enveloped him, deflecting the flames away from her body and dissipating them.

Seizing the opportunity, Hikari dashed forward. Her left eye's Mangekyō twitched faintly as she locked gazes with Madara's icy stare.

"Tsukuyomi!"

Madara surveyed his surroundings, witnessing a dramatic shift in scenery. Blood-filled skies and earth replaced the once serene forest, transforming into a battlefield littered with corpses. Massive torii gates erupted from the ground, encircling Madara.

Countless Senju ninjas materialized within the torii gates, their cold gazes fixed upon the figures in the field, swords gleaming with chilling intent, poised to advance amidst the bloodshed.

The air was thick with the fear of death, an atmosphere that would terrify any ordinary person just standing there.

But the figure in the midst of this scene was Uchiha Madara.

"Is this your understanding of despair?" Madara's eyes held disdain instead of discomfort. "Little girl, the real battlefield is ten times more tragic than this. Your illusions can't even rattle my fighting spirit."

Observing Senju ninjas charging towards him, he shook his head with a deep smile.

"Let me teach you a lesson."

Madara slightly opened his eyes, and a darker, deeper, hell-like power surged from all directions like a chilling wave. This was the eye power exclusive to the Eternal Mangekyō!

Under his gaze, the illusion shattered instantly like ice, the blood-red world vanishing in an instant, leaving only a frail figure thrown against the stone wall.

Hikari collided with the wall, bleeding from every orifice, nearly losing consciousness.

"Never use Genjutsu on someone whose power surpasses your own. Even 'Tsukuyomi' will rebound," Madara spoke calmly from start to finish, not even moving a step.

Shenyu appeared next to Hikari in an instant, a Chakra blade pressed against her fair neck with a sharp "chi".

"Don't move!"

But he underestimated Hikari's resolve. She raised her head and glared coldly at him, blood flowing from her right eye once more.

"Amaterasu!"

The temperature surged abruptly. Shenyu preemptively activated the teleportation technique, moving behind Hikari and evading the black flames.

Despite his efforts, a tendril of flame grazed his finger, quickly igniting his entire palm.

This time, he remained much calmer, his expression less pained. He merely furrowed his brow slightly and used his retrospection power to extinguish the flames.

Hikari attempted to turn around, but a hand abruptly gripped her head. Shenyu advanced, pressing his knees against Hikari's back to prevent her from rising.

"Is this how you treat your savior?" he demanded.

"Savior? Haha, you merely wish to continue using me as a tool for the Uchiha. A fate akin to being a puppet! I refuse to accept it!"

Hikari's eyes brimmed with hatred. "I'll kill both of you and escape to a place where no one can find me!"

Shenyu was taken aback. "Have you misunderstood something?"

"Ta, ta, ta."

A pair of feet entered Shenyu's field of vision.

"Uchiha Hikari."

Hikari froze. The moment she heard her name, her expressions froze, and a jolt seemed to flash through her mind.

"Uchiha Hikari!??" She lifted her head, almond-shaped eyes wide with a mixture of bewilderment and surprise, reflecting Uchiha Madara's figure.

"The name given to you by your parents," Madara responded.

"My... name..." She ceased struggling, her voice soft as she asked, "Who... are you?"

"We are all abandoned by the Uchiha, just like you," Shenyu said with a touch of helplessness.

"No, we abandoned them," Madara corrected.

Hikari's expression became perplexed. Upon recognizing their identities, she subconsciously assumed they had come to retrieve her for battle.

After all, to the Uchiha clan, she was merely a useful weapon.

Though sealed within time and space, her consciousness remained alert. She couldn't discern how many days and nights had passed in captivity, only that emptiness and suffering felt longer than life itself.

In those harsh years, she gradually comprehended a truth: to regain freedom and reclaim her humanity, she must fight—for herself.

She didn't recall when she made the decision, but deep down, she resolved that if ever liberated, her first act would be to break free from the clutches of the "Uchiha Clan".

This resolve prompted her actions now.

"You... didn't release me just for the sake of war?" she asked in a daze.

Shenyu smirked. "The war you speak of is over. Apart from Madara-sama and myself, the Uchiha clan was incited to rebel and assimilated into a crucible called 'Konoha', destined for a slow demise."

"Uchiha Hikari," Madara stated firmly, standing before them both. "As the clan leader, I declare from this day forward, you are no longer a weapon but will live as a human being."

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T/N: There is a patreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 10 chapters.

Patreon link:- patreon.com/ANelite

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