Simultaneous Transmigration: From Japanese Anime to American Comics

Chapter 13: A Gamble

The war between the two great clans had lasted for half a month. Apart from the overwhelming power of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, which had shocked the world, the name "Chu Yang" among the younger generation was also gradually entering the public eye.

With fame came danger.

Upon learning that Chu Yang was being groomed by both Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama as a successor, the Uchiha clan became resolute in their determination to kill him.

A genius that even Hashirama valued would surely become a great threat to the Uchiha clan in the future. They could not allow another "Senju Hashirama" to appear!

Thus, in the following battles, Chu Yang became the focal point of the enemy's attention on the battlefield. Wherever Chu Yang appeared, that area became the second most contested battleground after the duels between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.

Senju Tobirama, ever shrewd, had anticipated this and even used Chu Yang as "bait" to orchestrate a few successful ambushes.

However, this did not dissuade the Uchiha from their intent to eliminate Chu Yang. Every time Chu Yang appeared on the battlefield, the Uchiha clan would send their elite forces in relentless attempts to surround and kill him.

The sheer number of forces and their frenzied determination gradually diminished the effectiveness of Tobirama's ambush strategies.

By the time Tobirama realized things were slipping out of his control, it was too late to withdraw Chu Yang from the front lines. On the battlefield, Chu Yang had become a symbol for both sides. If he were pulled back to the rear for protection, it would deal a severe blow to the morale of the Senju clan.

In this way, the advantage Tobirama had worked so hard to establish in previous battles would be rendered meaningless.

Thus, the two sides could only continue to center their forces around Chu Yang, pouring more troops and raising the stakes in a fierce and unimaginable struggle for dominance.

The significance of Chu Yang in the war's outcome had even surpassed that of the battles between Hashirama and Madara.

In the dead of night, at the Uchiha clan's camp, Uchiha Madara and his brother, Uchiha Izuna, were discussing the war's critical turning point in a brightly lit room.

"Brother, if we drag this out any longer, the situation will turn against us. We must make a final gamble. We should gather the remaining genjutsu experts in our clan and eliminate that Senju brat, Chu Yang," said Izuna, his face lined with exhaustion and his eyes bloodshot from the stress of war.

"Once he's dead, the momentum of the Senju will collapse, and we'll secure victory in this war!" Izuna's voice was filled with urgency, as if the weight of their clan's fate hung on this one action.

Madara did not respond immediately. He stared intently at the chess pieces scattered on the sand table, noting how the Senju clan had been steadily eroding their strength.

Maintaining the current stalemate would inevitably lead to their defeat.

"You will personally lead the team for this mission. It must succeed. If it fails, there will be no chance for us to turn the tide!" Madara said gravely.

Izuna nodded and left the room without a word.

Watching his brother's back as he departed, Madara felt a twinge of regret. If it were possible, he would have preferred to go himself. But he had to stay on the front lines to keep Senju Hashirama in check. No one else in the Uchiha clan could match Hashirama, and the same was true for him with Madara.

That very night, Uchiha Izuna gathered ten of the clan's genjutsu experts and prepared to infiltrate the Senju camp to assassinate Chu Yang.

There were, of course, many more Uchiha skilled in genjutsu, but for an assassination mission, fewer people meant fewer chances of mistakes. After careful consideration, Izuna determined that ten was the optimal number. Among these ten, some were even prepared to act as sacrificial pawns if necessary.

They all understood their roles clearly, and they would go without hesitation.

Under the pale moonlight, the group moved silently, blending into the darkness.

Meanwhile, back in the Senju camp, after a long day of fighting, Chu Yang had returned to his tent to rest. But no matter how exhausted he felt, he just couldn't fall asleep.

His eyelids drooped from fatigue, yet every time he was about to drift off, he would suddenly jolt awake.

"What kind of strange curse is this?"

After tossing and turning for what felt like an eternity, Chu Yang angrily sat up, cursing under his breath before falling into a fit of self-doubt. "Could it be that I've been pushing myself too hard?"

"No way!" Chu Yang immediately dismissed the thought. He was a strong and vibrant young man—there was no way he could be worn out like that!

If it wasn't his physical condition, then it had to be something mental.

Reflecting on this, Chu Yang realized that not only had his Haki grown stronger, but his instincts on the battlefield had also become keener, allowing him to sense danger more acutely.

"It must be some sort of danger that's making me so uneasy!" A flash of insight struck Chu Yang, and he quickly activated his Kenbunshoku(Observation) Haki, extending his senses to cover the entire area.

Through his Haki, Chu Yang detected eleven unknown presences moving toward him, bypassing the Senju guards unnoticed.

"An assassination attempt?" Chu Yang sneered, quickly piecing together the Uchiha clan's plan. He never expected them to target him for assassination.

Using his Wood Shadow Clone Technique, Chu Yang left a clone in his bed and quietly slipped out of the tent, intending to rally reinforcements and lay a trap for his would-be assassins.

To deceive the enemy, Chu Yang didn't alert the guards stationed outside.

On the other side, Uchiha Izuna led the elite Uchiha team, methodically bypassing the Senju security. Every time they encountered a guard, a genjutsu expert would silently put them to sleep.

After several successful infiltrations, Izuna and his team arrived near Chu Yang's tent. Only the guards at the entrance stood between them and success.

At Izuna's signal, five of the genjutsu masters simultaneously cast their illusions, putting all the guards into a deep trance.

"Lord Izuna, isn't this going a bit too smoothly?" the eldest member of the team asked, his voice tinged with concern.

"If we fail with our clan's most skilled genjutsu users, then we might as well give up and surrender to the Senju," Izuna replied coldly.

The old man smiled wryly and said no more, falling back into line.

The others stayed outside while Izuna entered the tent alone, lifting the flap to find "Chu Yang" fast asleep, his face showing signs of exhaustion.

"So young..." Izuna couldn't help but sigh as he gazed at Chu Yang's youthful face. Although Izuna himself was considered a prodigy of the younger generation, Chu Yang was even younger than him.

Killing such a young genius filled even Uchiha Izuna with a sense of regret, despite being on opposing sides.

But Izuna knew that mercy toward an enemy was cruelty toward oneself. If Chu Yang were allowed to grow, the Uchiha clan might very well face destruction.

With these thoughts in mind, Izuna's expression turned fierce. He drew his kunai and plunged it toward Chu Yang's neck with ruthless precision.

However, as the kunai pierced "Chu Yang's" neck, the sensation was all wrong. The feedback from the strike made Izuna's face go pale!

"A Wood Clone?!!"