Ten White Zetsu dropped from the sky.
They surrounded Uchiha Kazuki at the center, their right arms sweeping out in wide arcs. Their clenched fists carried the force of a thousand pounds as they smashed down toward him.
Whoosh—
A perfect black arc flashed through the air.
Where the black blade Dark Moon passed, a lingering trace of silent, chilling sharpness remained.
The White Zetsu showed expressions of confusion and shock.
In the next instant—
Their heads and fists separated cleanly from their bodies, falling to the ground like rain.
Kazuki lowered the blade with elegant precision.
He glanced sideways at the black sword in his hand, carefully recalling the sensation of that strike.
The handle of Dark Moon felt smooth and perfectly balanced.
The blade was light.
Even when it cut through the incredibly tough bodies of the White Zetsu, it felt like slicing through flowing water—completely effortless.
But beyond that…
It gave Kazuki a strange sense of hunger.
As if the sword could store energy, patiently waiting for its master to fill it.
Kazuki stared at Dark Moon in his right hand.
Raising his left hand, he formed the Tiger seal, converting the chakra inside his body into Fire Release chakra.
A scorching surge of heat gathered through his chakra pathways, flowing upward toward his throat.
But Kazuki suddenly redirected it.
Instead of releasing the fire through a jutsu, he forced the fire-nature chakra toward the hand gripping the blade.
Something unexpected happened.
The black blade Dark Moon reacted like dry land finally touched by rain.
A mysterious black mist flowed out from the sword, swirling around Kazuki's right arm.
Without touching his skin, the mist absorbed the fire-nature chakra contained in his arm and fed it into the blade.
In an instant—
The air itself seemed to ignite.
The temperature skyrocketed.
From the handle downward, the straight blade burst into scorching black flames, similar to the legendary Amaterasu, as if they would never extinguish.
"…Is this… chakra attribute enchantment?"
Kazuki looked slightly surprised.
He could already predict that if Dark Moon struck an enemy now, it would carry the burning effect of Fire Release chakra.
The White Zetsu attacking the Uchiha suddenly froze.
They turned their heads toward Kazuki.
They immediately sensed the rising temperature and the drying air.
White Zetsu, possessing Wood Release nature, were extremely sensitive to heat and humidity.
Their brows lifted as they stared at the black-flame blade in Kazuki's hand.
For the first time—
Fear appeared in their expressions.
After all…
What plant is not afraid of fire?
The White Zetsu stopped attacking.
The Uchiha who had been fighting desperately finally caught their breath and hurried to regroup while helping their injured comrades.
Only then did they notice the change in their captain.
"What… what kind of jutsu is that?"
One Uchiha stared fixedly at the black flames burning along Dark Moon.
The question was beyond them.
No one answered.
Kazuki simply began walking toward the White Zetsu.
The black flames along Dark Moon surged violently, as if ready to melt the world itself.
The sword continuously absorbed Fire Release chakra to maintain the enchanted state.
Fortunately—
The effect of the soldier pill he had taken earlier had not yet faded.
At this moment, Kazuki's strength and chakra recovery speed were nearly ten times his normal state.
Even though the White Zetsu showed fear at the sight of the black flames, they retreated only two steps before their expressions turned feral again.
They completely abandoned attacking the other Uchiha.
Instead, they rushed toward Kazuki alone.
Boom—
The black flames surged upward again.
Kazuki swung Dark Moon.
Wherever the blade passed, walls of black fire erupted across the battlefield.
His movements were swift and fluid as he moved through the White Zetsu swarm.
Every slash cut several White Zetsu cleanly in half.
Immediately afterward, the blazing black flames devoured their bodies.
White Zetsu possessed extremely powerful vitality.
Ordinary blades and kunai could not truly kill them.
But against flames that would not extinguish until everything was burned away—
They could only become fuel.
The Uchiha stood frozen.
None of them had ever seen Kazuki fight like this.
Izumi and Mikoto Uchiha stared at him, momentarily lost in thought.
"Don't just stand there!"
Nanpu shouted.
He quickly formed hand seals, converting his chakra into Fire Release and gathering it in his throat.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
In an instant—
The other Uchiha followed his lead.
Various Fire Release jutsu erupted one after another.
Blazing fireballs slammed into clusters of White Zetsu.
The night sky lit up in blazing orange.
Smoke billowed into the air as flames surged across the battlefield.
The battle quickly became one-sided.
The remaining White Zetsu froze in panic.
Waiting for them—
Was Dark Moon slicing through their necks, followed by black flames reducing their bodies to ash.
The flames burned for nearly half a minute before finally fading.
Far away.
Inside the forest.
The Kamui Mangekyo Sharingan reflected the burning battlefield in the masked man's eye.
Behind the mask, Obito's expression darkened.
A pill that restored stamina instantly.
A black blade burning with dark flames.
"…Just how many secrets are you hiding?"
Obito clenched his teeth.
The more he observed Kazuki, the less he could understand him.
On the rugged mountain path.
Kazuki dominated the battlefield until the remaining White Zetsu could be handled by the other Uchiha.
He stopped feeding chakra into Dark Moon.
The soldier pill's effect had finally faded.
Fatigue appeared on his face.
Without Fire Release chakra, the black flames gradually dissipated, leaving Dark Moon looking like an ordinary black blade once again.
"How much longer?"
Kazuki calmly looked at Yakushi Nono.
"Eight minutes!"
Nono answered with a serious expression.
Sweat dripped from her forehead as she continued channeling medical ninjutsu with both hands.
Under the glowing green chakra, Tamao's wounds had healed to about sixty percent.
But he was still far from fully recovered.
Kazuki frowned.
He turned and walked toward the Uchiha group, scanning them with a cold gaze.
The Uchiha who were finishing off the fallen White Zetsu instantly felt chills run down their spines.
After checking everyone, Kazuki's gaze stopped on Uchiha Mikoto.
He stepped forward, grabbed her slender wrist, ignored the glare she gave him, and pulled her toward Nono.
The elegant housewife had clearly fought intensely.
Sweat soaked the sleeves of her dress, and several kunai had torn through the fabric.
In the darkness, the wound was not obvious.
"What are you doing?!"
Mikoto demanded sharply.
Rip—
The sound of tearing cloth echoed.
Mikoto froze.
Her cheeks flushed red.
Before she could react, Kazuki had already ripped open the sleeve covering her wound.
Her arm was pale as snow.
Blood stained her smooth skin.
"Uh—"
Even Nono was startled.
The nun's face flushed slightly.
For a brief moment she thought Kazuki was about to do something improper to the beautiful noblewoman right in front of her.
Her imagination immediately began running wild.
Kazuki, still holding Mikoto's wrist, calmly asked:
"How long to heal this?"
"For a wound like that? Just over ten seconds."
Nono answered seriously.
"Treat her first."
Kazuki pulled Mikoto directly in front of Nono.
"Oh—okay!"
Nono quickly stood up, rubbing her numb legs as she began healing Mikoto's arm with medical ninjutsu.
The Uchiha nearby all lowered their heads and continued cleaning the battlefield.
But they couldn't resist sneaking glances toward Kazuki and Mikoto before quickly looking away again.
Suddenly—
The ground around them began to tremble.
Everyone turned.
In the darkness beyond the battlefield—
Another group of White Zetsu emerged from the ground one after another like bamboo shoots after rain.
Their numbers were three times greater than before.
At that same moment—
Mikoto's wound finished healing.
Inside Kazuki's mind, a system notification appeared.
[Side Quest]: Heal Teammate
Objective: Heal teammate
Status: Completed
Reward: Green Medicine
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