I Was Already Thinking About My Next Opponent

"Everyone, retreat!"

Dong Shiren stared at Uchiha Mai in despair. At last, his fighting spirit flared, and he barked an order at the Rock Shinobi around him.

Iwagakure still held the advantage among the Chunin and Genin, but its Jonin were now at an overwhelming disadvantage.

Intelligence mattered in a ninja battle, and Uchiha Mai was a prodigy Iwagakure had been watching closely.

His stamina was exceptional, his ability to kill was formidable, and he was nearly unstoppable against weaker opponents in a group fight. Without someone strong enough to hold him off, he could quickly slaughter even a hundred-man unit.

That was Iwagakure's assessment of Uchiha Mai, based on its intelligence.

Dong Shiren had not believed a word of it. The price was more than a dozen Chunin and Genin, plus one Jonin, killed in less than a minute.

Uchiha Mai, meanwhile, had suffered only minor internal injuries from the backlash of his secret technique. He even looked likely to recover quickly.

And it was all because of Dong Shiren's stupidity.

There was no point in continuing this battle. Even if Konoha's reinforcements never came, Uchiha Mai could kill every last Rock Shinobi given enough time.

So why not run?

Dong Shiren had finally made the right decision.

The Iwagakure ninja broke off their attacks and withdrew from the battlefield in good order, without a moment's hesitation.

"Should we pursue them?" Uchiha Takuya asked.

"Uncle Takuya, take your unit and rest. I can handle the pursuit alone." Uchiha Mai landed lightly, carrying Takuya with him, and spoke calmly.

"All right." Uchiha Takuya nodded. He had clearly expected that answer from his nephew.

Why was the Iwagakure unit retreating? Were they really afraid of Takuya's unit?

Of course not. The Iwagakure unit still had two hundred people, while Takuya had