"How is that possible?!"
The threat closing in from behind frightened Uchiha Hikazu out of his wits.
He was nearly an Elite Jonin, after all. Even in his impaired condition, his alertness was still at sixty percent of its peak.
Yet approaching him without a sound was not something an ordinary ninja could accomplish.
He forced strength into his waist and twisted his entire body around.
At the instant the blade reached him, he managed to block the attack with his kunai.
Facing the masked enemy, Uchiha Hikazu swiftly formed hand seals while demanding, "Who are you?"
"A stupid question." A raspy voice rang out. Kyosuke frowned slightly, thinking that this fellow really was troublesome.
He had used the Space Coordinates on the ground to close to within two meters.
In theory, no one should have been able to escape his sudden slash.
Yet his opponent had forcibly blocked it, despite apparently being in less than ideal condition.
The further you advance, the greater the gap in strength within the same rank.
Had his enemy been in perfect condition, Kyosuke probably would not have been able to take him down even if he risked exposing his identity.
At best, he could have fought him to a draw. With Flying Thunder God, Uchiha Hikazu could do nothing to him either.
But this fellow had just survived a brutal battle, nearly losing his life on the battlefield.
His stamina and chakra had fallen below critical levels. In a one-on-one fight, victory was not necessarily out of reach.
With a simple hand seal, Kyosuke instantly appeared diagonally behind his enemy.
"What?!" Uchiha Hikazu's eyes widened, and he forcibly interrupted his ninjutsu.
Using the Shisui-style Body Flicker Technique, Kyosuke appeared beside his enemy, giving him no chance to unleash any ninjutsu.
One slash... two slashes... three slashes...
In an instant, he delivered seven vicious slashes in succession, successfully carving a bloody gash into his enemy's left shoulder.
Of course, Kyosuke had not escaped unscathed either. A heavy kick struck his abdomen, feeling much like being sent flying by a car.
He tumbled more than ten meters before finally coming to a stop against a large tree.
"Cough." Spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva, Kyosuke slowly rose, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.
He had known long ago that the world of shinobi was a place where people devoured one another.
No, every world was like that. It was simply more nakedly apparent here.
Ever since personally disposing of the Three Clans' prisoners, he had silently made a decision...
Anyone who dared stand in his way would die!
Flicking the blood from his blade, Kyosuke lowered his body like a wild leopard watching its prey in the jungle.
"You're an Uchiha?!" Uchiha Hikazu's eyes widened as countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
A face could be concealed and a physique disguised, but the traces of his swordsmanship had betrayed him in the end.
Even without practicing it himself, he knew it when he saw it. Among his many subordinates, some were bound to specialize in swordsmanship.
"So that's how it is. Good, good, good." The blood-covered man's expression betrayed a hint of madness.
Rat-Tiger-Dog-Ox-Hare-Tiger!
His hands swiftly completed the seals. In an instant, clusters of flame resembling balsam seeds appeared, engulfing the entire thirty-meter area ahead.
Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!
These flames were controlled by the caster's chakra, making it difficult for most people to evade them all.
His enemy's combat experience was immense. In just two exchanges, he had worked out most of the rules governing Flying Thunder God.
In particular, the moment he saw the symbols inscribed on the ground, he understood how the technique worked.
"So you keep teleporting around those symbols. What a terrifying ninjutsu." Uchiha Hikazu sneered. He wanted to see just who was trying to kill him.
A battle between ninja was a battle of intelligence.
Even something as powerful as the Rinnegan would inevitably face countermeasures once its abilities were exposed, let alone Flying Thunder God with its current multitude of limitations.
Hikazu's Phoenix Sage Fire had already enveloped every coordinate point.
The assassin had no way to counter it except to endure the attack head-on.
Boom!
Fireballs rained down like a torrential storm. Kyosuke truly had nowhere to hide, and if he chose to withstand them, a terrifying killing blow would likely follow.
But who had ever told his opponent that the only coordinate points were nearby?
With a simple flicker, he arrived at a riverside two kilometers away.
He washed his hands in the stream and rubbed his still-aching stomach before forming a seal and returning to the battlefield.
At the sight, Uchiha Hikazu's brows nearly knitted together.
"It seems the technique has quite a range." What had just happened made him realize that if his opponent wanted to leave, he had absolutely no way to stop him.
However, the assassin's swift return also made another thing clear to him.
He did not need to trouble himself at all. His opponent was the one who should be anxious.
If he could not win, he could simply leave. Such a powerful ninjutsu had to consume an enormous amount of chakra.
In other words, his opponent could not use it repeatedly. To kill him, the assassin would have to risk approaching.
Only then would he have a chance to turn the tables and kill him.
Before long, Kyosuke noticed his enemy's intention.
A bunch of crafty old veterans. They're so fucking hard to deal with. He had to admit that none of these long-established Jonin were pushovers.
His previous successful kills had all involved outside factors to some extent, along with a considerable amount of luck.
Now that he was intercepting one head-on, Kyosuke finally understood just how troublesome the older generation of Jonin could be.
His enemy was openly preparing to leave, practically telling him to charge in and fight if he wanted to stop him.
For a moment, Kyosuke wanted to use Chidori to force a kill, but he quickly abandoned the idea.
Chidori emphasized a long-distance rushing strike. It worked time and again against outsiders, but against a fellow clan member who also possessed the Sharingan, its effectiveness fell dramatically.
Not to mention that he still had to conceal his identity.
Flying Thunder God's existence would be exposed sooner or later. If Chidori rang out here today, it would be tantamount to openly revealing that he had ambushed and killed his comrades.
Bastard. If you want to die, I'll grant your wish. Knowing he had no other choice, Kyosuke's gaze darkened, his resolve settled.
Without another word, he unleashed all the chakra within him and swept to his enemy's side like a phantom.
Unfortunately, he was not yet fast enough to outpace the reactions of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Ducking beneath the diagonal slash, Hikazu pivoted, knocked aside the assassin's guard with his kunai, and drove it straight into his abdomen.
Beyond their difference in combat experience, the gap in their physical strength was now apparent too.
Hikazu could easily block his blade. Kyosuke, on the other hand, had recognized his opponent's intention, only to lose out in strength in the end.
Pulling out his bloodstained kunai, the man spun and sent him flying with a heavy kick.
Before he even landed, surging flames were already bearing down on him.
As expected, despite his severe injury, Kyosuke still forced himself to use Flying Thunder God.
Thud!
He dropped awkwardly to the ground, narrowly escaping being swallowed by the Fireball Jutsu.
Enduring the intense pain, he raised his head to look at his enemy. Their eyes met, both gazes filled with knowing amusement.
The battle is over. The thought flashed through Kyosuke's and Hikazu's minds at the same time.
Before you continue