Uchiha Kazuo fell to the ground, dead. Sora stood behind the body, his face expressionless. Everyone stared in shock.
The other shinobi were dumbfounded, especially Nara Kubota. He had guessed that Sora might challenge Uchiha Kazuo and Xiong Liwei, perhaps defeating Kazuo with his superior strength to force submission. But Nara Kubota never expected Sora would kill Uchiha Kazuo outright—and in front of so many Uchiha clan members. This went far beyond establishing authority.
Uchiha Fugaku's eyes became bloodshot as he glared at Sora. "Why?!" he screamed. "Even if Kazuo was at fault, you didn't have to kill him!"
Sora acted as if he had done something insignificant. He even sat directly on Uchiha Kazuo's body, a disturbing smile spreading across his face. The expression made the other shinobi feel uneasy.
The Uchiha shinobi stared at Sora with clenched jaws, their hatred evident. They looked as if they wanted to tear him apart.
"I said before," Sora stated calmly, "as the commander, my words are law. You did not question my qualifications then. Uchiha Kazuo not only questioned me but openly defied my orders, so I killed him. Is there a problem?"
"Of course there's a problem!" Fugaku responded angrily. "I was already trying to reason with him, and I would have succeeded! But you just killed him without waiting. Isn't that problematic?!"
Sora shook his head and looked at Uchiha Fugaku with cold, indifferent eyes. "I asked him twice whether he would obey my orders, but he insisted on having his way. And he didn't seem to be listening to you either."
He continued, "My time is valuable. Giving him two chances was generous. If he didn't take the opportunity and got killed, who can he blame but himself? This is wartime, and my command is absolute. I have the authority to deal with those who disobey."
Sora's eyes narrowed. "So, Uchiha Fugaku, is there anything else you wish to say?"
Before Fugaku could respond, one of the Uchiha shinobi shouted angrily, "You just want to take out your frustrations on us!"
Once one spoke up, others followed.
"Yes! You're sending us to die, and you killed Kazuo just to vent your anger. What kind of commander are you?!"
"That's right! We don't recognize you as our commander!"
"We will never follow your orders!"
The Uchiha shinobi were furious, hurling insults at Sora.
Nara Kubota's expression darkened. Just as he feared, the Uchiha were beginning to rebel. The proud Uchiha clan would never submit so easily. If this continued, they would have civil conflict here before they ever dealt with the Kirigakure shinobi in the Land of Waves.
Yet Sora remained calm, as if the Uchiha weren't insulting him at all. His eyes locked with Fugaku's, and Fugaku stared back coldly. With so many Uchiha opposing Sora, Fugaku didn't believe Sora would dare to continue his tyranny.
Suddenly, Sora smiled at Fugaku.
Fugaku's heart skipped a beat.
Sora stood up from Uchiha Kazuo's body. The Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes was now activated, and he cast a cold glance at the Uchiha shinobi who were insulting him.
Faced with the pressure of Sora's Mangekyō Sharingan, their insults gradually quieted.
"I'll give you one last chance," Sora said coldly. "Will you follow my orders?"
All the Uchiha shinobi fell silent.
Sora placed his hand on his ninja-tō again. "I don't need shinobi who won't obey orders. Shinobi who disobey are trash that hold us back..."
Uchiha Fugaku looked at Sora in disbelief as a terrible realization dawned on him.
"No!" Fugaku roared.
But Sora had already moved, his ninja-tō piercing the throat of an Uchiha shinobi.
"You were the first to question me, weren't you? Then you should die first," Sora said coldly.
Fugaku rushed forward to stop Sora, but he was too fast. By the time Fugaku moved, Sora had already killed four Uchiha shinobi.
The other shinobi trembled in fear at the sight. Sora really was willing to go on a killing spree.
Nara Kubota felt like his head would explode. He couldn't believe Sora would actually do this.
Fugaku tried desperately to stop Sora, but there was no way to catch him. The Uchiha shinobi panicked and attempted to fight back, but none could match Sora's speed.
Just as the situation was about to spiral completely out of control, three loud voices rang out.
"Lord Sora, we will obey your orders!"
"Please stop killing! We were wrong! We were wrong!"
"We repent and apologize! Please don't kill anymore, we beg you!"
The owners of these voices were none other than Uchiha Kyosuke, Uchiha Keiichi, and Uchiha Ryuhei—the three who had once served under Sora.
They knelt on the ground, pressing their foreheads to the dirt, pleading desperately with Sora.
They had wanted to do this since Sora killed Uchiha Kazuo, but they feared criticism from their clansmen for showing weakness. This had already happened to them once—when they returned to Konoha from Yu no Kuni, they were coldly criticized for not standing up to Sora.
But now, watching their clansmen being killed, they couldn't remain silent any longer. From their years serving under Sora, they knew he was truly capable of killing everyone who defied him.
A slight smile curved Sora's lips.
This was what he had been waiting for—someone to give him a way to stop. He needed either Fugaku or his former team members to submit. Without this, Sora would have had to continue killing the Uchiha shinobi.
Sora had only killed one Chūnin so far—the others were all Genin. If he killed too many, he would face serious consequences. The Uchiha clan was still Konoha's main force in external wars. If they united to confront the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen would likely compromise, given his character.
That's why Sora had set himself a limit of no more than ten Uchiha shinobi. Apart from the Jōnin named Uchiha Kazuo, he wouldn't target other Jōnin.
This level was just right—just a few Chūnin and Genin. Danzō could help him handle the political pressure from these deaths.
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