Further Concealment

Bang!

A white smoke billowed from Qi Shuang, who had been struck by Uchiha Tai, turning into a kunai that fell to the ground.

At the same time, three meters away from where the kunai landed, a small figure suddenly appeared.

"Substitution Technique?"

Seeing this, how could Uchiha Tai not understand why his slash just now felt off?

"You're quite alert, commendable!" He slightly curled his lips, but his expression didn't seem like praise at all, more like mockery.

"Substitution Technique" is a escape jutsu that uses a chakra imprint on a personal item. When in danger, it uses the chakra imprint to leave the item in place and teleport oneself a short distance away.

Although convenient, the chakra imprint requires constant nurturing and has a time limit, meaning the opponent couldn't use "Substitution Technique" again in a short period.

"Brat, next time, you're dead!" He gave Qi Shuang opposite him a deep look.

On the other side, seeing his subordinate escape danger with "Substitution Technique," Kamiya Ki was overjoyed and patted his chest, saying, "You scared me to death!"

Then, he immediately retreated to Qi Shuang's side, adopting a defensive stance against the two Konoha ninja.

"Teacher Kamiya, you were only slightly startled, but I almost died for real!" Qi Shuang said, still shaken, looking at the calm enemy before them.

Ever since recognizing the opponent's Uchiha identity, he had been on high alert.

Especially when the opponent drew their blade, although he couldn't see the movement clearly, he instinctively activated "Substitution Technique," which allowed him to escape.

If he had been a fraction of a second slower, he might have truly died by the opponent's sword.

The speed difference between a Jonin and a Genin was truly terrifying!

"I'll create a dense fog to cover the area and try to hold off Uchiha Tai. Be careful yourself!" After instructing his subordinate, Kamiya Ki immediately formed a series of hand seals.

"Water Release: Mist Technique!"

As he channeled chakra into the river water, a white, dense fog once again billowed up, like fluffy white cotton candy, enveloping an area of dozens of meters.

However, this candy lacked sweetness, carrying instead a hint of killing intent.

"Annoying!"

Uchiha Tai cursed under his breath as the thick fog rose, obscuring the figures of the two Mist Ninja.

If there were a ranking for the most annoying techniques of Kirigakure, "Mist Technique" would undoubtedly be number one.

This ninjutsu, while lacking direct offensive power, could obscure vision.

Unless one possessed specialized sensory abilities, everyone else in this dense fog was no different from the blind, constantly worried about surprise attacks.

Meanwhile, the caster could defend or attack at will, making it extremely convenient.

Now, with his strength, he wasn't afraid of a sneak attack from the Mist Ninja, but he had also lost the opportunity for proactive offense.

Because he couldn't see, he could only passively wait for the opponent to come to him.

Not only that, but with the fog deployed, he had also lost the chance to quickly eliminate the Mist Ninja brat.

This would undoubtedly drag them into a protracted battle.

If it were anywhere else, he would have had the patience to play with the two Mist Ninja, one big and one small, slowly. But they were already close to Kirigakure's front-line camp.

The ensuing battle would inevitably create considerable noise. If it dragged on, he couldn't guarantee that the Mist Ninja wouldn't discover the situation here.

At that point, not only would he fail to capture them, but he might also be in danger himself.

Thinking this, he immediately instructed his companion, "Let's finish this quickly! Don't deliberately search for the caster; find and eliminate that brat first!"

"That way, I don't believe he won't come out!"

"Yes!"

The Konoha ninja beside him nodded.

Uchiha Tai's voice was loud, not deliberately concealed from the opponents. Therefore, Qi Shuang and Kamiya Ki, on the other side of the dense fog, heard it clearly.

Qi Shuang understood. This was an open ploy!

He was not the caster and could not use the fog to conceal all his aura. Thus, his situation within the fog was the same as that of the two Konoha ninja.

As long as they could find his trace and pin him down, he would have no way to escape.

At the same time, the purpose of their words, besides intimidating him, was also to force Kamiya Ki, the caster, to reveal himself.

If Kamiya Ki remained silently by the side, like a sword hanging over their heads, they would be uneasy.

But if they could force him out, they would feel much more at ease.

Helplessly, Kamiya Ki secretly transmitted to Qi Shuang, "I will do my best to hold off that Uchiha. As for the other one, you're on your own, kid!"

"Just don't die before I do!"

"Remember to make the battle noise louder. If we can attract Kirigakure reinforcements, we might have a chance of survival!"

With that, he once again disappeared into the dense fog, launching a probing attack towards Uchiha Tai.

It wasn't that he enjoyed taking on difficult opponents, but the two on the other side were at least Chunin level. With his abilities, he could only hold off one.

If he chose the Konoha Chunin, leaving Qi Shuang to face the Konoha Jonin, the latter would likely not last more than a few rounds.

In the end, with Qi Shuang dead, he was alone facing two enemies, and the possibility of survival was even slimmer.

Therefore, he could only choose Uchiha Tai as his opponent.

Presumably, this was also within the other party's expectations.

Currently, their only advantage was this dense mist that could separate the two Konoha ninja, isolating them from the Konoha forces and minimizing the danger.

The rest was to play hide-and-seek in the thick fog, stall for time, and wait for reinforcements.

Clang!

Kamiya Ki quietly circled behind Uchiha Tai and launched an attack.

Unfortunately, it was easily blocked by the opponent.

Especially upon seeing the pair of red eyes, he dared not engage further, retreating after a single strike, fearing he would fall victim to the Sharingan's genjutsu and become an easy meal.

After blocking his opponent's sneak attack, Uchiha Tai instructed his companion beside him, "That guy has already arrived!"

"You go deal with that Mist Ninja brat. He's not the caster, so finding him should be easier than finding this one!"

"I don't want that brat to still be alive after I've dealt with this guy!"

Hearing the displeasure in Uchiha Tai's tone, his companion immediately nodded and replied, "I definitely won't disappoint you!"

With that, he plunged into the thick fog and disappeared.

Kamiya Ki did not intervene. Both sides seemed to have tacitly chosen their respective opponents.

After his companion's footsteps faded, Uchiha Tai loudly addressed the surrounding dense fog, "The last Mist Ninja who used the 'Mist Technique' in front of me was caught and killed in one strike after only ten moves!"

"I'm curious, how many moves can you last against these eyes of mine?"

Despite the mockery, Kamiya Ki remained unfazed, still focusing on tracking his opponent's every move and looking for an opportunity to strike.

Even though he knew the formidable reputation of the "Sharingan," he still had to face such a dangerous opponent.

Now, he could only hope that the explosion sound from before would attract attention from the other side of the mountain and bring Mist Ninja investigators quickly.