Chapter 16: Awakening the Three-Tomoe
Uchiha Dōka's words were immediately met with agreement from Uchiha Tekkō and Uchiha Hachidai.
They also believed that the enemy was unlikely to come from that direction—unless they had a death wish.
After all, the main reinforcement forces of the Uchiha clan were gathering in that very direction.
"How many Jōnin are in the main forces?"
Suddenly, Uchiha Dali posed a question.
The three of them were momentarily stunned.
They exchanged glances, but none of them could answer.
"What are you trying to say, Dali?" Uchiha Tekkō frowned in confusion.
Deep down, he already had an answer.
Sure enough, Uchiha Dali chuckled softly. "You all know the answer. On the battlefield, whether Chūnin or Genin, when facing a Jōnin, they are utterly powerless."
"Put simply, they are just cannon fodder. Even if they are Uchiha, that doesn't change."
"What nonsense are you spouting? Cannon fodder?"
Uchiha Dōka clearly disliked hearing such words and quickly tried to stop him.
However, Uchiha Dali ignored him and continued speaking, "Cannon fodder facing an enemy Jōnin has only one outcome—death."
"So, your so-called 'main force'—in the eyes of Kirigakure's elite—is nothing more than lambs waiting for slaughter."
"Now, do you still think the enemy wouldn't dare attack them? What if the ones going were the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"
Once again, Uchiha Dali's words left the three of them speechless.
Against ordinary Uchiha, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen could indeed slaughter their way through with ease.
They were well aware that many clan members had yet to awaken the Sharingan.
Even among those who had, a single tomoe held limited power. It was far from enough to contend with enemy Jōnin, who possessed extensive combat experience and formidable strength.
As the three of them struggled to respond, Uchiha Dali had already set off toward that direction.
He had said so much only because he didn't want to explain his reasoning in excessive detail.
For now, it was best that only he knew about his powerful sensory abilities.
---
Before long, Uchiha Dali and his group of four approached the battlefield.
Even without using advanced sensory abilities, they could now clearly hear the fierce sounds of battle coming from within the forest.
The deafening booms echoed continuously.
These weren't just from explosive tags or ninjutsu detonations.
Some noises sounded like massive objects crushing the earth.
The pungent scent of blood rapidly spread through the forest.
The dense foliage acted as a natural barrier, preventing the blood stench from dissipating into the sky.
Noticing these abnormalities, Uchiha Tekkō and the others looked grim.
It wasn't just because Uchiha Dali's prediction had been correct.
It was also because their fellow Uchiha clan members were now under attack.
How could they possibly remain calm in the face of such heavy casualties?
Even Uchiha Tekkō, as the squad leader, abruptly drew his short sword from his back and charged toward the battlefield at full speed.
After weaving through a few trees, they were met with a scene straight out of hell.
Over a hundred shinobi from both sides were locked in brutal combat.
The ground was littered with bodies, some injured, some already lifeless.
With the battle still raging, more continued to fall.
The forces from Kirigakure had clearly overwhelmed the Uchiha clan in terms of strength.
At this moment, it was evident that the Uchiha were being forced back, their casualties mounting.
Strangely, prominent Uchiha powerhouses such as Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Shisui were nowhere to be seen.
Upon arrival, Uchiha Tekkō, Uchiha Dōka, and Uchiha Hachidai immediately joined the fight.
Uchiha Dali, however, did not rush in.
Instead, he observed the battlefield and overheard something.
"Juemiko!! Juemiko!!"
A man clutched the blood-soaked, lifeless body of a woman, crying out in anguish.
Both of them bore the Uchiha clan crest, marking them as kin.
After wailing in grief, the man's eyes suddenly turned blood-red.
His chakra surged uncontrollably.
"AHHHH—!!"
Clutching his face, he let out a furious, agonized roar.
A moment later, when he reopened his eyes, his once-dark pupils had transformed into a single-tomoe Sharingan.
"He awakened it through sheer grief…"
Seeing this, Uchiha Dali felt something stir within him.
At that very moment, a mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[Ding! You have witnessed an Uchiha's death, and a clan member awakening the Sharingan before your eyes. You have comprehended the Three-Tomoe Sharingan!]
[The Three-Tomoe Sharingan grants powerful abilities, including heightened perception, the ability to copy techniques, and the power to cast and see through illusions. It allows the user to track chakra flow and copy non-bloodline limit jutsu. Under specific conditions, it can evolve into higher forms, unlocking even more abilities.]
"I awakened… just by witnessing it? And it's directly the Three-Tomoe?"
Uchiha Dali glanced at the man who had awakened the single-tomoe Sharingan through the loss of his beloved and felt both amused and speechless.
At that moment, Uchiha Tekkō's voice rang out.
"What are you standing around for?! Fight!"
Turning his head, Uchiha Dali saw the fierce battle unfolding.
Even with the arrival of three Uchiha Jōnin, they were still struggling against the Kirigakure forces.
The enemy not only had greater numbers but also multiple Jōnin, causing the Uchiha forces to continue falling back.
"Time to test these new eyes."
With that thought, Uchiha Dali activated his advanced Body Flicker Technique.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared before an enemy.
The Kirigakure shinobi was mid-swing, about to cut down an Uchiha clansman.
Suddenly, he saw a young man with a playful grin appear before him.
He hesitated.
His sword, already mid-swing, momentarily stalled.
In that instant, he locked eyes with Uchiha Dali's newly awakened Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Immediately, the Kirigakure Jōnin's expression turned blank—as if possessed—before he spun around and slashed at his own comrade.
Splurt!
The other Kirigakure shinobi, who had been rushing to support his ally, never expected to be attacked from behind.
Caught completely off guard, he was struck squarely in a vital spot.
His eyes filled with disbelief as he collapsed lifelessly to the ground.