Sarutobi

A torrent of scorching flames could reduce a person to charcoal in a matter of moments.

The Black-Robed Man had been prepared. He had already finished forming hand seals as he brought his blade down.

Anyone else would have been swallowed by the flames. But that certainly didn't include a user of the Sharingan.

The instant his enemy puffed out his cheeks, Sosuke forced himself sideways. The scorching flames passed close enough to singe his hair into a slight curl.

Enduring the wave of heat that hit him, the boy formed hand seals, intending to use the ninjutsu he was best at to fight back.

However, the Black-Robed Man was exceptionally experienced. The moment his ninjutsu missed, he forcibly cut off his chakra output. Chakra burst beneath his feet, and he instantly caught up to his enemy.

An arm clad in a bracer swept toward him like a sledgehammer. Sosuke had no choice but to abandon his hand seals and raise his blade to block.

Bang!

The boy's body went numb. He began flying backward, completely out of control. If his feet hadn't clung firmly to the ground, he would have been sent flying the instant they collided.

Forced to slide seven or eight meters backward, Sosuke's face flushed red. His trembling arm could barely keep hold of his sword.

By contrast, aside from a white scratch on his bracer, the Black-Robed Man had suffered virtually no damage. The gap in their Taijutsu was plain to see.

Worst of all, his enemy wasn't giving him a chance to form hand seals.

"What happened? Where'd all that swagger from earlier go?!" The Black-Robed Man pressed his advantage, his relentless assault crashing down like a storm and leaving his opponent no chance to catch his breath.

With no other choice, Sosuke forcibly activated Chidori Stream, finally driving back the enemy in front of him.

"Scum, don't get too cocky." The Sharingan fixed on his enemy as Sosuke swiftly formed hand seals. A piercing birdsong instantly echoed throughout the stronghold.

Seeing the tangible Lightning Style chakra, the Black-Robed Man couldn't help but pause. He hadn't expected the kid before him to have such a deadly move up his sleeve.

He'd meant to toy with him, but it looked like he'd have to show some real skill now.

"Come on." The Black-Robed Man's attitude hadn't changed from beginning to end. He'd even killed the First Boss with his own hands, yet not a flicker of emotion had crossed his face.

A man like that was either naturally cold and indifferent, or certain that everything was under his control.

However you looked at it, the latter seemed far more likely.

Feeling the lightning in his palm nearing its breaking point, Sosuke lowered his stance and charged at his enemy like an arrow.

The Lightning Style chakra continually stimulated his cells, making him run faster and faster. With the Sharingan keeping his target in sight, no matter how his enemy dodged, he couldn't escape Sosuke's pursuit.

"What a terrifying technique." The Black-Robed Man bit his fingertip and quickly slapped his hand against the ground.

The instant white smoke billowed up, the bolt of lightning plunged straight into it without hesitation.

A few seconds later, Sosuke emerged first. He looked down at his battered arm, his expression more grave than ever.

For the first time, Chidori's surprise attack had failed.

Across from him, a red-haired ape was hopping mad. Its chest was singed in places, bearing the marks of Chidori's attack.

"Gah, that hurts! Kiyoshi, you bastard! Every time you summon me, it's for something awful!"

The red-haired ape bellowed furiously, its gaze fixed on the boy with murderous intent.

That last attack had clearly hurt.

At the red-haired ape's complaint, the Black-Robed Man laughed and lifted his hood, revealing the mature face of a man around thirty.

"Don't get worked up. How about I let you tear him apart yourself in a minute?"

By now, the Black-Robed Man's identity was obvious.

His earlier Fire Style and the unique Summoning Beast before them had both revealed who he was.

A ninja of the Sarutobi Clan, the renowned Sarutobi Kiyoshi.

The clan's watch list had contained a detailed record of him. Sosuke hadn't expected to run into him here.

"This is trouble." Recalling what he knew about the man, Sosuke remained calm, though he was already considering his options.

Resting a hand on the Summoning Beast's shoulder, Sarutobi Kiyoshi suddenly laughed. "I didn't expect a kid to push me this far. I have to admit, you've done an impressive job."

"From here on, I'll treat you as an equal and fight you with everything I've got."

"Enma, transform!"

Bang!

A cloud of white smoke flashed, and a broad-bladed greatsword appeared in the man's hands.

"Prepare yourself, boy." The Black-Robed Man swung the broad blade, sending a blue crescent-shaped slash surging toward Sosuke. The three-meter-high fence behind him split apart with a crack.

"Hey, can't you aim a little better?!" the Summoning Beast roared in protest from inside the blade.

"Haha, I can't help it! He's a ninja with the Sharingan. It'd be nice if it were that easy."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Black-Robed Man leaped into the air and struck down with his blade more than a dozen times in quick succession.

Even with the Sharingan's help, Sosuke could only dodge in a desperate scramble. One misstep, and he'd be cut in half.

The slashes, each seven meters long, kicked up a cloud of dust in front of him. Taking advantage of the cover, Sosuke vanished from sight.

"So it's not the Adamantine Staff I remember. Looks like each Enma is good at a different Transformation Technique."

Sosuke sent out two Shadow Clones to mislead his opponent while his real body waited for an opening. With the enemy's attention drawn elsewhere, he easily slipped over the fence and out of the stronghold.

Sarutobi Kiyoshi was powerful, definitely on the level of an Elite Jonin.

In terms of physical ability alone, Sosuke was still at the Genin level. His chances of winning one-on-one were pitifully slim.

If he was going to fight, he'd have to wait until he exchanged for a Cursed Seal and could use diluted Nature Energy.

"Hold on to those Points for now. Someday, I'll come collect them myself."

Those were the words the Shadow Clone left behind before disappearing.

The Black-Robed Man didn't understand what "Points" meant, but he knew he'd somehow let his enemy get away.

Enma wasn't good at tracking, and he had no sensory abilities either. He searched all over for a long time but couldn't find the boy.

"When did he slip away?" Sarutobi Kiyoshi tried hard to remember.

After thinking it over without reaching an answer, the Black-Robed Man shrugged and sent the Summoning Beast back himself.

The Sarutobi Clan dealt in iron goods, with a business network spanning the Land of Fire. They also secretly backed certain bandit groups, helping them with shady, under-the-table dealings.

The stronghold had stocked a shipment of goods to transport overseas. They hadn't expected a Uchiha kid to suddenly come knocking.

Now that they'd driven him off, the Black-Robed Man would find someone else to take over the business.

As for fighting to dominate the Land of Fire, the Sarutobi Clan had never been interested in that sort of thing.

Business was business, and it was about money. The fighting and killing could be left to the Uchiha and Senju.

"Forget it. If he got away, he got away. He's just a kid."

The man hadn't taken his opponent seriously at all.