Pool's Lament

A blade formed of wind-attribute Chakra, riding the momentum of its descent, came crashing fiercely down toward Fugaku's head.

Across the entire Shinobi World, aside from a very select few, no one could simply withstand this technique with their bare body—and Fugaku was no exception.

Though Fugaku detected the attack at the last moment, he, along with the kunai he raised to block, was cleaved cleanly in two.

Yet the Sand Shinobi's expression held no trace of excitement; instead, it was filled with terror.

Because with a loud "bang," Fugaku's "corpse" dissolved into smoke and vanished.

"Shadow Clone Technique..." the Sand Shinobi muttered in terror, and these were also the last words he would ever leave in this world.

"Zzzzzt~" A sound of lightning gathering suddenly rang out here.

This noise was the distinctive sound produced when lightning-attribute Chakra was concentrated to its utmost limit.

"Urgh..." As Fugaku abruptly burst up from the rubble, the Sand Shinobi clutched his chest and slowly collapsed.

He had been killed in a single blow by Fugaku.

"Huff..." Dispelling the lightning from his kunai, Fugaku couldn't help but breathe heavily for a moment.

Strong as he was, he now felt a wave of dizziness wash over his head.

Fugaku understood clearly in his heart that this was caused by excessive blood loss.

But he could not fall yet.

The enemy who had gone in pursuit had not returned, which meant Kyosuke and the others had not failed. As the team leader, how could he collapse first?

Fugaku forced his body to hold on, stood up again, and turned his Sharingan toward the remaining Sand Shinobi.

But at that moment, the keen observational power granted by his Three-Tomoe Sharingan unexpectedly revealed Kyosuke, hidden in the trees.

Though Fugaku's outward appearance still seemed like a spent force, a massive storm had already stirred within his heart.

"He succeeded... He actually took down a jonin all by himself." Fugaku screamed inwardly in exhilaration.

After a moment, he finally calmed down.

"I don't know how much strength Kyosuke has left, but since he's here, it means he can still fight. Then..." Kyosuke's unexpected arrival had successfully restored some of Fugaku's energy.

Moreover, the situation had now reversed dramatically from just moments ago.

He had gone from a 1v2 to a 2v1, and his ally was hidden in the shadows, ready to strike a fatal blow at any moment.

Under these circumstances, Fugaku needed to take the initiative and create an opportunity.

An opportunity for Kyosuke to deliver a killing blow!!!

With that thought, Fugaku adjusted slightly and charged straight at the Sand Shinobi.

Carrying the killing intent of one who had slain several jonin, Fugaku's charge completely suppressed the enemy's momentum.

In fact, the enemy was already considering retreating first.

Having jonin-level strength meant this Sand Shinobi was no fool.

The subordinate sent in pursuit had been gone so long without returning—something had definitely gone wrong.

Whatever that accident was, it was unlikely to be good news for him.

If another enemy suddenly jumped out right now, he wouldn't be surprised at all.

"I have to retreat." The more the Sand Shinobi thought, the more afraid he became, and before Fugaku even reached him, he turned and fled.

Fugaku slowly stopped in his tracks: "..."

Kyosuke, hidden in the tree and waiting for his chance: "..."

Before the two could give chase, a sudden figure appeared, drawing all their attention.

At the same time, the Sand Shinobi who had noticed this immediately halted his escape and slowly walked back.

That figure was the Sand Shinobi who had gone after Uchiha Ikezi.

And Ikezi... her clothes were disheveled, covered in blood, as she was dangled from his hand.

Fugaku's eyes seemed ready to tear apart at the sight before him; the kunai in his hand was unconsciously gripped so tightly it let out a "creaking" sound.

Kyosuke, still in the tree, stared at the Sand Shinobi with a dark gaze.

His earlier bad premonition had truly come true. Ikezi had been captured by the enemy.

Then Fugaku... Thinking this, Kyosuke glanced at him and sighed inwardly.

Immediately after, his hands moved rapidly through hand seals.

Kyosuke prepared to act by force.

At this moment, he had no mind to consider whether saving Ikezi would affect the birth of those two brothers.

Because this was, after all, a human life—a life that could not be measured by events that had not yet occurred.

Putting that aside, just for the meal she had made—which now seemed quite delicious in hindsight—Kyosuke would save her.

After a brief sequence of seals, the Chakra beneath Kyosuke's feet erupted, and he suddenly shot toward the Sand Shinobi who had not yet fully returned.

At the same time, the highest-level Ninjutsu he currently mastered was instantly unleashed.

Earth Release: Earth Flow River.

The sand beneath that Sand Shinobi suddenly turned to liquid, then surged like a wave, sweeping him up and carrying him off into the distant forest.

Though the attack had struck the enemy, Kyosuke received no notification from the system.

That meant this technique wasn't enough to kill that jonin.

But Kyosuke's purpose had already been achieved.

Because of his sudden assault, not only had the swept-away Sand Shinobi failed to react, but even the other one holding Ikezu captive was stunned for a few seconds by his unexpected appearance.

However, there was one person who would absolutely not let anything else distract his focus at this moment.

That person was Fugaku Uchiha, fully concentrated.

The instant the Sand Shinobi holding Ikezu had his attention drawn to Kyosuke, Fugaku suddenly launched forward, reaching the enemy's front in almost a single moment.

Body Flicker Technique.

A ninjutsu of very low rank, yet one that not just any shinobi could master.

Aside from a rare few, only those who had reached the rank of jonin could basically use this technique.

And while many jonin had mastered it, only a handful could use it with any brilliance.

The Body Flicker Technique Fugaku used now was no exception.

Because time was tight, he had no spare moments to form hand seals and then mobilize his chakra.

So, to save time, he used a method that was almost self-destructive, forcibly bursting his chakra to push his movement speed to its peak.

This method was similar to that of the "Fourth Raikage," using lightning-natured chakra to stimulate cells, activating them to greatly enhance all aspects of the body's capabilities.

The reason this method had never been used by anyone in the Shinobi World except the successive Raikages

was that it was extremely harmful to the body. Aside from the successive Raikages, whose basic physical abilities were incredibly robust, no one else could use it.

Not to mention, the successive Raikages also had a corresponding set of training methods to freely wield this ability.

That method was the famous ninjutsu, "Lightning Release Armor."

So, Fugaku's actions at this moment truly carried a hint of reckless abandon.

Fortunately, after paying such a heavy price, he finally managed to reach Ikezu's side before the enemy could react.

But what greeted him was not Ikezu's joyful gaze.

Instead, her expression was filled with terror. Though her mouth was covered and she couldn't speak, every look in her eyes seemed to say, "Don't come over!"