Chapter 17: This Pain Must End Soon
Uchiha Dali was astonished by the actual effects of his first attempt at using the power of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
"So this is the power of the Three-Tomoe? I didn't expect it to work so well…"
Within him, a steady stream of special chakra surged forth.
This chakra allowed him to directly control his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, enabling him to cast illusions or hypnotize his opponents.
At this moment, the Kirigakure Jōnin controlled by Uchiha Dali, after slaughtering his own comrades, turned and began attacking several others.
Only after killing five or six of his teammates did he finally break free from the hypnotic state.
Seeing his hands stained with the blood of his comrades, the Kirigakure Jōnin's face twisted with fury and shock.
He spun around abruptly, locking his gaze onto Uchiha Dali.
Before he could utter a single word, a sharp kunai had already pierced his heart.
"Fall, will you?"
Uchiha Dali dispatched the Jōnin who had broken free from his control and immediately set his sights on the next target.
He only targeted Jōnin.
With a flicker of movement, he left behind two kunai embedded in the ground.
The enemy's attack missed, while Uchiha Dali had already appeared behind another foe.
"Damn…!"
Sensing something was wrong, the Kirigakure Jōnin tried to counter, but suddenly, he felt a chilling sensation at his throat.
His eyes widened in terror as he instinctively glanced at Uchiha Dali's hand.
The latter was grinning, holding a bloodstained kunai—then, with a swift and ruthless motion, he stabbed again.
"Ahhh—!"
The Kirigakure Jōnin screamed in agony, his expression filled with utter horror.
It was the raw fear of impending death.
Yet, in reality, he had merely fallen under Uchiha Dali's illusion.
In the real world, his body remained frozen, drenched in cold sweat, unable to move.
Everything he had just seen and felt was nothing more than an illusion cast upon him.
Of course, Uchiha Dali didn't use illusions just to make his enemies experience the terror of death.
"I'm only doing this to minimize casualties among my own clan. You understand, don't you? You don't blame me, do you?"
As he spoke, Uchiha Dali drove the kunai deep into his opponent's heart.
This time, it was real—not an illusion.
After taking down yet another Kirigakure Jōnin, Uchiha Dali shifted his focus to the next target.
With his newly awakened Three-Tomoe Sharingan, sharp perceptive abilities, and a Body Flicker Technique surpassing even Shisui Uchiha's, he moved seamlessly across the battlefield, a lone figure wielding nothing but a kunai.
In just moments, more than twenty Kirigakure shinobi had fallen by his hand.
The pressure on the Uchiha clan members was significantly reduced, allowing them to regroup and launch a counteroffensive.
The enemy finally realized something was amiss. Fear and panic spread among them, sapping their will to fight. They no longer wished to continue the battle.
"Who the hell is that guy? Shisui of the Body Flicker?"
"No! He's not Uchiha Shisui! He's another Uchiha skilled in the Body Flicker!"
"I heard him call himself Uchiha Dali…"
"He's too strong! Abort the mission! Retreat immediately, or we'll all die here!"
One after another, the remaining Kirigakure shinobi began fleeing in all directions.
Seeing the enemy retreat, the Uchiha warriors, who had just suffered great losses, would never let such an opportunity slip by.
They gave chase, determined to exact revenge.
Uchiha Tekkō and Uchiha Dōka were among them.
Uchiha Hachidai, however, noticed that Uchiha Dali remained still. Curious, he halted and asked, "Why aren't you going after them?"
"I've already dealt with the stronger ones. The rest aren't worth my time."
Uchiha Hachidai: "…"
Speechless, he cast a long, deep look at Uchiha Dali before hurrying off to join the chase.
Once most of the Uchiha warriors had pursued the enemy into the distance, Uchiha Dali finally took a moment to survey his surroundings.
His Sharingan faded, returning to its normal state.
Yet, deep within his eyes, a trace of sorrow flickered.
Anyone witnessing the hellish battlefield before them would feel the same way.
"War is truly brutal…"
"The Uchiha clan members who fell today will never know… that they were merely pawns being used."
Uchiha Dali silently mused.
He had already noticed the lingering traces of Water Release and Fire Release techniques clashing on the battlefield.
The charred trees and scorched earth were minimal, indicating that Water Release had held the upper hand.
The lingering mist in the forest further confirmed this—otherwise, the fog would have long since dissipated under the heat of Fire Release.
Kirigakure shinobi excelled at the Hidden Mist Technique.
They thrived in the mist, whereas their opponents suffered.
This was a crucial reason why the Uchiha clan had struggled in battle and suffered so many casualties.
"Thank you."
As Uchiha Dali was deep in thought, a voice suddenly called out behind him.
Turning, he saw a boy around eleven or twelve years old looking up at him.
The boy's head was wrapped in bandages, and a deep, ghastly wound marred his cheek.
"Thank you for saving us all," the boy said, meeting Uchiha Dali's gaze.
"What's your name?" Uchiha Dali asked.
"Uchiha Twelve."
The boy answered.
"Twelve…"
Uchiha Dali murmured the name, realizing that this boy was likely the twelfth child in his family.
Yet, scanning the battlefield, he saw no sign of the boy's relatives.
"An eleven or twelve-year-old… alone on the battlefield, the sole survivor?"
Uchiha Dali's chest tightened, and his expression grew solemn.
"Does it hurt?"
His voice softened as he looked at the boy.
The boy shook his head. "I can't feel my face anymore."
"This hand, too…"
He glanced at his right hand.
Uchiha Dali finally noticed that the boy's arm hung limp at his side, seemingly unable to move.
Reaching out to examine it, Uchiha Dali's expression grew grim. "The nerve damage from your facial wound has affected both your facial sensations and your arm's motor functions…"
"Oh… Will it get better once I recover?"
The boy asked innocently.
Uchiha Dali felt a sharp pang in his heart.
He hesitated, unsure how to explain.
For an ordinary person, nerve damage was irreversible—not even Tsunade could heal it.
At that moment, Uchiha Dali silently made a vow.
He would end this cruel war.
He would rewrite the fate of the Uchiha clan.