The Same Type of Ability-Neither Could Counter the Other

No one had ever made running away sound so righteous, treating it not as a disgrace but as a badge of honor.

In Uchiha Mai's telling, fleeing without hesitation despite being the strongest did not make him a coward. Instead, he became the bravest of them all, the one who bore the greatest burden.

And somehow, it actually sounded reasonable.

Of course it was reasonable. Cutting your losses at the right moment was a truth written in blood.

Hearing this, Uchiha Takuya and the other Konoha ninja felt their hearts surge. Their young clan leader was right!

Ordinary ninja like them were doomed if they ran into Ōnoki anyway. Why drag their young clan leader down with them?

If they had to choose someone to avenge them five or ten years later, their young clan leader was the only choice.

"What a silver-tongued brat."

Ōnoki's mouth twitched. No wonder the boy was doing so well in Konoha at such a young age.

Talent, strength, brains, and first-rate sophistry. Someone like that bloody well deserved to succeed.

"After all that, why aren't you running?" Ōnoki countered.

Don't tell me you're all talk and can't actually bring yourself to abandon your teammates.

Uchiha Mai said calmly, "Because I don't think I'll necessarily lose, and I definitely won't die."

Was Ōnoki strong?

His chakra reserves were bottomless, his Earth Style mastery sublime, and his Dust Release had the greatest offensive power in the Ninja World. If Ōnoki did not qualify as strong, only the Ninja World's two legendary titans did.

Uchiha Mai knew he was weaker than Ōnoki. Believing a pair of Consciousness-Only: Sharingan alone put him on Ōnoki's level would have been far too naive.

But... he could give it a shot. If there really was no chance, it would not be