Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Is This Reason Enough?
Seeing his clansmen bullied by Chinya, Kazuo Uchiha wanted to charge in and give Chinya a taste of his own medicine, but Orochimaru stopped him.
Kazuo angrily said, "Lord Orochimaru, even if he is the leader, how could he go this far? That's way beyond discipline!"
Orochimaru coldly replied, "Do you know where you are? This is the Land of Hot Water—the battlefield! If subordinates disobey orders from their commander, no one can say anything even if Chinya kills them!
Kazuo Uchiha, I'm warning you for the last time—stick to your duty. Other people's affairs don't concern you. Step over the line again, and you'll either be sent back to Konoha or face punishment."
Kazuo was so angry his whole body trembled.
Back in Konoha, everyone respected the Uchiha Clan—even Sarutobi Hiruzen treated them with deference.
Yet here, Orochimaru gave them not a shred of dignity, appointing Chinya as leader over his own clansmen and allowing him to humiliate them openly.
For a moment, Kazuo seriously considered taking Ryuuhei Uchiha and the others and returning to Konoha.
But he couldn't do that.
Because their clan head, Uchiha Masaki, had issued a strict order—war was approaching, and it was the perfect opportunity for the Uchiha Clan's revival. No one was allowed to abandon their post during this crucial time.
Kazuo simply couldn't understand. The Uchiha were already the largest ninja clan in Konoha, controlling the Konoha Military Police Force and at the peak of their power—why even talk about revival?
At that moment, Chinya issued his final ultimatum.
"One last chance—I give you this warning. Stand up and follow me, or else just stay down for good!"
The surrounding crowd looked at Chinya with odd expressions.
He'd already beaten up five Uchiha like that, yet still expected them to follow him? That was just over the top.
Jiraiya stepped beside Orochimaru and quietly persuaded him, "Orochimaru, isn't it enough to establish authority now? I'm worried things will become uncontrollable if this goes on."
But Orochimaru crossed his arms, watching Chinya and the five Uchiha with interest. "This is Chinya's own affair. Besides, we originally granted him this right. He's simply using it reasonably. And honestly, it's not Chinya who might lose control—it's those few Uchiha who'll struggle to recover."
Jiraiya could only shake his head helplessly.
Though he had expected Chinya would take out his anger on these Uchiha ninja, he hadn't thought Chinya would go this far.
Masaki Uchiha and the other four remained defiantly silent—not saying a single word.
Chinya lifted his foot from Jin'ya Uchiha's face and suddenly stomped hard on his knee.
"Ahhh!"
Jin'ya had already suffered a broken wrist twisted by Chinya. Now with his leg crushed underfoot, he finally let out a bloodcurdling scream.
All the ninja from the various clans stared in shock.
They never imagined Chinya would be so ruthless—when he said "just stay down," he literally meant breaking their legs.
Those ninja who had previously worked with Chinya on missions, however, weren't surprised—he was always this ruthless.
Cold-blooded and merciless—he simply didn't care about reason at all.
Chinya paced forward until he stood before the next Uchiha, Nobuto Uchiha.
Nobuto Uchiha, who couldn't read the situation properly, still dared to threaten Chinya.
"Chinya! I'm telling you now! The Uchiha Clan won't let you get away with this!"
Chinya snorted contemptuously. "The Uchiha Clan won't let me go? What a bold statement. Konoha isn't the Uchiha's private property! I'm just exercising my rightful authority here. Disobedient subordinates must be properly disciplined.
So what are you saying — the Uchiha's planning a rebellion? You think you can come after me without going through the Hokage first? If that's what you're thinking..."
Nobuto Uchiha wasn't completely stupid. He understood immediately that Chinya was trying to frame the Uchiha Clan and hurriedly defended himself. "No, don't talk nonsense! That's not what I meant at all!"
Chinya didn't waste any more words. With another kick, he broke one of Nobuto Uchiha's legs.
As Nobuto Uchiha screamed in pain, Kazuo Uchiha turned pale with anger.
But with Orochimaru watching closely, he dared not act recklessly and could only swallow his rage.
Chinya approached Kyousuke Uchiha once again. Before he could even lift his leg, he heard Kyousuke shout in panic, "Wait, wait a second!"
With great difficulty, Kyousuke Uchiha struggled back to his feet. His voice rasped from the blow Chinya had dealt to his throat: "I... I'll go with you."
Chinya sneered. "You should've been this sensible earlier."
Kyousuke Uchiha clearly understood the current situation by now.
Here, the name of the Uchiha Clan simply wouldn't work.
Orochimaru was clearly covering for and indulging Chinya.
And Kazuo Uchiha couldn't help them either.
Plus, because of their clan leader's orders, they who had already joined the war couldn't return easily.
Otherwise, they would face severe punishment according to clan regulations.
To avoid that kind of punishment, Kyousuke Uchiha figured it was better to just become one of Chinya's men.
Chinya continued toward Keiichi Uchiha next. As soon as he arrived, Keiichi Uchiha immediately stood up and expressed his willingness to obey Chinya's commands.
Only Ryuuhei Uchiha was left.
Ryuuhei Uchiha had already made his position clear before Chinya even approached him.
Now Kyousuke Uchiha, Keiichi Uchiha, and Ryuuhei Uchiha followed behind Chinya.
Not far away, Kazuo Uchiha was practically seething with rage.
Where was the pride of being an Uchiha?
So they're just surrendering like this?!
Don't they have any shame? Everyone saw it happen!
The three men, Kyousuke and the others, dared not look at Kazuo Uchiha.
It wasn't him who got beat up — it was them.
Glancing at Nobuto Uchiha and Jin'ya Uchiha, who were still clutching their broken legs and crying out in pain, Chinya said to Orochimaru, "Teacher Orochimaru, since those two refuse to follow my orders as their squad leader, just send them back to Konoha.
I don't need disobedient shinobi like them. Brainless fools who can't handle their place and still think they're back in Konoha — forget 'em."
Orochimaru nodded slightly. "Indeed. Let's settle it this way then."
Nobuto Uchiha and Jin'ya Uchiha became extremely anxious at once.
Retreating like this, he wouldn't only face severe punishment under the clan's laws, but if anyone ever found out that Nobuto had gone to the battlefield without even fighting, got scolded by Chinya and had his leg crushed underfoot before being sent packing back to Konoha, he'd never be able to show his face in the clan again.
"W-Wait a second, Lord Orochimaru! We're willing to serve under Chinya and make him our captain!"
Nobuto Uchiha and Jin'ya Uchiha quickly declared their stance.
Orochimaru turned to Chinya, letting him decide what to do next.
Chinya rubbed his chin and said, "Well then, I guess we can give them a chance."
Nobuto Uchiha and Jin'ya Uchiha immediately relaxed in relief.
But Chinya immediately added, "Jin'ya Uchiha stays. Nobuto Uchiha, you can go."
Nobuto Uchiha became extremely anxious. "Why?!"
"Because you just used the Uchiha Clan to threaten me. I don't like you. That's reason enough."
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>