The dense swarm of insects didn't just obscure vision; they actively crawled over Shukaku's massive body, relentlessly gnawing at his flesh and draining his Chakra.
Shukaku, however, didn't care in the slightest.
"Hmph, boring tricks! They can't hurt this great lord at all!" Shukaku roared. "Ball of Wind!"
The giant raccoon opened its mouth and spat out a highly compressed air bullet, instantly scattering the black cloud of insects. Then, with a cruel, jagged grin, its massive tail whipped out and smashed Aburame Shibi to pieces.
Or so it seemed.
Shibi's shattered body transformed into individual insects in mid-air, scattering in all directions.
"That was an Insect Clone. His real body escaped long ago," Chisuke called out from inside the beast. "Forget it, just play however you want. Kill as many Konoha Ninjas and cause as much destruction as possible."
Chisuke settled back into the sand. "Just remember to destroy this mountain. Konoha's reinforcements won't arrive that quickly anyway."
Having given his instructions, Chisuke retreated deep into Shukaku's body to rest, speaking no further.
With its absolute freedom granted, Shukaku went on a terrifying rampage. The beast hunted down fleeing Konoha Ninjas, leveled buildings, and tore up roads, leaving the surrounding area in utter, chaotic ruin.
"Which one is the Uchiha Ninja? Not you, not you, and not you either..." Mishu muttered from the shadows. "Ah, found you! It's you!"
Mishu had successfully infiltrated the Elephant Head Mountain temple and used his Shadow Clones to sweep the area for members of the Uchiha Clan. After sifting through the memories of his dispelled clones, he finally pinpointed his target.
However, the Konoha squad stationed in the temple looked incredibly strong. Mishu wasn't confident he could wipe them out easily, let alone carefully harvest a Sharingan.
Therefore, he remained hidden in the silence. He was simply waiting for Shukaku to go on a killing spree so he could seize the eyes amidst the chaos.
Soon, a massive roar echoed from the foot of the mountain, causing the earth to tremble violently. Mishu turned to see Shukaku wreaking havoc, throwing out high-level Ninjutsu as if they cost nothing.
The Konoha squad in the temple noticed the colossal beast as well. Seeing that overwhelming, terrain-reshaping destructive power, they were filled with shock and terror. Panic set in as they debated their next move.
"Captain, that's a Tailed Beast, isn't it?! Should we go support Captain Ogawa?"
"The Tailed Beast is too strong! We should retreat immediately, spread the word, and request help from the Hokage!" another ninja argued. "If we don't get the Hokage to suppress the Jinchuriki in time, the losses will be catastrophic!"
"No, our orders are to hold this position! We cannot leave our post without permission!"
Faced with the sudden appearance of a walking natural disaster, the Konoha Ninjas were completely divided. Everything depended on the Captain's decision.
The middle-aged Captain watched Shukaku getting closer and closer. He gritted his teeth and made the difficult call.
"We retreat! Shukaku is too powerful. Whether we support Captain Ogawa or stay here to defend, it would be meaningless suicide. As long as we get the word out, the Hokage will surely eliminate the Jinchuriki. All our losses will be worth it!"
The Captain's logic was sound. Even if the others disagreed, they could only swallow their protests.
Time was tight. In their frantic haste, the squad could only destroy a few classified documents. They had to abandon the stockpiled supplies completely.
Fortunately, this was only a node in Konoha's supply line, not a major warehouse. The loss wouldn't cause an immediate shortage for the front lines.
Don't leave yet! Mishu screamed internally. Stay a while longer! It won't be too late to leave after dinner!
Seeing his precious Sharingan about to walk away, Mishu grew desperate. He sincerely 'urged' them to stay with all his heart, but sadly, telepathy wasn't one of his skills. The Konoha Ninjas began their rapid descent.
Realizing the ninja couldn't feel his intentions, Mishu looked toward Shukaku, hoping the wind would carry his silent prayers to the giant raccoon.
Shukaku, hurry up! There's no time left, just use your ultimate move!
Incredibly, Shukaku seemed to sense a calling from the void. The beast actually aimed squarely at Elephant Head Mountain and began brewing a massive Tailed Beast Ball.
Good! That's the way! Good job, Shukaku— Mishu's train of thought derailed.
Wait. That Tailed Beast Ball looks like it's going to hit ME! RUN!
His initial joy vanished into pure panic. He checked the trajectory of the apocalyptic chakra sphere, then looked at the distance between himself and the fleeing Konoha Ninjas.
Chisuke, this is treason! You're actually trying to kill me!
Cursing his teammate in his heart, Mishu abandoned all attempts at stealth. He joined the Konoha Ninjas in a desperate, full-speed sprint down the mountain.
RUMBLE!
A catastrophic explosion erupted behind them, shaking the very foundations of the earth. The resulting shockwave slammed into Mishu, sending him flying like a ragdoll.
He hit the ground hard. Before he could even scramble to his feet, a rain of rocks and dirt plummeted from the sky, burying him alive.
As the heavy stones pelted his body, Mishu felt agonizing pain everywhere. There wasn't a single spot that didn't hurt.
Yet, he was incredibly happy.
"I survived!" he coughed out.
Since he wasn't dead, Mishu's thoughts immediately snapped back to his primary objective. I hope my Sharingan is okay.
Exerting his remaining strength, Mishu crawled out from the pile of rubble. He first checked Shukaku's position. Seeing the beast attacking a different area, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He immediately began searching for the Konoha squad.
Before long, Mishu found fragments of the Konoha Ninjas scattered across the blasted landscape. Some pieces were still smoldering.
The remains were too incomplete. Mishu couldn't tell how many had died, let alone if the Uchiha was among them.
I hope you're not dead! Mishu prayed. Uchiha, you are a proud Uchiha! How could you die here? The pride of the Uchiha Clan wouldn't allow you to die in such a pathetic way!
If any of the Konoha Ninjas were still alive, they would definitely descend the mountain as fast as possible, which meant taking the flattest path.
With those thoughts flashing through his mind, Mishu began his descent, desperately hoping to intercept the man he sought at the foot of the mountain.
"Damn it! Those Sand Ninja bastards... every single one of them deserves to die!"
About a thousand meters ahead of Mishu, a young Konoha Ninja was fleeing down the mountain in a blind panic.
His clothes were torn, and his body was battered and bruised from the falling rocks. He looked incredibly disheveled.
However, his red pupils remained piercingly bright. Within them, two Tomoe slowly spun—eerie, tragic, and beautiful.
His name was Uchiha Tekka, a Konoha Chunin.
In the blast radius of the Tailed Beast Ball, even the elite Jonin Captain had been vaporized. However, Tekka had relied on the enhanced perception of his Sharingan to react just a fraction of a second faster than the others. That fraction of a second allowed him to escape the lethal zone.
Tekka sprinted down the mountain without pausing for breath, eventually running straight into Ogawa Tomohiro and Aburame Shibi.
"Captain Ogawa! Everyone on the mountain is dead!" Tekka cried out, reporting the situation through his grief.
Ogawa sighed heavily, unsure of how to comfort the young man. His own subordinates had just been slaughtered by Shukaku as well. Only he and Shibi had survived.
Aburame Shibi looked at the grieving Tekka and noticed something unusual in the boy's eyes.
"Tekka," Shibi said quietly. "A third Tomoe has appeared in your eyes."
Tekka covered his face with his trembling hands, letting out a bitter, broken laugh.
"So what? They're all dead. A Three-Tomoe Sharingan can't change anything."
At that moment, Tekka's thoughts drifted to the Hawks within his clan.
If our powerful Uchiha led Konoha, we would surely defeat the Sand Ninjas easily and lead the village to glory, he thought bitterly. If we led Konoha, we could prevent this kind of senseless slaughter.
The title of Hokage should belong to the Uchiha Clan!
Driven by his crushing grief, Uchiha Tekka finally embraced the radical ideology of his clan's Hawks. He had found his new purpose.