Seeing his clansmen being beaten so brutally by Sora, Uchiha Kazuo's fury boiled over. He clenched his fists and took a step forward, intending to confront Sora and put him in his place. But before he could act, Orochimaru intervened.
Uchiha Kazuo glared at Orochimaru and barked angrily, "Orochimaru-sama, even if he's the captain, this is going too far! This is no longer a lesson—it's outright cruelty!"
Orochimaru's golden, snake-like eyes bore into Kazuo, his voice cold and unyielding. "Do you know where you are, Uchiha Kazuo? This is the Land of Rain, a battlefield. Here, subordinates who refuse to obey their leader's orders have no right to complain—even if Sora had killed them, no one would bat an eye."
Kazuo flinched, his defiance shrinking under Orochimaru's menacing aura.
Orochimaru continued, his tone darker. "Let me warn you one last time: focus on your own duties. What happens to others is none of your concern. If you cross the line again, you can either return to Konoha in disgrace or face punishment here."
Kazuo trembled, his face pale with suppressed rage and humiliation. Back in Konoha, the Uchiha clan commanded respect, even from Sarutobi Hiruzen himself. No one dared to disrespect them openly. But here, under Orochimaru, Kazuo found no trace of the deference the Uchiha clan was accustomed to. Not only had Orochimaru allowed Sora, an Uchiha outcast, to lead his tribesmen, but he'd also permitted him to beat them without hesitation.
For a moment, Kazuo considered taking Uchiha Ryuhei and the others back to Konoha. But the thought was quickly discarded. Their clan leader, Uchiha Masaki, had issued strict orders: with the war underway, this was a prime opportunity for the Uchiha clan to prove their strength and solidify their influence. No one could abandon the battlefield.
Still, Kazuo couldn't understand it. The Uchiha were already the largest ninja clan in Konoha, and they were in charge of the Konoha Military Police Force. Why was their clan so obsessed with the idea of "revival"?
Meanwhile, Sora's voice cut through the tension like a blade. His Sharingan was still glowing, so he delivered an ultimatum. "This is your last chance. Stand up and follow me. If you don't, you're not leaving this place at all!"
The gathered shinobi exchanged glances, their expressions a mixture of shock and disbelief. After witnessing how Sora had beaten the five Uchiha, his demand for their compliance seemed excessive—even cruel.
Jiraiya approached Orochimaru, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Orochimaru, don't you think this has gone far enough? Sora's established his authority. If this keeps up, it's going to end badly."
But Orochimaru, arms crossed, showed no sign of intervention. A sinister smirk played on his lips as he watched the scene unfold. "This is Sora's matter. From the moment I appointed him captain, I gave him the authority to handle his subordinates however he saw fit. He's simply exercising that right."
He glanced at Jiraiya, his tone dripping with amusement. "And besides, it's not Sora who'll face the consequences—it's those Uchiha who will."
Jiraiya sighed, shaking his head in disapproval. He had expected Sora to use this opportunity to vent his frustrations against the Uchiha clan, but even he thought this was unnecessarily harsh.
Meanwhile, the five Uchiha remained silent, their pride preventing them from voicing their pain or pleading for mercy.
Sora, unmoved by their stoicism, lifted his foot from Uchiha Jinno's face only to stomp down hard on his knee.
"Ahh!" Jinno screamed, unable to contain his pain. His wrist had already been broken earlier, and now his leg was fractured as well, leaving him utterly incapacitated.
The onlookers gasped audibly. Even those who had been enjoying the spectacle now looked at Sora with wide eyes, shocked by his ruthlessness. He had warned them that they wouldn't leave at all if they disobeyed—and now he had made good on that threat.
Among the crowd, only those who had served under Sora before were unsurprised. To them, this level of cruelty was nothing new. It was simply who Sora was.
Ruthless and entirely unreasonable, Sora approached the next Uchiha, his Sharingan still glowing ominously.
This time, it was Uchiha Yorito who spoke, his tone defiant despite the situation. "Sora! Let me tell you this—the Uchiha clan won't let you get away with this!"
Sora let out a cold sneer, his voice dripping with mockery. "The Uchiha clan won't let me go? Such arrogance. Let me remind you that Konoha doesn't belong to the Uchiha clan. I'm simply exercising my rights as your captain. Disobedient subordinates must be properly educated."
He paused, his voice turning sharper. "Or is it that you, Uchiha, plan to rebel? Do you intend to bypass Lord Hokage's authority and take revenge on me yourselves? If that's the case…"
Realizing the dangerous direction Sora was steering the conversation, Yorito panicked and quickly backpedalled. "No! Don't twist my words—I didn't mean that!"
Sora didn't respond with words. Instead, he lashed out, breaking Yorito's leg with a sharp kick. Yorito's agonized scream echoed across the field as he fell, clutching his shattered leg.
Uchiha Kazuo watched the scene unfold, his face pale with fury. His hands clenched into fists, but under Orochimaru's oppressive gaze, he didn't dare make a move.
Sora moved on to Uchiha Kyosuke, who was sprawled on the ground. As Sora raised his foot, Kyosuke frantically croaked, "Wait! Wait!" His voice was hoarse from the earlier injury to his throat.
Struggling to his feet, Kyosuke forced himself to speak, his fear evident. "I-I'm willing to go with you!"
Sora smirked. "Wouldn't it have been easier if you'd been this sensible from the start?"
Kyosuke now understood the reality of the situation. Here, the Uchiha name held no weight. Orochimaru clearly sided with Sora, and there was no help to be found—not from Uchiha Kazuo, not from anyone.
Besides, the clan leader's orders left them no choice but to stay. Returning to Konoha without fulfilling their mission meant severe punishment under Uchiha clan law. Between that and serving Sora, Kyosuke chose the latter.
With that, Sora turned to Uchiha Keiichi, who immediately stood and declared, "I will follow your orders, Captain."
Only Uchiha Ryuhei remained now. Before Sora could approach him, Ryuhei quickly raised his hands in submission. "I-I'm willing too!" he stammered.
And so, Kyosuke, Keiichi, and Ryuhei stood behind Sora, defeated and humiliated.
From a distance, Uchiha Kazuo's frustration boiled over. His face twisted with rage as he thought, What happened to the integrity of the Uchiha clan? How could they compromise like this?
But Kyosuke and the others avoided Kazuo's gaze. It wasn't his body that had been broken—it was theirs.
Sora cast a cold glance toward Uchiha Yorito and Uchiha Jinno, who were still writhing on the ground, clutching their broken legs. He turned to Orochimaru and said, "Orochimaru-sensei, since these two are unwilling to follow their captain's orders, I suggest sending them back to Konoha. I have no need for shinobi who can't recognize their own limits or obey commands. They're nothing but dead weight."
Orochimaru nodded approvingly. "That does make sense. So be it."
Hearing this, Yorito and Jinno panicked.
"Wait! Please wait, Lord Orochimaru!" Yorito shouted, his voice desperate. "We're willing to follow Sora's orders! We'll serve him as our captain!"
Jinno quickly added, "Yes, we're willing! Please, give us another chance!"
Orochimaru turned his gaze to Sora, silently signalling for him to decide.
Sora stroked his chin thoughtfully before replying, "Fine. Let's give them another chance."
Yorito and Jinno let out audible sighs of relief. But their relief was short-lived.
Sora's gaze darkened as he continued, "Yorito can stay. Jinno, get out."
Jinno's eyes widened in shock. "Why?! What did I do?"
Sora's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Because you had the nerve to threaten me with the Uchiha clan earlier. I find that irritating. Is that reason enough?"
Jinno's face turned pale as despair set in.
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