What Did You Say? This Little Girl Is Sasuke?!

Boom!

Kaze and Shisui held nothing back. Every punch and every move was delivered with their full strength.

The shockwaves they kicked up and the sounds of friction they produced

far exceeded the Root ninja observing in secret's understanding of the world!

You called Kaze and Shisui ninja?

You called this stuff ninjutsu?

They were clearly two living, breathing monsters!

Under the terrifying impact, even Kaze and Shisui could not emerge unscathed.

Both were sent staggering back more than ten steps.

"What ruthless nintaijutsu..."

Standing within Susanoo, Shisui adjusted his breathing.

Even though he was a prodigy of the Uchiha Clan, his Mangekyō Sharingan was still an ordinary one.

Its side effects were difficult to eliminate.

Maintaining Susanoo in battle for an extended period caused a streak of crimson to flow uncontrollably from the corner of his eye.

His original plan had been...

Since Kaze, like the other Uchiha clansmen, believed in strength above all else, he would use Susanoo to thoroughly crush Kaze's nintaijutsu.

He would make him understand that only the Will of Fire could bring about true transformation.

Yet after several minutes of battle, the mighty Susanoo had failed to gain the upper hand.

Instead, it had dealt a blow to his confidence.

Feeling the sticky sensation at the corner of his eye, Shisui could not help reaching up to touch it.

"Susanoo's side effects are still too severe..."

Shisui sighed inwardly.

"I have to end this quickly."

In contrast, Kaze's nintaijutsu showed no chakra fluctuations whatsoever.

And he was in remarkably good condition.

This could not continue.

However...

Just as Shisui pushed off hard with both feet and rushed after Kaze, Kaze suddenly changed the direction of his charge and sprinted toward the other side.

"Hm?"

Shisui frowned at the sight, unable to figure out what trick Kaze was up to.

But then he remembered that Susanoo protected him.

What kind of trap could possibly stop him?

With that thought, he steeled himself and chased after Kaze.

In truth, even this Jonin Exam had been a sudden incident. How could Kaze have had time to prepare any traps?

The reason he had suddenly changed direction

and left Shisui behind

was because the Rumble-Rumble Fruit allowed him to sense electric waves.

From the moment Shisui proposed the Jonin Exam, Kaze had noticed that other ninja were observing them in the forest.

Kaze naturally paid no attention to these people, who were very likely Anbu.

Even if he accidentally injured them, he would not feel the slightest remorse.

He would rather kill them all.

But just then, Kaze's ability to sense electric waves suddenly detected

someone else entering the blast radius.

And from the state of their electric waves, he sensed...

that the other party was not only a child, but had also been struck by the shockwave and sent flying.

"The height is at least seven or eight meters..."

"If she fell straight down like this without knowing how to protect herself..."

"She could very well get hurt."

Kaze thought to himself.

That was also why he had suddenly abandoned his fight with Shisui.

Hurting an innocent child just to defeat a powerful enemy—

That could hardly be called justice.

Kaze held his breath and broke into a sprint.

After roughly two or three breaths, he spotted the "little girl" soaring high in the air, her hands flailing nonstop.

She was only three or four meters above the ground.

If she hit the ground headfirst, that would be no joke.

"Whew..."

Kaze took a deep breath, withdrew his electric current, and dispelled his Elementalization form.

In the next instant, Kaze pushed off hard with both feet, like a black panther pouncing on its prey.

Fast, precise, steady...

But Kaze's precision was not aimed at his opponent's vital points.

Instead, he caught her around the waist, back, and legs in a princess carry.

He landed steadily, bent his knees, and slid seven or eight meters under the force of inertia.

Only after seeing that the little girl in his arms was safe and sound did Kaze finally let out a long breath of relief.

At the same time.

Shisui, who had activated Susanoo, arrived a moment too late, fully prepared to deal with Kaze's trap.

Yet what entered his sight was Kaze rescuing a child of the Uchiha Clan.

Most crucially...

Seeing that the child was unharmed, The corners of Kaze's lips rose slightly in relief. The competitiveness in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a trace of gentleness.

That sight left Shisui rooted to the spot, and the Susanoo enveloping him crumbled apart as well.

In his memories, The Uchiha Clan had always worshipped the principle that strength reigned supreme.

They looked down upon the weak, even those within the clan.

Fathers suppressing their sons.

Older brothers stealing their younger brothers' Sharingan.

Such things had never been unusual in their clan.

Yet Kaze's actions did not seem like an act at all.

Why...

Why would Kaze, who worshipped strength above all else, deliberately protect a child during battle?

Especially just now...

The Mangekyō Sharingan's side effects had flared intensely, making blood seep from the corners of Shisui's eyes.

Anyone who desired victory would neither want to, nor should, give up such an opportunity to press the advantage.

Yet Kaze had chosen another path.

That only made Shisui understand him even less.

"Are you okay?"

Kaze left Shisui standing off to the side without so much as giving him a deliberate glance.

His pair of Sharingan scrutinized the "little girl" in his arms, concerned for his condition.

"I-I'm fine..." The "little girl" in Kaze's eyes hurriedly shook his head.

Yet his gaze kept drifting back to Kaze.

He was both thankful that he had escaped unharmed and felt that Kaze's rescue had been incredibly cool.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Kaze raised an eyebrow, faintly sensing something off.

The "little girl" in his arms had short hair. Beneath a pair of sharp, sword-like brows were large, watery doe eyes. His skin was fair, and his cheeks were flushed red with embarrassment. Together with the deliberately styled airy bangs over his forehead, He was simply adorably cute.

Even five-year-old Hinata and three-year-old Hanabi paled slightly in comparison to this "little girl's" adorable looks.

But for some reason...

Kaze felt a powerful sense of dissonance in his heart.

It was as if he had seen that face somewhere before—and it also somehow looked thoroughly punchable.

"Um... could you put me down?"

Having been held in Kaze's arms the whole time, the "little girl" was unbearably embarrassed. He could only glance to the side and speak in a soft voice.

Yet he gave off an oddly proud air.

"Uh..."

Only after the "little girl" reminded him did Kaze realize he had indeed been holding him for too long, and hurriedly set him down.

Meanwhile, Shisui noticed the child's profile and couldn't help calling out his name.

"You are... Sasuke?"

"Mm." Upon hearing someone call him, Sasuke instinctively looked at Shisui and politely nodded.

And his name entered Kaze's ears with perfect clarity.

"What?"

"Sasuke?"

Kaze froze on the spot.

As a Transmigrator, he was naturally no stranger to the name Sasuke.

"This little girl is Sasuke?!" Kaze's shock was written all over his face.

The result was Sasuke's embarrassment.

"Um, well, I-I'm a boy..."