Naruto: I, Uchiha, Just Want to Die

Chapter 62: Instant Slash, River of Melting Lava

Sixteen black spears shot towards him!

Uchiha Ci's pupils shrank abruptly. He closed his eyes without hesitation, relying on his instincts to predict the trajectory of the spears.

In the next moment, he immediately used Earth Release: Earth Spear, gathering earth-element chakra to the areas of his body about to be struck.

Hardening!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sixteen black spears struck Uchiha Ci with a force akin to metal clashing against stone.

Although unharmed, the impact caused his feet to drag back along the ground, carving two long grooves.

Uchiha Ci opened his eyes, frowning slightly.

"Tch, my momentum has been stalled, and..."

Earth Release: Earth Spear, a B-rank jutsu that can be cast instantly without hand signs, pushes defensive power to its extreme. However, it also has a downside.

Once his body hardens, he becomes momentarily rigid.

There was no time to think further. The sixteen elite Jashin cultist immediately drew their black spears again, preparing for a second volley.

Almost simultaneously, footsteps echoed from behind.

The twelve other elite cultists who had been on the city walls had now reached his rear, boxing him in on a small flat area between the underground cave entrance and the outer city wall.

In this terrain, without an advantageous position, he couldn't use wires to maneuver or accelerate. He had no choice but to charge forward head-on.

But why were the twelve people from the wall now in front of him?

"Shadow clones or transformation technique?"

Uchiha Ci furrowed his brow slightly, focusing his gaze on the sixteen cultists ahead.

With his Two-Tomoe Sharingan, he now had the ability to see chakra clearly.

Sure enough, he noticed something.

The twelve cultists in his field of vision had normal chakra flow, with nothing appearing out of place.

However, of the sixteen in front of him, twelve had a layer of chakra covering them—likely traces of a transformation technique.

To confirm his suspicions, Uchiha Ci mentally summoned the notifications, scanning them in an instant.

As expected, the notifications reported that 28 elite cultists had raised hostility toward him.

This meant that all 28 of the Jashin's elite cultists were real.

Along with the large group on the wall earlier, it was a staggering number.

Uchiha Ci took a deep breath, a sense of shock rising within him.

This was clearly abnormal.

How could a small Jashin cult grow so large and strong in such a short time?

And to gather so many shinobi in the Land of Hot Water so quickly? Besides the Five Great Nations, the only place Uchiha Ci could think of was that so-called "village that forgot war."

Takigakure.

Had the Jashin cult dug out all of Takigakure's hidden reserves?

Yet Uchiha Ci distinctly remembered that in the original story, only one person, Hidan, was a member of the cult.

Narrowing his eyes, Uchiha Ci let out a deep breath. He had no time to investigate these deeper mysteries. He had to come up with a strategy immediately.

In this situation, surrounded from both sides, if he only defended, he'd end up trapped here, never getting a chance to confront the final boss, let alone achieve his goal of dying.

If he wanted to break through, he had no choice but to charge forward head-on.

The Earth Spear, which caused rigidity, couldn't be used in this case.

In that case…

He'd have to take a gamble!

Uchiha Ci's gaze sharpened as he decisively drew the katana from his left waist.

A technique to cut down flying projectiles while running—Uchiha Ci had seen it before!

Yes, it was Yasuo's Steel Tempest.

That night on the way to the Land of Hot Water, the Grand Elder Uchiha Setsuna had unleashed a single sword strike.

A crescent-like arc of light.

Quickly, a combat strategy solidified in Uchiha Ci's mind.

It was simple—no frills.

Time for a life-or-death gamble!

He would bet on whether he could unleash that profound strike not yet recorded by his Sharingan in such a short time.

If he succeeded, he'd break through the enemy formation and head to the boss room for a one-on-one battle!

If he failed, well, he'd live on in defeat.

Uchiha Ci twisted his feet, closing his eyes. Both hands gripped the hilt of his katana as the blade tip scraped the ground, moving forward slowly.

A fleeting moment of disorientation washed over him, as if he had returned to that night when his three-man squad sat silently around a campfire.

But this time, he stood in Uchiha Setsuna's place.

Coldly watching as the two brats argued. Then, at the peak of their conflict, he slowly reached for the sword on his back.

Draw, step forward, slash!

Crunch!

Uchiha Ci crouched low, gripping his sword as he charged forward.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Sixteen black spears tore through the air, crossing the fifty-meter distance in a fierce barrage.

Opening his eyes, the tomoe in his Sharingan spun rapidly.

Uchiha Ci leaped high into the air, instinctively slashing downward with a powerful, downward stroke.

The blade cleaved through the air, borrowing the momentum of one of the incoming black spears to spin midair again.

Clang!

Sparks flew.

Uchiha Ci's hands tingled from the impact, faintly sensing he was close to the right feeling—but not quite. The forming arc of energy fizzled out just as it started.

It was likely due to uneven chakra distribution along the blade.

Landing again, he instinctively rolled, dodging seven or eight black spears.

The spears struck the ground, and Uchiha Ci used the blunt edge of his sword to spring up once more, charging forward.

By now, the twelve elite cultists from behind had taken their positions.

Suddenly, Uchiha Ci felt a sharp sense of danger at the back of his head. He immediately ducked.

A Wind Release: Wind Blade whizzed past.

Immediately after, a barrage of jutsu and black spears rained down.

Gritting his teeth, Uchiha Ci quickly flicked out four shuriken.

The shuriken tugged on the attached wires, entangling one of the black spears, creating a gap for him to roll through and evade.

Seeing this, the lead cultist narrowed his eyes and immediately shouted:

"Volley! Throw two more rounds!"

Then, he personally drew a black spear, narrowing his eyes at Uchiha Ci. Lightning Release chakra flowed into the spear, preparing for a deadly strike.

As his words fell, the black spears rained down like a storm, two consecutive volleys.

Uchiha Ci squinted, charging forward with his body low, gripping his sword tightly. Chakra flowed through the blade, its edge glowing with a faint blue arc resembling moonlight.

Draw, step forward, slash!

One more time!

Suddenly, a subtitle appeared in front of him.

[You have mastered Uchiha Style: Instant Slash (Beginner, B-rank).]

At that moment,

From behind the cultists, a girl with reddish-brown hair suddenly emerged from the city wall, leaping down. While midair, her hands swiftly formed hand seals.

Dog - Boar - Tiger - Ox - Rat - Bird!

"Lava Release: Melting Apparition Jutsu!"

She completed the final seal and slammed her hands to the ground, her crisp and youthful voice ringing out clearly:

"Earth Release: Fissure Palm!"

In the next instant, the ground split open from where her palm struck, extending under the feet of the cultists. Rocks and soil were lifted by the violent torrent of water beneath.

A river of molten lava, steaming and highly corrosive, burst forth!