I just have an unusual constitution

"All right, I'll make the exchange." Maya did not hesitate in the slightest.

Even if her lord truly was crippled, she would care for him for the rest of her life.

From the day she had given the Clan Heir her word, Kyosuke had become the most important person in her life.

Failing to keep him safe had already been a grave dereliction of her duty as his guard. How could she now stand by and watch disaster befall him?

The mission?

To hell with it!

Uchiha Maya threw the unconscious Rumiko Yamanaka to the ground and fixed her opponent with a fierce stare. "Don't try anything," she said in a low voice. "Or I'll kill every last one of you here."

Three pitch-black tomoe spun wildly in her eyes as her gaze swept toward the last surviving Chunin.

She was a young girl from the Yamanaka Clan who had just tried to launch a surprise attack with a secret technique, only for Maya to see straight through her intentions.

"Don't attack!" Teppei Nara stopped his subordinate.

As things stood, he and Kanbei Akimichi were facing two Uchiha Jonin.

If they pushed their opponents too far, the pair could seize a hostage and flee at any cost. They would have no way to stop them.

Rather than risk it, they were better off getting Rumiko back first.

The brat was crippled anyway. Keeping him served no purpose now.

No matter how foolish Rei Uchiha was, he would never choose to compromise for a cripple.

At that thought, Teppei Nara waved a hand to show his sincerity. "Rest assured, I won't gamble with my comrade's life."

As he spoke, he lifted Kyosuke by the collar with one hand and reached for his comrade on the ground with the other.

Maya did much the same, while Uchiha Izumi watched Kanbei Akimichi like a hawk.

Both sides wanted the same thing, so the exchange itself should have gone smoothly. Neither side wanted to take that risk.

But the moment the hostage exchange was complete, another round of fighting would begin.

With the young Yamanaka girl's help, they could just about form an imperfect Ino-Shika-Cho formation.

They might not be able to stop their opponents from escaping, but they could at least keep their comrades safe.

With the target no longer of any use, he had no desire to keep fighting. There was no helping it-the risks simply outweighed the rewards.

"We have plenty of time ahead of us. I hope we get a chance to meet on the battlefield." Teppei Nara's eyes held murderous intent, but he felt quite relaxed.

Trading three Chunin lives for the supposedly greatest genius of the Uchiha was a bargain no matter how he looked at it.

Rewards and honors would surely await him upon his return to the clan. More importantly, this would give his clansmen's morale a tremendous boost.

"Watch out!"

Suddenly, Kanbei Akimichi's desperate roar reached his ears.

His heart jolted, and Teppei Nara snapped his head up, thinking the woman intended to take them all down with her.

But Maya showed no sign of attacking, and the cold-faced man remained motionless where he stood.

Then it could only be...

Squelch!

A kunai pierced his heart. Teppei Nara fell dead without so much as a grunt.

His old ideals and the ambitions he had harbored vanished along with his fading life.

"Teppei!!!" Rage surged through Kanbei Akimichi, turning him into a berserk beast.

Uchiha Izumi immediately met his charge, her fierce Fire Release preventing him from advancing a single step.

"Lord Kyosuke!" Maya covered her mouth, staring at the scene before her in disbelief.

"I'm fine." Kyosuke tore off his blood-soaked shirt. He looked composed, but inside, he was utterly panicked.

Before the operation, he had spent a fortune on a Universal Recovery Capsule.

He had held the capsule in his mouth since nightfall, biting it open the instant he activated the Body Flicker Technique.

What Kyosuke had not expected was that combining Chidori with the Body Flicker Technique would place such a terrifying strain on his body.

The pressure generated in that instant had caused his entire body to break down.

Without the capsule in his mouth, never mind continuing the fight-even waking up again would have been uncertain.

Just this once. I can never do that again, Kyosuke reminded himself.

In fact, he had already regained consciousness when the two sides began the exchange.

With immense willpower, Kyosuke forced himself to endure the aches as his body repaired itself.

While waiting for an opening, he observed his two subordinates' reactions.

Fortunately, they had not disappointed him. It was fair to say that only from this moment onward did he truly trust them both.

Once Teppei Nara had completely disregarded him, Kyosuke finally found the perfect opening. A single thrust of his kunai was enough to kill even a powerful Jonin on the spot.

[System notification: Killed a Jonin of the Nara Clan. Gained 3,100 points.]

Points: 5,025.

One life-or-death battle had brought his points straight back above five thousand.

And that was not his only gain.

Name: Uchiha Kyosuke

Age: 9

Physical strength: Peak Chunin

Mental strength: Peak Chunin

Chakra reserves: Peak Chunin

The recovery capsule had not only healed his injuries, but also quietly cured all the hidden ailments caused by years of forcing himself through training.

His body had grown considerably stronger during the repair process. All three stats had now reached peak Chunin level.

And there was more...

Kekkei genkai: Sharingan (three tomoe).

At the critical moment of his desperate battle, the stimulation of extreme emotions had finally brought Kyosuke's Sharingan to the three-tomoe stage.

In other words, when fighting with his kekkei genkai, he now possessed combat power comparable to a Jonin even in his normal state.

With his body fully repaired, Kyosuke was now in peak condition.

"Give her a little treatment. Don't let her bleed to death." He pointed at the woman on the ground who had lost an arm.

Then he turned around and fixed his gaze on the Chunin.

"Lord Kyosuke..." Maya was still worried. His injuries healing on their own was simply too strange.

"Don't worry," Kyosuke said without looking back. "I just have an unusual constitution. Of course, please make sure you keep it a secret."

With that, he charged out with his short sword in hand.

"An unusual constitution." Maya blinked. Why did she feel as though her lord was trying to fool her?

Besides the Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques, the sole surviving Chunin also possessed powerful Water Release.

But against Kyosuke, whose actual combat power had reached Jonin level, she had no chance to fight back.

With a single Body Flicker Technique, Kyosuke appeared behind her in an instant. One sweep of his short sword slit her throat.

[System notification: Killed a Chunin of the Yamanaka Clan. Gained 430 points.]

Points: 5,455.

I'm harvesting points faster and faster. Kyosuke stopped and looked toward the last enemy, who was gradually beginning to struggle.

Kanbei Akimichi.

With their retreat in mind, one prisoner was enough.

The best end for this Jonin was to become points in his hands.

As his physical strength increased, the Body Flicker Technique became ever easier to use.

His figure flickered, and Kyosuke appeared directly behind the giant. His short sword turned red as it carved a wound into his enemy's body.

He had to admit that Kanbei Akimichi's strength was truly extraordinary.

Even under their joint assault, he never showed any sign of faltering. Unfortunately for him, there was a third Jonin present.

Once Maya had her hands free, she used genjutsu to immobilize the enemy's body.

Finally given his opening, Kyosuke drove his blade straight into the man's heart.

[System notification: Killed a Jonin of the Akimichi Clan. Gained 3,800 points.]