The air was thick with the acrid scent of smoke as the flames consumed everything in their path, reducing buildings to smouldering ruins and casting flickering shadows across the landscape.
Panic erupted among the Kurogane clan members as they fled from the advancing flames, their desperate cries drowned out by the roar of the inferno.
With a sense of grim satisfaction, Miwa watched from where she had landed.
'Now, I just need to deal with some of the jounin present.'
While Uchiha Miwa was an experienced jounin, the attack she had just released took the majority of chakra she had, leaving her with little to work with.
'As long as I choose my battles carefully, I won't need to strain myself.' She thought.
While some would think that Miwa using such a flashy jutsu at the start was counter-productive, it was actually a crucial part of their strategy against the Kurogane clan.
Ohashi was not the only person who used juinjutsu against Fujioka's squad as two of the jounins the squad leader faced also used it or at least tried to, since it did not work.
This fact alone prompted the Konoha group to have assumptions and plans against any juinjutsu or fuinjutsu the Kurogane would use.
That was also why they could not risk infiltrating the settlement blindly since they knew little information about the Kurogane clan's tactics out of combat.
So Miwa's flashy attack served as a singular source of distraction, enabling the rest of her team to get into position while their fuinjutsu expert swept the area of any traps.
Her being able to break the barrier through the sheer force of her jutsu was only a cherry on top. It greatly simplified the effort required to get into the settlement.
As panic and chaos spread across the settlement, the Kurogane clan couldn't form a strong enough defence. Despite their overwhelming numbers, it was the Kurogane clan who found themselves on the receiving end of a merciless onslaught.
In a matter of minutes, the Uchiha shinobi, moved through the masses with deadly precision, striking down any Kurogane clan members who they met. Be it shinobi or civilian.
For the Kurogane clan, it was a massacre of staggering proportions. Despite their best efforts to resist, they were simply no match for the disciplined and coordinated assault of the Uchiha shinobi.
With each passing moment, their numbers dwindled as more and more of their comrades fell beneath the relentless onslaught.
In the face of such overwhelming odds, the Kurogane clan found themselves fighting not only for their lives but for the very survival of their clan.
But against the might of the Uchiha shinobi, their efforts proved futile, and they were quickly overwhelmed by the sheer force of their attackers.
As the battle raged on, a small group of Kurogane shinobi managed to evade the fate of their fallen comrades by resorting to their transformation.
However, their hopes of survival were swiftly dashed as they found themselves ensnared in a powerful genjutsu cast by the Uchiha shinobi.
Caught in the genjutsu, the transformed Kurogane shinobi were rendered helpless, their senses deceived and their movements restricted. With their dealt with, they were easy prey for Uchiha shinobi, who moved in for the final strike with deadly precision ending them.
Yet amidst this, there were still a few exceptions. There were Kurogane clan shinobi who managed to retain their sanity even in their transformation, which showed their mastery of their technique.
And Sinoda and Fujioka were the ones locked in combat against this group of Shinobi. Considering how their transformation offered them more physical strength as well as more chakra, no other Uchiha shinobi could handle them.
One major reason why Fujioka and Sinoda were still holding their ground was that they had years of experience fighting together. Fighting together during a shinobi had a way of bonding people, further solidifying their teamwork.
"Whapf!"
"Whapf!"
With deft precision, Fujoka hurled smoke bombs into the midst of the enemy jounins.
Immediately the clouds of smoke set in, Sinoda followed with kunais with explosive tags.
"Boom!"
The tags exploded further amplifying the smoke around them. The two had chosen to focus on sneak attacks, hoping to slowly chip off their enemies.
'While this isn't the surest method, it is the only one we can work with.'
Sinoda thought as he followed Fujioka deep into the cloud of smoke before them.
After a few exchanges when they first came across the five jounins, they agreed that confronting them directly would be a damn thing to do. They were outnumbered as well as vastly overpowered. Fortunately, being stronger than your opponents did not guarantee your victory.
In the smoke, Fujioka and Sinoda were having a field day. While the transformation overly improved the physical capabilities of the Kurogane clan, their vision acuity was still not a match to the Sharingan making them near blind.
This effectively forced the enemy jounins on the defensive against the duo's attacks which weren't that strong but still stung.
'We need to clear this smoke, otherwise, their advantages will continue to increase.' Yasuda thought, focusing his chakra by making a few hand signs.
He was a newly elected clan elder, so he felt it was up to him to avenge his fallen comrades and protect the few that were left.
"Slash!"
However, before he could even complete his series of hand signs, he received a sword slash on his forearm followed by another on his collarbone.
"Arghh that hurts!" Yasuda managed to say under his clenching teeth.
It wasn't like he couldn't just ignore the pain, the sword slash he got nullified his ability to manipulate chakra for a few seconds. This was the result of Sinoda's attack.
He had channelled Lightning Release Chakra Flow into his sword, causing the blade to crackle with potent lightning chakra. This infusion not only heightened the sword's cutting power but also had the added effect of paralyzing anyone struck by it, rendering them temporarily stunned.
Simultaneously, Fujioka had also applied Fire Release Chakra Flow to his kunai, enveloping the blade in flames. This enhancement increased the lethality of his kunai which was currently very needed.
Whenever any of the jounins would attempt to use a jutsu that would clear the smoke, Sinoda and Fujioka would attack them, stopping them from clearing the smoke.
'While their transformation helps them, it isn't infinite, at some point, they would need to revert back to their human form.' Sinoda thought as they forced the battle into a state of attrition.
In a distant corner of the settlement, another duo, Tobe and Toda, found themselves locked in a fierce battle against a group of Kurogane shinobis. Like Sinoda and Fujioka, Tobe and Toda also showed their teamwork which was more exceptional as they had been fighting side by side for as long as they could remember.
'We've fought some of them before, so I thought it would be easy.' Tobe thought as he leaned back and dodged a claw swiping at him.
Tobe and Toda had expected their previous encounters with Kurogane Jounins back in Ishigakure to give them an advantage. However, they quickly discovered that they had underestimated the strength and resilience of their foes.
'Worst thing is, Toda is already getting tired and genjutsu doesn't even work this time.'
Tobe spared a look to his brother. Fatigue began to weigh heavily upon him, slowing his movements and dulling his reaction speeds, leaving him vulnerable to the relentless onslaught of attacks from the Kurogane shinobi. With each strike, he struggled to maintain his footing, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he fought to keep their adversaries at bay.
'At least we already managed to kill two of them.' Tobe consoled himself.
They had managed to kill two of their enemies, halving their numbers and yet their fight did not become easier. And it was bound to get harder as another Kurogane shinobi was watching them from afar waiting to capitalize on any mistake the brothers might make.
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