'What?'
Uchiha Katsu's pupils suddenly shrank as he stared fixedly at the enormous creature before him, its entire body crimson, nine tails spread wide. It was none other than the legendary Nine-Tails of the ninja world.
Almost instinctively, Uchiha Katsu activated his pupil power. The scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan instantly bloomed within his eyes.
But the moment the power activated, darkness slammed into his vision. His sight blurred violently, and a sharp stabbing pain shot from his eyes straight into his brain, causing his entire body to sway.
'Damn it…', Uchiha Katsu clutched his eyes tightly, cursing inwardly.
These Mangekyo Sharingan of his were now completely useless. Even briefly activating them required such a heavy price. If this continued, complete blindness would only be a matter of time.
"Hey, human.", The Nine-Tails, Kurama, crossed its arms and looked down at him arrogantly.
"You haven't thanked me yet. If I hadn't casually caught you, you'd have smashed into a pile of mush by now."
"Thank you…"
Uchiha Katsu suppressed the intense pain in his eyes and slowly lowered his hands. He gave a slight respectful salute toward the Nine-Tails, his tone polite yet still carrying the dignity of an Uchiha clan leader.
"The older generation of my Uchiha clan often said that the tailed beasts of this world are all auspicious beings. Anyone who encounters one is bound to run into great fortune and gain great wealth."
"Today, for me, Uchiha Katsu, to be saved by Your Excellency… it truly must be a heaven-sent blessing."
"Oh?"
Kurama's expression did not change. It only nodded faintly, though a slight surprise stirred in its heart.
Uchiha Katsu…
He was actually the current Uchiha clan leader, the reincarnation of Indra in this generation.
It had merely saved him casually, yet it had ended up saving such a crucial figure.
'I wonder if my unintentional action will disrupt the teacher's plans…' Kurama thought silently.
It had not contacted its teacher for a very long time. Normally it only exchanged a few words with the other tailed beasts from afar, so it knew little about the teacher's overall arrangements.
Meanwhile, although Uchiha Katsu spoke politely, his feet quietly shifted half a step backward, deliberately keeping some distance from the Nine-Tails.
Rumors in the ninja world were just rumors. Tailed beasts were unpredictable by nature. With his Mangekyo nearly unusable and his combat strength greatly reduced, he did not dare relax his guard even slightly.
"Kid.", Kurama glanced at him and spoke calmly.
"If you want to climb back up the cliff, you'll probably have to wait quite a while. And there are still a few little Senju brats guarding the top."
After confirming the man was Uchiha Katsu, Kurama decided not to interfere further.
It did not dare disrupt its teacher's chessboard carelessly.
However, since the teacher had not sent any instructions yet, that meant everything was still under control.
Uchiha Katsu's expression remained calm. He had already made his judgment.
Falling Katsu Cliff was unfathomably deep. The Senju people would never risk descending the cliff. They would simply assume that he had already fallen to his death.
Right now, the most important thing was not escaping, but finding a place to recover and stabilize both his body and his nearly collapsing pupil power.
Seeing that he remained calm and composed even in such a desperate situation, Kurama said nothing further and simply rested quietly nearby.
———
[At The Top Of Falling Katsu Cliff]
Senju Hiroshi stood at the cliff's edge, staring down at the abyss below, where clouds and mist swirled endlessly. After concentrating his senses for a moment, the chakra he probed with met only dead silence.
The cliff was far too deep. His sensing ability had limits.
"Clan leader, should we send people down to search?", One of the Senju elites stepped forward and asked.
Senju Hiroshi immediately shook his head, his tone decisive.
"No need. This cliff is impossibly deep. If Uchiha Katsu fell down there, he's definitely dead. The most important thing right now is to pursue the retreating Uchiha main force while we still have the advantage!"
"We have no objections!"
The Senju elites responded in unison.
"But we should still be cautious."
Senju Hiroshi pointed at two of the elites, "You two. Use Fire Release and Earth Release to finish him off from below. Make sure there's absolutely no chance he survives."
"Yes!"
The two stepped forward and rapidly formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Several massive fireballs shot downward, crashing into the abyss.
Immediately after, Earth Release chakra surged. Large chunks of rock condensed out of thin air and began smashing down toward the bottom of the cliff one after another.
BOOM! BOOM!
Violent explosions echoed through the abyss. Dust and shattered stones churned wildly. After a while, there was no sound from the depths at all, only dead silence.
Senju Hiroshi turned his head and looked toward the massive rock near the cliff's edge, where three characters were carved.
"Falling Katsu Cliff… Falling Katsu Cliff. Good. That name is fitting."
Senju Hiroshi gazed at the three characters and murmured with satisfaction in his voice.
Then he wasted no more time and waved his hand.
"Move out. Pursue the Uchiha army!"
Several figures instantly flashed away, rushing in the direction where the Uchiha forces were retreating.
———
[Mount Myoboku]
A completely pale White Zetsu crawled forward and slid beneath the platform, respectfully delivering the intelligence it had gathered.
"Great Immortal, news has arrived from the ninja world. Uchiha Katsu fell from Falling Katsu Cliff. He was saved by the Nine-Tails, Kurama, and did not die."
Upon the platform, Arisu's motion of lowering his eyes paused slightly.
'Kurama?'
'That little fellow actually got involved in the reincarnation conflict between Indra and Asura?'
Arisu frowned slightly as he thought to himself.
But a moment later, his expression relaxed and he shook his head calmly.
'Forget it. Nine-tails has always been carefree. It was probably just an unintentional act, not deliberate interference.'
'For Uchiha Katsu to be saved by it so casually simply means his life should not end yet. If heaven wills it so, there is no need to force anything.'
Arisu slowly clasped his hands behind his back and gazed toward the layered green mountains and drifting mist of Mount Myoboku. A trace of understanding flashed in his eyes.
'However, Uchiha Katsu's Mangekyo Sharingan has already been overdrawn to its limit. Blindness is inevitable.'
'Without the power of the Mangekyo, he will have no ability to turn things around. The conflict between Indra and Asura's reincarnations in this lifetime is about to come to an end.'
Thinking this, Arisu already reached a conclusion in his heart.
The entanglement of this lifetime had been quite interesting.
At the beginning, Uchiha Katsu advanced like a storm, crushing Senju Mio and holding the overwhelming advantage.
Later, Senju Hiroshi appeared out of nowhere and reversed the entire situation, pushing Uchiha Katsu into a desperate corner.
Indra and Asura each won one round, each claiming one merit. That seemed fair enough.
———
At the bottom of Falling Katsu Cliff, the place was deep and silent.
Vines hanging from the cliff walls covered the sky and blocked out the sun. Occasionally, faint rays of light slipped through the gaps in the leaves and fell onto Uchiha Katsu, who sat cross-legged on the ground.
He had been quietly recuperating here for three days.
During these three days, Kurama had been silently observing him.
Kurama did not intend to interfere in worldly matters. It was simply bored and curious to see what was different about this generation's reincarnation of Indra.
It had seen Uchiha Izumiichi before, and that twisted, gloomy temperament had filled it with disgust.
But the Uchiha Katsu before it carried a kind of resilience completely different from Izumiichi, which made Kurama pay a bit more attention.
Of course, if Kurama knew that Uchiha Katsu had killed his lover for power, things would be very different…
On the morning of the fourth day, a cool mountain breeze brushed across the bottom of the cliff.
Uchiha Katsu slowly opened his eyes.
But before him was only endless darkness. Not even the faintest trace of light could be seen.
His hands suddenly trembled, his fingertips turning cold.
What was bound to come had finally arrived.
His Mangekyo Sharingan had completely gone blind.
"Heh…"
A bitter smile spread across his lips as bone-deep despair flooded his heart.
Without the Mangekyo, he had lost his greatest trump card. His strength had fallen by more than just a single level.
Now he was trapped in a desperate situation, completely cut off from all news.
He did not know what kind of danger the Uchiha clan in the ninja world might be facing.
Meanwhile, Senju Hiroshi was at the peak of his power, shining like the sun at noon…
Endless frustration and unwillingness surged through his heart. The Uchiha clan leader who once crossed the river in white robes and shook the entire ninja world silently shed tears at this moment.
There was no roar, no wailing.
Only hot tears sliding down his cheeks and striking the cold ground.
After a long time.
Uchiha Katsu suddenly raised his hand and wiped away the tears. His fingers clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and deep bloody marks appeared in his palm where his nails dug in.
Uchiha Katsu lifted his head and faced the faint light above.
"Will of heaven! Do you think that without the Mangekyo I can only surrender?!"
"Do you think the outcome of my life, Uchiha Katsu, depends only on a pair of eyes?!"
"Was it only the Mangekyo Sharingan that made me who I am?!"
Uchiha Katsu suddenly drew the sword at his waist. The clear ringing of the blade leaving its sheath echoed throughout the bottom of the cliff.
"Even without the Mangekyo, I, Uchiha Katsu, can still stand invincible in the ninja world!"